Prep Farms in Florida

[LSB]

So, how old, in months, should a TB fillie be before it is placed in race training?

There's no one answer to that question as there are many schedules which will get a filly to the races, most of them dependent on both her mental and physical maturity.

Many owners do "sixty days" in the early fall with a yearling. This includes basic ground work, backing, walk, trot, canter under saddle, learning how to turn (and stop ). Then the yearlings are turned back out to grow up some more and started again the following spring.

This year with our fillies, we skipped that part and instead sent them to a training center on Jan 1st of their two year old year. They stayed there for six months and at the end of that time, one was ready to go to the track and the other, who was developing more slowly, came home to be turned out for the summer.

So no matter what plan you choose, you have to be prepared to stay flexible because horses don't seem to care much about our schedules.

[HR LLC]

Great post LSB.

If I bought I yearling out of the sale, I would send it to my farm for a couple of months after the sale. Let all the drugs, etc wear off so I can see what I really have. Then try to get it broke and do ground work for 30-60 days.

After that, give it 60 days of rest during the winter months. Southern Oklahoma does not get a lot of snow but the ground is very hard from Jan thru early March.

Depending upon how the filly progress in terms of body changes and mental state, I would proceed from there in terms of future training.

[Chanter]

Junior is still with Lambholm South. Sort of one of those always has been, always will be fixtures in life.

[griff]

Thanks

The start stop schedule makes a lot of sense. I can do the late fall early winter stuff but will need to send her to a good facility to get her race fit and ready to put on the track.

griff

[knightsstar]

You might want to check out SezWho Thoroughbreds. Talk to the farm manager Tom Drier. It's located in Ocala Florida.

[Chanter]

I HIGHLY recommend Earl Pierpont, in Reddick/Ocala.

Never once have I ever seen/heard anyone in his barn lose their temper with a horse. His grooms are his adult sons, so they are trained to handled a horse exactly as Earl himself does. He has fanstatic exercise riders-which is 90% of the training right there, & have been with him quite a while!

Earl is very well thought of in the training community for his integrity, & deep caring for animals. They are not mere $$$ signs to him.

Nope, I do not get a dime for this recommendation. I do not work for him. I have my own horses.

You can PM me for his phone number.

[Worksoplad]

Thank you all for some great suggestions. I am going to follow up and see if I can check some of their facilities out.