Renowned international eventing coach Lorraine Laframboise was a Canadian Champion and member of the National Eventing Team from 1976 to 1983. She was also Canada’s National and Olympic Eventing Team coach from 1991 to 1993, and was Equine Canada’s acting consultant to Sport Canada from 2006-2008 as national project leader for the Equestrian Long Term Athlete-Participant Development Program.
Lorraine was the colour commentator for equestrian sports TV coverage for the 2004 Olympics in Athens and the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany. She holds a degree from the University of Ottawa with an emphasis on exercise physiology and sport psychology. She developed a program of mental training for event riders under the tutelage of sport psychologist Terry Orlick. With the participation of national team athletes, she supported pioneering studies in dehydration, heart rate monitoring and biomechanical studies in elite event horses, working closely with facilitators Dr. Hilary Clayton, Patricia Maykuth, and Gayle Ecker.
Lorraine is the head trainer at Venturing Hills Farm (formerly Farm of the Mountain) in Luskville, QC, assisted by Korah Broderick and staff. She also acts an international horse agent, conducts eventing clinics in Canada and the US, and is a guest lecturer and motivational speaker.
When it comes to eventing, there’s no doubt that Thoroughbreds excel at the job. Many horses competing at the top international levels of the sport – such as Jessica Phoenix’s Exploring and Exponential, and Kyle Carter’s Madison Park – had earlier careers as racehorses. The Thoroughbred is best known for its physiological superiority of being able to run very fast over middle distances, with huge lung and heart capacity on a light frame, amazing power, endurance and an uncanny ability to recover quickly. This makes them very hard to beat in a sport that at the three- and four-star level requires cross-country speeds of up to 800m/min and formidable strength tests in up to 45 jumping efforts. Top that off with an overabundance of availability and these diamond-in-the-rough equine athletes can be picked up for literally bargain basement prices.
Lorraine Laframboise is a big fan of Thoroughbreds and has retrained numerous former racehorses as eventers. Here’s what she has to say about how to choose a Thoroughbred off the track and start its rehabilitation for success in eventing:
Attitude, scope, soundness
I have picked Thoroughbreds up from the track directly, but usually work with agents and trainers who can spend time watching and negotiating with the backstretch community. The most important issue for me is soundness, as very few racehorses escape without a stress injury of some type to bone, joint or soft tissue.
Above all, I look for attitude, that “look of eagles.” Attitude seems to go hand-in-glove with physical toughness, and in the end, soundness. It never ceases to amaze me how some have the worst x-rays you can imagine and should not even trot sound, but at 19 are still out there running intermediate or advanced, and sound!
For a potential international mount, an aggressively confident horse that is looking for all comers is preferred, but it also needs intelligence that will allow it to be malleable. You do have to earn their trust – they will give you everything but you have to prove your trustworthiness. If they get nervous or worried, excited or naughty, they still have to have confidence in their rider.
The next consideration is scope. Thoroughbreds come in two basic packages: sprinters and longer distance horses. Some sprinter lines are more favorable as jumpers, but that is not always the case. The sprinters tend to have more muscle mass and slightly different conformation in their hind ends, with often a lower-set hock. A balanced canter is imperative for any horse to get easily to the jumps, and especially an eventer that has to negotiate undulating terrain at speed. They have to have the right angles behind, flexibility in their backs and excellent range of motion in their shoulders, and be quick with their knees to have adequate scope.
There were a lot of Thoroughbreds in the past that were grand prix jumpers, including Canadian Club, Sympatico, The Immigrant, Brother Sam and Idle Dice. But compared to the number of warmbloods on the circuit now, Thoroughbreds are rare. It’s hard to find Thoroughbreds with true scope over 1.20 meters and at four-star levels they have to be very competent at 1.35 meters.
Letting horses be horses
Once we get these former racehorses home, we usually ride them for a couple of weeks just to see what we have. However, they usually need to let down in order to normalize, so I just rough them off and let them become horses again, living out all day or night with a buddy. This let-down period can last a few weeks or months, depending on the condition of the animal. Some don’t thrive in turn-out and actually prefer to get to work, so one has to be flexible and be open to either option. Most of them are quite fried emotionally and often they are thin and sore. They often have been on hormone therapies, anabolic steroids, anti-inflammatories, or lasix, and may have ulcers, so you simply need to let them detoxify and heal.
When we first ride them, we focus on simple repetitive exercises to get them slowed down in their minds and bodies. We try to keep them on a very regular schedule with short intense retraining sessions, but long, gentle outings with exposure to fields, streams, hills, forests. This exposes their true selves, whether inquisitive, fearless, careful, bold, insecure, or curious, and it also allows them to play over logs and natural little jumps so you can see their jumping style while they find themselves.
It is important to re-introduce them to the company of other horses and working with horses that are coming towards them and not traveling in the same direction. Small dressage rings and fenced-in arenas, not to mention indoor arenas, are also foreign and will take a bit of getting used to, as multiple transitions and turns are not among their strong points!
They often have no mouth to speak of and have learned to pull, so they start out in stronger bits. Once serious dressage training is established and we have taught them to slow down and trust the rider’s hands, they end up in very gentle bits like hollow mouth, loose-ring and rubber snaffles. Once they back down, they are usually quite sensitive in the mouth and need quiet and steady hands. I often use German martingales or draw reins or standing martingales to help stabilize their heads in the beginning, but we try not to get dependent on these devices as they can cause over-bending, curling, or the horses can set themselves against them.
