Ex-racers? Why do people make them sound so special?

elsazzo said:
lol, i know what you mean!

I know exactly what you are saying. To be honest all riding horses are special. As FLIGHT animals who all have the extinct to FLEE danger (aka. wheelie bins etc!) to get a horse to do anything whether it be hacking, jumping, schooling etc etc is pretty amazing! :D

ps. Can i just say, Bruce is absolutely gorgeous...and thats coming from someone who doesnt really like greys :D
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Danger also including 'that' hedge....'that' blade of grass....etc etc of course!!

Haha thank you, when I am next home (2 weeks :eek: CAN'T WAIT!!) I shall pass the message onto said gorgeous boy :) He is unfortunately, to break the spell, a total sod at keeping clean. He is like a sponge that sucks up dirt. Just when you think you've scrubbed off all the elbow poo patches and hock stain....one will appear somewhere else!! Grrr!
 
RachelFerd said:
It does get on my nerves! I think most people with ex-racers who have no involvement or have never had any involvement with the racing industry don't understand that these horses haven't been dragged out of the depths of hell... and that many racehorses are nice well mannered rides that cope very well with potentially exciting situations.

Plenty of racehorses (flat and jump) will hack out nicely in a group or alone, will jump a showjump or a cross country fence, and have been nicely schooled on the flat and do understand canter leads, how to work in an outline and so on.

Someone then acquires said ex-racer takes it 'back to basics' and then thinks its a miracle when the horse manages to do above things without being 'mental'!! Completely not realising this is what the horse has actually been doing all its life.

A couple of weeks ago we were doing gridwork in the arena with a group of 6 racehorses. Some flat horses, some jumps horses ranging from those only just broken to horses who had been in training a few years. These six horses all walk/trot/canter and go over poles as a string. They all stand calmly waiting their turn to jump. All of them jumped well over a grid of 8 small fences. All were fully fit and running in the next month. We looked more like the pony club than a scene full of 'insane highly strung horses'!

All of them are individuals - plenty are lovely, a few have a screw loose. I could say that about most breeds.
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Well put! *like*

To many people use the 'ex-racer' tag as an excuse not to just get on with it and ride the damn thing. Its like it's a good excuse the horse to be disobiedient/badly schooled/not hack out or jump or whatever. Drives me nuts...!

Any horse has the potential to have problems that can make them difficult - it's not exclusively an ex-racer thing, and it certainly doesn't make them 'special'!
 
Reference RachelFerd:

I am on my first ex-racer. I like to find my own way with a horse but thought seeing as they're made out to be mental and sharp Id better have a quick read about. Everything I'd read said you'd have problems putting an English saddle on them as they're not used to the weight, if ridden in a group they can become hugely competive and difficult to stop, they'd object to your leg being so far down their sides as jockeys ride so short they're feet are practically tucked into into their knickers & many racers wouldn't understand working in an outline.

Imagine my surprise when mine has done none of the above! He's now 3yrs, ran flat four times, been with me doing diddly-squat since August last year and he went out on his first hack with me today and was like a schoolmaster! He got strong when behind my friends horse, but was stoppable both leading and behind.

Thank You to the owner who didn't want him because he wasn't fast enough, soon enough!!! :D
 
I had one, only for about 3 months mind but, he was the sweetest horse! he would hack out on his own and nothing at all ever spooked him, the hard part for him was the schooling in a menage, he struggled to canter properly and didn't understand leg aids.

I decided that i would prefer a show cob and sold him and took a risk buying a horse just coming into work after being broken at 3 and left until she was 6 and it worked out well. I think the main difference between the two was that the one just coming into work didn't understand what was being asked and needed to learn it as all she had done was mill about in a field for 6 years. The ex racer had spent all his life being trained and up to him retiring from racing it was all he knew. I would much prefer a blank page, but i think its great that some get new jobs if they don't make it racing :)
 
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Enfys said:
I keep seeing this recently, and am curious.

What makes an ex-racer some uber special specimen compared to other horses then?

Aren't they still just horses at the end of the day?

:)
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I have one, I was given her and she is super special because she is mine (although that is nothing to do with her breed or former job). :D ;) She is sweet and kind, wonderful to handle on the ground and fantasic with youngsters. However she vertical rears (so I don't ride her), cribs (no ulcers), hates coming into the yard and hates being stabled even more. I was told that when she was in training, she was stabled unless she was working, so I think that explains alot of her behaviour.

