ex race horse!

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smellsofhorse

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I have viewed an ex race horse.

He was bought as a happy hacker but has become too much for his owner.
He was bought straight from the training yard.
His last raced at the end of last year.

He will lunge fine, is sound.
When you mount he becomes very tense, you can literally see his holding his back up.
His owner rode him first and he did settle after a few minutes. They didnt have an arena so we hacked down the lane.
When i mounted as my weight went into the saddle he bolted down the lane.
I managed to sit up get my stirrups and pull him up.
He did the same tense walk then i asked for a trot, it had uneven paces but this could be because he wanted to canter. He then settled and walked fine.

If you feel all over him he doesnt show any sore areas.
He is great to handle and is very relaxed.

His owner has had trouble shoeing him, he doesnt like his back legs pulled out.
She has spoken to the training yard and they said there was no trouble with him and his previous farrier said he never has trouble shoeing him.


Are his troubles because he still thinks he is a race horse and need re training or is there something more. such as a kissing spine?

My previous ex race horse mare had a kissing spine, her symptoms were rearing and bolting.
She had the operation and was cured.

She didnt have the other issues as she had come from the training yard about 3 year before i bought her so she had been schooled and her race instincts had mellowed, even though she was a typical ex race horse!
 
hmmmmmm guess it could be because he;s had a back injury in the past and is remembering that pain so automatically tenses up. Mine came out of racing with an awful back- extremely asymetrical pelvis and sore back.

However, if previous owner had no issues with him it could be a new problem??

Are you having it vetted at all? If so, you could talk over these things at the vetting.

how long has he been out of racing? Could he benefit from being turned away for 6 months to chill out and loose that racing fitness?

Sorry no expert at all but hope this kinda helps!
 
We were not planning to have him vetted.
Only because he is for sell cheap.
The owner is being very honest, or it seems that way.
She cant handle him and he has issues.

We are looking for a companion for my tb gelding who is a rising event star!
He gets beaten up by the other gelding so he has been put in his own field.
We are considering buying a retied horse, or even a donkey, but then though maybe get a project to work on.

He has only been away from the training yard for 2 months so yes some time off may be a good starting point.
 
I have owned my exracehorse for about 16 months and he did this for months and months when I first mounted him (and sometimes still does if he hasn't been worked for a few days!). He has been vetted and has had physios and equine massage therapists at various points (for assymmetric pelvis) and all have agreed his back is fine and that he is sound.

You have to remember that these horses have been brought up following a certain routine and that this has been ingrained into their mentality. E.g. they are used to carrying 7-8 stone jockeys who don't even put their full weight on the horse's back, so naturally, someone even a little bit heavier sat deep in the saddle will feel strange to them. Also, rememember that jockeys are usually hoisted on top while the horse is moving and very soon after the horse is asked to gallop very very fast - this is what the horse is used to and it taks a very very long time to untrain this. My horse wouldn't stand still for mounting for months and still doesn't like standing around. As soon as you're on, its all go!

Sorry if I'm being patronising - its just that when I first got my exracehorse I spent an absolute fortune unnecessarily getting him checked out by everyone and spent the first six months worrying about everything, when in fact all he needed was time to chill out and some feed that didn't blow his brains out! They just need someone with confidence to reassure them and teach them a new routine without being scared when they freak out!
 
I would think being ridden by a nervous rider who is very overhorsed would account for many of the problems you have mentioned. How fit and agile is the owner - it has an influence on how she lands in the addle when mounting nad as has been said, the horse may not be used to more than 8 or 9 stone. Is the horse from a flat or NH yard? What age is it and how long has he been in training?
I would be inclined to get a physical exam done by a vet.
Do you have access to good support, an arena, turnout? He could probably benefit from being turned away for 3-6mths anyway to mellow out. How muscled up is he - does he still physically resemble a racehorse? If so he could probably do with some time out. Also how much/often has current rider been riding him?
 
