Track work rider shortage

[tripple alliance 1,026]

All very well  requiring track riders to be licenced and I think there is an age restriction as well , must be 16?? anyway I have a grand daughter who is 12 close to 13 and would be quite capable of riding  track work on a quiet horse , she has been riding for 4 years and now competes in the jumping arena at shows on a very tough difficult to manage fast horse , perhaps the age restriction is wrong and 14 would be a realistic age for a rider with her back ground . 

EX Southland times , A Southland trainer has stopped racing his horses because he can’t find a trackwork rider to employ. Stephen Blair-Edie has not had a trackwork rider since the two he previously employed  left his Birchwood stable in western Southland in late February.

It had been difficult for Blair-Edie to get sufficient training into his horses and knowing he couldn’t get them as sharp as he wanted, he decided to stop racing them in mid-May Blair-Edie won’t race another horse until he gets a trackwork rider working for him permanently. 

He and his stable hand, Shane Howe, are now exercising 12 horses in pairs, off lead ropes, from a quad bike in paddocks. “It stops them from getting fat and out of condition,” Blair-Edie said.

 

 

 

[Berri 2,131]

Sign of the times with worse to come. 

[Berri 2,131]

And this is one of the reasons why...

What everyone in power has ignored is the replenishment of our breeding stock. Whereas the Australian government has supported and enhanced the racing and breeding industries in Australia, which has this week seen unprecedented value gains in terms of the value of broodmares, we continue to languish hopelessly and pathetically. We wonder why in 3-5 years the status of our black type races will have been banished to the boon docks with everyone crying in their milk, by which time it will be too late.

It's a simple as this...

The average of the sale was $228,311, with a medium of $140,000. The mares bought for NZ averaged $136,000 with a medium of $94,000

So we bought 2.97% of the mares (our requirement should be at least equivalent to 4.46% because that is the number of NZ horses racing in Australia), we should at least be better than the average price to keep pace with the average type of horse racing in Australia, and our medium price should at least be as good as the average price because we should be trying to improve our stock. Instead, we are slowly going down the gurgler with the effects of this sale being felt in 3-5 years time.

What a mess and no-one is panicking. Don't you all see this? I'm not wrong as this stuff is so basic and its embarrassing to think that there are groups of people who are meant to be looking after all of our interests, who are not panicking...not becoming vocal...and not reaching out in a manner conducive to give one confidence that actually anything is being done, let alone progressing!!!

[scooby3051 10,872]

No the reason is young people see no future in the game and there is no active marketing to get them interested now everything  is pushed to be centralised the country kids get lost to the industry now and we also do not even have any sort of academy to train them as riders or strappers so we have missed the boat...guess nobody in the halls of power thought it was something that was needed...just another total cock up.

[We're Doomed 4,855]

The trouble in NZ is that everytime the Govt has got involved in Racing they have backed the wrong horse so to speak and just thrown money away. You can understand their reluctance to ever get involved again.

[Pam Robson 1,547]

2 hours ago, scooby3051 said:

No the reason is young people see no future in the game and there is no active marketing to get them interested now everything  is pushed to be centralised the country kids get lost to the industry now and we also do not even have any sort of academy to train them as riders or strappers so we have missed the boat...guess nobody in the halls of power thought it was something that was needed...just another total cock up.

What about the Nakhle training initiative.?  anyone heard how that is working out ?

[Blue 1,095]

41 minutes ago, Pam Robson said:

What about the Nakhle training initiative.?  anyone heard how that is working out ?

Yes Pam, great initiative but again, where and how is it being promoted? As Scooby commented earlier there is no marketing of the industry. The only place you see racing is on Trackside which is preaching to the very diehard and the already converted- both of which are dwindling. Unless racing, breeding, participation and its opportunities are marketed elsewhere it will never attract new interest and the slow death will continue.

[pole 53]

4 hours ago, scooby3051 said:

No the reason is young people see no future in the game and there is no active marketing to get them interested now everything  is pushed to be centralised the country kids get lost to the industry now and we also do not even have any sort of academy to train them as riders or strappers so we have missed the boat...guess nobody in the halls of power thought it was something that was needed...just another total cock up.

No future getting out of bed at 3.30am. Same as the dairy industry they find it hard to employ farm workers. They source there workers from overseas. 

N.Zders are lazy to do an honest days work.

[Hufkissen 65]

In terms of marketing, I do not know if it is coincidental or the result of a change in the Facebook algorithm, but I seem to be seeing a lot more human interest racing stories being pushed out by the Love Racing brand.

[Hacko 123]

 

Why don't you guys get off your arse and promote racing yourselves in your area. It seems too easy to blame NZ Racing in general.

Why not have open days at race tracks inviting the general public to come along and watch the horses being trained. Have a sausage sizzle going to feed the people. 

I bet not many of the general public have seen horses being trained or even been to stables. Here's your chance to invite them along and experience what goes on behind the scene.  

Other businesses promote themselves, they don't rely on others to help them. They may even sponsor sports events and the like to get their name out there. 

And no I am not a trainer or even a owner, a past owner yes. So I won't be promoting racing i have other sporting interests which I am heavily involved in. 

[We're Doomed 4,855]

5 hours ago, Hacko said:

 

Why don't you guys get off your arse and promote racing yourselves in your area. It seems too easy to blame NZ Racing in general.

Why not have open days at race tracks inviting the general public to come along and watch the horses being trained. Have a sausage sizzle going to feed the people. 

I bet not many of the general public have seen horses being trained or even been to stables. Here's your chance to invite them along and experience what goes on behind the scene.  

Other businesses promote themselves, they don't rely on others to help them. They may even sponsor sports events and the like to get their name out there. 

