Ex-Racers. What is the so special about them?

Enfys

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I am reading, time after time, 'ex-racer' as if they are some sort of super species, what, exactly is the big deal about them, they are still just horses right?
 

carthorse

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I suppose they are bred for one purpose and are often only fit for that. So it is nice if some go on to other things. Some have only done a few races . I am not a big fan of some but good luck to those that give them a new life
 

Scarlett

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For many people it's an excuse to not be able to do things with their horse - 'I can't hack alone, it's an ex-racer', 'I can't do dressage, it's an ex-racer'... blah blah blah. Drives me nuts.

I have 3 and they are just horses who raced before I got them. I like them because I like TB's. I do get very sick of them being singled out for special praise or having unfair restrictions placed upon them.
 

ImmyS

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Because nothing is more rewarding than owning a horse that has been bred to basically be a bit crazy - racing as yearlings, being pumped full of rubbish, to have them transform into beautiful, talented, loving riding horses.
 

robynandTilly

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I have an ex-racer but i dont really brand her as it. she has done far more than just race (all of twice in which she was last both times) shes BE evented, sj showed and turned her hand to anything to me she is a good allrounder and what i would look for in any horse i bought.

I think it is good they go on to do another job rather than PTS or stand as a field ornament but not sure what is so 'special' about them, if i got on a cob or a warmblood etc etc and it did everything i wanted and more i wouldnt think of mine as any different coz she was a racer.
 

Honey08

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Enfys I'm quite suprised you've come to the conclussion that they're super species after reading on here! There are loads of threads about how cheap they are and messed up often.

They are just horses. Not my cup of tea, but then again I'm not racehorse-rider build anyway. Some people love them. Each to their own..
 

Firewell

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Awww I love my ex-racer.
When I see these fancy warmbloods at the dressage, purpose bred for the sport and I think how many of them would be able to race in the thick mud and rain and wind over 4ft fences, then be completly retrained to do an elegant poised dressage test and at the same time be a safe on the buckle hack, showjump well and event.
Thats why they are special because they are trained so differently to normal riding horses and have such a structured life yet can then be taken into an alien environment and be verstaile enough to give any purpose bred horse a run for their money in a range of different sports.
They are brave, intelligent, athletic, kind and generous.
More people need to reliase how special they are and there would not be so many on the scarp heap.
I could NEVER have afforded my horse if he had not been an exracer, he's one in a million a real turn his hoof to anything, heart of gold, allrounder :).
 

kit279

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I just like them, is all :) Always had nice ones, lovely natured, seen a lot of life already by the time I got them. I really love Thoroughbreds - I like the way they look and they do make speed feel effortless, even the slow ones. Don't think I'd have anything else these days :)
 

Captain Bridget

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I don't know if there's anything particularly special about them as such, like other horses they're all different.

The two I'm riding at the moment are pretty different, one is 16, raced until he was 7 I think and was successful, has great movement, great jump but has a bit of a grumpy personality. He's slightly spooky and can be very strong but in the school he's fine for a novice.

The other one is a poor doer, lanky and a bit skinny, a bit odd shaped, didn't race for long as was too careful to jump, rarely spooky, quite a short trot like a pony, can be a bit strong but nothing major but can jog chuck himself around a bit and is only 6 so not really suitable for a novice. But he's very sweet and loves a good groom.

Really they could never be amazing but they're good to hack and do fun rides and general things and I like that they've gone onto something after racing.
 

Ninfapaola

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I have recently bought a TB mare who was raced as a 4 & 5 yo. She is a darling. Whoever bought her from her racing days has done a very good job schooling her. She is calm, quiet, obedient and totally bombproof. Apparently she has done dressage, show jumping, hunting without any problems. And when I ride her she is alert and interested but never phased.

My previous TB mare, now no longer with us was a sweetie who I'd owned from being 2 yrs old till she died aged 19. She had manners to burn in the stable but when ridden could be a real diva!

I had no idea my current mare was an ex racer when I viewed and tried her but I don't think my opinion of her would have changed.
 
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Immy they don't race as yearlings at all! As of October of their yearling year, and bearing in mind that they are usually born in Jan, Feb or March, they are broken in. By this I mean that they do all the basics and learn how to canter in a string - canter only mind - and have people doing daft things on their back to bombproof them slightly. Most are then left off as of November and brought back into work in Feb-March time to race from May onwards.

