Amazing photo - Racehorse to Dressage Diva

Very good article in racing post this week that most racehorses aren't racehorses they are just biding their time before they can do something else!
 
Innocent question - just curious :)

Why does everyone in UK go ecstatic when an ex-racehorse does something other than race?

In NZ they have been doing everything for many, many decades with as much success as Warmbloods and other breeds.

Recently a friend horse won the 'Supreme Park Hack of the Year' at HOY, went on a few weeks later to 5th in the Young Event Horse of the Year.

One of mine left NZ for UK and successfully evented 2*, another Open Medium dressage, Endurance and Evented. I also had several in the riding school used for teaching beginners

They are amazing horses and like the Arabian a foundation of many of the Warmblood breeds.
 
I think it's because here they have a reputation for being crazy and accident prone (isn't that just describing pretty much all horses?) :p When I told people I bought P, their first response was 'Eurgh. And ex racehorse.'. And whenever he does well, again, it's 'I can't believe he's an ex racehorse!'.

Things like RoR are gradually changing that, but ex racers are still much much cheaper than other horses, even after being retrained and competing successfully.
 
I just think we have fantastic marketing here and in the US ! Means that there is more interest generated for these fantastic horses, as opposed to just being another bay horse for sale. The turnover of the racing industry is huge and anything that could be done to stem the flow from track to neglect or track to hook is admirable. It would be great if NZ would do something to encourage good press about OTTBs which on the whole hardly command any figures or warrant a look when for sale. I know the YEH class had a mention for best thoroughbred which is encouraging.
 
I don't really know Tnavas. We're cashing in as such, as such, because it does surprise people when they hear he's an ex-racer (who raced a fair amount with wins and good placings) and then it surprises them again that he's been reschooled by a teenager.

I have a lot of very vague thoughts about what constitutes an ex-racer, and when they should be lauded for the reschooling. I don't think a horse who raced once or twice really counts...
 
Lolo, I think though it depends so much on the horse! After all, you are teaching a horse a completely different way of going (same goes to ex-driving horses, or western to english and vice versa) and that is not easy!

Mine raced seven times. Didn't do very well though :o
 
I know, and Bee was far more typically racehorse in her habits. She cribbed and was very mouthy, needed a string to go out with or she'd nap... Things like that that Reg has never been like- the worst he's done is getting very stressed by outings!

But she found the reschooling considerably easier than Reg did as she had so much less ingrained in her. If things hadn't gone so badly wrong, she'd have probably reached where he is now in about 18 months, compared to the 4 years it's taken him...
 
Tbf, they do and have done all those jobs in North America - I know lots eventing (including one that went to the Olympics), many working in riding schools and I don't know how many working in riding schools. It is pretty rare to find a TB doing consistently well at FEI dressage these days though.

As mentioned above, there has been a HUGE and well funded effort to promote 'off the track' tb's as suitable for other careers to facilitate homes for the huge numbers of often very young horses superfluous to the racing industry. Hence articles like the one above. The Martins have been particularly enthusiastic about supporting these efforts.
 
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