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Shaw Free Pr^ss Media (iroup. Inc. 1983 Fair Guide--Page 51 Joslyn Sporting Goods Fair features By Sam Natrop Shaw/Free Press Media HARVARD -- When it comes to doing what he does best, Terry Leonard, as the saying gofcs, doesn't horse around. Leonard is carrying on a family tradi­ tion that dates back to the 1940s as he and his brother. Gary, race, train and breed horses for harness racing, an exciting, although not as widely-publicized, form ot horse racing. Leonard Farms has 22 horses presently on the racing circuit. Most of Leonard's horses race in Chicago and at many area state fairs in * Illinois • and southern Wisconsin. "We race year round and probably start 300-350 races per year," Leonard said. Harness racing, or more accurately, sulky racing, will be featured in the grand­ stand of the McHenry County Fair at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, Aug. 3-4. A horse particularly bred for harness racing purposes is called a standardbred. The animal is bred to pull the sulky -- the carnage on which the driver sits. However, according to Leonard, the horse isn't really pulling the weight of the sulky, (about 50 pounds) plus the weight of the driver. He is pulling a reduced portion of that total weight -- the rolling weight. "There's a lot of aerodynamics involved in this," I^eonard said. "The driver sits back on the seat of the sulky which pulls up on the shaft and acts as a lifting action to the horse." Therefore, when the horse is in full stride, he is being pulled up around his girth. The racing life of a harness horse at Leonard Farm begins in the fall when the horse is approximately 18 months old. The animal is broken (trained to race) during that fall and winter and is ready to race in the summer of its 2-year-old season. As a 2-year-old, the horse begins by run­ ning, at a slow pace, (Hie- or one-and-a-half mile training routines. Over the next three to four months that distance is increased to four to five miles. And once endurance and strength is built up, speed work begins: The horse, now about two months away from racing season, is "brushed"; that is, the tempo of running is picked up during training ses&ons. They start at 10 miles of speed work per week and finish at around 30 miles per week. That summer, the horse begins racing at various tracks or state fairs. The horse is fully developed by four years of age, ac­ cording to Leonard, A harness horse's peak -- the time when it is the strongest and fastest in its career - is between the ages of 4 and 6, he said. "By the time they're six, they've run around 120 starts, which is quite a lot," he said. "By then, they're pretty much raced out, and lameness problems develop." But that is not to say a horse is cast aside once he is past his racing prime. At the Leonard's elaborate 260-acre farm, machinery- and equipment that rerombles a training center for profes­ sional football or basketball players decorates the huge barns. Among the impressive sites at the Leonard's training center is a 10-foot deep swimming pool, which is ilsed once the horse is around three to four years old to maintain strength in the horse's car­ diovascular system (heart and circula­ tion). In this pool a horse can work out and not suffer the wear and tear on its legs that it would endure on a track. After the horse swims, it is hooked up to a walker, for about an -hour,, to keep leg muscles toned. There are also hot and cold jacuzZis for ligament andarthritis problems.as well as a machine I^eonard calls a 'freeze machine.' The freeze machine is similar to a blood pressure cuff. It wraps around the horse's leg and the tubes inside the cuff hold frion, a liquid that keeps the affected area of the leg cold. It concentrates cold on the pain and reduces inflammation out. There is also a muscle-stimulation machine that works out pain in a certain area. This machine is used before and after a race to prevent major stiffness from developing "Most horses can race until they're about 14, although the oldest one I have is 10 or 1J," Leonard said. "Once they're that^ age, the legs start to go. The tendons and ligaments gei torn or stretched and the best ^you can do is try and rehabilitate them." He said when an owner has thousands of dollars invested in a horse, he or she isn't quick to lose interest in the animal. "A person can invest as much as they want to," l^eonard said. "A top colt will sell for as much as a quarter-million dollars. But you can get a pretty nice one - for between $4,000 and $5,000." People from various walks of life own horses that the Leonards house. "They get into it for various reasons,"' Leonard added. "They may be looking for a tax break, it may be as a solid invest­ ment or they may just like the sport." Sh.i* Pi s Medi.i ;mo»c SOME OF THE fastest horses in the Chicago area come from Leonard Farms near Harvard. The family main­ tains an immaculate stable with top facilities "Imported Cars Are Not Inc. PARTS FOR ALL FOREIGN CARS •BRITISH*JAPANKSK«'/KKN( H«ll Al l AN«SWKI>ISH.»(;KRMAN ( 815-455-1300 | ^p.6207 Commercial Road •Crystal Lake, ILi--| Wm 2 Doors WeM of I PS Open Mon-Kri. 8-6: Sal. 9-5 Question: Is this man... A. Crazy** B. Your Genial Host C. Purveyor of Fine Spirts & Edibles D. Western Hemisphere "Crunchy Face" Champ »Aoqo *yi fo up U9M.SUy To Check Answer...Stop In! CORNER OF JUDO ft BENTON JUST OFF THE WOODSTOCK SQUARE For ALL Your Sports Needs! Po"ny • roifcon Cooper 9 QCONVEWSG P, Crystal Point Mall 10 to 9 Monday-Friday--1 2 to 5 Sunday 10 to 5:30 Saturday -- 455-6700 Fair racers don't 'horse around'