As a generalisation, based on the ex-racers I have known...

if they are retrained by someone who is knowledgeable and sypathetic to their specific needs, you will end up with a fantastic riding horse. I used to compete on one in RDA dressage. They tend to be wonderful in traffic, forward thinking and responsive rides... lovely flowing paces... the way they 'float' in gallop... :cool:

However, they are cheap to buy and I have known so many cases where it's all gone wrong. Eg, novice buys one that hasn't been retrained and they are tanked off with everytime the TB steps foot on a stubble field, or you end up with a rider that is scared to ride their own horse just because it's a bit too forward or sharp for them.

Don't forget that you need to join the TB injury hotline too. :p

So, I guess it boils down to the same thing that is true for every horse+rider combo- do they suit each other?
 
I have my lovely ex racer up for sale, he is a big boy at just under 17hh and I have him proved very cheap-nothing to do with him but because ive hit a major financial rut. I can tell you ive had many many phone calls from non-horsesy mums wanting to know if he would be suitable for their little 12 year old darling! He may be a very relaxed boy but I certainly wouldnt be putting a 12 yr old to do pony club on him!! Im actually suprised I havnt had more enquiries because he would be fantastic for the upcoming show season? Maybe its because of the impression people have of them, which I have realised reading this post?
 
I've had a few ex-racers - the one we have at the moment (my eldest daughter's horse) is the most 'special' horse I've ever come across - believe me :)!!

I think racehorses are the ultimate althete, I admire their courage and athleticism and every time I look at our stunning boy I feel that we're lucky to own him. I love their smooth gaits, effortless gallop (you've never galloped if you haven't felt a TB at full stretch), fine coats and chiseled heads. I could go on but I won't bore you :)
 
Anyone who thinks Racehorses are nutty mental dangerous blah blah blah obviously hasn't watched a horse race. I watched the gold cup on Friday and Long Run walk back infront of the stands, he was so nonplussed by the 1000's of spectators - the sensible escort hunt horses however! Also watch the Grand National one of the biggest races in the world, those horses are so calm and sensible at the start, and this is when they should be at their worse.

Ex-racers is probably the problem, they have stopped racing and being looked after by professionals and find their way into the amateur owner market and then the problems start. Luckily some of them don't and these are the ones that people say but mine isn't a nutter.
 
nikkimariet said:
Well....racing bred TBs are naturally....generally....fairly nuts. Very high strung, temperamental, quirky and sterotypically bonkers.
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lol! I like this if just for the way it is written - brillant!

nikkimariet said:
AHHHHHHH. *goes and bangs head on wall having remembered why I never post in NL*
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n I think we have to remember that everybodies horse is "special" just we dont like it being pointed out too muxh...:D
 
dieseldog said:
Ex-racers is probably the problem, they have stopped racing and being looked after by professionals and find their way into the amateur owner market and then the problems start. Luckily some of them don't and these are the ones that people say but mine isn't a nutter.
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I think this point and Rachelferds sum it all up IMO

I have had two of the beasties now, and both were/are very different. One was an evil sod, but that was him, and my current is a total sweetheart and a pleasure to own. Horses are horses and also individuals no matter what breed they happen to be
 
IMO - I'd rather buy an ex-racer that needs a bit of retraining for a specific job because they're so used to having everything done to them: bathing/clipping/farrier/travel/etc. that quite a lot of the 'hard work' in getting a horse used to those types of events is done for me. Plus they tend to be used to crowds, being out, handled, tied up, etc. Leaves me to just get on with the riding really!
My current one has tractors and trailers and lorries going by his field all the time, and doesn't bat an ear. He walks along calmly - likes to look around at everything - without spooking. Goes into the barn with the cows and isn't phased by them at all, whereas the Welsh pony about mowed me down when she went in there. :rolleyes: He's sweet and friendly, RUNS up to the fence at a whistle, puts his head down when the kids want to pet him & closes his eyes and sighs while they fuss all over him.
He was a very lucky find - and we get on brilliantly. Unlike the Welshie who hates me. :rolleyes:
Special? On the whole, not really. Special to me? Sure. I own him! :)
 
Well....racing bred TBs are naturally....generally....fairly nuts. Very high strung, temperamental, quirky and sterotypically bonkers.