They aren't bred to be crazy.They are bred to go fast. Whats the point of having a crazy horse? You can't train or race a crazy horse - what you deem as crazy we deem as normal lol
 

Mark Gilbert

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I have been involved in racing and horses all my life, like all horses ex race horses have their place, its just very rewarding when you see them in use past their race days. Its often those who have no real understanding about the racing industry who feel they are all abused. Like all equine sports there are the exceptions who give the sport a bad name, but the majority of owners love their horses as much as a leisure rider, and they too get pleasure along with the trainers when after racing their horse goes on to new things and lives out its life in happyness in repayment for its racing efforts.

Ex race horses are fantastic but so are anything with four legs, swishy tail and a mind of their own!
 

Coldfeet!

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I had one for 14 years off the track with a ligament injury as a 4 year old chaser.

She was never marish, trainable (completely reschooled) affectionate, loved children, hands down the most bombproof hacking horse ive ever known.

I wouldnt have another as she suffered a lot of health and soundness problems and ended up PTS. Plus im no longer 8 stone wet through or care to ride big horses as ive aged.

But other people wouldnt hack with us because she was so fast on a canter! I loved it though!
 

meandmyself

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They tend to be pretty bombproof- they've seen a lot, especially if they've raced on a big course.

They tend to be good on the roads.

They tend to have a good work ethic.
 

Slightlyconfused

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We love our ex racer. He has spent 9 years racing and then is turning his hoof to something else.

The special bit I see in them is they are trained to race and earn money, the moment the stop going that most of them are cast aside. Be able to adapt to a new way of thinking is very hard but with time and effort most do.

I still love my other horses just as much.
 

tilly_monster

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I love all my exracehorses, at the moment we have 5 with hopefully 1 more before Christmas, three are being retrained for eventing and the other two event already, two of them went up to novice level , one of them we lost this year at SoE and the other one events to BE 100, They are safe out on the roads and just really good horses
 

poiuytrewq

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Another I dont really think they are!
I have one, i also have an ex hunter. In my eyes they are both bred to do their job and we joke about them having little conversations about which one was the most rubbish etc (maybe i shouldnt admit this ;-D )
I prefer the ex hunter as hes a bit more level headed but on the other hand hes not used to hacking alone etc and is very annoyingly spooky and a real scardy cat.
Any/all horses can be special (in more ways than one!)
 

Lolo

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I reckon that what's so special about Al's gang is nothing to do with the fact they raced :D Reg is a dream horse. He's beautiful, kind, generous, talented and the most mannerly horse around. There is nothing he won't turn his hoof to, and he's also a treasure to care for. The fact he does all this despite being taught for 8 years that his job is to go as fast as he can over massive fences just makes him a little more awesome ;) He has issues from the racing (physical, which are being overcome by a good physio/ vet) but he is a special special horse. We adore him- he's Al's horse of a lifetime. If he hadn't raced, he'd still be bloody awesome!

Bee is a different horse. She doesn't count really, as she only raced once! But she's classy, funny and a little bit mad. She has so much talent and bravery, she's all 'let me at it' attitude and that little bit of quirky naughtiness. She throws tantrums over nothing and then pretends you made her do that. But she is just a baby and once she's grown up she's going to be super special.

In conclusion, they're special regardless of their past. I find it amazing how much Reg has come through in his life and then turned out to be this star- there's no one who finds him anything other than charming and sweet. And if he hadn't raced Al would not have the privilege of riding him as he'd probably be with a pro doing some fairly impressive stuff!
 

ImmyS

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Immy they don't race as yearlings at all! As of October of their yearling year, and bearing in mind that they are usually born in Jan, Feb or March, they are broken in. By this I mean that they do all the basics and learn how to canter in a string - canter only mind - and have people doing daft things on their back to bombproof them slightly. Most are then left off as of November and brought back into work in Feb-March time to race from May onwards.

They aren't bred to be crazy.They are bred to go fast. Whats the point of having a crazy horse? You can't train or race a crazy horse - what you deem as crazy we deem as normal lol

I would say racing at 2 or 3 years old still counts as a yearling. When I say crazy I mean the way they are brought up and trained at a young age can lead to bad habits and problems (such as ulcers) when brought into 'normal' riding, I mean crazy as a figure of speech, not literally.
 

