Ex-Racer and Ex-work rider...retraining tips please!

[EMC]

Hi all,

This is a long one but please persevere...

I am due to take ownership of an 11yr old ex racer (gelding) in the next few weeks and whilst I'm getting everything organised I thought I'd ask some advice.

I will be moving him from his life of leisure on his old Syndicate owners land (he is currently a little tubby on grass!) onto a professional livery yard where we will both be learning to take things at a slower pace than the gallops and ride 'properly' under the watchful eye of the yard owner.

A little bit more about myself...I trained late on in life at the British Racing School to ride and care for racehorses. Around previous work schedules and more recently as a permanent work rider I have worked in both racing yards and a pointing yard.

Whilst I know how to work on the gallops, do roadwork/hacking, lungeing, some longlining and the care of horses, my training involved short stirrups and lot's of time with my bum in the air!

I should think my dressage would leave a lot to be desired and so am enlisting the help of a knowledgable and succesful competitor/livery owner to retrain both of us to keep us on the straight and narrow (she will also ride him to make sure I don't teach him bad habits by mistake.)

Monty (the new addition) is brilliant to hack out, I have been riding him recently to get a feel and I have been very impressed. Cars, busy roads, dustbins, even rubbish trucks are no problem and he seems to be very laid back around farm machinery etc. His temperment is the main reason I have decided to buy him....and he happens to be very pretty!

As far as I am aware he has not done any schooling, only a little hacking and a few pleasure rides since his retirement. I plan to let him settle in for a few weeks with lots of inhand work and cuddle/grooming sessions to establish a bond before we start our retraining.

The only issue I have identified is the usual racehorse lack of patience when mounting!

Legging up (no waiting for 1,2,3...it must be done on 1!!) is ok, but from the mounting block we are straight into a full on medium trot! This I am used to in a racing yard but it may not go down well in the new yard (the beautifully trained dressage horses may laugh at my scruffy impatient boy ) so I will firstly have his back checked and a new saddle fitted before we tackle this issue. How have other ex-racer owners achieved this??

Also....

- What tack would you recommend for a tb who will no doubt change shape as he gets fitter and developes different muscles?

I am used to a postage stamp race exercise saddle so no preference for me! I have heard Wintec or other brands with interchangeable gullets are a good idea but may be hard on horses backs, any thoughts? We plan to do a little of everything, so a GP would be ideal.

- Any recommended saddlers near Yeovil in Somerset who will understand that neither of us have spent much time in a school when we attemp to try out saddles. Again mounting will provide much amusement!

- Ideas on treeless saddles for tb's?

- What do you think of poll relief bridles? and any recommendations for a basic snaffle that does not pinch?

Any other tips and advice would be much appreciated, I will make sure to udpate our progress with pictures once we both look presentable.

Thanks all,

Em & Monty

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

So long as you pay attention to your instructors they will keep you right as to learning how to ride normally.

As for saddles -I would just use your exercise saddle until the horse is upto your desired weight and fitness and has found his shape and then get one to measure. No point in getting one now when 6 months down the line it won't fit him in the slightest.

I start all of mine in my exercise saddle and progress them on into show saddles and none of them have bothered about having a proper saddle on.

Having already worked in racing you clearly know what you are letting yourself in for in terms of the horses capabilites, any excitement issues, general racehorsey non-sense that seems perfectly normal to you yet is completely undesirable in a normal horse. Listen, learn and keep an open mind and your more than half way there.

 

[A1fie]

Wow it sounds like you have thought of everything already! I have an ex racer who I exercised when he was in training and then was given him when he finished and I do a bit of everything with him. I have lessons regularly, hack and have hunted him a bit. More schooling would help us both massively, but I don't do as much as I should. Going to concentrate more on jumping over the next few months as it is hair raising experience - very fast and very flat!

I have an Albian K2 and a dressage saddle and both fit him well. Sorry I can't give you any advice on tack - I find wintecs put me in a horrible position but maybe that's just me.

It sounds like you are doing all the right things and you've got a brilliant advantage in that you know how racers think and can ride them!

 

[Goldenstar]

It all sounds like you have got it sorted.
I would recommend starting with a second hand saddle from a good saddle fitter who sells them there's no saying what shape he will come out at and if you care for it you it will cost you very little to pass it on of he needs another.
I hope you have a wonderful time together he's one lucky ex racehorse .

 

[Firewell]

Yep I think when it comes to the schooling listen to the instructor and do what they tell you to do . What I would say is that for you, it may benefit you to have some dressage lessons on a dressage horse so you can learn what it is you need to feel. Dressage is all about feel.
With your horse keep the sessions really short to start with and build them up slowly. At the beginning with my horse 5-10 mins of working in an outline was enough, they do find it really hard when they don't have the muscles and he will probably be very stiff as well but it will come, just need to build them up a bit at a time .

The standing still bit didn't take long at all with ours! I got someone to hold mine for the first week to couple of weeks of having him. Just got them to hold him at the mounting block and make him wait when I got on. Then I just made sure he was standing still next to the block before I got on and that the block was in the right place next to him. Then I just got on saying 'stand' and if he did go to move off I just pulled him up, asked him to stand queitly and tried again. Doesnt take them long, they just need to know that to stay still is what they are meant to do .

The saddle, I think the Thorowgood GP's are really good as they are light and they have changeable gullets as he will change shape a lot over the next year. They also have a TB version which has deeper panels and a cut back head for horses with high withers, if he has high withers . After a year or two if you wanted a leather one then buy one. There will be no point buying a one sized leather saddle now, you may as well throw away the money. My horse went from a Narrow/Medium to a generous Medium/Wide in 18 months.

I've never tried treeless saddles.

If you don't want to get a poll relief bridle then you can get prolite headbands that velcro on. These are really comfy for them. My mum has a bridle with a padded all in one head piece for her ex-racer. There are lots of those brides around.

Other than that just treat him as a normal horse. Lots of hill work out hacking will help and so can short sessions with a pessoa when lunging. Warm him up without it on though and only use it for a few minutes for the first few times and build up.

He sounds absolutly gorgeous though, I bet you will be well away before you know it .

 

[Spotsrock]

I ride my fresh off the track racehorse in a treeless exercise pad while he's changing shape. Lots of patience with him by mounting block and a friend to hold and talk to him while I got on. My lad's quite laid back though and I was on crutches so no flipping choice! Ignore any a holes and just enjoy ur new pony and a new way of doing things.

 

[EMC]

Quick update for those that replied....

After trying Monty again; despite his temperment, with lots of thought I decided he wasn't the horse for me - much to his fieldmates delight I am sure!

The horse I have decided on is 'Fred' who I used to ride out in a P2P yard. He can be seen in my albums. He will be arriving on the 25th which just isnt coming soon enough!

Thankyou for all that replied.....I am sure I will have plenty of boring 'ex-racer' queries in the future.