Quote:
Originally Posted by mountainman
I believe the "herd" instinct most factors in when a runner breaks far behind its field. So often it seems like the slow starter ( with the notable exceptions of sluggish closers and badly outclassed participants) hits a top speed seemingly beyond its ability, when desperate to join the field.
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In my view, a herd horse is one that is most content running within a pack of horses. The alpha horse is the one who always wants to lead the pack. A herd horse can have the physical talent of a champion but can lose to inferior horses who are alpha horses. They have the ability to run with any pack securing higher speed figs while running with high quality horses and getting lower figs while running with lower quality horses.
I had no idea how strong these traits were in horses until I spent considerable time with a horse trainer. Not a TB horse trainer but a mustang trainer.
