Am I wasting my time (horse buying)?

alsxx

alsxx

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Hi everyone, hoping for some untainted and unemotional opinions! 😂 Unfortunately my lovely 6 year old who I bought as a weanling, is it seems, permanently broken. After always being suspicious of a slightly sticky stifle as a youngster (and having had him looked at a few times 😒) he's now lame and although we don't have a firm diagnosis (all roads seem to lead to the stifle), referral vet has been very damning about any chance of a ridden career.

Possibly similar to another post recently, but the price of horses is eye watering. I just don't have 25k sat around to spend on something that might well break. Having just relocated to the SW and moved house (to have the horses at home! The irony...), there are plenty of other things that I could use that kind of money for. Which leads me to consider getting an ex racer again.

Am I nuts? To be fair my last one had issues but was more robust than the nice foal I bought myself 🤦‍♀️ I want something that will hack, do dressage (probably up to elem eventually) and some jumping (not brave enough to event but never say never). And isn't lame! So hit me up with the 'don't do it', 'do it, I have a good, sound ex-racer' vibes!
 
alsxx said:
Hi everyone, hoping for some untainted and unemotional opinions! 😂 Unfortunately my lovely 6 year old who I bought as a weanling, is it seems, permanently broken. After always being suspicious of a slightly sticky stifle as a youngster (and having had him looked at a few times 😒) he's now lame and although we don't have a firm diagnosis (all roads seem to lead to the stifle), referral vet has been very damning about any chance of a ridden career.

Possibly similar to another post recently, but the price of horses is eye watering. I just don't have 25k sat around to spend on something that might well break. Having just relocated to the SW and moved house (to have the horses at home! The irony...), there are plenty of other things that I could use that kind of money for. Which leads me to consider getting an ex racer again.

Am I nuts? To be fair my last one had issues but was more robust than the nice foal I bought myself 🤦‍♀️ I want something that will hack, do dressage (probably up to elem eventually) and some jumping (not brave enough to event but never say never). And isn't lame! So hit me up with the 'don't do it', 'do it, I have a good, sound ex-racer' vibes!
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Well a few weeks ago I would have said go for it! But I'm just about to take my 6yr old ex racer for a lameness workup....so god only knows what they will find!

I'm sure there are some out there that are ok....!
 
If you have the money to get one that is already doing the job you want, and has been for a few years, then I say go for it! I have an exracer and he has had his issues over the years, but I am a TB person through and through! I would absolutely get another, but be careful.
 
I would probably go to one of the yards that takes them straight from racing and starts the re-training - that way someone else has put a few hours which would hopefully weed out the obvious broken ones. I didn't go down that route when I was looking but I thought the prices looked sensible enough and they were quite clear about the personality, level of training and any pre-existing tendon etc issues.
 
Your not nuts and I don't know what helps to make them more or less likely to be sound is - an ex racer who went round Maryland 5* had raced over 100 times so I doubt many of us would have touched it with a bargepole!

The more I hear and see the more I think there's as good a chance of an exracer staying sound as anything else. RoR also has a great community and great competitions and stuff to aim for.
 
I personally wouldn't. I have never had one but there have been several on my yard. Some young, some older, some raced, some unraced, some untrained. All (literally) have been accident prone and fragile. A friedn is a huge ROR fan and has had 3 - all are broken. 1 is dressage only now (she events) 2 are unridden. My YO has had a few as she loves their athleticism and intelligence. But won't have another. Someone would need to show me stats to convince me that they are as robust as other breeds horses. It would be useful research to read!

I needed to buy cheap(ish) after retiring Lottie - a ready made Lottie-type would be unaffortable. So I have gone for an unbacked 3 yo with a full know history who passed a vetting. From a sire with a long ridden history. It will delay my ridden ambitions but not by much tbh. All horses can go lame but this feels like I am stacking the deck in my favour - particularly as the upbringing was good for longevity - 24/7 turn out, she was old enough to be vetted for soundness, and I can take my time to develop the horse physically and mentally when she starts under saddle.
 
