Has anyone taken on an ex racer?

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Dovorian

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I'm thinking of doing so, but have a few niggly doubts that they may have hidden issues. Ideally would like to find something in SE area.

Concern stems from somebody who took on a lovely horse which had some pretty major issues and ended up a field ornament within 2 months!
 
I've had loads of them over the past 25yrs - they are great horses but you do need to be sure that you get the right one.

Temperement - can be as good as any other horse - but may initially be a bit hyper until race training has left the brain.

Soundness - this is the most important part - you really need to find out about the horses medical history and as vets now have to disclose the past history this is a lot easier. Bone chips are one of the common lameness issues with TB's apart from damaged tendons and ligaments.

Rideability - you need to have patience to get them working as a riding horse rather than a racehorse - where possible I try to give them a holiday for a couple of months to get the hard feed out of them and for them to lose some fitness.

often they have problems with accepting the riders longer legs and the contact, but spend time working them long and low and they come right.
 
Ex racers get a lot of undeserved bad press.

Hidden issues - no more so than any other horse really.

They are TBs, so you're best avoiding if you're a complete novice, or if you are quite nervous - but otherwise they are generally fantastic horses.

You do need to put the work in reschooling but its really not that arduous or complicated - they are bright horses and catch on fairly quickly. And most of them are perfectly capable of w/t/c sensibly on both reins and going for a hack out.
 
We've got 2 at the moment (The yard I go to, not myself)
They are just field ornaments at the moment, but will hopefully come back in work...eventually!

They're both completely opposites.

Louie is mad to ride, he'll bolt if you lose contact for even just a split second. However, he's a fantastic jumper!

Viking is a gentleman to hack, but he's a psyco jumper. He'll gallop and have everything down!!
 
They don't all have issues - and, no offence Annielusian, the descriptions you have given of the 2 horses you know only goes to perpetrate the general myths that they all run around as fast as they can and jump like 'psychos'... which is really not the case with a horse that is re-schooled correctly.

Evelyn's advice is good - if you pay attention to the basics - as you should when buying any horse - I don't believe you are taking much more of a risk than buying a non ex-racer. You will probably be taking less financial risk.

My grey horse is an ex flat racer who I have had 14 months now and is getting placed at BE90 eventing. He has been 100% easy, and aside from needing to learn to accept a contact, has done everything asked of him like he has been doing it all his life.

I work on a yard with 23 flat racehorses - the majority of them have had good basic schooling, accept the lower leg and are pleasant rides. There are about 3 which I think would categorically NOT re-school into another life - the rest would probably do so quite easily.
 
I bought my girl in June and we have had major setbacks but with time and patience and going right back to basics, I now have a horse that whinys and gallops to see me, loves cuddles, and is calming right down to be ridden, she is so clever, literally ask her something once and she's got it, I did think for a while that I might not make it with her and was in total anguish about what to do, but now I have a bond with her, the future is looking really bright, so I am glad that I stuck to my guns and ignored those that said I should 'get rid of her' she has been passed from pillar to post all her life and is only 6, but she will be with me forever now.
 
We have just taken one on over the last month or so - he's not been sat on for over a year and the last time he was ridden he was raced so we've not sat on him yet as we are taking him back to basics so it could be a different story once he has a rider on board but...
...he is the sweetest, most laid back, steady character ever! He's a love. Just as well behaved as our other horses and less inclined to go tearing around the field than the others! So far I've seen nothing that puts me off, he's not great having his bridle on but I think he may have some scabs in his ears that are quite sore so this is a bit of a task at the moment.
He was walked out in hand yesterday with 2 of the others hacking out and he was fab - straight into the water without pausing, through our water schooling complex (lots of trees and birds/rabbits/squirrels hiding in them!), past rustic & coloured fences including water trays, didn't bat an eyelid! Really pleased with him.
So, I know they won't all be the same as our Frankie boy but what I would say is they're worth a risk! :)
 
Mine is great! He won nearly £18k racing, so was a 'proper' racer, but has taken to dr & scored 70.4% & won last time out. Also learned to jump & has done baby affil sj.

Can be quirky...won't travel without a companion or hack without a bike to follow, & sj warm-up is...'interesting',...but is the least spooky horse I've ever owned.
 
I have 3, lovely horses. I prefer to buy from trainer and get the full picture about any soundness issues and temperament or contact the trainer if they have already left training, they do tend to be helpful and keen for their former horses to find the right homes.
 
