Customer Reviews

Backyard Race Horse: The Training Manual, a Comprehensive Off-Track Program for Owners and Trainers

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

It takes an unbelieveable amount of time, effort, and money toget your racehorse across the finish line. Most racehorse owners turntheir animals and their money and unconditional control over to the racetrack trainer, usually to have the animal return to them injured, most permanently, within a 6 month period. Ms. Castillo, via this excellent book, provides an alternative in her own experience of training horses on her farm. The book is both a how to manual for the beginner and a comparative analysis for the experienced. Ms. Castillo takes you through her training, a to z in great detail. You may argue with her technique or you may question her methods, but I found the information provided invaluable and for myself inspirational to my own training efforts. Ms. Castillo relates how to overcome every obstacle an owner may face in training their own animals, and she is a welcome pioneer promoting her unique idea--instead of pouring money down the toilet with the local track trainer, a practice which ejects owners from the business usually within a couple of years, instead for those thousands and thousands of horse owners, train your own! It could hardly get any better than that.

This is easily one of the greatest training books ever published. It teaches how to train your racehorses with both the horses and your best interest in mind at the same time. It argues clearly and teaches why the method of not overpushing horses and making them run by masking pain with medicine is stupid and offers viable options for trainers who still want to make money. It teaches that the greatest way to make money is to take care of the horse and let it rest when it needs to be cured for injuries instead of pushing it beyond its limits to eventual permanent lameness. One of my favorite portions was about 'carrotology', which illustrated that even racehorses deserve to be loved like a pleasure horse. This book also gives helpful advise to those not only in Thoroughbred racing, but barrel racing and QH racing. One of the greatest things about this book, though, is the fact that the methods described actually worked for the author. Kudos to Janet.

I have read the book, been to her farm. Janet DelCastillo walks her talk. Everything she says she does in the book, she does at the farm and at the track. Yes, she shows you step by step how you the little owner/trainer can get your horse to the track. BRAVO!!!!!!!!!

This book was a waste of my time. I bought it expecting to recieve instruction on how I, a small time horse owner, could train a racehorse. Instead I got a book full of common knowledge and no useful information. Anyone who has horses already knows most of what's in that so-called "manual". It also gave no alternative for people who don't have orange groves to gallop horses through. Instead of buying a book by a woman who's only had one big winner, buy a book that will actually give you insight on training your backyard racehorse.

I found this book to be honest, informative, and excellent. I don't own racehorses, but if I did I am sure Janet Del Castillo's method and advice would be excellent and very helpful. I especially was pleased with her remarks of "this is what works for me, but it more important that you find what works best for you and your horses". I find that refreshingly honest; many trainers seems to always say "this is the only right way, everything else is not" while Janet Del Castillo simply shares her experiences and offers ideas more than writing anything in concrete. I also like the explanation of what the various legal drugs used on racehorses can do to the horses.

I find the review of "a reader" to be a little odd. They remark that Janet Del Castillo "only had one big winner" so her methods are faulty and useless. However, realistically the fact that she had a stakes winner as well as managed to keep her family fed and taken care of by racing horses that lasted for years is outstanding! Only about 7% of ALL Thoroughbreds to reach the track ever compete at stakes levels, fewer still actually win them! The other 93% are Allowance and Claimers. Honestly, how many trainers even get 1 big horse? Aside from those employed or possessing a great deal of money (as in the millions of dollars) and can afford to buy horses for huge sums of money, most trainers never get a stakes horses. Why do you think the big names at the Kentucky Derby and other such races are always the same? They are the ones that can afford to pay the large entrance fees, purchase large groups of young horses to find that one good horse, and can discard the others. Most of the Thoroughbred industry cannot.

So I personally admire Janet Del Castillo and her methods: she races sound, tough horses that usually seem to pay for themselves and keep her in the clear as well! If I ever have the pleasure of owning a racehorse or two, I will definitely use her methods for my horses!

The book gives practical advice and how to for training a race horse. The author really understands horses and gives logical advice on how to care for them in order to get the most out of them without breaking them down.

Great little handbook, especially helpful in the area of medications for racehorses. Very useful!

I respectfully differ with the last prior review. Back Yard Race Horse very truly does aim itself more toward the horse racing novice, but that seems to be an intent, rather than a fault. The book is just superb in its all inclusive information on every aspect of horse care, training, and the race track. And for the experienced trackster Ms. De Castillo at the very least will provide you with comparative information by which you may either agree or disagree or evaluate your own program. Backyard Race Horse additionally sets out a program for those who are unable to train at the racetrack, and as such, rather than being pretentious or pushing a program, merely sets out the backyard experience of its author. She shows how she did it, and demonstrates that it can be done. And finally, and most valuably Ms. De Castillo pioneers the benefits to horse racing of recruiting the hundreds of thousands of potential backyarders into the sport. This is an excellent book, well written, informative, and highly recommended.