Ex-racers

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silverstar

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Im pondering getting an exracer in the near future. Tho not atm. Are they all completely insane or is it possible to get a sane one to do riding club on? Ive never had one before only IDxTB or ISHs. Also what are rehab centres like? Are the horses sent there slightly nutty/have a problem and are rehab centres very fussy about who loans out their horses?

Sorry for all the questions. Thanks
 
Treat them as individuals. I'm getting so tired of the ex-racer posts on this forum - they can't all be lumped together as one and they don't all have the same personalities nor the same issues! (not that you've done this - im talking in general!) Good luck.
 
I have six in the field here, come and meet them, ride them, and see how different they all are! Non are psychotic, all have a brain, and all are brilliant in their own way.
Don't write them off, try each horse and look at it individually, and be willing to give one a go.
Rehab centres are fine if you are happy 'loaning', you'd also have chance to check it was the right one for you. But as long as you don't take a month over it, most private sellers are happy for you to keep trying if you want to be sure as they want a good home too. Majority of them are imo not for nervous riders though, novice yes, but they can be lively and don't seem to suit the timid rider in general. There are always exceptions though. Best of luck!
 
I've never had anything much to do with the rehab centres (although I did phone one and they gave good advice etc) but I bought an exracer direct from the trainer's yard who was a real sweetie. In fairness he hadn't raced in a while and had been used as the trainers hack but still, all he had done was race and hack out in the string.

First off I found him stiff as a board until he had a eureka moment when he realised that leg on does not always mean go! he was a reluctant solo hacker at first too but he was happy to follow my dog who comes with us so that helped and after only a couple of weeks he was fine even without the dog. He had never jumped and teaching that was no different to any other youngster except that he was already well muscled so we progressed faster. I did have to put a pelham on him for hunting but he was a real gentleman, unphased by the competition environment and did dressage & sj at riding club level very happily (although a bit rushed at first!). Oh yeah and I had to be a bit quick on the mounting block at first...

We did have our moments like flat out gallop round a 20 x 40 school :eek: and the odd overtaking of the fieldmaster but basically he was a very trainable temperament and stood to be clipped, shod hosed off etc like a robot which I guess is a consequence of life on a big yard.

Sorry for how long that ended up and well done if you read it all but basically what I am saying is give it a go and assess each horse you try as an individual. I did go to the sales but didn't buy because I wasn't confident enough of what I would be getting. I guess the rehab centres are at the other extreme
 
Ignition said:
Treat them as individuals. I'm getting so tired of the ex-racer posts on this forum - they can't all be lumped together as one and they don't all have the same personalities nor the same issues! (not that you've done this - im talking in general!) Good luck.
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totally agree with this :) every horse is an individual ... Mine is sane, not always sensible but deffo sane :P mi wee sister started riding him when he was 4 just out of racing and she was 12! I LOVE THEM :D
 
You can't stereotype them I don't think. They are all very different.

My one is totally bombproof to hack, but turns into a psycho maniac if we go to a show because it triggers something in his mind and he thinks he's racing. Others I know are wonderful to compete, but don't hack. Then there are some that are very moody and difficult all the time, while there are others who are very chilled and easy to do in all respects.

By the way I bought mine from a rehab centre. I was extremely impressed and would thoroughly recommend getting one from somewhere like heros. They tell you everything about the horse good and bad, as they want a happy partnership an it's in the horses interest if they match you to a suitable horse. I don't know what their loan terms are as I bought my one.
 
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My ex-racer is as quiet as a donkey! She is advertised for sale as a riding club horse. They really arent all bad. I have only ever known one "slightly skitish" ex racer and it wasnt even that bad!!
 
As others have said, definitely don't write them all off as nutters :) I have known some COMPLETE nutcases and some angels...my boy is somewhere in between ;) :D
Eg last Easter I was lent an ex racer by a friend to do a hunter trial on, as I was getting completely frustrated by my ISH's lack of brakes and jumping ability :rolleyes: :D The ex racer gave me my first clear round in a hunter trial EVER, he was a complete gentleman, foot perfect and we came 2nd, 2 secs under optimum time. :)
 
I've not known one 'physco' or otherwise difficult one yet.

They've just been trained and bred for a different careerfrom early on in life and go how they should go/how they're used to. It's just like getting a life-time ridden western horse and retraining it for english, or a pure showjumper and then retraining it for dressage.

As long as you have common sense, experience, time and patience to teach them their new career....they're utterly fab :)
 
Exrace horses are not all nutters!