And no I am not a trainer or even a owner, a past owner yes. So I won't be promoting racing i have other sporting interests which I am heavily involved in. 

I largely agree with you Hacko, but you have to realise most industry participants have had all the enthusiasm knocked out of them over the years. There is no incentive anymore. Everything is now run centrally, largely by people with no passion for the industry, so the so called grass roots aren't really wanted. They are just product, and liable to be rationalised at will.

[Berri 2,131]

11 hours ago, scooby3051 said:

No the reason is young people see no future in the game and there is no active marketing to get them interested now everything  is pushed to be centralised the country kids get lost to the industry now and we also do not even have any sort of academy to train them as riders or strappers so we have missed the boat...guess nobody in the halls of power thought it was something that was needed...just another total cock up.

If there are less horses, there are less people involved. If there are less mares being bought, there are less horses in three to five years. If the horses that are being bought are of lesser ability, the number of horses racing in black type races decreases and the ratings of the black type races can't sustain their status. If we lose the status on many black type races, we lose relevance and external interest. If that happens, betting decreases (same as horse numbers), which squeezes the market. We do that we get less owners, therefore less horses therefore less people involved, therefore less stable hands and trackwork riders.

These recent revelations are simply that being played out.

No-one is panicking. That's the travesty.

[Leggy 4,076]

43 minutes ago, Berri said:

No-one is panicking. That's the travesty.

I think many of us gave up panicking a decade or two ago. The writing was on the wall then and no-one with the power to do so was interested in trying to rub it out. Way too late now to panic imo.

[Pam Robson 1,547]

10 hours ago, We're Doomed said:

I largely agree with you Hacko, but you have to realise most industry participants have had all the enthusiasm knocked out of them over the years. There is no incentive anymore. Everything is now run centrally, largely by people with no passion for the industry, so the so called grass roots aren't really wanted. They are just product, and liable to be rationalised at will.

As above.

Locally, some stables do offer an opportunity for owners to come and view all the horses, and at major race times, there are sometimes BBQ's at trackwork.  Certainly appreciated but not promoted to 'the public'. 

And with modern H & S rules, getting enough Hi-Vis wear for all the visitors, and making sure they were herded into 'safe' areas [ from where they couldn't see anything anyway ]   and not milling around the training areas getting in the way,  is not at all practical.

 

[Leggy 4,076]

2 hours ago, Pam Robson said:

As above.

Locally, some stables do offer an opportunity for owners to come and view all the horses, and at major race times, there are sometimes BBQ's at trackwork.  Certainly appreciated but not promoted to 'the public'. 

And with modern H & S rules, getting enough Hi-Vis wear for all the visitors, and making sure they were herded into 'safe' areas [ from where they couldn't see anything anyway ]   and not milling around the training areas getting in the way,  is not at all practical.

 

It's probably a bit more difficult at Riccarton because the training tie-ups and gap are so far away from the public areas of the course, but if you gathered people in the birdcage/ stand area with coffee and your sausage sizzle etc.  and had a presenter explaining what horses were doing etc. Maybe another presenter and camera in the tie-up area showing horses being saddled up, cooled out, having a swim whatever and talking with trainers and riders about what horses are doing so they can be followed in their actual work etc? Not impossible if well promoted I don't think.

[drewandjo 129]

On 5/27/2022 at 8:59 AM, Berri said:

And this is one of the reasons why...

What everyone in power has ignored is the replenishment of our breeding stock. Whereas the Australian government has supported and enhanced the racing and breeding industries in Australia, which has this week seen unprecedented value gains in terms of the value of broodmares, we continue to languish hopelessly and pathetically. We wonder why in 3-5 years the status of our black type races will have been banished to the boon docks with everyone crying in their milk, by which time it will be too late.

It's a simple as this...

The average of the sale was $228,311, with a medium of $140,000. The mares bought for NZ averaged $136,000 with a medium of $94,000

So we bought 2.97% of the mares (our requirement should be at least equivalent to 4.46% because that is the number of NZ horses racing in Australia), we should at least be better than the average price to keep pace with the average type of horse racing in Australia, and our medium price should at least be as good as the average price because we should be trying to improve our stock. Instead, we are slowly going down the gurgler with the effects of this sale being felt in 3-5 years time.

What a mess and no-one is panicking. Don't you all see this? I'm not wrong as this stuff is so basic and its embarrassing to think that there are groups of people who are meant to be looking after all of our interests, who are not panicking...not becoming vocal...and not reaching out in a manner conducive to give one confidence that actually anything is being done, let alone progressing!!!

Pretty easy to look at 1 year in isolation Berri and start a panic. Yes the 2022 figures are low but if you look back over the last 8 years there have only been 2 where the NZ-purchased average was higher than the sale average (when you take the obvious big price purchases made by NZ agents for Aus clients). Only last year we made up 8.44% of the purchases and the spend was $10.3 million out of a sale turnover of $142 million. No doubt questions should be asked of purchasers from previous years and of our major studs around their recent buying strategies and we may get a clearer picture - or it could just be an off year. There is no doubt it is getting harder to buy at the middle to top end of the market with the likes of Yulong buying anything with a half decent pedigree in the last couple of years. I share your concern because it is always good to see imported (aus and other) bloodlines being brought in to the NZ market.

 

However - not sure I see where the number bought versus the number of NZ-breds racing in Aus is relevant. And how does the average price of broodmare compare with the average type of horse racing in Aus? Five years ago at this sale kiwis spent $9.1 million out of a turnover of 103 million with the average higher than the sale average. Is your argument that the quality of our black type racing is diminishing because of less investment (those quality mares from 5 years ago will now have progeny racing in those races so by your argument those black type races should be rating higher) or that we should be trying to buy at least the number of broodmares as compared to the number of kiwi-breds currently racing in Australia?