So....to have an ex-racer, and bring them onto being a sane, manageable horse that is capable of competing against and beating horses specifically bred for a sport.....is incredible.
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I totally disagree with this!

What I love about ex racers are the fact that you can pick up a sane, decently started horse with bags of potential for virtually peanuts.

I've known and ridden loads of them, from just barely off the track to further down the line, and whilst they can be sharp or quirky the same as any horse, most of them are really chilled about traffic, good to hack out, good to box, catch, clip, shoe etc - and quick to learn and relatively easy to retrain.

There will be the odd complete lunatic as in any sport, but anyone who thinks that ex racers are generally nutty are either kidding themselves to big up their own ability, or just aren't capable of bringing them on properly and end up ruining them and turning them into the screwy stereotype.

As to the OP, I haven't really seen anyone referring to ex racers as particularly special? I don't think they are, but I do think that giving a discarded horse a second chance at a new career is something that an owner can be proud of.
 
I think the point DieselDog made about the way these horses react to the noise and general hullabaloo at the races is a very good one. They are led in, often in front of cheering and applause, folk throwing their hats in the air etc. surrounded by wellwishers patting, fussing and standing right behind them, there are often bouncy castles, tents, marquees and the like along the rails. You very rarely see one react badly to any of this, they seem to take it in their stride and I dont think I have ever seen anyone kicked in the paddock. My own ex racer is a big softy, easy to handle and a real gent. Yes, he has a few quirks, cant be left alone and cant tolerate sugar, but these are not ex racer quirks, they are horse quirks. He is easier, on the whole, than the welsh ponies who share his yard and better mannered. He and I are happy hackers and very well suited by the quiet life, his racing record shows that he does not have a competitive nature and neither do I. He is special to me, we have a strong bond but I doubt he is worth much to anyone else!
 
RachelFerd said:
It does get on my nerves! I think most people with ex-racers who have no involvement or have never had any involvement with the racing industry don't understand that these horses haven't been dragged out of the depths of hell... and that many racehorses are nice well mannered rides that cope very well with potentially exciting situations.

Plenty of racehorses (flat and jump) will hack out nicely in a group or alone, will jump a showjump or a cross country fence, and have been nicely schooled on the flat and do understand canter leads, how to work in an outline and so on.

Someone then acquires said ex-racer takes it 'back to basics' and then thinks its a miracle when the horse manages to do above things without being 'mental'!! Completely not realising this is what the horse has actually been doing all its life.

A couple of weeks ago we were doing gridwork in the arena with a group of 6 racehorses. Some flat horses, some jumps horses ranging from those only just broken to horses who had been in training a few years. These six horses all walk/trot/canter and go over poles as a string. They all stand calmly waiting their turn to jump. All of them jumped well over a grid of 8 small fences. All were fully fit and running in the next month. We looked more like the pony club than a scene full of 'insane highly strung horses'!

All of them are individuals - plenty are lovely, a few have a screw loose. I could say that about most breeds.
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Another one who thinks there should be a like button! You are spot on :)

All the ex racers I've known have been friendly, calm and not the spooky sort.
 
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I understand the concept of ex-racers being considered "special", after all I don't see many classes at shows for "driving horse to riding horse" or "pony bred on the hills to riding pony" do you? And surely there are many animals out there who have had a change of speciality in some way or another which is never acknowledged on the show ring or anywhere else for that matter. The very fact that any horses allow any person to train them to do anything is a minor miracle IMO.

Having said that, I don't mind any horse such as an ex-racehorse being singled out in this way as I think the more open peoples' minds are to retraining any horses for different jobs, the better all round. For example the retraining of racehorses has eased the queues for young not-quite-good-enough racehorses undeservedly going to slaughter, which can only be a good thing.
 
Oh Lordy.

I wasn't saying that *I think* TB/ex-racers ARE nuts. I was saying that *nuts and highly strung/temperamental* is the general assumed stereotype of them by the metaphorical horse world critique.

Would you buy a TB as a sensible ride for your granny? No. You would buy them a cob or welsh X (no disrespect to cob owners or welsh owners) or something else that is considered a *sensible and calm* breed. (See? ALL breeds have a stereotype about them, IE that cobs are lazy....disclaimer:not my view, just the stereotype)

I know many a TB/ex-racer that are perfectly sensible and in fact even more sensible that the unicorn Bruce who is ISH and 14!!

