ENGLISH TEXTS
and ridden in amateur races on the Flat . “ At Haras des Rouges Terres , the trotting and galloping tracks are next to each other . From my sulky , I can watch the canters ,“ he explains . Louis also likes to maintain the tracks himself and follow his troops from the cab of one of his tractors . Very much in the mould of Jean-Pierre Dubois , he is often elusive : “ I find it hard to limit myself to one activity ,“ he admits . “ When I was a kid and I went away with my grandfather , we never really knew what we were going to do and I liked that . I try not to have a typical day because I hate routine . I want to be free to go and visit the stud , go to the qualifiers , the sales ... so I make sure I ’ m not indispensable anywhere ! To do this , I surround myself with autonomous and capable people , the team being made up of about twenty people during the winter “. Louis Baudron is thirty-eight years old today . His resemblance to Jean-Pierre Dubois is increasingly striking , in the clear blue eyes they have in common , but above all in their attitude , a mixture of discretion and self-assurance , respect for traditions and a pioneering spirit spiced with a good dose of unconventionality . “ I ’ m lucky enough to do what I like ,“ concludes Louis . “ I ’ ve had it easy , I didn ’ t start from scratch , but I appreciate what I ’ ve been given and above all I don ’ t want to depreciate it . In sporting terms , I always want to do better . I ’ ve already won several Group 1s in trotting , Group 3s over jumps , Listed races on the Flat ... My goal is to win Group 1s in all three disciplines as a trainer “. A hell of a challenge that even Jean-Pierre Dubois has not achieved !
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SO CLOSE AND YET SO DIFFERENT
The training methods for trotters and gallopers , whether they are Flat or jumps horses , are obviously very different . However , some techniques can cross the boundaries between disciplines .
What brings them together ....
• Mechanisation : Trotters and jumps horses are those whose training has the most similarities according to French standards . It is first of all a question of “ mechanising “ them so that they perfectly assimilate the movement of the trot for the former , and the jumping technique for the latter . “ We favour a fairly firm track for young trotters so that they find their rhythm and develop their footwork ,“ says Louis Baudron . For both these specialities , repetition is a key part of training .
• Stamina work : For both jumps horses and trotters , endurance and the ability to oxygenate during generally quite long races are essential points . Some phases of their training are therefore done over long distances and at a moderate pace , which in trotting is called “ Americaines “. On the Flat , a sprinter will make an almost anaerobic effort in a race and will therefore not have this type of preparation . However , a lot of cardio work is done with “ stayers “, the Flat horses that excel over long distances .
• Jumping : It is quite common for trotting trainers to make their horses jump in an arena , and yet they are not preparing them to tackle fences ! “ I ’ ve always seen my grandfather do this ,“ says Louis Baudron , who practices this exercise with his horses . “ It allows them to loosen their backs , to relax them . It ’ s also very good for their morale to get out of their routine “.
• Interval training : This is more common in trotters but is also practiced by some jumps trainers , particularly in Great Britain . It involves alternating intense efforts with recovery phases . Louis Baudron practices this for his trotters on an uphill straight . “ We go up at a sustained pace then we come back down gently so that the heart rate comes down and we start again “. This is an exercise designed to sharpen the horses ’ speed , which is not practiced on the Flat “ because it would go to their heads “.
What differentiates them ...
• Mentality : “ A trotter will forgive its trainer ’ s mistakes , whereas with a Thoroughbred on the Flat or over jumps , they will remain etched for life ,“ says Louis Baudron . The dosage of work for gallopers and the preservation of their mental state is one of the keys to their career , even more so than for trotters .
• Multi-phase training : The daily training of trotters is frequently done in several stages : a jog , then a return to the stables where the horse is unharnessed , can blow and urinate , before one or more phases of more intense work with a break at the stables between each . This practice is not used in galloping .
• Technological assistance : Trotting trainers are fans of modern technologies such as the use of heart rate monitors , whereas in galloping ( in France and Europe , anyway ) the feeling of the trainers
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