I usually run with about 10 horses in my stables, bringing about 3 to 4 2 year olds through my breeding or buying yearlings each season. This is on normal setting on the flat.

I have a decent handle on what to look for in a 2 YO and how they might improve after being a 3 YO, but what does throw me is when I see a horse getting heated in the paddock. I have added blinkers when I see this just before the race, but it doesn't seem to do anything or made it worse. When you see a horse getting hot pre -race is that too late to add a pacifier or have you seen an improvement? Do you then add blinkers for the next race?

Am I right in thinking visors should be used if the horse ran freely in the previous race, and noseband if the horse was raising it's head?

This is one part of trying to help the horse I have yet to understand properly. What are your parameters to use the visor, blinkers or noseband?

Thanks for any help.
Credo

Have you hired a stall helper?

I think the frequency of a horse getting worked up before a race depends a lot on its disposition. I manual train and I have always set the training emphasis to Stamina. This tends to turn a lot of my horses disposition to Laid Back which usually translates to my horses being relaxed before a race. Your head lad will tell you if your horse needs a pacifier. Whether he tells you every time a horse needs a pacifier I don't know. Maybe he misses a few? Figuring out what pacifier will work with your horse is a guessing game.


Check out the legend editor in the game to get an idea of how the game creates a horse and all of its variables. Hover over each category for an explanation. It will help you to figure what is going on.

Bluealf - I always have the stable help at the race

Siriuschill - I use the simple training on normal level, and it is rare they flare, but when they do it tends to be a big race and they then always fail at the race.

I'll have a look at the Legend editor just out of curiosity, though think I have a good handle on most of the characteristics, but am sure I may learn something.

I also always check the state of a horse from the head lad on race day. It is only when I check their state at the Paddock and see they are agitated or hot, I was wondering if using a pacifier then works. It doesn't seem to from what I have tried, but was wondering if others have had better results.

Thanks for your responses
Credo

Siriuschill - setting training to stamina emphasis is something I will try. I would not have considered that in a million years.

Credo - I too have selected a pacifier option on the day of the race and am pretty certain it makes no difference by and large. Applying an option throughout training sometimes works - some horses just can't be changed I guess. I give a horse a couple of starts with each option and hope one clicks. Since using the stall helper for every race the number of boiled over horses has dropped dramatically. I have also tried to keep such horses away from the breeding barn - something I didn't think of in the early days !