For the sake of this article pre-training will be considered to be the safe development of a young horse towards its first joining a trainer or returning from a break not enforced by
injury, as opposed to rehabilitation. The American racing industry has the perfect phrase for this: Legging Up.
While there has been a constant growth in the number of commercial pre-training yards in ‘Europe over the last 25 years to satisfy a growing demand for this service, this is something that has been a long-standing practice further afield, particularly in countries where there is stabling pressure at the racetrack or in metropolitan stables, not to mention numerous larger owners that have chosen to keep a greater part of the horse’s young career in their control by employing a farm trainer or establishing their own pre-training division.