Do you have a ex racehorse?

I have an arab ex-racehorse. He was a tough, consistent racer - placed in all his five starts. I bought him in August at the Ascot Sales. It's early days yet but so far he's proving to be fantastic - doesn't bat an eyelid at even the biggest of wagons, hacks on his own and in company, is starting to figure out how to work in an outline and how to negotiate circles. He's very easy to handle - very very laid back and is a genuinely nice person. The only thing we've found so far that he doesn't like are cows! Cows being well known horse eating beasts. He dances past them with big eyes and a snort but hopefully will get used to them as we have quite a few round here. I also haven't tried him in an open field yet or upsides another horse at speed. Baby steps
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Hope to do some dressage over the winter and then endurance next year. He's big for an arab (16.hh) and I might even see if he'll jump a bit too.

There are loads of arab ex-racers doing endurance and very successfully too.

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i have had several all but one were good, infact a couple were so laid back i sometimes thought i had a cob trapped in a TB's body. Generally with enough time, sensitivity to there previous experiences i would say x racers are able to have a good career after racing you just have to focus on there strenghts and not weaknesses. I have had my old x racer 16 yrs and she has bred a lovely foal and been my best friend. To many x race horses are written off because theyre worthless in the racing industry.
 
Ive had 3, 2 I still own. Sorry theis may take a while! One was a sucessful 2yo sprinter, then went downhill, so he was sent to the sales at a 4yo. He was bought by a novice rider. She had him for 3 yrs, in that time he spent the first year bolting and bucking, then wouldnt be caught for 2 years! Evetually the novice owner decided she needed rid of him as she wanted to move to Spain, so he was free to anyone who could catch him! So I went along and caught him straight away. It was Christmas eve, and it sounds silly, but having seen him I knew I could not have a good xmas if I didn't catch him and take him away. He was in a dreadful state, skin and bone, v overgrown feet, he could barely stand, let alone run away when he saw me coming to catch him. I spent a month handling and feeding him up. Once he was strong enough I rebroke him. He was good as gold! I never had a problem. 6 months after I got him I took him to an unaffilliated ODE, he jumped double clear, he was an absolute star, so sensible and well behaved. I then sold him to a fab home not too far away. The girl who he was bought for was anorexic, so he was her reward, when she ate she could ride. Within a few weeks his owner was getting so much better, I got such I nice letter from them that xmas (1yr after I got him) that brought me to tears, Since then the owner is now (touch wood) better, they still have the horse, he has found a home for life where he is so happy. Plus the owners dad has learnt to ride on him. He is now doing riding club and unaffillated competitions.
Gem I bought in March as a problem horse. She had been trained to race, but was too slow. At 3yo She was bought by a man for his wife who wanted a horse, who had just started riding. Needless to say Gem quickly got the upper hand, and scared the lady completly. Other people began to ride her, but she would plant and refuse to move, she wouldn't leave the stable if she decided to, or enter the arena, then she would buck if the rider got after her. After 4 years of trying the owner decided she had had enough, and I heard about her through a friend. I actually had v bad concussion when I saw her, and bought her there and then! The next day I was surprised to find a random horse in my field, even more surprised to hear that I had actually bought her! I don't remember it! Once I had come to my senses I got on her and found her a nice ride, just thought a bit backwards. A bit of sharpening her up off my leg quickly sorted that out. She had never jumped, so I started her, and she loved it, and has a naturally really good technique. I took her xc schooling round a BE track, she jumped some of the novice fences! I started her BE in July, coming 10th, 4th and winning 2 Intros! She did a 21 dressage at stafford! And was featured in the september issue of eventing magazine in the Novice round up section! She is noow cubbing and will be hunting over the winter, so far she has been very well behaved.
I've saved telling you about the best one till last! I bought Millie for £300 from the meatman 4 years ago. She was trained to flat race, but at her first race refused to go in the stalls, then failed stalls tests. She was sent to Tattersalls Ireland to be sold, but went unsold, after being passed from, pillar to post ( there are 4 years of her life missing) she ended up with the meatman. My mum was looking for a happy hacker, I saw Millie in the field ( the day before she was to go for slaughter) and she was so pretty I couldn't let her be killed, so I gave the meat man meat money for her, and took her home. She is the sweetest mare in the world, She gave my mum tons of confidence, and is the most sane hack in the world, has never spooked, bucked or bolted! I had lost confidence at this point on my horse jumping, so although Millie (as far as I am aware) had never jumped I started jumping her. She was very clumsy, but so genuine, to this day she has never stopped. I took her hunting the next winter, she was fab, so well behaved, jumped everything. I started eventing her in 2006, she won every unaffilliated ODE I took her to, I took her to do the Milton Keynes Unafil 3 day event and she came second. I affillated her and she had many placings at intro and pre novice. I started her BE Novice in 2008, quickly qualifying for 1*after many placings. In the august she did a CIC*, clear xc. I then took her to Weston Park last year to do the CCI*. She was fab, did best ever dressage, and clr xc in the time, showjumpin let us down, but it was never our strong point! She was the quickest through the vet box after xc of the day, and passed straighr through each trot up, the ground jury commenting on how fit and well she looked. This season I took her eventing, and although being placed she didn't quite feel right. After a bit of time off the vet decided an old injury was giving her a bit of grief. So Millie is now in foal, She is due next June. Not bad for a mare that is barely 15hh! She is smaller than alot of the ponies eventing! Millie and I learnt together, she is the easiest xc horse, has never had a xc fault, I owe her so much, I wouldn't be where I am today if it wern't for her.
Sorry I have gone on forever, I hope you are not bored, but I get a bit self indulgent when it comes to my TB's!
 