There are some lovely ones out there that go far in their new career.

I currently have 3.
ll very different to look at and to ride but all lovely horses.
 
iv got one and will be getting another one when finances permit. my boy is fab! yes hes lame at the moment and waiting to have nerve blocks but i know that when i do ride him hel be abit sharp but he never rears or bucks and hes a perfect all rounder, hes got the elegance for dressage, the carefullness for sj and the stamina and speed for xc, just watch out for vices in ex racers and it can be quite stressfull being cooped up with lots of high energy feed. mine box walks and doesnt like staying in any longer than he has to. and i dont know about any one else but he costs a huge amount to feed, espec in the winter to keep his weight up.
 
I love my ex racers. Worked in racing for 7 yrs so use to them but yet to find a total head case. I have a big grey lad who was being sent for meat by a lad who bought him and classed him as a nutter, I paid £500 for him and get the best days hunting iv ever had and my 9 yr old rides him bare back up from the field. Nothing wrong with him.
The problem is the people buying such horses who have no or little experience and can't handle them.
 
like any horse they are individuals, you need to see past the TB ex racer tag. My signature shows what my girl does, and the last picture just shows how laid back she is. I have just started to introduce sidesaddle and my girl has been very accepting.
 
I love my Ex racer to bits. However, he's not beeen the easiest of horses to re - school. He raced 119 times over a career spanning 8 years..... now thats very different to an ex racer who may have been in training for less than a year and may have ran a handful of times. Like someone has already said your have to treat them as individuals and you cannot stereotype them.

Why would you want an ex racer if you think they are all mad? My gut instinct suggests you don't know enough about them to warrant getting one. Sorry but people who ask the "are they all mad" wind me up!
 
I have a 5yo 16.2hh ex racer, had him 3 months, he raced 13 times as a 3 and 4 yo until last september. He is incredibly laid back, very intelligent and has amazing paces. Any of the "ex racer" steriotypes he smashes. Main issue atm his hacking, he will hack quite happily if with a confident companion, but can be nappy if not.

He is however a green 5yo which I need to remember, but learns so so quickly that he is coming on very quickly. He howevre has had his initial re training done by a very competant person and that shines through clearly.
 
I agree with the comments about how they are all individuals. I have 2 - one raced for 6 years before i got him and was successful but went stale, the 2nd was useless and only ran in one bumper (and was pulled up as so useless). He was the better bred of the 2 (sadlers wells) but wasn't as tough as the first (good solid irish tb by same sire as papillon and spot thedifference).

The first was very depressed when i got him, but once started to play a bit with him perked up, yet had a 'been there, done that' attitude at shows, so was a complete gent to travel/do at shows, but the spookiest thing i've ever had to hack - not nasty but would do the biggest leap, then realise everything was ok, so no spinning, rearing, bucking, just lots of jumping about in the middle of the road. - i've scared a few motorists in the 6 years i've owned him!

Second was bone idle at home but got really stressed travelling to a show - had to get there an hour early just to dry him off (sweat dripping off nose!) and destress him - think a classic example of 'ran the race in the lorry'!!! Also grow at least a hand with stress/excitement (and was 16.3 to start with) and forgot his newly found talent for standing still to mount!!

First one had so much ability but was very excited/stressed about showjumping and dressage, but loved cross country. Was very frustrating as so many people told me he would have gone advanced eventing and i believe he would if a pro had got him as a 5yo (so many people thought he was 5yo when he was really 15yo!) and dressage judges always said 'lovely horse with great natural paces - you need to ask more'. Problem was he would get so tense so just had to jolly him along a bit. The plus side was he cost me £300 to buy!

Unfortunately don't know what would have happened with the 2nd one - he moved beautifully and loved cross country but weirdly a bit timid showjumping - as he damaged himself in field 6 months after i got him, and he's been intermitently lame ever since. Thing is he seems to be happy as a companion for my other 2 - said he was idle! He's an absolute angel to deal with and like a big dog round the place - everyone's best friend, loves attention and seems to have destressed since he's not ridden any more.

I have recently got a new horse - a dumb blood (!) - something i would never have thought i would buy as i love my thoroughbreds. All i can say in my defence is he has a lot of tb in him! He has been very successful and i have only owned him 6 months - the thing is he is not my horse of a lifetime - the first tb is, and yet results on paper would not back this up. My first tb introduced me to be eventing (not at all successfully!), hunting and going for a gallop on the beach (have never had him at full speed yet leave everything else standing!)

i wouldn't think twice about getting another ex racehorse - they are, in general, intelligent, brave and talented, but above all else - individuals. Oh, and extremely expensive to keep!!! Love them.
 
