Paddock Watching

Paddock watching is an excellent way of getting a high chance to select a winner. You will have a huge advantage over the people who are away from the racecourse as you can view the runners up close. Find out now how to judge a horse's appearance professionally to help decide the winner.

Step One

If watch horses parading in the paddock is new to you, start by choosing races where there are only up to maximum of seven runners. This is because you must be patient and maintain your concentration while standing next to the paddock and carefully examine the horses.

You should also look towards the major event or best race on a day's racecard. If there are only a handful of runners, you'll be in luck. As it's the big race which mean big prize money, all the participating horses will very likely to be fit and in their best shape. This give you the experience and knowledge on exactly what a fit horse looks like. As you become more experienced, you can then try on in the bigger races with larger horse fields as spotting the fitter animals will be easier.

Step Two

Sweat is a factor to consider by the professionals. Alike humans, horses will sweat either when they are very fit or very unfit although a fit horse will sweat less as a rule. A mild build up of sweat on a horse's coat is a good sign. This means the horse is ready to race. A light ring of sweat between a horse's back legs is also a good sign of keenness. However, A heavy build up is not.

Watch out for horse's working themselves into a sweat shortly before a race. This will be seen as nervousness or just silly acts of exertion. Avoid these horse's as they won't do themselves justice. Also, you might get an better view if the horses on the TV but if your down at the race track, bring along a pair of binoculars.

Step Three

A horse's muscular definition is another important factor and there are three main areas to look at.

Firstly, look at the hind quarters. (The section behind the saddle) Look for a sharply defined line from a point about a quarter of the way down the rump through to the top of the rear legs. This line is a very good indicator of a horse's condition. The sharper the line, the fitter the horse.

The second area to look is the belly. Look for an indication of fit definition rib cage. Not too much as this could indicate the horse is skinny and under-nourished. A little amount of rib cage indicates a low fat fit horse.

Thirdly, look towards the horses' chest, especially the section just above their forelegs. A well defined chest simply means good fitness.

Step Four

The condition of the horse's coat is another factor to consider. A glossy, shiny coat is an indicator of fitness whilst a dull one is not. It is important to realise though that dismissing an animal because it has a dull coat would be wrong as naturally shiny coats are rare.

Step Five

Look to judge the horse's overall behaviour and appearance. A horse that walks around (going through the motions) with its head held low will probably not run well. In contrast, a horse that has a spring in its step and head up looking keen is likely to run well.