Saratoga is very special to us, the location of some of our very best racing days and the upcoming Hall of Fame induction of Rachel Alexandra. One of our best memories from 2015 was when her only daughter, Rachel’s Valentina, won the Grade 1 Spinaway. We want to announce that Rachel’s Valentina will now retire… Read more »

One of the biggest steps toward becoming a racehorse in the United States is actually based on paperwork.  While a foal born to a Thoroughbred stallion and a Thoroughbred mare is genetically a Thoroughbred, it cannot be a Thoroughbred racehorse unless we register it with The Jockey Club. Starting in 2017, The Jockey Club required… Read more »

Vital signs are an important tool in detecting the early signs of ill health as well as being a useful training aid. Every person working with horses should know how to interpret these four signs: temperature, pulse, respiration and capillary refill time. Pulse The adult pulse rate at rest will be between 28 to 44… Read more »

The Kentucky Derby is just two days away and although we can’t tell you who will win, we have made this handy A-Z of racing terms. A – Across the Board To bet a horse to win, place, or show (place first, second, or third) in the race. B – Backstretch This describes the straight… Read more »

Spring is here and we can’t help but get excited about our two-year-olds making their first starts this summer! Most people are familiar with races like the Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic, but how does a horse get to start in those races? In North American flat racing a classification system determines what qualifies… Read more »

It might seem senseless to mow our fields and paddocks. After all, it’s the famed Kentucky Bluegrass that feeds our horses and provides calcium for growing bones, but we mow from April through September each year. Why? The grazing habits of horses are different from those of sheep and cattle. Horses graze pasture much shorter… Read more »

Busily crisscrossing the rural roads of Central Kentucky are a fleet of Stonestreet horse trailers carrying very precious cargo. These are the broodmares on their way to their dates with stallions. All Thoroughbreds have the same official birthday – January 1st – therefore the breeding sheds open around February 14th each year. This allows 11… Read more »

Leg wraps are one of the tools used to keep equine athletes at Stonestreet Training Center in top shape. There are many variations, but the universal rule among all wraps is application in a counterclockwise fashion on the left leg and clockwise on the right leg. Why? To avoid straining the tendon, which runs up… Read more »

Four Foal Firsts Earlier this month we published a blog on foaling, but a lot more happens in the first 24 hours of a foal’s life than just arriving in the world! Standing Very shortly after birth, the foal will sit sternally. It is the beginning of his attempt to stand, and he will remain… Read more »

In our last blog entry, we talked about the physical and behavioral changes in broodmares that precede foaling. These outward signs are indications of the internal contractions guiding the foal toward the birth canal. With his forelegs extended out in front of him, head rested between, and hind legs trailing behind, the foal begins to… Read more »