...have a look at the Success Stories section on the ROR webpage to see the diverse things that people do with their ex-racers.

Reasons for: Most are great at travelling/ shoeing/ being tacked up/general handling e.t.c. as they have done it all from such an early age

Reasons against: Like all animals (and people :-) )that have been trained to do a job you have to 'undo' some of that training before you can start again

Avey is super athletic, adaptable and lovely to handle but can be very backward thinking, mainly because she was exercised at the back of the string and never had to think for herself. One of the great things about her is that she doesnt 'fight' to be at the front when hunting/ team chasing/ hacking e.t.c. (hmm maybe thats why she wasnt a good racehorse!!) so she is fab to hunt/ xc/ hack/ fun ride..but because of this trait she can be very spooky and sharp and sometimes just point blank refuse to go forwards (although these times are becoming fewer and far between).

..dont tar all ex racers with the same brush...i think that the issue with them is more that they have been trained for another job which in some ways is the opposite to what we want them to do as a riding club type horse, but each is different and also their training is different! I would defo consider getting another :-)
 
Why are you pondering an ex racer? If you don't know much about them what would make you think you want one?
A lot of people think it is a good idea because they are cheap. Well, they might be cheap to buy ott but they aren't the cheapest creatures to keep. mine is the highest maintenance horse on the yard.
Are they all mad? Absolutely not. I can hack mine at the buckle, walk trot and canter. It took a long time to get there so I think patience is a huge virtue when dealing with ex racers as rehab can be fraught with difficulties. If you want an intelligent horse that is quick to learn, sensitive and can turn on a sixpence then maybe it would be the right horse for you. But please don't get one if you haven't got loads of patience and a fair bit of experience and just looking for a cheap horse.

Mine is great though, she can still have the odd paddy though lol. she's not everyones cup of tea but she's my cup of tea.
Good luck in finding a nice horse.

Oh the other thing is, some trainers are better to get from than others. Some actually take the time to do a bit of flatwork, worth asking around.
 
Buy one !!!!!!!!! I have two at the mo both very different and equally lovely :) My 9 year old cam out at 6 yo having run about 12 times - just not very good and too polite for racing (plus he showjumped hurdles :) ) He is pretty sensitive and takes any mistakes I make very personally :) but he has given me some real high points - my 1st 1st place ever ,my first 1.30 course etc etc and we go to county level showing this year eekk :) My one big learning curve has been to keep him and in work as he causes himself far less grief when in this type of lifestyle rather than just lightly worked . Our only major issue is hacking alone - sometimes its fine ,sometimes we look like we are auditioning for the spanish riding school :)Agree with the fact he is quite expensive to keep - shod every 5 weeks if I am lucky,still on full dinners every day etc but I would not be without him. My project pony is truely awesome as well - came from a wanted ad - 3 years old and raced 6 times as a 2 year old came last every time apart from one :) Confident and cocky and just fab to ride - he hacks out alone,in company,behind ,in front,walk,trots and canter in the school,trot poles,little x poles and just takes everything in his stride - will be a fab horse for someone in the future. Again we have one issue with shoeing - is fine with me picking feet out but is quite distrustful of other people but we are working through this with my ammmmaaaaazzzziiinnnnggggllllyyyy patient farrier and sedalin and he is settling more and more each day :) :) :) Its amazing how much they change with turnout ,less cereal and consistent and fair handling - wouldn't go back to anything else now :)
 
[/QUOTE]Oh the other thing is, some trainers are better to get from than others. Some actually take the time to do a bit of flatwork, worth asking around.[/QUOTE]

.....ditto this too. Have come across several horses from the yard where Av was trained, and many have similar traits (some not so desirable)! :-)
 
Agree with everything that has been said. You can get nutty horses of every breed, do not tar all race horses with the same brush. But it is people that do not have the experience to know how to handle them that give a lot of them the reputation.

I work at a racing yard. The horses are big P2P's, but they are the dopiest loveliest horses ever. As well as P2P, they hunt, hack well, do fun rides, and dabble in dressage and eventing in the summer. This also means that when they come to the end of their racing career, they can still be used for hunting etc, or we loan them out ready to go :). They are very easy to control and a complete novice could take them out on a hack.
 
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