An important part of any flat horse's education is to learn the starting stalls.
On Friday we began stalls training for two-year-olds What What What and Harvesting.
First of all the horses are walked around the stalls to familiarise them with the surrounds.
They then walk through the stalls to show them that it's a safe environment and there's nothing to fear.
Once the horses are comfortable they will stand in the stalls where they'll next be introduced to blindfolds.
we wait until they are calm and quiet and when the stopwatch has counted down we open the gates and the horses can jump away.
This is just stage one, next time they'll go in with an older horse who has raced before and will know how to jump quickly. The young horse will essentially be taught by the experienced horse how to get away from the starting gate quickly.
Harvesting is familiarised with the surroundings.
Harvesting after walking through.
What What What has walked through the stalls without any bother.
What What and jockey Lewis Chalkley.
Harvesting with Joanna Mason.
Harvesting and What What What stand in the stalls.
The stalls are opened and the horses jump out for the first time.
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