It's fair to say that being a horse trainer can be a stressful business, as Toomevara trainer Ray Hackett knows all too well.
Hackett celebrated winning the inaugural GAIN The Advantage Series, a Flat season-long venture, which concluded at Naas last Sunday.
However, when the chips are down, trainers have to find alternative ways to be confident that all their hard work is worth it in the end.
Last month, Ger Lyons told OTB Sports that his enjoyment came from training this year's string of two-year-olds.
Meanwhile, Hackett revealed his slightly more unorthodox method of clearing his mind during the long, hard season.
Speaking on this week's Friday Night Racing, Hackett told Ger Gilroy and Johnny Ward that he finds an ice bath is the perfect way to unwind.
"It's a great way to clear [the head]", Hackett said. "You can think a lot when you get into it!"
"You can focus on one thing, and that's your breathing - everything else just disappears from your mind for that sort space of time that you're in it, and there's a feel-good factor when you get out."
"I'll do anything from three to ten minutes."
Hackett added: "It's just the mindset - what you're doing is working on your mind."
"When you know you can set your mind to do that, you bring that into the everyday then, and you can stay focused on what you're doing".
Hackett: "You just have to stay believing."
Hackett stressed the importance of these opportunities to escape, admitting that the pressures of training can take their toll mentally.
"There's times in this game when it gets to you, and people don't see that", Hackett said. "You need good support around you at those times."
"Last Winter, I had nothing for heavy winter ground, nothing to go to war with, and you look at that and think 'where's the next winner coming from?'"
"You just have to stay believing. It's just about keeping the head right then. You have to stay patient and stay believing that what you're doing is the right thing."
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