I have a fabulous ex racer. Probably the best horse I have ever owned, which is a bit sickening when I think of the thousands I have spent on 'potential sports horses' in the past. My horse now was free, ran a full racing career, retired from steeplechasing at 11. I love him to pieces, would go anywhere on him as he really looks after me, he is not spooky , never bolts, will canter very politely across an open field with the lightest contact or will just as happily walk. He pops a jump honestly. Perfect to handle and VERY affectionate.

Only drawback as others have pointed out is soundness. Mine is 100% sound but had been previously broken down, so I am very careful to look after his legs and will never expect him to do Badminton!! ihtink if you are competent in both horse care and riding you shouldn't go too far wrong!

Ignore the stereotypes, ex racer are fab. Good luck!!! :)
 
second what other people have said really, no more hidden issues than any other horse,just make sure you do enough digging, you would be surprised how many are started off properly now adays rather than throwing a jockey on and making it run fast like people imagine.
I bought mine off the track for pittence with in intention of putting weight on, reschooling and selling at a profit, 6 weeks after I got him and 8 weeks after his last race he did his first event, was 4th after dressage couple down sj (just because he was green and hadnt jumped more than 4 fences in a row before! :o) and stormed round the xc clear!
I sold my schoolmaster and kept him and he is the best horse I have ever owned and the least I have ever spent!!

mine was stressy when I got him but i think a normal routine works wonders to calm them down. however he is still a stickler for his routine however normal it is! god forbid I should be late to the yard one day!!! :p
I could never afford to buy such a nice horse like him post re-schooling
 
I love mine, and I always believed the TB stereotypes beforehand! I got my girl from her breeder who had her back after she came off the track. She is so laid back she is horizontal - even more so than my ploddy cob!! I can do anything with her and she is such a gentle soul, love her to bits and would definitely have another.
 
The 1st horse i got after a 3 year break from riding was a 16.3 ex racer, he was 8 year old & had been thrown out to grass after retiring & quite neglegted when i got him. He was a complete star, a real gentleman, not the best jumper as a bit lazy infront but we poped aroung metre classes ok. He was soooo quiet on the road & thats what i find with most ex racers local to me as they seem to do a lot of road work when training. I could take him into open fields/beach etc & ride him along at the buckle!! I never had any issues with illness or injury & the only prob we had was keeping condition over the winter, we had to set a round bale of haylage outside his stable door so he could eat all the time & he was given lots of conditioning feed etc but still dropped a little weight over winter months!

good luck!
 
I've had my mare for a year now and initially she was an edgy Betty, but nothing that a regular routine, rules and patience haven't sorted. She is a total dope now, and slowly understanding the new way that she#s expected to work. The only issue I do have is condition - that's been a struggle - although she's shiny, sparkly eyed, massive appetite and happy. Just topline isn't what I would want at this time of the year. But I suspect that's trial and error, but overall she's a darling.
 
http://www.youtube.com/user/SomethingsUp55#p/a/u/0/DVN601Me590
That's the youtube channel that documents Reg and Al's journey together.

He raced until he was 8, broke down and had 18 months recuperating, and now Al has had him for nearly 2 years. He's 16.3hh, Alflora x Country Choice.

He's a fab hack, never strong or silly and happily goes behind or in front- we went out jumping the hunt jumps last month and he happily slotted in behind me on a mad cob, and then mooched next to us on the way back as the cob did his best "I'm a stallion, baby!" impression! He lives out 24/7 and looks good on it although it does take a lot of careful feeding as he's a very picky eater. Work wise, he's best if he's in work 5/6 days a week with one lesson and the rest schooling out hacking. He tries his hardest to do what you ask on the whole, although he does have "Well, I won't!" moments.

But I think Evelyn summed it up best- they're really good horses if you have the time to work them how they need :)
 
So long as you ask all the right questions and accept that you may have to start right back at the beginning with regards to ridden work. If you start at the basics and find that they progress quicker than you expected then fantastic - keep going! If not then at least you know where your problems lie before moving onto the next stage.

I work with National Hunt Racehorses and in a yard of about 80 horses I would say that only about 10 aren't 100% in traffic - nothing a friend on the outside doesn't fix - we only have about 8 with flat feet - only 3 I wouldn't reschool for normal use. For the numbers involved thatsnot bad going.

Go for it! They are the most rewarding horses you can ask for!
 
