The Race Horse

Katherine C. Mooney recaptures the sights, sensations, and illusions of America’s first mass spectator sport. Her central characters are not the elite white owners of slaves and thoroughbreds but the black jockeys, grooms, and horse trainers who called themselves race horse men and made the racetrack run—until Jim Crow drove them from their jobs.

A lifelong horsemaster and racing journalist provides a wealth of information on all aspects of finding, breaking, training, and placing racehorses. Liberally sprinkled with anecdotes, which show both the humor and the drama of the racing scene, this is essential reading for anyone who aspires to train a racehorse.

Kevin Chong has grand plans. He draws up a to-do list of major milestones that will give him the life he always wanted—and the life that will inspire awe and envy in his friends. Things like settling down and starting a family; learning a foreign language; getting a tattoo. But these grand plans go out the window when Chong makes an unconventional decision: he's going to buy a racehorse. Not the whole thing—he'll become part—owner of the horse. Just don't ask him which part. Thus Chong meets Blackie, the racehorse that will win his heart, even if she doesn't always win on the track. He meets Randi, the cantankerous and foul-mouthed horse trainer with a heart of gold. He meets an assorted array of characters who work, live and drink at the track—and, one by one, the items on his to-do list are crossed out and replaced with horse-related ambitions. His goals are a bit more humble (cussing like a track worker replaces learning a foreign language), but his life has gained new meaning. The story is infused with the noise, excitement and faded glamour of the horse-racing world. It is strewn with fascinating tidbits about the history and tradition of this

Taking care of a racehorse involves many facets - from keeping the horse happy to recognizing any signs of lameness to knowing how to muck a stall. Author T.A. Landers, a former master groom turned trainer, breaks down all aspects of racehorse care in a clear, concise, and comprehensive manner that will leave the reader with more confidence in handling these magnificent animals. Professional Care of the Racehorse provides photographs and detailed explanations of grooming, feeding, restraining, tacking, and handling racehorses. The book also explains the necessary equipment and its proper use and care. All of this thrown in together with a few tips on horse psychology makes it an excellent resource for anyone who works with horses.

On October 20, 1923, at Belmont Park in New York, Kentucky Derby champion Zev toed the starting line alongside Epsom Derby winner Papyrus, the top colt from England, to compete for a $100,000 purse. Years of Progressive reform efforts had nearly eliminated horse racing in the United States only a decade earlier. But for weeks leading up to the match race that would be officially dubbed the "International," unprecedented levels of newspaper coverage helped accelerate American horse racing's return from the brink of extinction. In this book, James C. Nicholson explores the convergent professional lives of the major players involved in the Horse Race of the Century, including Zev's oil-tycoon owner Harry Sinclair, and exposes the central role of politics, money, and ballyhoo in the Jazz Age resurgence of the sport of kings. Zev was an apt national mascot in an era marked by a humming industrial economy, great coziness between government and business interests, and reliance on national mythology as a bulwark against what seemed to be rapid social, cultural, and economic changes. Reflecting some of the contradiction and incongruity of the Roaring Twenties, Americans rallied around the horse that was, in the words of his owner, "racing for America," even as that owner was reported to have been engaged in a scheme to defraud the United States of millions of barrels of publicly owned oil. Racing for America provides a parabolic account of a nation struggling to reconcile its traditional values with the complexity of a new era in which the US had become a global superpower trending toward oligarchy, and the world's greatest consumer of commercialized spectacle.

"From ancient beginnings to modern institutions and innovations, from prestigious races to famous faces, discover the stories and fact behind today's multi-billion-dollar racing industry."--Publisher's description

Written by one of the UK’s leading equine veterinary practitioners, this textbook is dedicated wholly to the veterinary management of the racehorse. The Racehorse: A Veterinary Manual brings together all the major orthopaedic and non-orthopaedic conditions likely to be encountered in racehorse practice and concisely details state-of-the-art ‘best practice’ for diagnosis and management. The book spans the full range of fields relevant to the clinician, including topics as diverse as rehabilitation, respiratory medicine, exercise physiology, pre-purchase and ‘herd health.’ Well-illustrated and comprehensive, it succeeds in being both practical and firmly evidence based, making it an invaluable resource for clinicians worldwide as well as a useful reference work for many non-veterinarians in the racing industry.

“The Race Horse” is a classic guide to buying, training, and keeping race horses. This comprehensive handbook contains a wealth of timeless information that will be of considerable utility to professional trainers, and it would make for a fantastic addition to collections of allied literature. Contents include: “Procuring the Yearling”, “Stabling”, “Food”, “Water”, “Clothing and Horse Gear”, “Shoeing”, “Stable Management”, “Physic”, “Lads and Riding”, “Breaking and Training of Yearlings”, “Trials”, “Training Grounds and Courses”, “Remarks on Training”, “Entering Horses and Other Matters”, “Starting”, “Judging”, etc. Many vintage books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially-commissioned new introduction on architecture. Many vintage books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially-commissioned new introduction on horses used for sports and utility.

Janice L. Blake, Thoroughbred race horse jockey and author, describes how to take a horse to the race track and back safely. This guide is great for beginners, owners, and other rail birds who want to know more about what goes on behind the scenes of a Thoroughbred race track as the horses are being exercised in the morning. Follow along with Janice as she gets a leg-up on the race horse, rides to the track, exercises the horse, and brings it back to the barn unscathed.

An intimate examination of cowgirl narratives, horseback riding, and the characters and personalities of the animals who have accompanied the author from childhood to the present. The Cowgirl and the Racehorse offers a moving, intimate, and richly descriptive memoir on the relationship between a girl and her horses. Beginning with a traumatic horse-riding accident, Wells reflects on the personalities and characters of the many horses--both real and fictional--who have accompanied her through often difficult life experiences, teaching her strength, resilience, discipline, care, and trust. The Cowgirl and the Racehorse is also a scholarly reflection on the many cowgirl narratives--films, television shows, music, and books--that have marked the author's life passages and which offer complex and compelling images for girls as they grow: particularly in terms of their independence of spirit and the social and familial expectations with which they are burdened. Finally, The Cowgirl and the Racehorse is a detailed examination of the ethical and societal questions raised by the sometimes dangerous and cruel, and sometimes seductive and compelling, world of horseback riding.