Kauto doing dressage

Tweets appear to have gone...

On a different note, I wish all horses coming out of racing were treated with a similar level of concern as KS. Whilst he is a legend who only deserves the best I feel that all horses only deserve what is best for them, especially after the service they give whilst in racing.

I mean, the attitude on here is that of 'Oh, ex-racers, you can get them for £400. Injured? Even less. Not worth the time or money', etc. Maybe this will do something in helping people realise that ex-racers are truly fantastic horses who are not past it when they leave racing. If that is the case, and KS gets to shine at a new career as well, it's win win all round, surely? (maybe we'll see him at Burghley in the RoR class... How amazing would that be?! Although everyone else would probably pack up and go home once they saw him!)
 
Lolo said:
Tweets appear to have gone...

On a different note, I wish all horses coming out of racing were treated with a similar level of concern as KS. Whilst he is a legend who only deserves the best I feel that all horses only deserve what is best for them, especially after the service they give whilst in racing.

I mean, the attitude on here is that of 'Oh, ex-racers, you can get them for £400. Injured? Even less. Not worth the time or money', etc. Maybe this will do something in helping people realise that ex-racers are truly fantastic horses who are not past it when they leave racing. If that is the case, and KS gets to shine at a new career as well, it's win win all round, surely? (maybe we'll see him at Burghley in the RoR class... How amazing would that be?! Although everyone else would probably pack up and go home once they saw him!)
Click to expand...



Well mine cost considerably more than £400 and I still consider him a cheap horse certainly cheaper than a young WB with comparable movement.
 
Quatrefoil said:
The Nicholls yard have kept the horse sound and healthy for 8 seasons which speaks volumes for their general horse management. They know what they are talking about with the horse and only have his best interests at heart and I fear for him now.
Click to expand...

He's gone to Laura Collett's yard, not the meat man! I'm sure this was not a rash decision by any party and it is only a trial after all.

The way some people (who have nothing to do with the horse) on Twitter are reacting you'd have thought he'd died!
 
oldvic said:
I believe that Clive Smith went to RoR and they put him on to Yogi. Paul Nicholls doesn't appear to have been part of this negotiation. A second career may or may not be in his best interest. After the injuries he's had and given that he needs managing, being asked to use himself in a completely different way to how he ever has before when he is into middle age is not necessarily what his body will appreciate.
Also a rider that is good enough for him will be ambitious and have commitments at a high level so a horse like KS will have to take a back seat a lot of the time. I think I need convincing that it is the right thing to do.
Click to expand...

This - he will no longer be a King, but just another horse. Who is going to ride him when she's busy with her other horses? And what happens when the novelty wears off and she wants the box for an event horse for the day job?
 
Goldenstar said:
Well mine cost considerably more than £400 and I still consider him a cheap horse certainly cheaper than a young WB with comparable movement.
Click to expand...

I know, and if anyone offered £400 for any of ours they'd be laughed out of the yard. But it's the general attitude on here and in real life it seems- I can't count the posts I've seen to this effect. Maybe this will help people reconsider their attitude?
 
I have nothing against Laura and neither do I disrespect dressage.
What I do disrepect is Smith's attitude towards his horse and the staff at Ditcheat.
If Kauto deserved to end his days anywhere it should have been at the Nicholls's yard.
Oh I hear you cry, he is only 12.
Yes he maybe 12 but for a racehorse he has achieved one hell of a lot.
He would have had a job at the yard and something to keep his mind and body active.
He would have been among friends, both equine and human.
Now he has been taken away from all that to be drilled into dressage.
What else does he have to prove?
He is not your typical ex racer who did not take to racing and thereby would be saved from the meat man by becoming a hack, showjumper, eventer or dressage.
He is Kauto Star a legend of the turf.
A legend of the jumps.
Who is now going to be prancing around some arena performing equine ballet.
He was bred to race, he was bred to jump.
He was bred to be a racehorse.
He is a National Hunt icon who has been reduced to this.
I hang my head in shame and dismay if this is how we treat our legends :(
 
Fantasy_World said:
I have nothing against Laura and neither do I disrespect dressage.
What I do disrepect is Smith's attitude towards his horse and the staff at Ditcheat.
If Kauto deserved to end his days anywhere it should have been at the Nicholls's yard.
Oh I hear you cry, he is only 12.
Yes he maybe 12 but for a racehorse he has achieved one hell of a lot.
He would have had a job at the yard and something to keep his mind and body active.
He would have been among friends, both equine and human.
Now he has been taken away from all that to be drilled into dressage.
What else does he have to prove?
He is not your typical ex racer who did not take to racing and thereby would be saved from the meat man by becoming a hack, showjumper, eventer or dressage.
He is Kauto Star a legend of the turf.
A legend of the jumps.
Who is now going to be prancing around some arena performing equine ballet.
He was bred to race, he was bred to jump.
He was bred to be a racehorse.
He is a National Hunt icon who has been reduced to this.
I hang my head in shame and dismay if this is how we treat our legends :(
Click to expand...

