Our Ethos
Zoe Davison built Shovelstrode Racing, with the support of husband Andy Irvine, her family and her long-serving staff, around an ethos based on single-minded attention to detail, developing an individual plan for every racehorse, leaving no stone unturned to realise their full potential.
Zoe absolutely loved her horses with a passion, and her legacy is such that every member of the Shovelstrode team shares that passion and deep connection with the racehorses in our care, and the love of the horse is at the heart of the way we train.
We believe every horse is different, and deserves and needs individual attention and a tailored training routine to ensure they can become the best racehorse they can be.
We don’t just get our horses fit, we focus on both their mental well-being, and their physical well-being, to ensure they are happy, and healthy, and given the best chance of performing well, and of enjoying a long and productive career for their owner(s).
Whilst over the years we have constantly evolved, embracing and applying the various developments and improvements in feed, training techniques, veterinary science, etc, the core principles of our Shovelstrode approach remain the same
We give our horses a varied and stimulating range of experiences as part of their training routine, to keep them mentally fresh and enthusiastic about training and racing, but also to develop their athleticism and ensure they are using themselves correctly.
Our carpet fibre round gallop and uphill gallop are perfect for the standard conditioning and fitness work, and we have a full size carpet fibre school, were we can do more technical work on the horses. We have a schooling straight with hurdles and chase fences, where we can give our horses the jumping practice they need.
Every week when the horses are in full training, we will take them on away-days to gallop at Warren Barn Farm, a beautiful natural venue where the horses can really stretch out and work out, and we also regularly visit East Bysshe Cross Country course where they get to school over a variety of traditional brush fences, but also logs, tyres and various cross country obstacles.
This benefits the horses in so many ways, developing them physically and mentally, getting them fit, healthy, happy and confident.
One of Zoe’s trademark skills was working on racehorses backs, and spotting physical issues, big and small, that are impacting, or will impact, on a racehorse’s performance. Zoe learned the art of working on horse’s backs from John Phelan, when she was training in Ireland in the 1990s, and this total focus on the physical well-being of the horses in our care at Shovelstrode, is central to our training ethos.
Zoe passed on her skills and understanding of the complex physiology of racehorses to Gem, and the team at Shovelstrode, and Serena Whiting, one of our long-serving members of staff, is now a trained equine massage therapist.
We want our horses to be in the best mental and physical condition every time they set foot on a racecourse.