I'm saying that part of what makes an ex-racer so special is that when reschooled correctly and appropriately, they totally crush all the stereotypes about them!!!

*returns to banging head against wall*
 
I've had 2 "hot breeds", an Arab, and an ex racer TB. I wouldn't touch an Arab again with a bargepole (sorry!) but would have another ex racer like a shot
He raced for 11 years - and was not hot in the slightest, I could get on him after 2 weeks boxrest and he wouldn't bat an eyelid.
They're the same as any other horse really - you get good ones, and bad ones. I think it's because of their reputation as being complete neurotic psychopaths that when people get a good one, they keel over in shock and tell everyone how amazing they are ;-)
 
We've got/had lots of TB's (inc breeding them), & they've all generally been very sane, sensible & had lovely manners, (both in & out of training) I've had 2 or 3 over the last 15 years that have been challenging, but in all those years I bet if I'd had any other breed, i'd have come across quirky ones.

Personally i don't like the ex-racehorse tag, some of them are in training/racing for such a short time it's like spending a gap year being a waitress & then being refered to as an ex-waitress for the rest of your life!!

my Event horse won over fences (NH) in his younger days, & was well thought of, but now, he's an event horse, just a TB one, i might refer to those wins, but not as an ex-racehorse. likewise i've had 2 other event horses that had both raced, one well before it was common to ride a racehorse for anything else. My homebred 3yo went into training, but showed no talent as a 2yo, so he's come home & will be aimed at the eventing circuit, unless i get taken by the urge to go P2Ping again, but he's certainly not an ex-racehorse!

Personally the TB is the ultimate sports horse, its great that the ROR schemes have raised peoples awareness of the talents of the TB, but for it to truely work, the horses should be 'rebranded' as their new sport describes them!
 
monkeybum13 said:
Another one who thinks there should be a like button! You are spot on :)

All the ex racers I've known have been friendly, calm and not the spooky sort.
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double ditto ^^^^^.... the racing yards i rode out for in my youth did grid work & worked nicely on the flat, my P2Pers went SJ, XC schooling & hunting, galloping (& jumping) at high speeds requires balanced horses, yes there are still a few trainers that have no concept of basic schooling, but i'd say a massive majority would be mightily offended if people thought they just ragged thier horses up & down gallops!

Our 2yo's get broken in 'properly' taught to W/T/C in a nice way on both reins before they go up a gallop

GAH!
 
i'm really surprised and pleased at the posts above that show racehorses having a broader education than suspected. it surprises me because any race yards im on that hasn't been the case. especially the gridwork, mainly due to the fact that the yards don't want the horses jumping showjumping style 'proper bascule, clearing correctly' mainly as they want them to jump fast, low and through.

i'd agree with you saying they are great to hack and happily work in groups. i've never seen young racehorses properly schooled, ive seen them taught basic trot canter walk when breaking etc, but not how to work correctly through their bodies, concentrate long enough for schooling sessions etc. mainly due to time constraints, but mainly due to the fact that its unnecessary for racing im wondering is its only certain yards that do. in twenty odd years of visiting different race yards ive never seen any racehorse in anything other than a racing saddle, i've never heard of any being tacked up in a normal saddle for schooling. out of curiosity i rang a guy i know in a reputable training yard near me and asked him about this and he completely scoffed at the idea, he said there would be no point, he wouldn't risk any back strains or injuries due to the extra weight, said it was pointless to school them as its unnecessary for racing, wouldn't add anything useful to their fitness or the musculature and bodyshape needed for racing. he couldn't understand why a yard would be teaching a racehorse a useless jumping style and risking it knocking legs on poles etc.

i'd love to think training yards offer a wider education and that i just haven't come across one that does? what percentage do you think does this?
 
paddi - no ideas on numbers etc, but did you see the prep they were doing with Long Run for the Gold Cup? Yogi Breisner was schooling him over showjumps in a school :)
 
hen knight is another who makes sure hers work properly, have seen pics of them in 'proper' saddles, & a v good freind of mine used to do alot of the flat work for a big irish trainer, inc some v famous horses,

echo what spiral said about yogi, he is V well respected in the racing world for teaching horses & jockeys to jump fences correctly.
 