I have one - he's 16.3hh ,ginger and quite possibly one of the most frustrating horses but at the same time given me the most brilliant expiriences. He came over from the states at 18 months old from keenland sales - raced both flat and jumps. Pedigree is all flat and dirt horses but for some reason grew to nearly 17 hands - they have some pictures of him on the gallops as a 2 yo and he towers above the rest
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Came to me as he was a hopeless racehorse - far too careful in his jumping and far too polite on the flat. He spent his first year with me in and out of vets with various things - think the only thing insured still is his tail
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but my vet who is a 4* event rider told me to put him back into hard work 6 days a week and we haven't looked back since. He still has days where he comes out channeling his inner giraffe but he can now do a respectable 70% test , has £80 onhis bsja card andhas qualified for the ex racer club champs in december. He is an angel to handle in pretty much every way but does have a little strop at hacking by himself and an even bigger strop at cows but he has taught me so much I think I can forgive that
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QK0KulEVWM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00vIvDPWEA8

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=246245&id=800455152&l=0f15f3e262
 
Sam_I_am how did you get your second ex raceer out of napping ? I have had an ex racer 2 months and can't really get him off the yard on his own althoug fine in company!! Am stuck In Jersey so not really feasible to send him away and would rather do it my self if I could
 
Just found out how to post pics on this forum! So following on from my post above.....This is a pic of Gem at stafford this year when she came 1st in the intro!
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And this is Millie in the Novice at Lincoln, the last event she did, she came 7th, and got another point despite 3 sj's down, she was the only one in her section inside the xc time. You can see how small she is, i'm only 5'2"!
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Hope that has worked, it's is my first attempt at posting pics!
 
Thank you (:

Charlimouse - your horses are amazing, they look like they are really enjoying their new eventing career!

GwenLP- Jazz and Joe look lovely (: its really nice to see horses looking so happy
 
My ex racehorse was born in the UK. He was sold as a 2 year old to Hong Kong where he raced (badly) for a couple of years. He was then brought to NZ and started life as an eventer with a young rider as her second string horse. She was then offered a fantastic job over in Italy and had to sell in a hurry (yay for me). I bought Spyke off her and have had him for over two years. He is the most laid back, dependable, trustworthy horse I have ever owned and I am having a BALL with him. We do dressage, show hunter, eventing - all at a low level, I ride in the forest and just do anything I want with him. He has restored the confidence I lost after a couple of nasty accidents resulting in broken bones (with previous horses). He is the BEST!!!!!
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jsyscotia:2 months really is no time at all, its may take months of just chilling out for them to realise there not under pressure like they would be in a racing yard if that makes sense!!lots of long amd low lunging walking and oodles of patience!!!
For the record my very nappy exracer never really came right and now just hunts and loves it!!he just didnt have the brain for the disciplin of dressage..
 
yes i have an ex racehorsae and only got him in april this year but he has got to be the best thing thats happened to me i have 4 other horses includin a connemara and a welsh but my ex racehorse or NOBLEFIR (IRE) and he can be seen on racing post, my jumping confidencehad been knocked by my 13.2 but novle has brought it back and ive since jumped over 3ft with him only problem i do have with him is his brakes, we seem to have none i dont suppose anyone could suggest a bit strong enough to hold him but nothing to major perhaps to hunt in?
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Well it appears I do too. Never knew that when i bought him (last week) so far so good, he is a really really chilled lad, doesn't spook at all, Can be a little heavy in the hand but other than that so far so good
 
My last horse was an ex-racer and i absolutely loved him and still do. He was bred in America, came over here as yearling, raced as a 2/3 year (not very well!) then did polocrosse for a year before we bought him when he was 4.
We had lots of ups and downs and nearly sold when he was 5 as he went through a horrible stage but we got over that and went on to do lots on PC stuff, several camps and evented up to Novice level. He did have a few injuries on the way which usually put stop to our plans but thats delicate TBs for you!
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He's now in a PC home, spoilt rotten and being an absolute superstar
This is him in action (have permission to post...)
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and with him new owner the other week
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