NEWS
Measuring emotional conformation of racehorses
Posted: Wednesday, October 06, 2010 9:48 PM
by Pete Denk
Kerry Thomas was researching predator animals in Montana and Wyoming for zoological research when his career path took a turn.
“I almost got killed by grizzly bears, so I decided it was easier and safer to follow the wild horses than it was to deal with the bears,” Thomas said. “It changes your perspective when you almost die.
“The mountain lions stalked the wild herds, looking to pick off the sick or the young, as would the grizzly bears. That started my journey of studying the social structure and behavioral dynamics of wild horses.”
Thomas has taken those lessons learned in the wild and applied them to Thoroughbreds. He was at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern fall yearling sale in Timonium, Maryland, on Wednesday to recruit clients.
“A race is a group of horses in motion. The same herd dynamics are at play, whether they’re on a racetrack or in the wild,” Thomas said. “Herd dynamics have an impact on a horse’s ability to maintain pace over a distance. Where they fit in a herd is where they’re naturally inclined to move in any group.”
Thomas has developed a method of measuring what he calls a horse’s emotional conformation. He said it can teach a lot about how horses will perform under race conditions and how far they will be able to run effectively.
“From my point of view, the mental capacity of the equine controls the physical output of the athlete,” Thomas said.
The back ring at an auction provides a good test of a horse’s mental aptitude, Thomas said.
“One of the things I look for initially is how a horse handles space. Is it pushing into new space? Is it backing away?” Thomas said. “How does it react to real stimulus versus perceived stimulus?
“A really good horse should be able to maintain pace and motion, and have a good focus agility. What that means is, can the horse interpret multiple stimulus and still keep moving at a steady pace? That can tell me if a horse will be a high-class distance horse, sprint horse, or maybe just a pasture buddy.”
Nervous energy also is important to Thomas’ profiling.
“Controlled nervous energy is okay. A horse can be hyped up but still not acting like an idiot,” Thomas said. “Jumping doesn’t mean a lot to me. What I’m looking at is how long does a horse take to go back into a normal focus after an incident? A racehorse needs to recover from surprise stimulus quickly.”
Thomas said much can be learned from observing horses on the farm.
“Some horses have a tendency to buddy up if they’re mid-level herd horses. No matter how fast they could be, mentally they’re more comfortable in a given area,” he said. “The horses with a high herd dynamic are the lead horses in the wild, too. They are the horses that lead the other horses out of danger. It’s their place.”
However, Thomas said it is not as simple as finding the Alpha or lead horse.
“The lead horse in the herd is not always the best athlete. There are other factors at play,” Thomas said. “The best athletes can be the horses that are just below the top horse in herd dynamic. They have a different job than a lead horse. The horse that is second in command is your most well rounded, most socialized horse, and is actually the first horse the others look to when there is environmental stimulus change.”
Thomas said mares are more driven by a group dynamic, the pecking order, while males are more individualized.
“This is a key point to racing,” Thomas said. “A male horse will have a tendency to target something while it’s moving, to compete with another horse.”
Born and raised in Chester County, Pennsylvania, Thomas is based in Pennsylvania and also operates from Pine Knoll Farm in Lexington.
While the practical applications of Thomas’ theories are a work in progress, he believes he is on to something.
“I’ve sacrificed everything I’ve owned to do this. I had to, because no one else was going to give me a chance,” Thomas said. “As far as how to quantify and apply my work on racehorses, it‘s very new. Working with Thoroughbred clients over the last 1½ years has allowed me to learn about and fit the needs of this industry.
“It’s an evolution. But to me, what I see is what I see, and it’s begun to prove itself out with the horses I’ve worked with. This industry is so accustomed to pedigree books. Those are time proven. What I’m working with is more individualized, but it’s a very tangible and real part of a horse.”
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Pete Denk is sales editor for Thoroughbred Times
