What does it take to get a horse fit these days

[Tammy Stawicki]

I have some horses I picked up in dispersal auctions that I've been working to get fit to race and they just don't want to be fit.

One example this filly has:
Ran in 1 barrier trial
Worked 3 times in addition to that
Galloped 2 times
Jogged 4 times

And is still not fit

[Joseph Depaulo]

I think it’s 6-8 gallops to get fit but I could be wrong

[Anthony Zappulla]

I think I do 7 gallops and all the other stuff once, minus the timed workout tho. And they are fit

[Tammy Stawicki]

My yearlings I find just galloping + 1 other thing each week will get them fit by workout time. I had assumed works/barrier trials could get me there in fewer steps, I mean my understanding is barrier trials are supposed to get them almost all the way there. So needing multiple works and gallops after that was a surprise. Any chance mixer works/barrier trials aren't coded correctly for fitness? (perhaps this is more a mixer thread question than thoroughbred racing question). Was just curious what others are seeing and felt their might be more eyes here.

[Anthony Zappulla]

Never did barrier to get fit before, good question tho

[Rochelle Bos]

I was under the impression barrier trials get a horse almost all the way fit from zero fitness

[Carolyn Eaton]

I was under the impression barrier trials get a horse almost all the way fit from zero fitness

unfortunately, no

[Laura Ferguson]

Honestly, I think it is the spacing of the workouts/gallops, since it is spread out over 8 weeks (a little more, including the preseason). I bet she is teetering on the edge of being fully fit, but there's enough gaps in the training that she can't quite get there.

Your yearlings were galloped twice during the preseason, then galloped weekly, with another activity in between. So, they were on a regular schedule and it makes sense they were fit by the time workouts rolled around Week 5.

Your horse was jogged once during the preseason, no gallops. She was worked once Week 1 (at this point, your yearlings had three gallops, plus some other training). Then over a week later, you ran her in a barrier trial. Then, a week and a half later, she gets galloped. I think if she had been doing something more on a weekly basis, rather than every 10 days, that would have gotten her over the edge, or if she'd been doing something in between the barrier trial/work, that would have helped. I buy horses that are unfit, and can usually get them fit in about two-three weeks' time, but I'm doing something every other day/every few days to get there. Once they're training well/fully fit, it is a lot easier to keep them there, but if you're trying to get a racing age horse fit from about zero, it does take a bit more effort.

Barrier trials are about the equivalent of a workout, so one barrier trial is not going to get your horse fully fit. Hope that helps!

[Tammy Fox]

I have purchased horses from auction and went on to basically have them do similar workouts to my yearlings to get them fit. I will gallop them every three to four days and sometimes I will gallop them back to back for a few days until the trainer says be careful not to over work then I will let them rest a few gallop them again. It usually takes me 6 to 7 gallops to get a horse I purchased fit to race or work out.
I thought the main purpose of barrier trials was to help the horse get its confidence back or increase its confidence before they head to an actual race. Maybe I recall that incorrectly but that is what I thought was the main use for the barrier trials. It was like whether the horse won or lost, it still gained confidence.

[Tammy Stawicki]

Does seem in the future I should just train them like I train my yearlings. Thought it would be quicker going the barrier trial/work route as it's more intense work, but because it's more intense work I gave them more rest. So perhaps that countered out any benefit.

In terms of barrier trials and fitness, this is from the barrier trial FAQ: viewtopic.php?t=49195 which is a big part of my thinking that would be the quickest route to get them fit.

"Why should I give my horse a trial?
Barrier trials are neat because they allow all horses to get nearly all the way fit or all the way fit without getting as tired as a regular race. "

[Art K Stables]

I tend to do all the exercises available and then jogging will let you know if they had enough , that’s way too much spacing , exercise them unti you get the injury warning , it’s pretty quick

[Erin Sanderson]

I've always had the best luck getting them fit quickly without overtiring with jogs and gallops. A jog before a gallop every three days or so, usually only takes 5-6 total sessions. It seems to take longer with works and BTs or, God forbid, trying to race them into shape (I definitely don't recommend the latter! Mistakes were made.)