 66. The professional has compassion for herself. I got the chance a few years ago to watch a famous trainer work with his thoroughbreds. I had imagined that the process would be something hardcore like Navy SEAL training. To my surprise, the sessions were more like play. The work was serious as in teaching the two-year-olds to enter the starting gate and the horses were definitely learning, but the trainer took pains to make the schooling feel like fun. When a horse got tired, the trainer took him off the track. If a mount got bored or restive, the trainer never forced him to continue or drove him quote-unquote through the pain. He explained, A horse is a flight animal. Even a stallion, if he can, will choose flight over confrontation. Picture the most sensitive person you've ever known. A horse is ten times more sensitive. A horse is a naked nervous system, particularly a thoroughbred. He's a child. A three-year-old, big and fast as he is, is a baby. Horses understand the whip, but I don't want a racer that runs that way. A horse that loves to run will beat a horse that's compelled every day of the week. I want my horses to love the track. I want my exercise riders to have to hold them back in the morning because they're so excited to get out there and run. Never train your horse to exhaustion. Leave him wanting more.