FARMINGTON – Gary Mosher was walking Abbes Intown on Wednesday before the Standardbred filly headed to Bangor to race.
Mosher, horse trainer from Mercer, owns and operates a stable adjacent to the Farmington Fairground’s racetrack.
Abbes Intown, a 2-year-old, bay-colored horse with a black mane, was busy eating the grass while Mosher held a leash that looked stronger than one used for a dog.
The horse, owned by Brent Olson of Harpswell, was scheduled to race in the Maine Sires Stakes Program for a $5,500 purse Wednesday night.
The filly’s coat looked like velvet; her mane shined.
“There’s a lot of work to it; a lot of brushing,” Mosher said.
Corn oil is added to the grain to keep the hair coat healthy.
Mosher employs three grooms and oversees 16 horses, which race from March to December.
While Mosher was walking Abbes Intown, people from his stable and others were on the racetrack exercising horses and training for speed.
Amy Schimmerhorn of Wilton was riding in a sulky as she exercised a horse named Dave.
Roderick Cushing was giving Ain’t No Sinner a workout while an unidentified man was going in the opposite direction training a horse for speed.
To exercise a horse you go clockwise, Mosher said; to train a horse for speed you go counterclockwise.
Mosher said the horses are walked and exercised on a daily basis.
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