Brilliantly put. I couldn't agree more.
 
Caledonia said:
This - he will no longer be a King, but just another horse. Who is going to ride him when she's busy with her other horses? And what happens when the novelty wears off and she wants the box for an event horse for the day job?
Click to expand...


Exactly! He should have stayed at Ditcheat where he would have been loved and worshipped for many years to come.
He would never have been forgotten.
He is a legend, a legend now reduced to becoming a dressage novelty.
I could cry :(
 
Caledonia said:
This - he will no longer be a King, but just another horse. Who is going to ride him when she's busy with her other horses? And what happens when the novelty wears off and she wants the box for an event horse for the day job?
Click to expand...

I'll be amazed if he stays with LC I expect in time to hear that like Denham he's in a very special private home.
 
Goldenstar said:
Worryingly yes.

The nicest picture I have seen for ages was the one of Denham surrounded by ponies on a hunt ride that was just lovely.
Click to expand...

Why worry love, we are real people with real horses and in some cases own ex racers!
Racing fans and horse lovers as well.

Ah but Denman you see. He did not achieve quite so much fame as Kauto.
He was a lovely horse I admit but in terms of class Kauto and him were miles apart.
However this is the big difference....... now wait for it.

Denman = steeplechaser = gallops + jumps
Denman = eventer/hunter = gallops + jumps


Kauto Star = steeplechaser = gallops + jumps
Kauto Star = dressage horse = .......... + ..........

I will leave you to fill in the blanks but I bet it won't match a steeplechaser :)
 
Daffodil said:
Are some of these hysterical comments coming from real people ?
Click to expand...

That made me LOL.

So true ... I never realised Dressage was the lowest form of subdued, beaten, end of the road riding.

A horse should not have to be a King. Kings fall, kings fail. If he is allowed to be "just another" horse, then he could have another 10 years on the circuit. Another lifetime, with less stardom but no less appreciation and importantly, no less care ...
 
Fantasy_World said:
Yes he maybe 12 but for a racehorse he has achieved one hell of a lot.
He would have had a job at the yard and something to keep his mind and body active.
Now he has been taken away from all that to be drilled into dressage.
What else does he have to prove?
He is Kauto Star a legend of the turf.
A legend of the jumps.
Who is now going to be prancing around some arena performing equine ballet.
He was bred to race, he was bred to jump.
He was bred to be a racehorse.
He is a National Hunt icon who has been reduced to this.
I hang my head in shame and dismay if this is how we treat our legends :(
Click to expand...

Do you not think that's a bit over the top?

i'd imagine starting off at dressage at a low level where he being made more supple and balanced, getting a stronger back/topline and using himself properly while being kept mentally stimulated learning something new- this would benefit him more physically and keep him in better condition than being retired in a field at 12 surely? It would probably keep him healthy and in better condition as he got older.

He is a legend of the track, but his high level days are over and it's a lot of wear and tear on a horse to keep him racing fit. There is no shame in seeing him do a slower paced discipline if it suits him now. My exracer loves schooling and learning new dressage moves at home, some of them are clever and actually enjoy it.

Plus it's not just prancing around an arena. It's a great base for learning correct balance, turns, collecting, proper rhythm, getting your hocks collected under you for jumping etc if he moves into eventing and jumping.
 
Fantasy_World said:
Oh so Smith could not afford to care for Kauto with his 2.5 million or so in prizemoney.
A racehorse = a commodity
Kauto Star = publicity and a cash cow
Click to expand...

Of course he can afford to care for the horse you don't suppose YB one of best half dozen trainers in the world is a cheap way of assessing and starting KS off in his next life do your that getting LC to ride your horse is bargin basement stuff.
Who are you to say that a private home can't be a marvellous home with amazing care and attention .
any one would think KS was being sold at Ascot without warranty .
Instead he with one the of the world greatest trainers to be ridden through this period by one of the country's best riders.
 
