Ex Racers, fact or falicey?

Tina2011

Tina2011

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Mar 23, 2012
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Just reading Laurens thread, I was wondering what peoples views are.

There seems to be something of a stigma around ex racehorses and I am wondering if this is fair.

What have your experiences been?

I have ridden loads over the years and not had any problems, but a lot of people seem to think they are a no go area.

I haven't owned one (I am a cob lover) but I have a number of friends who have them. Some hunt, some do dressage, some jump, some are happy hackers. Old injuries have sometimes been a problem but on the whole most seem fine once re schooled and settled.

I only know one that's a wee bit barmy (Iwouldn't get on it lol) but it suits its owner, she is happy and we have done sponsored rides together etc, me on my little cob and her in front on Mrs Wacko lol.

Mrs Wacko had also had a foal. Foal grew into the most adorable mare who now does dressage.
 
WE used to have a lot go through the yard I worked at. One of the nicest, most calm, sensible, laid back horses I ever rode was an ex racer. He would lead hairy ponies past scary things without blinking. Nothing flapped him. He was a true gentleman.
Yet some of the air heads we had to deal with were as scatty as hell and needed to be treated with care. They were not nasty, just very sensitive and quick thinking.

Ex racehorses are cheap in the great scheme of things. A TB can be a beautiful much coveted creature. It attracts the wrong owner so many times. It's like ICelandics, they look like hairy ponies that plod, they attract novice riders who find out what they have really bought is a pocket rocket with a very quick brain.
 
Well I love them as you all know. I have always been a finer breed lover Arabs and TB's being my fav.

Ginger as you all know is an ex-racer from an excellent racing yard, He was only 4 when I got him and is the softest nicest horse I have had the pleasure to own. Chanter has always been aloof and non cuddly but just tolerants being with me where Ginger comes looking for me and yesterday when I was upset he came over and just wanted to be with me:smug:

He has a wonderful working nature is safe in traffic and has restored my cantering on hacks confidence which Chanter has killed over the years due to his abilibty to bronc mid canter/gallop.

As with all 4 year olds he has his moments but that is down to his age not his breeding.

I would have another tomorrow
 
My sister has a stunning chestnut TB mare who used to race, she is the sweetest, soppiest, friendliest animal I have ever known. You have to be firm with her as the minute she thinks you are worried about something, she turns to jelly, but would go through fire if you told her it was safe.

I love TBs and have met some super ex-racers (and one or two balmy ones) but you have to take the breed for what they are, sensitive and intelligent.

In many cases I think (in my humble opinion based on limited experience) that many people end up in a pickle with ex-racers as they don't adjust the training to the horse, there will always be some that will take to a normal riding life very quickly and others that take longer, lots of people take them on and don't realise the extent to which the horse needs to go back to basics and re-learn to be ridden. Possibly because the horse will accept tack and rider, so the longing and long reining stages of re-training are missed out?
 
Well the nicest horse I ever rode regularly as a very small child was a TB ex racer, he was an absolute gentleman and impeccably behaved at all times, unlike some of our hairy little ponies!

On the other hand I have had a couple more since, one was middling good, the other quite severely mentally damaged by bad handling at a third rate racing yard. But I have no real experience of TBs as they just aren't my favourite breed, beautiful as they are.

Its the same in almost any breed I think, they are as you find them.Incidentally I didnt base my reply and opinion on Lauren's thread on the fact it is Tb ex racer she is thinking of buying, my replies would have been the same regardless of breed. Merely based my observations on what she had actually written in her posts on the thread.:wink:
 
I love tbs used to ride racers and I can honestly say they are some of the nicest horses around.
I find it quite upsetting people just write them off as per breed and/or background.
IMO any horse should be given a chance but I do believe it has to be with the right person and circumstances,a novice is never going to help a sensitive and possibly confused highly spirited horse move forward as its a case of experience with horses like this.
I have never had a straight forward horse but with time,patience the right approach and help and training they have all been wonderful characters with so much to give and I would put my complete trust in them.
We had an 2 ex racers in the RS I learnt to ride in and they were complete and utter stars,they were 2 of the safest most trust worthy horses on the yard and that was against a lot of cobs,we had more highly strung strong minded cobs than tbs.
I think its a case of time,patience,understanding,training,asking for help when needed and utter commitment.
 
