ex racers... yay or nay

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I may have the opportunity... trying to persuade mum to have an ex racer on loan

15.2 grey; not done a lot. cant remember how old it is.... will have to find that out, but he must be about 7/8
he has a few little issues, like not standing still to get on etc; but has a lovely temperment. Nothing that I dont think I couldnt handle (Have a tbxarab mare with some issues)

I spoke to a lady and she said that I would be ideal for him as the woman who has him on loan has lost her confidence.

Any tips would be great, and any persuasion tips; mum really likes him.

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High maintainance in the winter,no matter how sweet they are. I have 2 currently on my yard at the moment.

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Is that with the keeping weight on? or are they a bit live wired to keep in when ground is bad etc?
 
my pony is high maintainance anyway... so were used to the 4 rugs, loads of hay and not much turnout
 
Most riders are legged up onto racehorses while they walk - so that can normally be worked on. Having worked in racing for years, I have to admit that although I get on from a mounting block, I usually allow my horses to walk off as I'm getting on - perhaps not ideal, but old habits die hard!

If he's got a good temperament - you're half way there. Try to turn out as much as poss, feed low energy and then treat as a normal horse and you should be fine. If you chill, they usually do too. Good luck!
 
you can't make any sweeping statements - TB's have one thing in common - which is they are hugely different! One of the easiest horses I ever had to do/keep was an ex racer

if you like him and the owner thinks you would suit him - why not ask for a trial period of say 3 months or so?

unless this is financial as well?
 
As above - high feed costs + ad lib hay = fortune!
Injury prone. Can take a while (good few months) to get them going nicely. Can be neurotic, suffer from seperation anxiety etc. High maintenance!

Plus side - very rewarding, plenty of scope jumping wise.

I guess it depends on your experience + the set up you have to keep the horse i.e. good instructor, good yard set up & facilities to work the horse.

Good luck in your decision!
 
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High maintainance in the winter,no matter how sweet they are. I have 2 currently on my yard at the moment.

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Mine's not - in fact with not being ridden for the last couple of weeks he has put on loads of weight and that's just on fibre and forage.

However he loves vets and farriers and costs me a fortune in both.
 
i love mine!!! he has a few minor issues but we are ironing them out slowly. take your time and keep things simple - its very rewarding. mine lives out 24/7 from April til October due to our land - he would be ok rugged up and fed in the field if it wasnt so muddy
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i think tbh its personal pref and each horse is diff, i have an exracer who at the moment has just front shos, admittadly shes not doing much as shes only 4, and sweats up in 2 m/w rugs when its -10 outside. however she is hard to keep weight on to a degree.

she has the most niceset nature ever really is pleasant, in my exprience they tend to be good hackers.

so ye assess it like you would any other horse that youd be itnerested in having on loan
 
we have had a couple of ex racers, and im sure its just repition to get them to stand... however ive seen him tank off in the arena when she sat down on him before... but i wouldnt get on him in the arena, id do it in the main yard and have some help etc...

he seems a nice calm horse, quite well behaved... just a bit scatty about some things (like wash box) but thats ok as ive sorted it with mine with patience...
 
the getting on thing isn't an issue, it is just a matter of getting used to doing it another way. They are so intelligent that with patience, learning something as basic as that is no problem normally. I agree with grouse really. The good thing about ex racers is that they have usually seen such a lot of things, that they are pretty good in different situations.
Good thing to find out age and how long he has been off the track and how much re-training he has done and why the lady has lost her confidence.
 
Well tbh I have a ex racer in my field, hes retired now - but he lives out 24/7 all year round - all through winter - snow rain wind hes out. He has 2 rugs on but hes fine. And hes barefoot aswell. Unfortunatly he cant be ridden, but hes only about 15? im not 100% but he has his odd moments. And he prefers men to women aswell, and is quite head shy but to be honest aslong as were calm with him then hes fine! I love ex-racers, I used to ride one a while back nice boy nice big jump! wasnt affraid and gave it all his heart bless him!! xx
 
the lady has gone from a bombproof cob to him... who has a few quirks, and the horse before she had the cob was horrible apparently, and doesnt want to be in the situtation again.

The lady i spoke to has hacked out with the person who loans her, and said hes a great horse you just have to say to him its ok, but hes good...

he didnt do a lot of racing, so i know that hell of been off the track for a while, ill try find out some more tomorrow..
 
It sounds like you are fully aware of the ups and downs of ex racers. I am very biased and love the TB's. On the whole they are clever and willing, and with some patience and consistency are very rewarding. I think the horse in question is worth a try!
 
i love tbs. Would always have one, or a horse with tb in it!

thanks, im still going to talk to mum about it... i know how much shes a sucker for greys and said shed like me to have a horse like him!
 
IMO treat like any other horse, assess on it's merit's not it's breed etc.

Sweeping statements like 'poor doers' etc can be absolute rubbish, i have an amazingly well doing ex-racer, she cope's better through the winter than anything else on my yard, with many of them being native types/cobs
 
I think to say a pure TB copes better in extreme temperatures like we've had,than a native such as a welsh/dartmoor/haflinger is unbelievable. They are just not designed to cope as a native does.
 
