Buying a young ex-race horse ???

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Boxers

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Once my daughter's pony is sold we are thinking of buying a youngster for her to bring on - with professional help.

We thought perhaps we could get a 3yr old ex-racehorse around 15.2-16hh? How much are they and where would I get one?

Would they be trainable for SJ? And what about hunting?

Any advice gratefully received. Thanks.
 
You can get green/young ex racers from £500 to £3000 depending on what they have done/ what potential they have. I think it's best to get them from Newmarket sales or a simular one. You can get them in Ireland too and from dealers. Mine is really trainable and I think the majority are as they are supposed to be inteligent.

Good luck searching :)
 
Just to give you an idea, we bought Baby-Pony for £1750 a few weeks ago - he's a 15.2hh 5 year old gelding, came out of racing over the winter (only raced once and wasn't very good at it!) and had done a bit of flatwork and small jumps since then. As he only raced on the flat I know that all the jumping he's done has been done 'properly' - so he doesn't think about taking off 8ft away from the jump and respects the poles, which is something I would worry about with a hurdler/chaser.
I have no doubts he will take to SJ and dressage with work, XC he may not be bold enough with water/ditches but may get better with time and experience, hunting may be exciting but since he wasn't a very good racehorse he'll probably be quite happy travelling with the field :o He's also good to hack out and catch/lead etc, just a nice friendly pony really!
 
I bought a 15.3hh 3 year old flat bred gelding for £850 inc transport down from Yorkshire. He hadn't started any retraining and the only issue we have come across is feet :) eg handling/being shod etc. I think minimum bid at ascot/doncaster etc is around £500 . One of mine came from a local trainer and this little man was a reply from a wanted ad I placed.
 
I got a 5year old ex race horse 15.2hh who i am n the process of bringing into work etc. as she had time out for a foal.
After she raced she did 4 unaffiliated XC's and got placed in the top 6 in all of them. She is a nightmare to hack out atm and I have to say i was on the ground more than on her at the beginning of bringing her back into work (she's got a talent for broncing and rearing) But slowly and surely she is getting better. A LOT of hard work though! Very sensitive & very opinionated but generally a lovely horse.

I would say go for it but you have to be prepared to take things extremely slowly. I aimed for having her out and about doing some showing & dressage now but there is no way we could manage that as she blows up if another horse comes past her, so aiming for dressage over the winter.
 
My friend got a four year old non racer who had been raced trained for £2250. He is a sweet, lovely boy. He does all riding club activities and has been a good horse for the last 7 years.
 
I work at a racing yard and got my girl given to me for free :) And as I keep her a one minute walk down the road from work and live, I only had to walk her down in hand so no transport fees either! She had only been in training for a few months and was given a break because she got girth galls quite bad that went unknown until a new person rode her and noticed straight away, they were so bad she couldnt be ridden for a while, and then the company who owned her werent paying the bills and the trainer didnt think she'd be any good as a racehorse so offered her to me. I had to wait a while to find out what the owners said but when I did I took her that day in my lunch break :) She has just turned 3 and hadnt done anything other than when she was in training for flat racing, shes now done some teeny jumps on the lunge just so I could see how she took to it, and she loves it! Her ears lock onto the jump and she already makes a great shape over them :) I think an ex flat racer could make anything you want them to really, they all seem willing and arent all crazy like people think, they seem to forget theyre in almost 24/7 and on very high enegry feed so once the routine and food has changed, they generally settle down :)
 
i purchased my 3 yr TB in sept straight out of racing (literally ran days before) ive found her very challenging, and lots harder than a 'normal' youngster because she was used to one particular way of going, however she is used to alot of things most youngsters havent seen which is a bonus, like traffic, large crowds etc

alot of difficulties ive had may just be her has she has such a hug character, but everything as been soo soo rewarding, and when things go right its a great feeling :D

good luck in finding one - and i went to the race yard to find my mare, so id probs ask at your local race yards
 