Fantasy_World said:
Why worry love, we are real people with real horses and in some cases own ex racers!
Racing fans and horse lovers as well.

Ah but Denman you see. He did not achieve quite so much fame as Kauto.
He was a lovely horse I admit but in terms of class Kauto and him were miles apart.
However this is the big difference....... now wait for it.

Denman = steeplechaser = gallops + jumps
Denman = eventer/hunter = gallops + jumps


Kauto Star = steeplechaser = gallops + jumps
Kauto Star = dressage horse = .......... + ..........

I will leave you to fill in the blanks but I bet it won't match a steeplechaser :)
Click to expand...

I am not your love.
Dressage is just training there could be any number of good reasons that KS is not heading for a future jumping .
Or in time he may ,KS is a horse as was Denham I find this hysteria baffling .
 
I was under the impression that he was going to learn dressage initially then to look at a second career in Eventing but they wanted to see how he did at Dressage first. I would have thought if he was going to be a pure dressage horse then he would have gone to a dressage rider and not an eventer.
 
I’m new to this forum (have lurked for a while!) but just have to post on this as I honestly cannot understand what all the fuss is about. Whatever about the apparent fallout between Nicholls and Smith, one thing you can be guaranteed is that KS will not suffer one bit, whatever way it turns out. Collett and Breisner are such experienced professionals with reputations to uphold, it will be in neither of their best interests to showcase/compete KS in a discipline that he is not suited to and these people will be the best/most knowledgeable to find this out, without ruining the horse in the process.

No-one can say what an ex-racehorse will/will not enjoy until you have asked them and I do say this from experience. Of the 7 horses I have, currently 3 are ex-racehorses and I turn down about 6 every year for the past 3 or 4 years (I rehome & retrain them for free so need a full-time job to support this). My best one I got when he was 11, had raced until he was 10, is a Grade 1 winner, won over 100k, ran into the prize-money at Cheltenham…he was also broken down and was bound for the meat man. It took a while to get to grips with him but together we have competed at Novice level eventing at (him as a 16yo), competed at CCI1* at 16yo & 17yo & would have done so this year as an 18yo if he hadn’t badly fractured a jaw last year, after a kick from a new stable mate (another ex-racehorse) who jumped out of his field. He’s also qualified for the 2013 Royal Windsor horse show in the retrained racehorse challenge and has done loads of other stuff. He will be 19 next year and I am fairly certain that by being kept so active and his brain engaged over the years, it has been a big factor in keeping him young and healthy. The other one is a work in progress and should be competing Novice this year and the 3rd will start back into work in 2013 after a break and having a foal this year.

I can guarantee you, while not a numpty rider, I am nowhere near the level of Laura or the team she has behind her (and am fully aware that my good horse would have gone a lot further with a better rider) but I have been around enough of them to see that a lot of them can be successfully reschooled…you just need to figure out as what. Having been ridiculed when I got my first one 13 years ago, it is nice to see that owners are recognising that they can do other disciplines and by KS going to Laura, he is going to be given the best chance to fulfil this, be it as a dressage horse, jumper, eventer, happy hack, lead horse… Yes it is sad for the staff in Ditcheat who I am sure, care deeply for KS but he will be respected by the people who will now work with him and I am sure that ultimately, KS will make a decision on what he wants to do as the people involved with him have nothing to gain (reputation wise) by pushing a publicly adored horse into something he doesn’t want to do.
 
Ive no doubt he has gone to a brilliant home but I am still saddened, Kauto is a legend and could have been used in ways to fund ex racehorses. If he had stayed at PNs yard and had the occasional half days hunting he could have still paraded for all his fans and could have raised money at the same time. My sadness is that racing fans will not get to see him anymore, it is looking unlikely that he will be going to Kempton on Boxing day which considering he won 5 King Georges is a huge disappointment to all his fans.

I just hope when the dust settles PN and CS can sit down and decide when his time with LC is over he can come back to PN and live out his days there.
 
Dobiegirl said:
Ive no doubt he has gone to a brilliant home but I am still saddened, Kauto is a legend and could have been used in ways to fund ex racehorses. If he had stayed at PNs yard and had the occasional half days hunting he could have still paraded for all his fans and could have raised money at the same time. My sadness is that racing fans will not get to see him anymore, it is looking unlikely that he will be going to Kempton on Boxing day which considering he won 5 King Georges is a huge disappointment to all his fans.

