By Jonathan Leask    November 11, 2011

The young trio Warren Hyndman came to care for have come a long way in a year.

From freshly-born foals around cup week 2010, they are now yearlings and have taken a lot of big steps towards becoming racehorses.
“They have come a long way in year but they are still at least a year from racing,” Hyndman said.
The young horses have been weaned, broken in and taught all the basics but on the verge of their first birthday it was time to learn the future business, racing.
It take three simple steps to get a horse to go from being a broken-in stablehorse to a racer.
“The process starts with weaning and then I teach them the basics like being tied up and handled, but now it’s learning the basics of racing.”
First up is the simple step of mouthing.
“Basically it’s just getting them used to the bit in their mouth and waiting until they are comfortable with it in there.”
The bit is one of the key pieces of equipment as it connects to the reins, the driver’s main tool of control.
When we were there the horse we had known as Pixey, the latter born of the three that will race as Crème De Coco (Badlands Hanover-Sweet Lady), was in the shed adjusting to the new device.
“Pixey is a bit nervous about things but wants to learn. Like most she starts feeling around the bit with her tongue and trying to figure out what this thing in her mouth is.”
After they get used to the bit they move into the ring and get their first taste of being led by the long reins. Hyndman took Bling, now to be known as Posh Spice (P-Forty Seven–Alberys Girl) into the ring for a demo.
“I just walk them around attached to the long reins so they get used to being steered around.
“After an initial bit of shock to the reins, most of them get in there thinking they have it and know what they’re doing just walking around in circles. Then you throw in a turn and they get a bit confused and wonder what you’re doing.”
Being able to be steered around is important but in harness racing so too is stepping right.
“In harness racing there is trotting and pacing.
“Pacers use both legs on the same side in unison whereas in trotting they use opposing hind and rear legs. So they move the front left with the back right and vice versa.”
The trio are all trotters and so Dulcet Diva (Live or Die-She’s Sweet) or affectionately known as Hokey Pokey, was up next with the girdles on to go for a trot behind the ute.
“She used to run around the paddock trotting, even when she was still with her mother.
“But put the girdles on and go around the track it’s a different story. She is fine on the straight but then hits the corner and gets out of kilter a bit. Like anything it just takes a bit of time and practice.
“Ours is a pretty basic track so they only go at about 20km/h and will do higher speed work with a trainer.”
Hyndman also has to get them used to towing a sulky, but leaves much of that part of the learning curve to the professional trainers.
“My job is just to get them ready for the trainers. So long as they have the basics when they leave here the trainer can move straight onto working at getting them onto the track.”
With the basics on board the three yearlings will head to a trainer for a few months before being turned out to Hyndman for a refresher and then things start to get serious.
“That’s it as far as we are concerned, the rest is up to the trainer but we might get them back from time to time for a re-education because you have to keep training them.”
Now Hyndman begins the process with a few new foals but will eagerly await the day when one, or all, of the horses he has helped mould take the track.
“Even though I don’t do all the training, it’s pretty satisfying when you see them go out onto the track and know you had something to do with them being there,” Hyndman said.