All good points.
As i said my previous ex race horse had been out of racing for about 3 years before i bought her so had mellowed and didnt have there habits.

The horse i was looking at was a flat racer then did national hunt.
He is 9.
He only left the racing yard when he was bought buy this lady, so was still training and in his surroundings and routine.
The owner is of average build so not as light as a jockey.

She seems over horsed, when is an ex race horse good as a happy hacker?!

I have experience with an ex race horse.
I have as much turnout as i want and good facilities.
I have experience breaking and schooling and have brought my current TB gelding from an untouched 3 year old up to an eventing 5 year old.

I would like to give this horse a chance but want to be sure im not taking on to much.
 
Sounds like the horse was never really "let down" properly, and has walked all over his previous owner. IF you are willing to start all over again, and give him chill time I think you may well have a lovely horse
 
Another point i just remembered.

His owner said he is on bute, they are trying it to see if it changes anything.
But it hasnt made any difference.
That leads me to think its habit and all in his head and not pain related.

Oh, and the owner is just riding him a few time a week, as a happy hacker so not stimulating enough for him i think!
 
Thanks angua2, he is such a nice horse to handle so i think he could be a nice horse to ride aswell eventually.

Yeah i think he needs a break and realize his racing days are over.
 
Just out of interest have you seen the horse trot up & confirmed it is sound without it being on bute?? I would def suggest you do this in case it is hiding anything you dont realise about.

It does sound like he might need some kind of let down period and then brought back into work and re taught all the basics. He will have been ridden completley differently as a racehorse and it may be as simple as he doesnt understand your position & use of aids yet.

I bought mine 3 weeks off the track as a hurdler. He was still race fit. He was given 3 months of field rest plus a bit extra for various absess problems! And then bought into light hacking work & re schooling. He went from being very stressy on the yard (very quiet) and difficult to handle to a complete dope on a rope & easy peasy to deal with with exeptional manners (which were there all along). He is also generally a simple ride with the odd moment of madness!

The only thing he still does occasionally, usually when he has had some time off is be a bit 'bouncy' when you first get on. Probably for the first 100yrds or so. He will hunch his back up and bouce with his back legs & jog. Seems to be a tension thing which he will stop doing of his own accord.

Nothing really of use but another comparison for you. If you do go ahead I wish you lots of luck..I would have another one tomorrow!
 
Sounds very cold backed to me. Contact the trainer who had the horse and ask them if he had cold backed issues.

Try riding him again, but lunge him in the saddle first and gradually pull up the girth while he is trotting round, use a thick fleecy numnah.

Then see how he reacts.
 
Id be wary of purchasing anything on bute especially an ex racehorse. Ensure it sound in trot without bute (take bloodtests to confirm ) and get owner to sign a paper saying he has not been given bute for x amt of time before the trot up. May be of use if you run into problems shortly after purchase.
Agree with Daisychain, he may well be coldbacked. Many trainers will tell you (especially as horse has not come directly from them).
 
Hi
I'm on my 3rd ex racer, and all of them have been completely different.
After reading your post, it struck me that the training yard and former blacksmith both said they hadn't had any problems with the horse. I would have no reason to believe they aren't being completely honest.
If the horse is a sensitive chap, just the fact that someone he didn't know had mounted him in a place where he isn't usually mounted would be enough to make him panic.
It's impossible to know without a vet exam whether or not there are underlying physiological problems, and no matter how much we all give you the benefit of our thoughts and experiences, you won''t know for certain until the vet has given you his/her report.
That said, I certainly agree with all the posts that suggests the horse might need some down time, and even when you start it's reschooling, it may still take years for you to get the horse to forget its racing training -
If the horse is good to handle and friendly to have around, and you feel comfortable around it, it might make a good project to take on, always bearing in mind that worse case scenario could be that it ends up as just a companion for your talented other TB.
However, if it isn't and you don't, and the possibility of finding oodles of other such problems and solving those doesn't appeal, then run away now!!!
All best luck, whatever you decide
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