Scuba Steve paced outside the horse’s paddock at the Point-to-Point event with his trainer, Kathy McKenna, before the start of Winterthur’s first steeplechase.

McKenna, a Unionville, Pa., resident, said Scuba Steve, a steeplechase horse, seemed relaxed and she wished she could say the same about herself.

“There are so many factors. You just don’t know what else can happen on the racetrack. It is nerve-racking,” she said.

But McKenna, 41, said she trusted the horse to do its job and trust is one of the most important factors in training steeplechase horses.

If a trainer does not trust each horse, the horse cannot build confidence, said Sanna Hendriks, 39, a Coatesville, Pa., resident and horse trainer. She said the horses must believe they can jump over each fence or they will not go anywhere.

The horses’ training begins when they are about a year old and are introduced to saddles, bridles and riders, she said. At age 2, they are taught to jog and gallop, at 3 they begin jumping brush hurdles and at age 4, Hendriks said she starts teaching her horses to jump timber fences.

Timber hurdles are the most difficult type to jump because they are solid fences, so the horses must jump precisely or they will hit the hurdles.

Most horses are natural jumpers, so the trainer’s job is to encourage the horses by starting with small hurdles and moving to taller hurdles as the horses build confidence, she said.

If a horse enjoys jumping, Hendriks said the horse could be ready to race after one or two months of timber-hurdle training.

Good racehorses need determination and drive, just like good human athletes, said Hendriks, and the horses that work hardest, succeed.

“They have to want to do it,” she said. “If a horse does not want to win, it does not really matter what you do to them, they are not going to win.”

A winning racehorse needs stamina, courage, speed and athletic ability, said Paddie Neilson, 66, a Chatham, Pa., resident who has trained horses for 20 years.

Horses can build muscle, increase their stamina and improve their speed by running everyday, but Neilson said courage is something more difficult to teach.

“A horse survives based on his ability to outrun trouble. A horse won’t stand and fight, so a horse is naturally going to be on the timid side,” he said. “You have to encourage the horse to have confidence. If you do that, they will jump through hoops for you.”

He said a good trainer builds a horse’s confidence by never putting the horse in a racing situation it cannot handle.

Horses have personalities and intelligence, just like humans, and they become discouraged or frustrated if they are forced to race at a level that is too challenging.

During a race, the horse is the most important factor and Neilson said he trusts his horses. Jockeys, he said, can be a more worrying because they can compromise a horse’s natural jumping ability.

Good racehorses will race by themselves, said Robbie Walsh, 32, a Unionville, Pa., resident, and professional jockey. Walsh said the jockey’s job is to support the horse, encourage it and help the horse stay on track during the race.

He said jockeys must remain calm because horses mirror the emotions of their riders. Walsh said he tries to feel in control when racing a horse, but he knows it is the horse’s show.

“Control is a difficult word to use with horses because they are like humans. How much control do you have over another human?” he said. “If a horse wants to do something, he is going to do it and I am not going to be able to stop him.”

Because jockeys have so little control over their horses, learning to trust the horses is vital, said Don Cochran a Unionville, Pa., resident. Cochran, who has been a jockey for eight years, said a jockey must not interfere with a horse’s instincts.

He said each horse has quirks, just like people, and a good jockey understands the horse. Some horses will stop jumping if they hit a fence or become reckless if they start losing ground during a race, said the 54-year-old Cochran.

Despite their quirks, Cochran said most steeplechase horses become excited when they hear the crowds and know they are the most important part of the race. A good jockey also knows the horse is most important, he said.

“You are going into battle with your horse and you are counting on it,” he said.