I have a soft spot for ex racers, as some of you will know I 'borrowed' Oscar from the Blue Cross, he was a super horse, he would always slow when I asked him and although he's speed when the turbo kicked in was what can only be described as 'awesome' he always slowed down if I asked him, he had the most fantastic manners on the ground, was never sick or sorry and was a gorgeous looking boy, the only reason he went back to them was because he scared me witless when he was frightened and I didn't have the experience or ability to settle him or ride through it.
I think with ex racers if you are a confident rider your fine, for me though that instant reaction to anything he was uncertain about was just too much. I loved him dearly and it broke my heart to let him go but I know he was the wrong horse for me and needed someone braver. But no I don't think they deserve the reputation they have, they just need the right kind of owner.
 
I am on an ex racing yard, I wonder if it comes down to re schooling properly and a confident and capable rider?
Perhaps how many times they actually race, a few times verses a few seasons.
One ridden chap is nice, I have hacked him out but I wouldn't necessarily know how to have re schooled him.
My lass lives with ex racers and its the calmest herd I have known. They are just so chilled out.
 
Yes nf i think it has to be with the right person but that is with any breed not just thoroughbreds.I don't think it matters so much how many times they have raced its more the management side from what I have seen,like obc said they often come with vices and some never lose them.the lifestyle inwhich some not all race horses are kept can have a huge impact ontheir general mental health which I think is where people have difficulties but I k ow a few from long standing careers to short 1 or 2 race ones and all are now happy healthy safe horses but they were in the hands of someone who had the knowledge to do what they wanted to do.
TBH I find the generalisation between breeds abit wrong,its like with dogs,Staffies have a bad name yet I have a staffy cross and 3 friends have Staffies the nicest natured dogs I know.its how they are brought up and like horses I feel its a lot of how they are trained or handled,in the wrong hands things can get worse but in the right hands they can be fantastic horses.
I'm a bit of a softy and would always go for any animal that I felt needed abit of help but I understand this is not for everyone and not everyone wants this which is their choice and in my opinion very sensible one.
 
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Personally I think a ex-racer is just the same as any horse: if they end up in the wrong hands with someone who doesn't know how best to manage them you will likely end up with a problem horse, if they end up with someone who knows what they are doing then they will likely turn out good.

Any horse can be treated badly and end up a nutcase and it then falls onto the next owner to try and sort it. The same way a good horse can be turned if the owner doesn't know how to handle it.

Basically what I'm trying to say I don't think you can place ex-racers into their own category as it is down to the individual horse whether it is an ex-racer or not. I suppose some people will want the challenge of turning them into a riding horse and would seek out an ex-racer while others (like myself) would probably know their limits and realise an ex-racer isn't for them.
 
The ones sold on from reputable trainers are usually easy to do provided you can 'talk TB' Many trainers now will not sell on the odd 'dangerous / needs professional handling' ones.

All the difficult ones we have had in have been bought out of racing by people unable to handle them and thus causing problems, just the same as with other breeds but I think TBs being very quick and intelligent are very fast to pick up bad manners as well as good.
 
My view with ex racers is you have to go into it as someone who is capable and experienced and confident to take on the worst case scenerio if it were to happen ! In my belief they are different then your average horse youngster, usually started young and used to a strict regime etc different style of riding, weight of riders, positioning of riders blah blah blah, Of course there can be some absolute dolls as with all horses who take to their new course of work very well. They have been taught all their lives to run run run ! Its a whole new concept for them to be collected and schooled, even down to hacking out alone, or going into an arena alone can be a tricky new starting point. I would personally treat one as unbroken and just start from total scratch.
 
