Is the daily grind of trying to pick enough winners to make money betting on horse races getting you down? While I enjoy handicapping and picking winners, not to mention the small profit it brings, it is also hard work that can wear me out. Even top level handicappers who write great books on the subject often mention burnout as one of the risks of the game.

It is often said that a change is as good as a rest, so with that thought in mind, here is a suggestion for how you can make life a little more interesting again, short of shaving your head and moving to a tropical island. Do what you do, but do it backwards. If you have a horse racing system that you are using (and I certainly hope you do) then use it but turn everything around.

For instance, if you normally put the horses in ascending order according to how good each one is and what its chances of winning may be, then put them in descending order. Instead of finding contenders, how about eliminating horses? While no one can guarantee that a horse will win, are there any that are so bad you can guarantee they will lose?

You can start out modestly if you are afraid of losing your shirt. For that matter, you don't have to place any real bets on these picks, but just for a change, try picking losers. When you handicap the racing program you probably automatically eliminate certain horses who are so bad they are obviously going to lose and they don't even warrant a close look.

But just how good are you at determining a horse is going to lose? In a field of 10 horses, for instance, can you pick 5 horses and guarantee that they will lose? If you try this, how often will one of those 5 guaranteed losers sneak into the winners circle? Are you good enough to eliminate 6 horses?

If nothing else, this exercise will test your skills in a slightly different way and may even open up some new avenues of thought. In horse racing handicapping, our minds are our greatest tool and we must keep them sharp. Rather than burnout, take time off or find other ways to make the game interesting, otherwise, you may lose your edge.