Later training
Thoroughbreds love to work and apply themselves, like a hunting dog versus a lap dog. I have found it is best to start them on cavaletti and jumps right away, once the basic dressage principles of forward, straight, rhythm and some suppleness are established. Short sessions two to three times a week trotting in simple patterns or circles and lines over poles, Xs and low jumps can be integrated into the end of your flatwork sessions. They usually love the challenge and progress very quickly to more complicated exercises. The trick is to let them tell you when they are ready, through slight carelessness or the absence of anxiety. Also take them over logs, streams, up and down ravines and gullies. Playful 20-minute sessions are terrific for directing all that physical energy and mental curiosity.
Many Thoroughbreds need a lot of time in the dressage arena to get used to its small size – short sessions, three to five days a week. Ideally they would work with a couple of other horses so they get used to having other horses coming at them. Depending on the animal, we may focus more on the trot or the canter – there isn’t a Thoroughbred I have met that doesn’t prefer the canter! It’s also a great idea to integrate working on dressage in a corner of a field in the middle of a hack.
We precede the work sessions with an oldfashioned warm-up. They are ridden down the lane and back at a walk, which takes about 15 to 20 minutes. This allows horse and rider to disconnect from their own space to unite with their partner before they start to work. It also allows them to mentally and physically start to tune into the fact that they are getting ready to train. Then they come into the work area and this second 20-plus minute session is a moderate- to-intense period of obedience and repetition training. The final of the three phases is the cool down, where horse and rider relax and return to the stable free from any tension.
Most Thoroughbreds don’t do well if you are not prepared to work them hard from time to time, especially if they have raced, as they have so much energy to deal with. The good ones will challenge you, and often. When they do shy at something like a judge’s stand, or don’t understand a more complicated skill like inside leg to outside rein into a leg yield into a corner, they give you a bit of sass and you have to redirect them in an assertive way. They want a leader and they want you to be clear and confident. Use a good medium trot or canter session to burn some energy and have some fun. We build sessions of this nature into almost every pre-event dressage warmup.
Preparation for a first Entry level event
Here’s a sample routine for a five-year-old Thoroughbred that has been six months off the track prior to his first novice level horse trial. He is an aggressive, hot, somewhat overconfident but physically gifted horse that will likely go on to advanced level. He was a successful sprinter who bucked his shins, came home and was found to be anemic. During his recuperation phase of four months, he was lightly hacked in a rubber bit due to his sensitive mouth. Initially, he did six weeks of hacking three times a week and dressage three times a week. He was asked to pop over streams and little logs regularly. Twice a week he jumped single fences, gymnastics or short courses at trot and canter. He adapted well to basic dressage and jumping, but is quite tense when on new property and can be very tense in the dressage ring.
Wednesday: Start the preparation for a Saturday event with a light gallop over about two miles. That involves a couple of four-minute canters with a little sprint play at 500 or 600 metres per minute. Precede this work with a 10- to 15-minute walk, and 10 minutes of trot before going into canter. It’s great if you have a couple of hills to work on.
In a jump or gallop school, there’s also the emotional factor to consider when training expressive and forward-moving horses. When jumping and working at faster speeds, the rider has to relinquish some control and horses will often take advantage of that to play and express themselves. They can kick out over jumps, take the bit and run a little. You allow the horse the freedom to do what he’s built to do, but you still retain control.
Thursday: Long and low dressage work, concentrating on suppling. Start at the walk and trot, or you can go right into canter, but slow and quiet. Keep your hands low, asking the horse to stretch his head down. This is very much a calming ride for the horse after the more intense gallop session the day before. Impulsion is not important in this workout, but rath The workout should be no longer than 30 to 40 minutes. If the horse is not interested in long and low work, but is distracted and still fresh, do a fair amount of cantering on the flat in the dressage ring. He now has to focus and not be allowed to buck or play.
If the horse is still a bit inattentive and fresh at the end of the morning ride, take him out a second time in the afternoon for a quiet but working hack, with mostly trotting and some light canter for about 40 minutes.
Friday: Do a short gymnastic school over small fences with very contained striding and a lot of trotting in between the gymnastic lines. Work about 30 to 40 minutes, including warm-up and cool down, with 20 minutes jumping work. That afternoon, with a peppy and slightly naughty horse who has a bit of trouble focusing due to his energy and confidence, a very intense dressage school could be in order. He has to behave, halt, and walk and be really obedient and accurate.
Saturday: For a local competition, the horse would be either lunged or ridden at home or first thing upon arrival at the show. Focus on containing the horse’s enthusiasm at the start of the 30- to 45-minute session. Once you have his attention and are mostly in control, finish with some lengthened stride at trot and canter to let the naughties out. Try to be clear that he is not allowed to play too much now and has to be obedient. The second ride before your dressage test would be shorter, maybe 20 minutes, and after that he ideally gets a 45- to 90-minute break to calm down and realize it really isn’t all that exciting being ridden in circles.
On non-competition weeks, I turn my horses out a lot, or as much as the heat and bugs will allow. They live out overnight, or for shorter times in the morning and again at night for a few hours.
In the beginning, it can be quite frustrating to try to recondition an animal that exists in a flight-or-fight state, which is basically what racing training is all about. But if you take the time on a daily basis with the horse – what in my experience is routinely about two years to retrain an off-track Thoroughbred – you will be greatly rewarded. If you choose wisely and have a sound, tough, mentally resilient and slightly defiant creature as your partner, when you place that horse between the flags he will get you home and he will do it fast and safely.”
