Situated in Ryedale, one of the most beautiful parts of the north of England, Mick Easterby Racing is
able to provide a complete service to anyone interested in
owning a racehorse. The service includes buying horses on
behalf of owners, in addition to training horses brought to the
Easterby stable.
Buying talented bloodstock is one of Mick's key
strengths as he and his assistants have amassed considerable
knowledge and experience at buying yearlings - Mick has been
buying horses for over sixty years, having started by buying and selling hunters in the 1950s.
An important part of our training philosophy is to
treat each horse as an individual. Every horse has his or her
own character, just like people do. Therefore the needs of
each must be catered for to get the best out of the horse.
Just like people, some horses are early risers, and need to be out of their boxes and on the gallops first. Hoof It and Bowson Fred are usually among the first out - they like to be up and about early!
We usually start about 7:00am. The horses are given their breakfast and exercised (Monday to Saturday). Sunday's the day off except for horses running the following day. Horses travelling long distances, such as Ayr, will have been fed earlier, about 5am, and loaded for their journey.
Horses are taken out in groups of upto five or six. The combinations depend upon the horses, some work well together, some don't! Hoof It likes to go out on his own or with a lead horse. Others work better together, for example the juveniles need to get used to running alongside other horses. They are cantered and galloped throughout the morning, with the staying horses using the steep uphill all weather gallops to build on their stamina. The early shift will leave the stable about 12:30.
The stable is virtually self sufficient in its feeds, as most is grown on the farm. Only nuts and sugar beet pulp are bought in. The horses are fed at 6:30am, get a light lunch at midday and a main meal by 6pm. And we have to be on time!
After tea the runners from the day start returning from the racecourses. They wind down and are fed, then its off to bed. Its another early start tomorrow!
03 April 2024
