Thank you sir. I figured there would be a fair number of weird stories but it might be due to my reading habits. There used to be a writer out of the U.K. that based many of his murder mysteries around the track. The titles were typically one(1) word. Nothing earth shattering, but good for that rainy day read.

Dick Francis?

Reminds me of Walter Case Jr from the harness racing world. I bet Joe Orr has a Case story for us that somehow involves cocaine or kicking horses.

I have an irrational hate of Dean Magee just because I would never win with him driving, it wasnt my fault for picking shitty horses . On the flipside I seemed to always win with Tetrick, he was my guy.

When I go to Balmoral now, I barely recognize any of the names of the drivers.

JORR, I want you to organize a CSFMB outing to Arlington this year. I'd love to bet alongside you, buy you as much alcohol as you desire, and just listen to all your great stories.

I congratulate Ivan for not creating a "Open Request to JORR: Fav Player who Haslem Fouled" thread.

Over the weekend I watched "Buck" which is about Buck Brannaman. Apparently the movie Horse Whisperer was inspired by Buck. So the guy gives clinics on "natural horsemanship". The gist being abusing/breaking a horse to get it to accept a rider is verboten and a detriment to what you can do with a horse. Interesting movie that delved more into family issues than I cared for but still good. It sounds like his methods are not used by the majority or horsemen. Is that true? The question is for anyone. I close to zero about horse training.

Anyway, it's just like any other field. When there's money to be made, smart guys will show up to make it. Many of these young horsemen are college-educated and open-minded when it comes to new concepts. But you don't have to be formally educated to at least listen to new or different ideas. Erv Miller is a guy who doesn't automatically dismiss a new idea out of hand simply because it "wasn't the way he was taught". And he's a former Amishman with an eighth grade education maybe. But he's a sharp guy who is willing to try something new to see if it works better than what he was doing.

For example, I've heard Mike Oosting, the top driver at Balmoral Park, argue with a guy who was attempting to explain to him why a horse is traveling further when he is on the outside. Oosting's position was that he still has to go a mile. And people actually look to drivers for "hot tips".

Do these guys share (borrow or steal) information on what works and what doesn't? If the Epstein of horse racing or quarter horse training came along and started winning a whole bunch, do others pay attention and adjust to what the new guy is doing?

Back to the ideas behind "natural horsemanship", it's really as simple as trying to communicate with the horse in the horse's own "language" rather than attempting to force him to communicate on human terms which he really isn't capable of doing. A horse will try to dominate you. He's a herd animal with a life that revolves around grazing, drinking water, and escaping predation. He is fighting other horses in the herd for space. He is going to fight you for space. But when you show him you are dominant within the "herd", he will acquiesce and allow you to direct his actions without a fight. He knows he needs the herd. His life depends upon it.

+1, and I've never bet a horse in my entire life.

Don't even need all the great stories.

Even before seeing "Buck", I was always under the impression that training a horse initially involved inflicting pain upon the horse so it would accept a rider. Is that a fair assessment? Obviously, each trainer/owner will have different methods with varied results. But in terms of the industry in general, is that accurate? It always surprised me given the expense of the animal. Seemed you run a risk of the horse breaking bad or getting hurt in the process.