rockin'robin
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.-- Trainers who feed their horses beer--it happens everyday at the backstretch of the Saratoga Race Course.
Friday, NEW10 paid a visit to the backstretch to see firsthand how and why it's done.
"The food is like fuel for a horse," trainer Derek Ryan said. "They've got to eat. We train them hard and they've got to run hard. If they're not eating, then there goes their gas."
Ryan said how much a horse eats can greatly affect its performance. The feed is a mixture of oats, bran, and vitamins, but why add the beer? The answer is simple--it makes the feed taste better.
Ryan also says there's really nothing fancy about feeding his horses, he just takes a bottle of Guinness, pours it into the feed, and mixes it up.
"There's a lot of extra things you can do to keep them healthy and keep them doing good," he said.
It typically costs Ryan more than $11 for a six pack of Guinness, a premium choice for a beer, but he says it's the only option.
"The cheap stuff doesn't work, the cheap stuff will give them a hangover," he joked. "There's a lot of yeast in it, which is very good for horses. It keeps them up on their appetite."
But when it comes to some of his horses, Ryan is willing to shell out some extra cash.
Musket Man is one of the four year old's running in Saturday's Whitney Handicap, and Ryan said there's an incentive for the horse to make a first place finish!
"If he wins the Whitney on Saturday, he can drink all he wants," he said, laughing.
Ryan said feeding beer to horses is not a new concept. It goes back to the days of training horses in Ireland where he grew up, and is still a technique used to this very day.
Feeding beer to thoroughbred horses - WTEN: Albany, New York News, Weather, Sports -
Friday, NEW10 paid a visit to the backstretch to see firsthand how and why it's done.
"The food is like fuel for a horse," trainer Derek Ryan said. "They've got to eat. We train them hard and they've got to run hard. If they're not eating, then there goes their gas."
Ryan said how much a horse eats can greatly affect its performance. The feed is a mixture of oats, bran, and vitamins, but why add the beer? The answer is simple--it makes the feed taste better.
Ryan also says there's really nothing fancy about feeding his horses, he just takes a bottle of Guinness, pours it into the feed, and mixes it up.
"There's a lot of extra things you can do to keep them healthy and keep them doing good," he said.
It typically costs Ryan more than $11 for a six pack of Guinness, a premium choice for a beer, but he says it's the only option.
"The cheap stuff doesn't work, the cheap stuff will give them a hangover," he joked. "There's a lot of yeast in it, which is very good for horses. It keeps them up on their appetite."
But when it comes to some of his horses, Ryan is willing to shell out some extra cash.
Musket Man is one of the four year old's running in Saturday's Whitney Handicap, and Ryan said there's an incentive for the horse to make a first place finish!
"If he wins the Whitney on Saturday, he can drink all he wants," he said, laughing.
Ryan said feeding beer to horses is not a new concept. It goes back to the days of training horses in Ireland where he grew up, and is still a technique used to this very day.
Feeding beer to thoroughbred horses - WTEN: Albany, New York News, Weather, Sports -
