Handicapping Horses at the Paddock

Watch as the horses go around the Paddock.


This is a form of Handicapping that can be done for people attending the racetrack

Positive signs to look for
If you get a good look at the horses as they are walking up, notice each horse’s hair coat and other indications of energy. A healthy horse will usually have a shiny hair coat, short in summer and luxuriant in winter. Look for ripped muscles in the horses for signs of being in shape. Good signs to see are prancing, neck bowed, focused look, dapples, and that 'ready to run' in their eyes which can be described as a bright, inquisitive-looking eye, ears pricked forward and neck slightly arched

Pricked ears are the only correct position for winning horses unless a horse hears something unfamiliar and gets distracted, his ears might turn towards the sound until he satisfies his curiosity. They then return to the pricked ear position


Negative signs to looks for:

Negative body language would include horses that are holding their heads up (face horizontal to ground), shaking head from side to side, nervously lunging forward or spinning out so they are at a 90-degree angle to the lead pony; sweating a lot; walking so slow or pulling back so that the lead pony rider appears to be dragging the horse. Horses that look asleep or dull are obviously a negative sign. Some other negative signs include dull coat, runny eyes or nose, open sores, front wraps (be careful here some are done in black ie hard to see and also trainers bluff here sometimes), excessive sweating tail kept between the hind legs, or popping the tail up and down.

Ears:

The ears can tell you a lot about a horses mental state and condition.

PINNED EARS strongly suggest something is off and probably angry. The ears are swept back and flush against the head.
The reason for pinned ears is the horse simply doesn’t want to be where he is at this moment for any number of reasons. If he’s sore he simply doesn’t want to go thru this “racing thing” in pain. Or, perhaps his groom rudely awakened him 45 minutes ago from sleeping and he simply wants to go back to bed.

FLICKERING EARS
Flickering ears is also negative

While not as annoyed as the angered horse with pinned ears, a horse with flickering ears is distracted. The ears flicker because he simply isn’t paying attention to his surroundings and forthcoming event. He could care less who wins this race.


FLOPPED OVER EARS
Tiredness is evidenced by flopped over ears.

This negative ear position can be brought about by soreness or extreme tiredness. These horses usually enter the paddock with their heads so low, you wonder how they continue to move forward without falling over.


Those are some of the major signs of reading a horse doing his circle in the paddock that can help with handicapping.

Check the groom too, sometimes he can give something away. You might see something in his facial expressions and /or demeanor.

Remember:
Just because a horse looks bad doesn't mean he can't win but usually it will eliminate some horses who really don't have much of a shot.