Customer Reviews

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

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This is a very comprehensive book which covers a broad range of topics relative to training race horses. Because of it's broad scope it does not cover the minute details of training as some other books might...but as a survey of the subject it does fine. It is written well and organized extemely well. It is a good book to start with and will provide the reader with enough background information to be able to ask intelligent questions relative to the books subject matter. A good value.

A book which reassures all those amateurs along the way, that you don't have to be Gai Waterhouse or Bart Cummins to join the winners circle. Handy references to a broad range of subjects and written in a way, that takes much of the mysteries out of the whole subject.

This book is a great read to get you started on the road to horse racing. I liked the section at that back that gave other good horse racing books and videos to read. Highly recommend.

It may come as a surprise to casual fans of horse racing but the vast majority of owners at most tracks are from area farms. These race horse owners - who are oftentimes trainers of their racers - continue to be the foundation of the sport at the numerous mid-level tracks nationwide.

Authors Janet Del Castillo and Lois Schwartz takes the reader through the paces to get a Thoroughbred to the races; from building a track on a farm, the exercising of the runners and how to haul them to and from the track.

Other key issues covered include how to properly manage a budget to make a successful run in the sport, training techniques to properly prepare a racer and the variety of legal medications that are used on the athletes. There is a good directory of race tracks and organizations throughout the country.

The book is a great resource for those looking to take that step into the sport or for fans looking to understand an important - but oftentimes overlooked - facet of the industry.

The next winner of the Kentucky Derby is not be clocking workouts in someone's "backyard" training track, but such a runner just may be the next summertime star at a nearby track. Backyard Race Horse describes how that can be accomplished through proper financial and strategic planning.