Michael Wigham

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krizon said:
I do like the phrase "... normal feed and water by mouth...." - as against what? Ramming it up its, er, nose?
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Some of them will stop at nothing to find a cert lay Kri.
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krizon said:
What I see about that paragraph, LE, is that it talks about substances administered to and treatment of horses on racecourse premises. Wigham's saying that they gave SENDRENI the anti-bleed med at his stables that morning, not on the r/c premises at all. I don't read it that he shouldn't have given it beforehand at home, because the phrasing implies that you can give it before you arrive, but once you've brought the horse to the racecourse, you can't administer anything "until it has left the premises... " of the course.

I do like the phrase "... normal feed and water by mouth...." - as against what? Ramming it up its, er, nose?
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No. It says at any time on the day of its race, ie from 12 midnight until after it leaves the racecourse stables after the race. That is how i've always understood it, and everyone I have worked with has done the same.
 
Oh, sorry, LE - I wasn't employing the leedle grey cells properly there! Yes, you're quite right about that - nothing at all on the day of the race, regardless of whether at home, behind the rhododendrons, or on the motorway!

I went to see my ickle 'orsey at Sheena West's this morning, btw, and we discussed Wiggers slightly. She pointed to a piece of paper stuck to the tackroom wall, where the BHA requires trainers to note down ALL medications given to any of the horses. She said that it's a £300 fine per column if you omit any of the information! The info was what medication, which horse, date started, how many doses, date finished, administered by whom (trainer, vet, etc.), and signed off when complete.

She said she supposed that the poor groom would get it in the ear for the SENDRENI fiasco, but said that some trainers DO administer medications like the one Wigham's mentioned, even on racedays, but are usually bright enough to thoroughly dispose of any evidence! Naturally, they're not written up on the medication charts, either...

... which brings us neatly to the Nicky Henderson case! Seems that Mr. H's vet administered a drug to one of his horses on the day of its race and failed to write up the medication chart. The horse was routinely tested, it seems, and was found to be positive for whatever shouldn't have been in it on the day of its race. That means that Mr. H now faces not only a stonking fine for the wrongful administration, but the possibility of the medication chart (none of it filled in, of course) costing him £300 per column! What has happened could result in him losing his licence, as that is one of the punishments the BHA could inflict, although, as we know, when David Elsworth went through a similar mill, being the trainer of the country's icon (Dessie) saved his skin. And rules were a little more lax back then, too. So, interesting times ahead!
 
And one HUGELY prominent trainer who trains for the Queen works most of his horses on Lasix on a daily basis (W/D period I believe 10 days?) - bet he doesn't put that down in his medication book!
 
Yes, I think it is 10 days - I saw some on the list down for BUTE, which Sheena says is okay provided they're off it for around the same period of time, I think. I was also amazed to see Prednisolone down - I took that many years ago for an underactive thyroid! She said it's the human version, ground up - acts like a steroid. Again, all columns duly filled and attested, so it must be okay.

Ooh - been meaning to ask this for ages, but never found the right thread for it. Jinny, how does someone start being a trainer? Is there an equivalent to the British Racing School now, or courses run where people can qualify? I know learning to be a Clerk of the Course seems to take forever, and there are exams to take, too, so God knows how long learning to train takes! What if you're dead keen, but can't find someone to take you on as an Assistant? (No, no, I'm not thinking of getting into the game!)
 
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Its not compulsory that you have to have been someones assistant although it is certainly in your favour to have been such for a minimum of 2 years.
 
Ah, I see. I just think that it seems to be quite hard to break into the biz unless you've worked your way up from teenage horse-lover, doing all the really crap jobs in the yard, to riding work, then learning from there on. If for any reason you didn't come from a riding background, like Mick Quinn and Mick Channon (Los Dos Mickos), then how hard is it? And, come to think about it, how the heck did they learn to train horses?
 
