Hi Emiry,

I'm not sure which track is local to you, but the best way to get started is check out which trainers are local to your area (most tracks have trainers who reoccur on the racing card, if you see a name that is often racing during the week than chances are they're local to the track). I would contact them and explain that you'd like to learn how to drive. A lot of the owners, trainers and jockeys that are involved with Standardbreds are really nice people (of course, use caution like with any other horse activity).

Another option, if you have this opportunity at your local track is to take part in a jockey-for-a-day program (might be a different name at your track), but my local track has a weekend program I believe where you can sign up and learn the basics over the course of a weekend -- from there you could find out how to get more involved.

If these aren't an option, I would call the track and ask to speak to somebody on the backside they'd certainly be able to help you out!

I know we have a regular here on the forum who is an owner and her husband is a driver I believe, I'm sure they'll be able to give you even more ideas :)

Oh, and while we're on the topic -- one more idea that just sprung into my head, if you're in Ontario the University of Guelph offers a program called Groom One (I think it is mostly online, so you might be able to take it out of province and do your hands-on at your local track), it is targeted at getting your foot in the door as a groom and they'll help you out with apprenticeships and track jobs when you graduate from the program :) 

Hi

I live on ON and believe that I am the person Nikki spoke of.

I will give you both my husbands and my background so A you will have an idea how long we have been in it, and how we both came into stb racing from very different backgrounds, there are as many different stories as there are stb horsemen.

Joe was a farm kid, and his dad came from Ireland, Co. Donnegal.  His dad worked all his life with draft and ridding horses, buying and selling and farming with them.  When Joe was 9 he had a chance to have a pony, and sold his calf for the pony.  Joe's dad helped with with learning about horses, and Joe took it much, much farther.  He rode dreaming of becoming a Jockey (tbs.) and then grew too big, so at the same time as he knew he would not be a race ridder, his sister married a neighbour and this guy was in stbs.  Joe went to a few races and thought this is something I CAN do.  Joe was an amazing ridder (still is but has a ruined back so cannot ride for long or too ardiously), and is the kind of person who would never take a back seat in any sport.  So for him owning or just training is not who he is.  At the time his dad bought a couple of stbs. and got the brother-in-law to work with them, (Joe was 15), the brother-in-law couldn't work with either horse, the one was being abused (Joe and his dad found out and removed the horse), Joe took the horse home, got it well again and set about making the colt a race horse (they took the other filly home when she would do nothing but throw herself).  At the time Joe was just a kid, but had no trouble with these two 'bad' horses.  But he knew NOTHING about stb racing.  He had no one to show him, and all he had was a book called 'The Standardbred Handbook', and the times he went to the track to watch other people work their horses.  That is how he got his start.  He would go to the track, watch people put the boots on, or train or what have you and apply this to his own horses, coupled with his amazing way with horses, and his knowledge of horsecare and horsemanship, he got all of the first 7 horses to the track, the most expencive of these was a 300.00 horse that would prove to be the best horse he had for some 20 years.  All them were rejects, and all of them had behavour issues.  Joe's dad felt that if they had papers they were race horses... that isn't actually so, but that is what his dad thought.... so with little money and a lot heart Joe taught himself.  He had only set a couple of his horses to the gait before he could get his licence (it takes a bit of wait time, trainers' licence first, then a year, then you can try for your drivers' licence... no one could get these horses to the gait, or arround the track successfully, so after a few starts he quit them until he could get his own licence.  Joe has lots of moxy, he drove in his first qualifying drive without ever having even jogged beside another horse!!!! That is something no one I know of has ever heard of before.  He got his licence at 18, and drove ever since, trained, shoes his own, and did most of the vet work until we quit in 1998, sued the racing commission here in ON.  I got him back in it (to help me since I have to also work to pay for the horses), he then had to get his grooms licence, since Tattoo is too strong for me to warm up (he at the time was almost too strong for Joe to work with), then when Tattoo almost got ruined by bad driving in 3 different races Joe agreed to drive again, plus Che our young horse is will not be driven by anyone else, other than Joe and somewhat by me, so he kindly made the decision to get his licence back again, for me and horse's sake... I swear he loves Che more than me sometimes!!! lol :)

I got into racing just before I met Joe.  I was a show ridder/trainer/coach from the time I was 9 until I quit when we had to travel with the stbs. and I had no where to keep the show horses.  I continued to ride the race horses for pleasure and to help sell some different stbs as ridding horses for myself and friends.  People I knew had stbs when I was 18, I kept my show horses at a place that had race and riding horses, so they invited me to the races as a friend and groom for a summer.  I then met my Joe in Sept. and he at the time was only driving for his brother.  Joe got back in it lightly in order to help his brother out the next summer, and then I got him back in full time with a horse we claimed.  We then bought and claimed horses until we were out in 1998.

