Pony boy Eduardo Candelas Sr., pictured, pays close attention to how the horse is behaving:  Is it restless? Is it handling and walking normally?  Is there an injury?

Every morning, at Hawthorne Race Track horse trainers take their thoroughbred horses to the track, so pony boys (like Eduardo) can train them for the actual race.   From very early to midday, pony boys train anywhere from zero to ten horses a day.   The owner contacts the trainers and they share information before the race to make sure the horse is “ready to run.”

This type of job can become dangerous; workers fall or get kicked by a horse — but the men (and women) who do this for a job, love it.  They will keep training horses until they are not able to anymore.