Channon worked for or was at a few trainers to gain experience I think before applying for his own licence. He had taken the exams. He didn't get it first time if I remember correctly either. Was told to go away and get more experience and rethink his business plan.
 
krizon said:
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how does someone start being a trainer? Is there an equivalent to the British Racing School now, or courses run where people can qualify?
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All prospective trainers have to first of all pass their NVQ3 (not so easy as some think - some Royal Ascot winning trainers have failed at their first attempt!) then its off to the British Racing School for 3 modules each a week long and each at a cost of £700 plus accomodation if required. Courses are Horse Management (also compulsory for those just taking out a permit to train); Business Management & Staff Management.

When I did them back in 2000, it was early days and we were encouraged to leave feedback. I hope they took us up on some of the suggestions! I went into them very open-minded whereas some of the students sat there huffily saying "I know enough to get my licence out.....!" But there were some really interesting lectures including aerobic & anaerobic respiration in relation to training the racehorse; cardiovascular study; feeding as a science; the latest farriery techniques etc.

The Business side was very interesting too - we were all given a project to create a profit & loss account for the year and had to input our own realistic figures and balance the books. Out of 16 students, only 2 of us had any clue how to do it - 2 hours later they were still scratching their heads. Most just sat there & said "My secretary will do that for me!" Erm yes but remember John Gosden was hoodwinked for £40k by a secretary 'cos he wasn't au fait with how his office was run.

Staff Management was more of a let-down as we spent 2 days doing "team-building" which consisted of building towers out of pegs. But there was alot that covered Employment Legislation etc which I thought very important.

Overall I thought they were excellent BUT i really felt there should be written exams at the end of it - its all very well sitting there and saying you understand and walking out at the end clueless. Likewise I feel you should have a pretty comprehensive exam to show you are 100% at any task you could ask your staff to do such as lungeing, long-reining, stalls-work etc or how do you tell them thats not right if they are doing it wrong?

Then after the modules you submit your application with appropriate funds in bank (it was £40k in my day) and your relevant experience which is supposed to be at least 2 years in a senior role such as head lad/assistant/travelling head lad. Then its up to the BHA for an interview which was the most nerve-wracking day of my life! However, they don't often refuse applicants these days which is why I was curious about Liam Roche.
 
krizon said:
I was also amazed to see Prednisolone down - I took that many years ago for an underactive thyroid! She said it's the human version, ground up - acts like a steroid. Again, all columns duly filled and attested, so it must be okay.
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Truly amazed to see someone using this on horses! My Mum is on it for her rheumatoid arthritis and as well as making your skin paper-thin, it whacks out your bone density which can't be good for developing horses? The Calcium:Phosphorus ratio is really important in racehorses so I would be pretty wary of its use.
 
If any prospective trainer fails an NVQ3 they shouldn't be allowed to take out a licence - it's basic stuff, for God's sake.

The trainer's courses are a good deal more than £700 now also.
 
Honest Tom said:
Is it only administered when it's trying to win though?
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Or given that it was a claiming race; when they're trying to get shut of a dodgy horse and palm it off on someone else.

Sounds like a few cars I've patched up before now and hoped they lasted long enough to give me palusible denial
 
Some of these things are superfluous, for example if you wish to train under a permit only, for national hunt rules, then two out of the three modules need not be taken. Those relevant to business management and staffing are not required, for as a permit holder under the rules you can only train for yourself and immediate family members/spouse family members and other slightly more tenuous links.

Also for a full licence some of the modules may be bypassed. If for example you have run a business successfully without going bankrupt and leaving a trail of debt in ones wake then the requirement to sit that particular course may be waived. If that business involved having staff then another module can be missed as one of those is specific in dealing with the vagaries of having a workforce and guidelines or legal procedures one must adhere to in having 'staff'.

Also, once one has had a number of runners or winners under rules as a permit holder then other exams/lectures/expenses may be bypassed as you have practical experience and results on the board to show your credentials as opposed to a trainer vouching for your experience under the banner of assistant.
 
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