Washington Thoroughbred Breeders Association

Serving the Washington Thoroughbred Industry for over 65 years

Horse Sense

    Among other things, the staff of the WTBA is here to answer questions. It is one of the ways in which we serve our members, as well as helping to educate and ease the way for those who may be new to the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing or the Thoroughbred breeding industry. So here’s an opportunity for you to put us to work, test our mettle and/or to find out the answer to something you may have pondered.
    We invite your questions, of all kinds, related to the Thoroughbred industry, either locally or nationally. Depending on the nature of the question, we will select an appropriate and knowledgeable person (or persons) to respond. You may sign your name, preferably including your city and state of residence, or you may submit anonymously, though we reserve the right to decline for publication any question that we deem inappropriate for our audience.
    Send questions to WTBA, Attn: Horse Sense, P.O. Box 1499, Auburn, WA 98071-1499 or editor@washingtonthoroughbred.com.

A WTBA member recently asked if we could find some information about the Amiriya racetrack in western Baghdad, Iraq, which is referenced in a book entitled “The Forever War,” by Dexter Filkins. It was reported that kidnapped American freelance journalist Jill Carroll was being held in the stable area of the racetrack.

A search of the Internet yielded a number of references to the track, which is properly call Al-Amiriya and is, or was, operated by the Equestrian Club of Baghdad. The most recent reference came from an online article for USA Today, by Mona Mahmoud (“Only public horse track is a guilty pleasure in Baghdad”). According to the article, the track operated three days a week at that time. Thoroughbreds raced on a 1 1/4 mile dirt track. It is the only public horse racing track in Iraq and to that point had survived 85 years of “coups, dictatorships, wars and foreign occupations.”
    The Equestrian Club was originally founded by the British during their occupation after World War I, although the equestrian tradition in that area is said to date back to the time of the Prophet Mohammed in the eighth century.
    Statistics quoted in the article at the time (with the Equestrian Club listed as their source) show that prize money for a race with horses competing for the first time was $1,169; number of horses was 1,423; number of jockeys was 100; and jockey payment per race was $3.50. Average daily attendance was 1,500 to 2,000 people.
    Although Islam forbids gambling, the director of the club described a betting system similar to that in America, with odds calculated and winnings distributed after the track keeps a portion to cover expenses and prize money to the winners.
    The track was closed after the US-led assault in 2003, but reopened after several months, when the club’s management spent about $500,000 to refurbish the facility. We have been unable to determine if the track is currently in operation.

I have a question about lead ponies that I’m having no luck answering myself by searching online or looking in books – namely, are lead ponies typically geldings, or do mares ever fill this job? I’m guessing it’s geldings, as mares might unnerve ungelded Thoroughbreds, and since my child’s riding school uses nothing but steady geldings as mounts, but I wanted to doublecheck with people who really know, as I’m working on a book for kids that involves racing. Thanks in advance for any insight you can offer.
    Christina Wilsdon
    Seattle
    PS. I know for a fact that girls watching horse races pay as much attention to the lead ponies and notice their colors, their braided manes, or anything else about them, just as much as they notice the racehorses themselves – and in a way the ponies are far more accessible to the average person than the racers, being more like the horses we encounter at stables, so they definitely draw horselovers’ attention, too!

With respect to your question regarding ponies and their gender, you assumed right that they are typically geldings. There are a number of reasons why geldings are more suitable. I was told by one old-time racetracker that sometimes an older mare is used, but generally they use the “tough old geldings.” Being herd animals, the gelding tends to be the take-charge and calming type. Also, some mares just tend to be tempermental and don’t get along well with other fillies and mares.
    But, in all cases, a good, seasoned and experienced lead pony is worth his, or maybe occasionally her, weight in gold and can be hard to find. They must be durable, tolerant, sturdy, sound, dependable and, at the same time, quick to respond to their rider’s commands. Additionally, they must be able to run or gallop at a swift pace. They must have good “horse sense,” not unlike a good cutting horse with “cow sense.”
    I don’t know if you will be able to find any research that documents, for your book, “only geldings are used for lead ponies.” But I am sure that if you should have the opportunity to interview anyone who uses a lead pony at a racetrack, they would tell you just how important a good lead pony is.
    Ralph Vacca
    WTBA General Manager

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