I just hope when the dust settles PN and CS can sit down and decide when his time with LC is over he can come back to PN and live out his days there.
Click to expand...

What life is that for a horse that is still young, living the life of a racehorse but not having the racing, just being paraded around to keep the fans happy, he has done his bit, well more than a bit, for racing, his fans and the team at Ditcheat, he will still be able to make special appearances to raise some money and also the profile of retraining racehorses for a useful life outside of racing.

I saw him regularly in the yard and out on exercise, he is a bright horse and I hate the thought of seeing him doing the daily walk down the road, up the gallops, down the road, up the gallops it would be sad for such a proud horse to be stuck with such a routine for the rest of his days. To keep him in training but not racing would be totally selfish, it may keep the staff on the yard happy but it is the horses welfare that should be put first.

Good luck to Yogi and Laura, I am sure he will enjoy his new life.
 
be positive said:
What life is that for a horse that is still young, living the life of a racehorse but not having the racing, just being paraded around to keep the fans happy, he has done his bit, well more than a bit, for racing, his fans and the team at Ditcheat, he will still be able to make special appearances to raise some money and also the profile of retraining racehorses for a useful life outside of racing.

I saw him regularly in the yard and out on exercise, he is a bright horse and I hate the thought of seeing him doing the daily walk down the road, up the gallops, down the road, up the gallops it would be sad for such a proud horse to be stuck with such a routine for the rest of his days. To keep him in training but not racing would be totally selfish, it may keep the staff on the yard happy but it is the horses welfare that should be put first.

Good luck to Yogi and Laura, I am sure he will enjoy his new life.
Click to expand...

And why will going round in circles forced into an outline and never getting to gallop again be a happier future? :confused:
 
Goldenstar said:
Worryingly yes.

The nicest picture I have seen for ages was the one of Denham surrounded by ponies on a hunt ride that was just lovely.
Click to expand...

100% agree.

Personally, I am looking forward to hearing about this lovely horse's progress in his new career . . . a livery at our yard rescues ex racers and her latest project, a five-year-old, is excelling at retraining and does a very credible dressage test now. Racehorses are more than capable of taking on another discipline once they leave the track, and harnessing all that innate intelligence and energy in a discipline like eventing or dressage seems to me to be very sensible. As to whether fears over whether he will be as well-treated at LC's yard as he was at Ditcheat . . . what rubbish. I'm sure the yard staff will learn his little quirks and likes and dislikes and treat him accordingly - just as they do every horse in their care.

It's not like he's been advertised on Gumtree!

P
 
Caledonia said:
And why will going round in circles forced into an outline and never getting to gallop again be a happier future? :confused:
Click to expand...

Dunno about you, but all our horses go galloping for fun, and part of their fitness work.

He's not Valegro or any of that lot- he's a horse on a yard where a huge part of any fitness work will be done hacking out, as is the norm on eventing yards.

And, just FYI, an outline should never be forced. If you're forcing it, you're doing it wrong...
 
Caledonia said:
And why will going round in circles forced into an outline and never getting to gallop again be a happier future? :confused:
Click to expand...

Forced into an outline? Where did you get that from? I don't force my horse into an outline, I help and encourage him to use his body so that he can carry himself and me softly. I'm a relatively novice-y rider . . . I suspect LC and YB know far more about getting horses to use themselves in different ways than me.

Never getting to gallop? Who says dressage horses don't gallop? And who says if he has another outlet for his intelligence and energy that he will miss being a racehorse?

I really do think some people are forgetting that horses are just that, horses. They don't hit the floor on foaling preprogrammed to be a racehorse, an eventer, a happy hacker or a circus pony . . . in the best instances their natural instincts, intellect and conformation are taken into account and harnessed for a particular discipline . . . but to suggest that horses can only ever do one job is blinkered (pardon the pun).

P
 
Caledonia said:
And why will going round in circles forced into an outline and never getting to gallop again be a happier future? :confused:
Click to expand...

Why is it assumed that he will be forced into an outline, he carries himself in a good natural way it should be fairly easy for him to get to a basic level of dressage, as for galloping as Laura events I would expect the horse to have a varied workload, proper hacking in fields and probably popping some fences, much more fun than the roads and allweather gallop which was all he had until now.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top