THE training of racehorses is a very difficult and complicated profession; it requires a vast number of skills, experience and abilities to be able to look after an equine athlete. Sometimes just getting a horse to a racetrack can often be a major challenge in itself.

In Ireland we have over 500 trainers and they include a few who are among the most successful in the world, both on the flat and over jumps.

Some of these leading trainers may be out of reach of the small racehorse owner but we are very lucky as we have a large spread of trainers at all levels, whether National Hunt, flat, restricted, hunter chase or point-to-point handler licence.

These small trainers do amazing work in preparing and training racehorses, as they often do not have in place or access to the exceptional facilities that the top trainers have at their disposal.

However, they regularly compete on the same level and achieve success in major races with their charges, punching way above their weight. So, how do these small operations do it?

Happy horse

Training racehorses is not always about the investment, scale, or facilities. Success with a horse is often just about the three key elements – keeping the horse happy, healthy and fit – and this can be done in any environment with the right approach and attitude to training.

We often hear stories of a small owner or trainer having the courage to pitch their horse into a big race at Cheltenham or the Curragh against all odds and, more importantly, win.

Based on what they have to go through to get there it is arguably a far greater achievement for the small trainer than when a big trainer, who may have multiple runners, wins. Again, I ask, how can they do it?

Horses don’t know how good they are and don’t know how they are bred, so most horses – if looked after properly, prepped and trained as best as one can – can reach their full potential.

Through sheer numbers, it is the big trainers who are usually in the winner’s enclosure. The point I wish to make is that, for racing to survive, the small trainer must be supported and given the chance.

Personal attention

Small yards and trainers suit some horses best and they can thrive under the extra personal attention and resourcefulness that smaller trainers have to show in order to compensate for their lack of numbers. I genuinely believe there is an advantage for owners who place their horses with a smaller trainer.

Ireland is full of small trainers, barely surviving or having an ‘off-farm’ income to support their passion. They cannot command the same training fees of the bigger yards and are regularly forced to accept a share in the horse as part-payment.

As chairman of the Restricted Trainers Association, I frequently receive calls from colleagues who are mentally and financially suffering. They see ‘the great divide’ in Irish racing and they do not see a way forward for themselves.

They, like me, long to see some initiatives from Horse Racing Ireland which would give the smaller owner and trainer more of an incentive to keep going. For example, I have suggested to HRI that there could be a small series of races restricted to trainers who haven’t had a specified number of winners in the past year. There are already similar races restricted to less successful jockeys and they are well-received.

Lopsided profession

HRI and Irish Thoroughbred Marketing have done good work to promote trainers all over the country and I would like to see them do even more to ‘balance’ what most people can see is a very lopsided profession.

Smaller trainers do not feel they have a platform to discuss these issues or solutions, so they stay quiet. If nothing is done to help keep them competitive they will fade away. I predict that and we will all be wondering why Irish racing has lost its character.

There is general agreement that when a small owner or trainer wins a big race it gives the sport a huge boost in several ways. It encourages those already involved to keep trying and it also raises racing’s profile with the general public, encouraging new people to get involved.

Very importantly, when smaller owners and trainers have success it is noticed by the politicians who are tired of hearing that racing is a closed shop.

It’s time we all wake up to the fact that we do need these small trainers more than we think. Lose them and we lose the heart and soul of racing.

The small trainer usually has more time to give their horses, who have every chance to fulfil their potential and be as good as they can be, whatever that level is.

So, if you are thinking of buying a horse, or if you have a horse already and are about to put it into training, please do consider a local small trainer.

Make that phone call, meet them for a cup of tea and see if it would suit your horse. From my experience, you will be treated like a God by the trainer. I promise you that you will not be sorry and you won’t have to make an appointment to see your horse.

And crucially, you will be doing your bit to save Irish racing by helping to keep a small trainer in business and keep the dream alive that the small owner and trainer can compete in this ever-changing, challenging but brilliant industry.

John Fitzgerald is chairman of the Irish Restricted Trainers Association