There are a million ways to get into racing.  The most likely is to either go to place like Guelph and get a course, or more likely to go the races, watch for a bit, then go around the backstreatch, talke to people, let them know you are interested.  It isn't likely that you will get a paid grooming job, especially where you are there is no real money in racing... and here racing is in real trouble with the gov. right now taking the money away, but you can possibly get someone to let you muck stalls for free, and then eventually if you get on to groom, and get horses ready, bath them and so on, then if you show that you can, and you meet THE RIGHT PEOPLE, some will just take advantage of you, they will let you jog horses. 

Learning to drive is easy if you can ride you are more than capable of driving.  Ridding is much harder.  If you are a guy and strong you can drive pretty well any horse, as long as you can ride first and have good hands riding.  The only real things to remember are that you do not have leggs, only your hands, and your personal energy (the most important two) your voice and a sometimes a whip (not to beat the horse with but to give aids and direction!!!)  To drive a horse you must be confident, and stay calm, no matter what.  Also stb horses that you would be put on would likely be quite, since the trainer would not want the horse-- and hopfully you, to get hurt.  Most stbs are smart and sensible, but remember they are race horses first and foremost, so some are hot.  You simply keep the horse between the lines, a light soft hold, and they understand that when they hit the track they are to trot or pace... mine are taught to walk until I tell them to go, but that is rare.  Each trainer is different, but mine are taught to go with a click, or since I talk to my horses the same as a person all the time, "Let's go, or I'll tell Che... come on Tattoo is going to leave you behind!"... the two jog together... lol lol.  But most horses either go on with a light tap of the line, or whip or a cluck, or often a hey.  Then it is a simple matter to steer them around the track for how many ever miles.  Pullers are no fun, as are runaways, but most stbs aren't like that.  Honestly driving was the easiest thing I have ever done, you sit there and either freeze, or sweat depending on the weather, and try to remember how many times you have gone around.  Stopping is easy, mostly you simply pull over to the edge of the track on the last lap, and when you get near the off shoot, you tell the horse to whoa, or some such word, pull lightly on the lines (the reigns are called lines) and the horse walks and goes off the track to the barn.  That is it, simple as that for most stbs.

The 'jockey' is called a driver.  To become a groom you must work for a trainer, that is easy, to become an owner you simply have to buy a race horse, pay your owner's licence to Standardbred Canada, but don't forget you need a trainer until you get your own licence.  To become a trainer, you have to have your groom's licence for 2 years (I think that is right on time length), then you right a test (it is tough enough now a days to write!), then if you want to become a driver I believe you have to wait a year then do your test for driving, then you get your rated mile, then your qualifying drives, then you have to get your B then after so many more points your A licence.  It is all on the Standardbred Canada site, and likely on the Commission site for your provinces as well.

As to the love of the sport.  Where you are there is little money, so most people really do just love stb racing.  Where I live at least until now, there is money to be made, so the answer is that most people race for the following reasons and in this order as to percentages of people:

gambler's who want 'in' on the fix, people who grew up in racing and don't know what else to do, or simply just fall in the footsteps of their parents-- then there are those who don't want to 'work' for a living, coupled with those who are not capapble for different reasons for earing a 'normal' living at a 'normal' job-- and then there are those who are a mix of the above, then lastly and we are a very small percent, are those who love horses pure and simple, and then another small number of us love the stb. breed first and foremost- and of coarse love all horses too not just stbs.

In my experience many people love money, or winning more than the horses, or prestige or whatever other aspect of their sport more than the horses, some people really do love the horses first, and foremost... but in stb racing the problem is that there is betting involved, and more money than any form of horse sport other than tb racing.  So therefore there is more corruption, and more cruelty... I see it everyday, so this is not hearsay! 

Part of me does like racing, the sport could be good, for people and horses, part of me hates it... the part that watchs a known driver beat a horse in front of horsemen and the judges in a schooler (a non-charted race with no money and no prestige attached, raced to give us a chance to teach our horses to race, or work on an old horse with issues), this was my experience this morining while I waited for Joe to bring our horse out for his schooling race.  This is all to common place, and no gov. organization will interviene and if I speak out I will once again be the blacksheep, and take risks that another horse of mine will be poisioned and possibly killed (that has happened to me years ago), so I cannot say anything, so please no recriminations as I really cannot stop the abuse I have tried to the extent of the law... have gotten into fights with horsemen, the commission, gov. officialls, and the SPCA.  Standardbred horses are 'throwaway horses' much like cats in society... so for anyone getting into it if the area you are in really likes horse go for it, if are in the areas like ON and you can turn a blind eye, go for it, if you really just like racing and don't care about horses-- be my guest... everyone has to do what they have to do... for me if stb racing continues I hope it has the money ripped away until you can only earn enough to pay the horses way, then only the 'good' people will be left, like it seems in NS.

As to why I am in racing, I love stbs more than any breed, and for me it is a way to pay for the horses since I have a crappy job that can't cover all my costs.  My horses were bought to be show horses and to race to pay for their expences. 

Hope this helps a bit, any other questions I will answer as honestly as I can...

Deb McDaid

Tiocfaidh Ar La Racing and Eventing Stable

Cheers and good luck