I am a huge fan of TBs
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Haved owned them for 20 years and apart from one which had a tendon injury (patched up and hidden when I bought him) they have been the soundest, bravest and toughest of horses. None of them ever had more than a couple of days off with injury - and even the one with the tendon when allowed to heal properly was then fully sound till the day he died nearly 10 years later.

As others have said they are all different so you can't generalise. Not standing to be mounted is a common one for the reasons stated as is thinking picking up a contact means "lets go"!!

Go and see him and see what you think.
 
well he is at the yard im at, so have seen him go for hacks (leaving the yard), helped her get on and watched her school him

ill have to keep bugging mum, but financial reasons will make it difficult....
 
All mine are ex-racers. They all vary greatly, no two exracers are the same. One doesn't hold a lot of condition, one holds his condition fine and one holds his condition far too well. One has to be rugged like an eskimo and feels the cold easily, one is happy whatever the weather, and one was roasting in just a fleece at night in all the weather we've just had even with being clipped!!

Yes they can be hard work sometimes, but once they know what you want they will do their damndest to please.

The one thing they do have in common is that they are all fantastic horses, who love being in work, they are solid as a rock out riding alone or in company and I would happily put anyone on any of them, including the one thats been around the Grand National and Gold Cup!!
 
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I think to say a pure TB copes better in extreme temperatures like we've had,than a native such as a welsh/dartmoor/haflinger is unbelievable. They are just not designed to cope as a native does.

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Seeing is believing. I know my own horses
 
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I think to say a pure TB copes better in extreme temperatures like we've had,than a native such as a welsh/dartmoor/haflinger is unbelievable. They are just not designed to cope as a native does.

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Seeing is believing. I know my own horses

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We have several ex racers up at our yard and they all cope alot better then all of the native cob types. IMO I think it is because the cob types came from a domesticated back ground where we have all moddle coddled them too much. The ex racers have been at working race yards which treat them like horses and not babies. For example, my hunter type when fully clipped wears two heavy weight rugs in the winter
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, my friends pure TB which is fully clipped, wears a middle weight rug at MOST in winter, otherwise she over heats!
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Non of the ex racers have weight issues, if anything, every single one of them are over weight. The only one that needs abit of weight gain is my friends TB as he lost alot of condition when he had cellulitis. The others hold their weight really well and are fed a basic fibre type diet - nothing fancy. My hunter type is on equilibra....
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They are all fed on normal hay, nothing more nothing less!
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2 out of 8 TB's at our yard have feet issues, but their 2 owners have got them on farriers formula and a dramatic improvement has been made within such a short time on both of them! The others have great feet.
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I think TB's are cheaper and easier then our cob types on our yard! Plus cobs always seem to suffer more in summer with laminitus, diets and exercise being an important factor, lice, sweet itch, mites, and in winter mud fever as their feathers get sodden wet. But that is just my opinion.
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My word, I have just talked myself into liking TB's more then cobs and convincing myself they are easier and cheaper to maintain lmaooooo! What is the world coming to lol!
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xx
 
if cared for well, fed well and i don't mean lots by that just good quality hayledge etc, sugare beet, oil, they keep the weight on- my 19 year old full TB ex-racer mare looks more like a warmblood as we feed her well so she doesn't get all scrawny.
We have owned TBs forever as we play polo and if fed well, rugged well then they cope fine- ours live out in the winter with no rugs, although if like recent weather they are brought into a huge open barn and a rug thrown on, but they adapt and grow mammoth coats.
One thing i would say is that they often won't hack well alone, unless reguarly done- mine isn't hacked a lot on her own, schooled or stick and balled but i normally ride and lead, on her own shes a nightmare- very spooky and sharp, gets you off in no time! but then again, thats just her- chestnut mare!
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As above really, you cant make a sweeping statement. But a good temperament is always a good start. I have an ex racer and he is fab - the best thing is his endearing personality and always a gentleman on the ground. Has his little perks under saddle (mostly out on hacks) but it really is getting to know them I think. If it one thing I have learnt they vary greatly. Pete is sort of in the middle when it comes to feeding and now he has a lot more forage than he used to he keeps his weight better rather than being on loads on concentrate as most race horses are. Mine has been in the stable for about a month now and I am riding him today so I will tell you how it goes.
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I would get him on trial. You really dont want to miss an opputunity like that. If he isn't right, you dont have to carry on with him.
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Good luck.
 
I have an ex-racer and i couldn't fault him! never been lame in 4 years (*touches wood*) eats anything, is lovely to have around and more than anything because they have been exposed to pretty much everything-travelling, traffic, loud noises and general hustle and bustle from a young age they cope well in many situations!
i would definately consider him especially if he has a nice temperament- always a good start!
 
I had a really quiet easy ex-racer with perfect manners. He was however accident-prone and didn't cope well with being out all day unsupervised. For that reason I wouldn't have another on DIY when I am at work all day. As others have said, they are all so different though.
 
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