I have one so I'd say go for it!

Lots of people will say look for ones that haven't raced much, but personally I look at their racing record itself.
My lad flat raced quite a few times over several years and didn't retire until he was 6.

What appealed to me is there weren't any big gaps in between his races that would indicate a recovery period from am injury, and that he was sound when I viewed him.
My reasoning was, he was in training and racing for 5 years, if he was going to break he probably would have done it already. Yes there will be wear and tear, but at least it showed he's robust enough to stay in work at an intensity far above what I expect from him, so hopefully will stay that way now he has an easier life 😊🤞
 
My tb was trained but never raced - she was fast but preferred to stay with the pack rather than win the race!
She stayed sound until she reached 18-19 then the issues began but she stayed in work (light work) until she was around 24.
She spent the last few years retired in the field, we pts at 27... I still miss her.

Would I buy another tb? Yes!
 
My ex racer TB was of the shorter chunkier variety and she was such a good doer and the only injury she sustained in the years I had her was a cut in the field which she bounced back from pretty quickly.

I’d say go for it! All the TBs I’ve met have generally been so easy to do, well mannered and snaffled mouthed. Their legs do tend to be a bit more fragile but I found with the right boots and also a break from work/ period of light work only in the year kept her right.

Love 💕 Thoroughbreds
 
I’d say you’d have as much luck with an exracer as anything else. I’ve had two. The first I had for nearly ten years and he was never lame, never sick or sorry, excepting one minor abscess in all that time, and had huge scope and amazing movement for a TB. He was however an anxious, spooky mess (but very sweet, I loved him). The other one was a vet bill on four legs, but very chill and didn’t spook at anything. I used to say I wish I could swap their personalities around and then I’d have one perfect horse 😄

They both however cost me an absolute fortune to feed, and lost shoes like crazy! If that doesn’t put you off then you can find a nice one for very little.
 
Go for it!! These are the activities I've done with mine, hacks alone and in company, sj, dressage , xc , ODE, combined traing, showing, concours d'elegance. We have been very successful in dressage, winning a league, and has been ridden and reserve champ showing. In the top 3 in our ODE!! I've been very lucky , pretty much only vaccs from vets. Not saying much as not wanting to jinx it!! Just do your research before hand. I have seen some fantastic ones on the equestrian notice board. You can't go wrong with a good one!!
 
I had an ex racer that had raced for 4 years. She was all leg and neck, certainly wouldn’t have won any ROR classes. I bought her when she was 12 and retired her when she was 21. Neither of us were enjoying it, there maybe was something niggling her but I decided to just retire her. She lived until 26.

I would consider another one but all the KS diagnosis etc would be much more of a worry now than when I was 16 buying a pretty horse 😂
 
I’d in general be a little more wary of young ROR that either haven’t made it to the track or had only one or two races. Yes the selling line is usually ‘too slow’ and that probably applies to a few. But I do think most of them fall into the ‘too weak and trainer knows they won’t stand up to the job’ category.

A slightly older NH type that has stood up to a couple of seasons +, might not vet clean but imo stands more chance of being a functional citizen in a new career
 
My friend has a nice little horse for sale a proper all rounder has done affiliated jumping and dressage his reasonably priced not 25k.

He is in Hertfordshire so might be too far for you.

If your interested drop me a message.
 
I loved my ex racer, never had a day sick or sorry ( except 1 colic) in the 13 years I had her until her fatal field accident while she was having some time off for me to move house / job / life. I'd say treat it like any other horse purchase,ie is it well bred to do what you want? ( I think some racers are well bred for speed but not longevity), is it well put together? Is it a nice person? After that vet checks out what can be checked and you take your chances like any other horse.
I hate how devalued TBs are now, they are such great horses.
 
alsxx said:
Hi everyone, hoping for some untainted and unemotional opinions! 😂 Unfortunately my lovely 6 year old who I bought as a weanling, is it seems, permanently broken. After always being suspicious of a slightly sticky stifle as a youngster (and having had him looked at a few times 😒) he's now lame and although we don't have a firm diagnosis (all roads seem to lead to the stifle), referral vet has been very damning about any chance of a ridden career.

