There is much more to training a horse than simply getting him fit. He needs to be kept well . . . and happy If he enjoys his work he will perform better.



Every horse is different and needs to be known individually and trained fed and handled accordingly to get the best out of him. That is why we have succeeded with horses that have not done well in bigger yards. We have made good purchases for our owners of such horses.

When Silver Steel [photograph middle left, Alan Wright] won the Red Square Handicap Chase with Graham Lee at Uttoxeter in October 2009, Raceform, The Form Book of the BHA, said “ . . . and he has been much improved since joining Richard Ford”.

Crucial to our success is selecting the appropriate race and we spend a lot of time getting this right. All-important is the course. For example, there are 43 jump courses and all they are all different: level or hilly, tough or fast, sharp turns or galloping, left or right. There are many different types of race, distances and grades.

The weather and therefore the going, or rather what they will be on race-day, 4 days after entries must be made, are critical too.

Final decisions are made after walking the course (photograph bottom left) and checking the current state of the going.