Hello Martha,
I’ve emailed you in the past a couple times. I’ve really appreciated your response and believe it’s helped me to become a better rider. I, however, have another question for you. I have a 4 yr. old mare who I’ve started running these past couple weeks. She loves to turn and run the pattern the correct way with very limited work, and is running about 1 second off the top horses up here. She is a worker. I was just wondering what your thoughts were on Fort Smith. I’ve had many people tell me it’s not worth going to due to how bad the ground is (yet they keep going back), then too, I don’t like competing on 4 yr. olds, but I’ve never had one who acted this mature at such a young age. SO.. my questions are;

What are your thoughts on Fort Smith, is it worth going to?
Do you think running a horse at such a young age will bring about “hard times” for it as an open horse down the road (soundness problems)? What’s your over all opinion of futuritying horses? Thanks.
Suzanne

I personally prefer the 5 yr old futurities – my horses are more mature mentally and physically and are easier to keep sound both mentally and physically when you are having to make several runs in a weekend or short week. Fort Smith is what I call a gambler’s futurity – or at least that’s the way a lot of people look at it. You get one shot to make the finals and if you’re not really confident of yourself and your horse then you’re probably going to be more money in someone else’s pocket. I haven’t been to Fort Smith since 2002 so I don’t know how the ground has been but I have to say I wasn’t impressed with it the last several years that I went. When the Fort Smith Futurity paid $70,000-$100,000 to win it, then I would have to say it was worth going to – this past year it paid somewhere in the $30,000-range. That’s a huge drop in payoff that indicates a huge drop in entries – obviously, not all of them “keep going back”. I certainly haven’t missed the sorry ground, the too-small stalls, the crowded conditions and no decent place to ride or warm a horse up. Like I said, I like the idea of the 5 yr old futurity – but I want my horses to last myself or someone else for many years down the road. And if it takes keeping them a year longer and spending a little more quality time with them, then that’s what I’ll do. I don’t think that running a horse as a 4 yr old will bring about hard times down the road as long as you pay attention to what that horse is telling you about how it feels, how it works, when the pressure has been too excessive, when it’s time to take a break or go back to the basics. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to be able to listen to your horse and know if and when he (or she) is ready to be competitive.

Martha Wright