Getting the racehorse out of a TB

Hal1k1

Hal1k1

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My new loan horse and I had our 2nd hack out today with a friend. The first hack which was over a week ago he was fine even when we walked around the edge of a field.

Today we took him on the side of a different field and I asked him to canter and he just went straight into full racing gallop with his neck in the typical racing pose, horizontal. So I just dug my heels down and tried to aim him around the edge of the field and we did 4 laps when he started to slow down I wouldn't let him stop but made him stay at a canter for another 250 yards . He was on his toes all the way home but he did not attempt to buck rear or spin so overall I was pleased.

Is there another way to stop them behaving like they are in a race? I am going to try a different bit on him.
 
Changing his bit will not make him change his view on the world.

He has been trained to gallop around the egde of fields, he thinks it is what you want him to do. As soon as you stand in your stirrups, he will be off. Making him do another lap is fuel to the fire for a TB, they just soak it up and keep going. That is why they are used as racehorses.

You sound like you need proper advice on how to re train an ex racehorse from a professional. If you contact someone like the hero's people I am sure they will give you pukka advice.
 
BigRed said:
Changing his bit will not make him change his view on the world.

He has been trained to gallop around the egde of fields, he thinks it is what you want him to do. As soon as you stand in your stirrups, he will be off. Making him do another lap is fuel to the fire for a TB, they just soak it up and keep going. That is why they are used as racehorses.

You sound like you need proper advice on how to re train an ex racehorse from a professional. If you contact someone like the hero's people I am sure they will give you pukka advice.
Click to expand...

Agree 100% with this.

I would contact Aceshigh on here....
 
Second big red.......
Re-training ex-racers is a long process and requires someone who really knows what they are doing. Certainly not something that can be answered on a forum.
Seek a good instructor
 
my advice and i am currently retraining my share racehorse. he has been of the track now for 18months. He has been in work since april. I only started hacking out once he was controllable in the school, that was on the roads. we have fields we can ride around he is only allowed to walk in fields to begin with until he chilled out and stopped trying to speed off. then i added in gradual bits of trot but only short bursts and only when on my own. I have now cantered him twice in the field and he was quite controlled both times. i will not ask him to gallop in fields for another year probably. He has now been out in company in fields and walked and small bit of trot. But if i asked him to canter in company he is still too racehorsey to be able to realise he doesnt need to try and win.

You need to take time and get professional help. i ahve lessons once a week and ask my instructor about issues i am having or how to approach a new obstacle/issue. There is nothing like someones opinion especially if they know the horse. Dont try and run before you can walk (metaphorically and literally)
 
Asking how do you get the racehorse out of a tb is like asking how do you get the tb out of a race horse...... It cant be done. They may be sane, doing advanced level dressage or jumping 1.30 at olympia or what ever. But get them in an open field, down the gallops or get them stressed and they revert back to being a racehorse. Fight or flight is another factor too. But basically they will always be abit daft sometimes, all you have to do is learn their triggers and try and prevent them and dont just chuck another bit at it because it tanked off once. Gadgets dont always solve the problem, they usually complicate it.
btw take notice of my name, if you have any questions I might be able to help
 
My and my mums ex racer hack at a walk on the buckle across a field, if we want to canter they canter upside each other slowly and politely on the buckle and stop the moment we ask.
The answer is schooling and stay relaxed :).
 
I've ridden work in fiels on 2 point2pointers today and they didn't behave like this, they were chilled, went at the speed they were asked and stopped when dropped the contact and asked them to stop. Shortening the reins and leaning forward means go, they will often be trained to voice too. Maybe get someone that is experienced with racehorses to help you.
 
Personally on my second ride on an exracer around a field grass STRIP (think strip on grass - racetrack) I wouldn't be surprised at all at that behaviour, I would just be walking until it was completely bored and then trotting little bits and building up really slowly
 
Everything needs to be done slowly and differently to what he is used to. I did nothing but walk for weeks before moving onto short trots.

Canter came much later and it wasn't a problem, he came right back when i asked.

School work, teaching voice aids, calmly and slowly. Teaching that a contact does not mean go faster. Lunge work.

It takes time. Riding round a big field is foolish in the early days.
 
Thanks for the replies!

He has been out of racing approx 4 years and been used as a hack. I have had an ex-racer before who also did something similar when I first had him but could also be a lot sharper. But he had only ever been ridden to the gallops and then back home again.

In hindsight (what a marvellous thing if we could buy it by the bottle!) I think he probably was so pleased at going out for a hack after being ridden in the indoor school for a week due to the strong winds that I should have chosen a different route.

He is a lovely boy and is usually a poppet so I just need to work on having some brakes!
 
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