In the world of horse racing, stress is an inseparable part of everyday life. It accompanies horses in the stall, during transport, in training, and just before the start itself. That is why, in working with racehorses, not only physical preparation is important, but also the ability to support their emotional balance.
The author of this case study is Grzegorz “Greg” Wróblewski, a legend among racehorse trainers, a man long associated with the racetrack, valued for his vast experience, feel for the horse, and practical, observation-based approach to training. His perspective is particularly valuable because it comes from many years of working with horses functioning in an exceptionally demanding and stress-inducing environment. In this case study, Greg describes his observations regarding the effects of Hempqualizer Compete not in theory, but in the reality of everyday work with racehorses.
The effects of using Hempqualizer Compete in racehorses, from the perspective of Grzegorz “Greg” Wróblewski
My text is based solely on the effects of Hempqualizer Compete that I have personally observed.
Above all, the range of stressful situations in the life of racehorses is enormous. One of the main reasons is that a racehorse is confined to a stall for 23 hours a day. A horse, a herd and pasture animal, instead of observing its surroundings and the natural world with its full range of phenomena, sees only the bars of the stall and a minimal glimpse of what lies beyond them, or at best, whatever is happening to the right or left when it stretches out its head, if it lives in a space limited to half-open surroundings.
The second aspect is transport. Alongside claustrophobia, low tolerance for a travel companion, fears caused by noise, braking of the vehicle, loss of balance, there is always the discomfort of not knowing what is about to happen next. Stress is a fundamental factor accompanying a horse’s preparation for a race. Stress arises when the horse recognizes the situation it is in and its possible consequences. Hempqualizer Compete shifts the horse’s concentration from a state of fear to a state of mobilization and readiness for the challenges of the given moment. To illustrate this in a very accessible way, a horse under the effect of Compete approaches, for example, transport or a race as something it simply needs to accept and go through, rather than something to be stressed about. A horse in training turns its attention to what surrounds it, rather than to what is about to happen. A horse before a race does not revisit previously experienced events, but focuses on what lies ahead with a greater sense of calm. In describing my observations of the effects of Compete, I used a fair amount of anthropomorphization in order to make the phenomena easier to understand.
When can Hempqualizer Compete be helpful?
Hempqualizer Compete may be helpful in situations where a horse functions under constant pressure from stress and excessive arousal, especially in a racing environment or another intensive training system. This applies to horses that on a daily basis have limited opportunities to release tension naturally and are exposed to frequent changes, transport, noise, uncertainty, and strong stimuli connected with preparation for competition.
The product may support the horse in shifting its attention from a state of fear and tension to a state of greater mobilization, readiness, and better focus on what is happening here and now. In such cases, the goal is not to take away the horse’s energy or to “calm” it in a way that suppresses its natural expression, but to help it experience stressful situations in a more balanced way.
Hempqualizer Compete can therefore be a valuable support wherever a horse, instead of focusing excessively on stress, fears, and previous experiences, needs a greater ability to function calmly, adapt, and stay focused on the current task.