been offered ex racehorse - advice & experiences much appreciated!!

caterpillar said:
I am a huge fan of ex racers but they need experienced, knowledgeable, patient riders and I can only imagine that for a 15yo who although has people who can help keeps the horse on their own yard without input from other people it could be a recipe for disaster. Sorry.
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I agree with this I'm afraid. They're brilliant horses but only in the right hands. The amount of times people have approached me saying they can't handle their exracer, can I help! They need a very disciplined handler, who is very strict with routine, my boy knows if I'm 5 mins late to turn him out in the winter and gets his knickers in a knot! I can only lead him in a chiffney as he can be very sharp and strong, and mounting took ages to master! Every time he hits grass he still wants to go, and he napps when out! The trouble is some exracers can be very chilled out so it's getting the right one for you. On the whole though they do need routine, confidence and a very relaxed rider and a lot of time. You can't just get on one (in normal circumstances) and go!! They need lots of patience and time to retrain. I'v had my boy 5 years and he still reverts back to being a racehorse when he thinks he can!! Once retrained they are very rewarding though!!! Go on the ROR website and have a good read up, lots of good info on there.
 
Forgot to add - ask if the horse was ridden out at the front of the string. It usually indicates that they won't nap as they're used to taking the lead. Both of mine were used as the lead horse and neither are nappy.
Also is it a NH horse or a flat horse? Personally I wouldn't have a horse which has raced on the flat, but would have a NH horse any day. A lot of the flat horses are just trained to go from A to B as fast as possible, but the NH horses tend to get a bit more schooling, are a bit older and imo just more sensible!
 
Holly Hocks said:
Also is it a NH horse or a flat horse? Personally I wouldn't have a horse which has raced on the flat, but would have a NH horse any day. A lot of the flat horses are just trained to go from A to B as fast as possible, but the NH horses tend to get a bit more schooling, are a bit older and imo just more sensible!
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I have just got a flat horse - a 6 Furlong sprinter - having always worked with and taken home Jumpers and I have to say - he is THE laziest toad I have ever met! That's half the reason he left racing.

I wouldn't dismiss a flat horse, just accept that they will take more reschooling as they generally would never have been asked to work on the bit.
 
my parents are unhorsey and i would by no means consider myself experienced 2 of my 3 horses have been exracers will never look back I would do it but only if the horse is kept on a livery or somewhere where she can have constant supervision help if needed both f ine have had tricky patches and it is important to have someone on the ground to help you as they just opperate completely differetly. good luck xx
 
OP - all I can say is take the advice but also go with what you think/feel when you see the horse in question. Only you and your daughter can decide.

I have 2 ex-racers and could spout on for ages about how amazing they have been/height doesn't matter etc etc but I have had to be v patient and take it slow with one of them whilst the other has been really straight forward. They have both been incredibly rewarding but if they are not for you then that is fine, don't get hung up on it.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.
 
My mum bought me an ex-racehorse which was fresh from Doncaster sales when I was 14. We had a fantastic bond, so it really can work. Looking forward to your updates on how it went!
 
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