Possibly similar to another post recently, but the price of horses is eye watering. I just don't have 25k sat around to spend on something that might well break. Having just relocated to the SW and moved house (to have the horses at home! The irony...), there are plenty of other things that I could use that kind of money for. Which leads me to consider getting an ex racer again.

Am I nuts? To be fair my last one had issues but was more robust than the nice foal I bought myself 🤦‍♀️ I want something that will hack, do dressage (probably up to elem eventually) and some jumping (not brave enough to event but never say never). And isn't lame! So hit me up with the 'don't do it', 'do it, I have a good, sound ex-racer' vibes!
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I'm in the don't do it camp. Referral vets are always damning, I'd be exhausting attempts at resting/ conditioning the lame horse you have before moving on to the next one, they're all technically broken IME.
 
Flame_ said:
I'm in the don't do it camp. Referral vets are always damning, I'd be exhausting attempts at resting/ conditioning the lame horse you have before moving on to the next one, they're all technically broken IME.
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I mean honestly, that's where my mind is currently at, is anything not broken?

Re current horse, he's not being disposed of and will be absolutely doing what I can, but I've been very careful with him, doing a lot of strength and conditioning being mindful of the weak stifle and he's not stood up to work (he's not been worked hard at all), so at best he's likely to be a hack and I do want more than that.
 
Pinkvboots said:
My friend has a nice little horse for sale a proper all rounder has done affiliated jumping and dressage his reasonably priced not 25k.

He is in Hertfordshire so might be too far for you.

If your interested drop me a message.
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Open to heating details but I think realistically I won't really start looking until the NY. Need to get a potential arthroscopy out of the way first.
 
Thanks all, appreciate the responses! Lots to think about and some good pointers too if I go this route. I'll probably not do anything rash until at least the NY, need to get a potential arthroscopy out of the way and also need to emotionally detach a bit too so the heart doesn't rule the head!
 
alsxx said:
Hi everyone, hoping for some untainted and unemotional opinions! 😂 Unfortunately my lovely 6 year old who I bought as a weanling, is it seems, permanently broken. After always being suspicious of a slightly sticky stifle as a youngster (and having had him looked at a few times 😒) he's now lame and although we don't have a firm diagnosis (all roads seem to lead to the stifle), referral vet has been very damning about any chance of a ridden career.

Possibly similar to another post recently, but the price of horses is eye watering. I just don't have 25k sat around to spend on something that might well break. Having just relocated to the SW and moved house (to have the horses at home! The irony...), there are plenty of other things that I could use that kind of money for. Which leads me to consider getting an ex racer again.

Am I nuts? To be fair my last one had issues but was more robust than the nice foal I bought myself 🤦‍♀️ I want something that will hack, do dressage (probably up to elem eventually) and some jumping (not brave enough to event but never say never). And isn't lame! So hit me up with the 'don't do it', 'do it, I have a good, sound ex-racer' vibes!
Click to expand...
Absolutely go for it, just use a good contact to make sure you don’t buy anything broken.
 
Friend had an ex NH horse that came over from NZ he was 12 she was still riding him when was 27 PTS due to advanced cushing and kept getting infections was on 6.5 tablets a day and vet said time to let him go. He was not lame, no steroids or arthritis treatments never had a days box rest in all the time she had him. She evented and SJ a bit with him. But he lived out at her home with another horse and she didn't have a school so mostly hacked rather than doing lots of schooling. Her land is flat and well drained.

Friend at yard has an ex racer in his teens and no major problems still in full work, has been treated for arthritis but no major injuries or anything like that. He has not been a competition horse though as owner not interested in that sort of thing but does have lessons and jump.

I think there is an element of luck involved with horses.
 
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