Nicnac

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Enfys - do you have an ex-racehorse or ever had one?

They are very versatile and put up with many things

HektikosFlyMask.jpg
 

ImmyS

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Ok a yearling, is a horse between one and two, they often begin training at 18months and then are raced at 2, flat racers anyway, I would still consider 2 to be yearling age as all animals at 2years of age are considered to be 'yearlings'
 

Lolo

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I consider a yearling to be a horse who is 1 year old... Oddly enough ;)

FWIW, both Reg and Bee weren't in training properly until they were about to turn 4. They were broken at nearly 3 I think, and then prepared for racing life. From what we've seen, they are kept like kings and queens- these are big money horses who get whatever they need to perform at their best. I think a lot of issues come from when horses go to their new homes and don't get enough adaptation time, or when low-quality horses are off-loaded and then have more physical weaknesses...

Nicnac, brilliant, lol!
 

TeamChaser

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I don't use mine's status as an ex racer "not to do stuff" but that said he is a hot type and bl00dy sharp - always has been and at 16 and 10 years out of racing, probably unlikely to change now! Some can be like that. Had one kept at livery yard that was the complete opposite and rider always had to kick him along - really lazy!

Tried all sorts with mine and invariably ended up on the deck or embarassed at his bad behaviour :D However, I wouldn't swap him for anything! He is the most fun to ride - comfortable, forward going, not spooky, good in traffic and makes me laugh all the time with his funny little antics. A great, fun horse and a pleasure to own as he has the sweetest temprement and fantastic manners. Just full of character and wouldn't have him any other way. Can be a real sod but it's all pretty harmelss stuff - or pi$$ and wind as I like to call it ;)


I have ISH that I team chase and hunt - also lovely but a bit more chilled and level headed about stuff. Will say though that the TB is much better to hack out alone than the ISH though. TB my fave to hack out .... but wouldn't want to team chase him, that's what the other one's for!
 

Spring Feather

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I would say racing at 2 or 3 years old still counts as a yearling

I would still consider 2 to be yearling age as all animals at 2years of age are considered to be 'yearlings'

That's a unique way of thinking. My 2 year olds are 2 years old and my 3 year olds are 3 years old. My yearlings (between the ages of around 9 months to about 20 months) are yearlings. I would never consider my 2 year olds or 3 year olds as yearlings.

I digress; OP I enjoy mine. I love their work ethic in particular and they are always raring to do whatever is asked of them. I have other horses and although they're great too I don't find they put their "all" into things the way the racers do.
 

PapaFrita

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I am reading, time after time, 'ex-racer' as if they are some sort of super species, what, exactly is the big deal about them, they are still just horses right?

They're not. Well, PF is ;)
They have been professionally produced and handled from a young age; clipped, loaded, ridden in a group, traffic-proofed etc etc. Most of them have had a LOT of exposure to crowds etc so are in many ways more mature than other horses. HOWEVER, what percentage of exracers actually DO make a career outside racing?... statistically I put it to you that they ain't all that great. OR (and this is just as likely) far too many people lacking the sufficient experience to bring on a young horse (no matter how 'sharp' they may or may not be- and I've had several who were total dopes) are buying them cheap and then giving up/claiming they're mad/bad/dangerous... whatever.
PF is sharp, she always has been and I've had her for eleven years. She's an amazing jumper, but she could quite easily have become one of those 'cast offs'.
 

Roasted Chestnuts

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I like them :) only downside is they can take a heck of a lot of feeding to make them look like horses and not hatracks :eek:

I don't think they are particularly special but they can need a bit of consideration but I wouldn't take that as an excuse for not being able to do things but some of them can be a bit nuts ;)
 

Antw23uk

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Im amazed at how many TB's and ex racers are in the classifieds to be honest and some of the asking prices ... well im shocked at how low they go for :eek:

I find it amazing you can get an ex race horse 16+hh for under a grand! Where do they get them from and how can they be sold so cheaply? Surely there isnt any profit in selling them for a living? :eek:

I havent always been a fan of TB but recently getting back into the hobby and getting to know a couple i am very taken with them :)
 
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