WinStar Stallions Stay Fit in the Offseason

Bodemeister exercises at WinStar Farm. (Photos by Melissa Bauer-Herzog)
From February to late June each year, many stallions get all the exercise they need by breeding mares. But what happens when the flow of mares through the breeding shed stops? For some stallions, a trip to the Southern Hemisphere for their breeding season is in order but for others they get to have some downtime with only a few trips to the shed a month if they breed any mares at all.
But for some farms the end of the breeding season doesn’t mean the end of a stallion getting exercise for the other six months of the year.
In recent years, many farms have shared pictures or even video during the offseason of their horses having some fun with their handlers. Some stallions have a chance to return to their racing roots by being ridden while others visit a swimming pool for a swim a few days a week or go for long walks with their handlers.
One such farm that provides multiple forms of exercise during the second half of the year is WinStar Farm near Versailles, Ky. The home of stallions such as American Pharoah’s sire Pioneerof the Nile, two-time Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Tiznow and 2012 Kentucky Derby and Preakness runner-up Bodemeister, WinStar sends a few of their stallions to Southern Hemisphere breeding farms after the Northern Hemisphere breeding season wraps up but many of them stay in Kentucky.
SPEIGHTSTOWN UNDER SADDLE

The idea of riding the WinStar stallions came about by wanting to keep the horses healthy and active when they aren’t as busy as they are during the breeding season. While a stallion kept in the United States all year can breed over 100 mares a year, the main breeding season isn’t very long. So WinStar has most of their stallions ridden around four times a week with them going an automatic walker on the days they aren’t ridden.
“We just wanted to keep the horses fit during the offseason, have them healthy and keep them physically active throughout the offseason so that they’re ready to breed their mares,” said Andres Caballero, WinStar Farm’s Assistant Stallion Manager. “What we’re really trying to do is keep them engaging their hind end and keep a good strong topline on them.”
BODEMEISTER OUT FOR EXERCISE

Many of the stallions, including the 22-year-old Distorted Humor, are ridden by Jerry O’Dwyer who arrives at the farm at 1 p.m. every day to ride that day’s group of stallions. With Caballero’s help, O’Dwyer tacks up each stallion and takes them out to a grassy path around a few paddocks where he’ll either walk or jog each stallion for a few laps.
Nearly every stallion is ridden unless he indicates that it isn’t the right move for him. If the horse can’t be ridden for whatever reason, he’ll go on the walker full time instead of alternating riding days like others.
“All of the horses that didn’t sustain any injuries or anything like that [get ridden],” said Caballero. “They’re all pretty much mild mannered but some are a little bit more active than others so if we see that it might be a little dangerous to take them out, we'll just keep them on the walker.”
In addition to keeping the stallions in shape, riding them also keeps them happy. Even the older horses, who just go for a walk around the paddocks look like they enjoy getting out and about during their time under the tack.
SPEIGHTSTOWN WITH O'DWYER AND CABALLERO

“The horses overall seem to really enjoy going out for a ride and it really helps develop and maintain a good strong bond between horse and horseman,” Caballero said. “They all seem to really enjoy going out and having a jog. We allow them to break out into a canter if they choose to and just get a nice workout, get a little sweat going and keep them happy.”
For some stallions, returning under tack allows them to relive their days on the track by showing off some of the antics they displayed on the track while others use it as a chance to show a calmer, gentler side to their demeanor.
If you ask O’Dwyer who makes his life easy and who gives him a challenge, he’s quick to reply that Paynter is challenging while Colonel John is more laid back.
“[Paynter’s] a bit of a playboy, he likes to rear up and play around and do his own thing,” he said. “[Colonel John is] a very sensible and laid back guy.”
While the stallions will be excited when they head back the breeding shed in a few months, there’s no doubt they’ll be happy to go for jogs again when the tack is put back on next summer.
STALLIONS EXERCISING