Gimp and EML I completely agree. Ginger had been reschooled to the point of:

Standing for mounting
GP saddle on

In school on own and hack with onw other horse

I restarted all schooling and handling, I had issues with rug changing and feeding (very aggressive around food) all have been tackled and are now not a problem.

Schooling I have taken very slowly I have had him 7 months and we have only just tackled in the last month cantering on the bit.

It is deffo one step foward 2 back at times slow is the answer.

They can also have very different feeding issues due to their previous situation and can have trouble holding weight.
 
I used to share a lovely ex racer, who gave me confidence to hack solo and lots of other things.

He was somewhat fragile though, with intermittent lameness, and prone to injuring himself in field.

I wouldn't know how to retrain one myself.

It would worry me that they may end up unrideable due to lameness at an earlier age than other horses due to early breaking in. If I had my own land to retire one too, and I found one that was my perfect horse I would not let it put me off. But there would be lots of buts to think about first.

I prefer a TB cross personally.
 
I have had a tb who even at 23 she was awake if you know what I mean, breeders put in foal twice to calm her a bit. She hadn't raced but she had a job in her days as an escort. She couldn't handle being behind.
I prefer ponies so that would rule anything other than a cross out now. I enjoyed her don't get me wrong but I definitely knew I had a horse, my wallet certainly did!
 
Kathleen Lindley once told me that there are two types of ex racehorses - those that have broken down through injury but still have the run in them and those that never had the run in them or one day just quit the job and stopped running - the easiest to retrain are the ones that dont have any run in them :) I have an ex-racehorse that broke down through injury, he made a great eventer but any contact at all and he thought it was his cue to run faster!! Retraining an ex-racehorse (who still has a lot of run in him) is not without its issues but it is very rewarding :) they teach you a lot about timing and feel :)
 
Interesting thread. Would anybody care to share their info about how they are re-educated? How does the process happen - how long? How much turnout? Do you turn them away for a while or keep them working? I am curious!
 
Trewsers said:
Interesting thread. Would anybody care to share their info about how they are re-educated? How does the process happen - how long? How much turnout? Do you turn them away for a while or keep them working? I am curious!
Click to expand...

Me too Trewsers, I only know enough about them to know I don't know enough about them if that makes sense? would be interested to hear from EML and anyone else who has experience of re educating them.
 
Have a look at my diary for an idea of what we do generally (sorry picture links are out of date).

We see if they want turnaway (some don't get it and as they have worked all their lives want to be working straight away) We then just get them used to wearing a GP saddle then get on and start simple schooling and mini hacks with another horse and then alone. Most will be out in public doing a walk and trot dressage test within a few weeks and a hunt or pleasure ride after a couple of months.

It is the odd one that hasn't been well treated that throws in difficulties. We have one who came to us a year after having raced and sold at a big sale. The trainer she came from is known for not spending much time on the fillies and they have no basics, to add to her problems the buyer then neglected and starved her for a winter!! When we saw her on the yard where she was rescued to no one would take her out of her stable and were amazed that we did!!

Everything went well with our restarting until our first 'outing ' where she demonstrated spectacular rears, obviously practiced and well balanced. When that failed to stop us she decided just lying down and refusing to move was a good idea. An attempt at putting on a different rider (one used to starting yearlings TBs) resulted in her lying down over a ditch and refusing to let him out. She also is very difficult with vets ( we have one used to handling untouched youngstock who can vaccinate her etc but generally they look from a distance and hand us sedalin and oral drugs!!) However as those who have met her saw she is a very sweet loving mare at home, handled by us. Fortunately we can have her as a 'pet' as we have others to compete with, she would be a nightmare acquisition for a one horse owner :cold:

That is why people need to proceed with caution because when things go wrong they can do so spectacularly. You need to be able to stay calm at all times, sit quietly what ever the horse does when ridden, work with the issues and have total control over the environment (which may not be possible on a livery yard) and have confidence to carry out everything personally.
 
Thanks for that Eml, I will look at your diary - very enlightening too - and quite thought provoking about what you said there, about having total control about the environment - I should imagine there could be quite a few restrictions on a yard if you were trying to retrain such a horse.
 
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