Go for it you'll never look back. I did it and apart from the fact I'm sitting here waiting for the vet - again ! I've hardly ever regretted it
 
RachelFerd said:
They don't all have issues - and, no offence Annielusian, the descriptions you have given of the 2 horses you know only goes to perpetrate the general myths that they all run around as fast as they can and jump like 'psychos'... which is really not the case with a horse that is re-schooled correctly.
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We're working on the jumping. He's been a flat racer all his life, so the concept of jumping was completely new for him. Viking's only been introduced to jumping a few months ago, so he's still very much a learner. He's got a lot better, but still not anywhere near 'good'.

Perhaps I should have been clearer about the time span of both horses, but I was running out the door for work.

Louie has also got better with his bolting, but he still runs off with people quite often. We find letting him canter ahead of the others works best, but isn't a cure.

These are just the two I've had the most experience with, I know plenty who've had perfect TB's who now do dressage and don't have leg issues.


Now I think about it, I used to ride an ex racer called Dancer, he was perfect! Untill he got a twisted gut and had to be pts :(
 
go for it...I adore mine...she has taught me so much...I did realise early on that she was much cleverer than me!!
She was difficult to handle at first but that is due to what happened to her after racing...we did dressage and taught her to jump - they love to learn and use their brains (the ones I have met anyway!)...
Good luck and I would do it again!!!
 
I have an ex racer and she is one of the best horses, she raced flat and there is a big difference in flat and NH/jumpers. I think you generally find that flat racers are more typical ex racers, usually more hot headed and abit daft sometimes but that is just due to not having time to mature... They go through the naughty 2 year old stage at 6,7,8 and 9 lol or whatever age you get them at. But mine is an amazing hack... She gives the cobs a lead and xc she is a machine, speed, athleticism and the ability to run on adrenaline. I think the only thing I have had trouble with is getting her to accept contact and go on the bit but thats my experience and others have probs had different ones. I also ride 3 other ex racers and all of them are amazing rides.

I think the name says something
 
Years ago when warmbloods became a trend in NZ I bought myself a warmblood mare. Within a couple of weeks I decided I'd sell her she was just so boring to ride. I went back to my darling TB with a sense of humour that made every ride an adventure.

In all the years I owned him I only fell off him twice and had so much fun with him, we did dressage, showjumping, eventing, endurance and games. Whatever you asked him to do he gave everything.
 
Love mine to bits, he has TB moments but as he grows up and is more confident in himself then they are fewer and fewer!
He has a fab nature and is very quick to learn (sometimes a bad thing as he gets into naughty habits). He was a flat racer and did quite well as a 2/3 yo and now he's learning to hack alone (going great guns after 5 times!) and adores jumping which he loves :D
I also had another ex racer (ex NH) and the flat racer jumped better than the NH horse, the irony!
I think they can come across as tricky as they aren't a one size fits all, but once you get to know them they can be easy to look after/school/hack etc. Thats much the same as any horse tho ;)

Enough ramble, bought mine by accident as I didn't think I wanted an exracer and it's turned out to be the best thing I did :D
 
My horse was in racing and from what I gather now he wasn't much liked. He threw off his jockeys and they thought he had a nasty streak.
I think he's fab!!! I've achieved more with him in a short time then I have with any other horse. He has the biggest character of any horse I have known and I adore him. I'm the biggest wimp going and he carries me over any jump, we are jumping 3ft3 SJ courses and he's carried me round clear in every XC we have done including two BE's, he never stops but is careful and bold. He loves dressage, concentrates and always comes placed. I practise my riding without stirrups on him and he trots round like he's carrying a tray of egg shells. I canter him round the field on the buckle and go hacking with my friends. We play games together and he loves it when I squash his nose and kiss him :D. Yes he can be a dork sometimes and he can suddenly react without thinking but if he feels me coming unseated he stops and stands still. He's a joy to look after, he makes me laugh everyday. I don't suppose he is the easiest horse in the world but he's my pal and he's got me out of trouble (especially) jumping more times than I care to remember.
My mum and I have had 4 ex-racers between us and they have all been totally different but not one bad egg, every one has been a talented, beautiful and genuine horse.
 
I can't recommend ex racers enough, an it's a shame they have such a bad stereotype. My friend currently has a 5 year old ex racer on high energy feed because he's so laid back! Just make sure to get a full vetting if your going to buy one because they can have a few health problems :-)
 
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