4 year old ex-racer TB advertised as a Family Horse - Really?

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shmoo

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Sorry, I just can't believe it. As thread title.

I'm as gullible as they come which is why I have mine, but at least she isn't a baby... Will someone really buy her?
 
I can't see a problem either? I've got a smashing 5y/o ex-racer who's for sale who you could classify as a 'family horse'. She's re-schooled, ridden by a complete novice child, yet could go out and do a decent dressage test with me and pop a course of 3ft. Yet can hack along on skipping ropes if required? And would live in the house given half a chance! Now that's what I call a family horse- just because its an ex-racer doesn't mean they've got a screw loose.
 
OK, I admit it, I got the loony one.

She's pretty and all. I just wouldn't class any 4 year old as a family horse. I'd have thought they'd need to have seen more of the world?
 
shmoo said:
OK, I admit it, I got the loony one.

She's pretty and all. I just wouldn't class any 4 year old as a family horse. I'd have thought they'd need to have seen more of the world?
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Some 4 year old racers have seen alot of the world.....not like your average 4 year old
 
I guess so, but at £3000 wouldn't you want something more ready made?

I don't know much about the actual racing side. At what age do they begin training them? Wouldn't you be able to spot the ones that wouldn't make it and not bother.

Yes - to you racing buffs this will sound wildly naive, I honestly have no concept.
 
Where's she advertised, if you could include a link to the advert then maybe we could comment, but tricky otherwise. She could have been racing since she was 2 or maybe never raced at all......
 
Some 4yo's have travelled the world!

Lets say born in America. Sold to Ireland. Raced on both sides of the Irish Sea. If good enough then there is possibility of travelling to France for the Arc meeting. They could also return to America for the Breeders Cup or go over to Dubai for the World Cup. Just hop on a plane and off you go! And they could do all that before they are 4yo ;)

Because they do so much so young they are pretty well grounded in mostly everything. We had a 2yo that you couldhave put your granny on and go for a jolly hack through the wood having got there by motorway. Age is immaterial.
 
shmoo said:
I guess so, but at £3000 wouldn't you want something more ready made?

I don't know much about the actual racing side. At what age do they begin training them? Wouldn't you be able to spot the ones that wouldn't make it and not bother.

Yes - to you racing buffs this will sound wildly naive, I honestly have no concept.
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If we could have got Reg at that age, I reckon £3k would have been easily what people would have paid. Especially if they barely raced... I mean, you get a horse who has been bred to perform, for not that much really.
 
Point taken. You see I know nothing about racing, and not frightened to admit it. I was thinking about a 4 year old, thinking about my loopy TB and got caught up in the moment.

What it does go to show is your average 4 year old racehorse is actually better travelled than me! :D
 
I guess with TBs they have been backed at at least the age of 2, had a lot of handling, riding and travelling. They generally have pretty good manners and, if it's been re-started well as a general riding horse then there's no reason why it wouldn't make a great family horse. The basics are generally there maybe more so than a horse backed at 3yo/4yo.
 
I ride a 5 y/o racehorse in training that you could put your grandmother on to ride around the roads and on the gallops (that's probably why I ride him :p:D). He doesn't even blink even when all the other horses are having some stressy/bucking fit over some horse eating lorry driving past at 100mph.

It purely depends on the individual horse I suppose. To be honest I wouldn't describe my ride as a family horse as he likes his own space and won't have anyone who doesn't know his habits muck him out/ride him or put his tack/rugs on otherwise you will be savaged.

I wouldn't describe any of our 4 year olds as a family horse but they could easily be with the right re schooling, just depends on the individual horse :)
 
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