its so nice to see so many people who give the ex racers a home.
my boy is a ex racer, and we have had ups and downs in his training (a lot more downs at the moment!!)
you have to go into this with your eyes wide open and be prepared for the horse to throw anything at you, they are un-schooled (in most cases) and do not understand leg aids (most of the time) so it is a real learing curve for them.
you say you have proffesional help, and thats the most sensible thing to have with a ex racer, and i couldnt do without the help i get.
i would read up on it, get as much information as possible, and even try and read up on people where things havent gone to plan, as then you get a understanding of where things can go wrong.
Tb's in my opinion give 200% all the time and they can turn their "hoof" to anything, they have a very big heart and aim to please, but they do need a lot of work putting in, and a lot more time than most horses. (and the last TB i had cost me a fortune in vet bills!, a small cut turned into a week of anti-biotics, and he was pretty prone to finding something to cut himself on!:-)
good luck with your purchase and keep us updated!
 
I bought India frm Ascot monthly sale and she was £450! She was broken but that was all I could find out! She has since hunted, done sponsored rides and although can be trying at times - she is very tolerant!

It is hard work and consistency is key, I cannot stress enough - do not even contemplate taking on a young TB raced or not unless you are 100% dedicated. My girly and I have had some trying times already and its only been 7 months :) Good Luck with whatever you decide xx
 
They are (mostly) intelligent, athletic, quick to learn and versatile. Mine loves jumping and is learning to love dressage. He is also known as the 'most laid back tb ever' and even takes my friends young daughter out hacking.

However i would suggest you approach a horse from the sales as one that needs backing - as said before - they usually don't understand the riding aids and strong contact in racing means go faster.

Try sales, also try the ROR (British Horseracing Authority website) or ex racers club. 1000's of horse come out of racing each year most need a new home. Good luck
 
I'm in the process of bringing on my 2nd ex racer ( chestnut in sig). My 1st one (grey in sig) I got when she was 5 for 2,600. She had been in training but hadn't raced. She wasn't exactly easy. It took me 6 months before she was ready for her first show and 2 years before she was at affiliated level. She had quite a few handling issues on the ground as well which needed sorting out.
She was however amazingly talented over a fence, I mean super super talented. She had scope to spare and never said no. She was also very genuine and tried really hard. Despite being sensitive and a bit quirky she never let me fall off her in the 4yrs she was with me ( sadly she passed away last year).
My current one (chestnut) is very straight forward. He is rising 5 now and he raced once. I would say he is as easy as any normal non tb youngster. His only fault is he can be a bit nappy out hacking alone. He tends to spin round when he gets worried. It's getting better though. He had done some basic schooling when I got him 4/5 months ago which made life easier! He was ready to do BD 3 months after I got him and was placed 1st time out. He is also a good, scopey jumper. He is brave and he won't stop.

I think you have to be prepared that they can be sharp and sometimes need more patience, I think they are so versatile though!! How many warmbloods could cope with racing and then a few months later do a dressage test?

If I brought a non Tb horse that was comparable to my 2 racers is talent and temp, I would be paying between 8-10k. Instead they are 2-3k!! They aren't for everyone as being highly bred blood horses they are sensitive and intelligent. I think they are amazing horses though and definitly worth the work! :)
 
I have a 15.3hh ex hurdler. He was £1500. He is very very talented both over jumps and on the flat. He is very bold, never stops and has scope to spare! He also taking to flat work incredibly quickly with an amazing amount of talent. On the other hand he is very intelligent and sensitive, so anything new is very exciting and i often have to sit quite tight!
He naps out hacking alone, but is getting better. Is brilliant in traffic and great to hack out in company.

As firewell said you can get something very talented for alot cheaper then if it was a warmblood with the same amount of talent. My TB is very well bred and has brill confirmation. A warmblood with his talent and breeding would probably be in 5 figures!
 
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