Because they are special!

I bought my first a couple of months ago (have had thoroughbreds before, just nothing that had raced/been in training, all bred as pleasure horses and this was obvious in their temperaments) and what a horse! :D And everything he achieves is made all the more amazing because it is going against his breeding and a lot of what he was taught from a very young age.
 
pastie2 said:
Because they are special, they have come from an environment that is institutionalised taught to gallop and jump at 30 MPH. To be able to channel all that into a sane and sensible safe and happy horse is not easy. To be able to hack out quietly on their own, to be able to compete on their own, their mind set has to be turned around. As far as I am concerned there is not a nicer horse to ride than an ex racer!! To be able to achieve this, is the most wonderful feeling in the world. They are not for everyone, but that is what makes them special.
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my horse is not from a racing background, but shes a warmblood from a jumping background. to get her to channel into a sane and sensible safe and happy horse after being taught since birth to walk canter jump was not easy and very hard. she was an extremely potty ride! i dont think ex racers are any more special because they were ex racers, i think any horse that has allowed someone to come into its life and change every aspect of what its knows is a special thing. many horses come from many diff backgrounds and i find its just as special when these horses are rehabilitated as when a racer is.
 
in reply to Paddi22 ... I think there is a big difference between many of the old-school trainers and the new-school trainers... or perhaps should I say more forward-thinking trainers? Of all the yards around me (there are 12 in this town) we are probably the only yard who school and showjump our horses on a regular basis. But that is because I work for a trainer who will spend the time and effort on getting a horse mentally and physically prepped to their maximum ability. We also do a lot of work with a physio and work the horses in line with her suggestions.

To do flat schooling certainly doesn't require a 'proper' saddle, we don't use any tack other than half tree racing saddles.

I think many trainers have realised that horses need to use themselves correctly to gallop efficiently and stay physically sound throughout their training. Horses that are obedient, with nice mouths and nice natural outlines are much more pleasant to ride up the gallops, or in a race, and are also better placed to be able to deal with changing terrain and gradients. Even though it isn't schooling per se, there are many many trainers out there whose horses are ridden out in bungees or draw reins because they at least recognize that a horse working in a good outline is better placed to use themselves correctly in the canter and gallop.

Also our horses that do go jumping after their flat racing careers seem to take to jumping much more sanely and safely because they have learnt to jump over poles, barrells and fillers before they get hurtled at high speed towards a hurdle. Grids don't stop a horse learning to jump quickly, but they do teach them where their legs are and how to judge striding - which is pretty important in staying upright over a hurdle or chase fence...
 
I took on an ex racer 6 weeks ago. She was never meant to stay with me, I knew her as I hacked out with her a couple of times while training and she was always quiet, gentle and a lovely girl. Situation changed, she stopped racing (only went out twice) she went on loan to the wrong home and next thing I heard she was being sold for meat and for the sake of £200 I couldn't allow that to happen so I bought her!! Totally stupid and against every sensible bone in my body but hey I did it!! :rolleyes:

6 weeks on she went to her new loan home on saturday with a 16 year old jockey. She is an dream horse, she is fantastic to handle, beautiful to hack and yes can be silly but what 16 year old doesn't want that from a horse? She has more manners in her ear than my cob has in his whole body and she is stunningly beautiful to boot!!

So previously I'd have been on the 'oh no mad as a box of frogs' side...but since handling her I've totally changed my opinion. She isn't the horse for me because I like chunks but I totally love her and if I ever wanted a lighter horse I wouldn't think twice at getting another ex-racer.
 
ah that makes sense! the yards i've been on would be fairly old school and traditional! completely logical what you say about schooling, wider work etc making a happier,better well rounded horse.

hopefully more yards will do this as time goes on, and then those horses can transition into non racing homes much easier, once their racing career is finished.
 
My ex-racer is the best in the world, but then my welshxarab is, they are the best as they are mine.

I do agree though some people are over the top about it, one lady at our yard, is forever going yes but she is a ex race horse this and ex race horse that.......someone has foegotten to tell her she isn't the only one with an ex racer.

They are all just horses and my Welsh x is much more of a handful than all the race horses i ride. ex or still in training.
 
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