Owning an ex-racer - experiences please!

What I always suggest to anyone gettin an ex-racer for the first time is to get a National Hunt horse as they have generally seen much more of life, have had a slower way of life so aren't as prone to fizzing up, have worked in schools and will normally have some form of basic schooling.

The down side of NH horses is - They may not have the cleanest of legs due to the way they are taugt to jump. They are harder to teach to "Show Jump" because they have always been taught to be slick and efficient as you don't need to clear the jumps - hurdles fall down, chase fences you can brush through the top foot and a half of.

The above is a bit of a generalisation. Of my 4 raceorses 3 were last NH horses - 2 were previously flat horses the other purely NH. All 3 were well schooled in the basics on the flat. Kyle did more flat than jump racing in his career and can be a stubborn sod. Jeff is a lovely big French NH horse who is a total delight to do anything with but can still charge off into jumps with you. Gray flat raced in America before coming over here to jump - he is a ponce and he knows it! My 4th one was a 6furlong sprinter - as far away as my jumpers as you could get. I was fully expecting a higly strung, psychtic loony - he is the laziest, donkeyest horse I have ever sat on! He has no idea about working on the bit but he will be easier to teach to jump because he doesn't have a clue about such things.

Go into racer ownership with your eyes wide open. A good, sympathetic instructor. A whole heap of tissues and chocolate but an equal amount of champaigne on ice. Oh an a vet on speed dial ;)
 
Here's mine. 16.3 of ex National Hunt racehorse. Lovely fella. Hacks out on his own. Good mover. Forward going but not strong or silly. Does need to have company in sight when in the stable or field. He is intelligent and willing. Have just started ' formal ' education with him and so far he's taking it all in his stride and I've only had him a month :-)

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in his racing days.

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Hi, i agree with most of the above posts if you want somthing that you can jump nice and clean with go for a flat raced TB as these wont have been taught so are much easier to teach... like mines he was raced on the flat and we started jumping this year and he has an amazing jump... but always get your flat work sorted 1st as mine can still drag his back end over the jumps through canter and knock the poles with back feet!

but look out for a nice flat raced TB with uphill frame withers higher than their croup as if you want to do showing or dressage you will be peanalised ofr your TB being croup high (i know because mine is and probs will always be) although if you get them working correctly and there neck in a high arch rather than a low fram you can decevice the judge at 1st glance (i know again from experience :))

hope you find one

there very willing horses and are very loyal no matter what you do and dont generlly have a mallice bone in their bodies :)

mine is the best horse iv owned and ridden!

:)
 
rowy said:
Not sure for definite she was an exracer but we assume she was having come from ireland and being sold to us by a dodgy dealer and her not knowing anything jumping wise or in the school lol.
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Rowy... by this I am guessing you do not have her original passport, or know her "real" name.

If you want to find out who she really is, you can write off to Weatherby's for a DNA sampling kit. All you need to do is to get the vet out to get some blood, and fill in a markings chart. Wetherby's will then check their database to see who she is. This is on the assumpution that they would have DNA tested horses in 1993, however I would imagine they did.

If she was born in UK or Ireland, you will know who she is then.
 
Only had mine a couple of weeks, only 6 years old but incredibly sane and willing but between pulling shoes off and going lame has had more time out of work than in work! hahaha wouldn't swap her for the world though.
 
wow!! whay a mixed bag of replies there is going on here.. will add my 2 pennorth.. I have 2 ex racers.. my mare whose sire was bred by Aga Khan and came 2nd in the cheltnham Gold Cup( not that this makes any difference) is anabsolute dream on the ground..different story under saddle to start with..but now as she has aged and we have got a fab bond she will try her little heart out.. her nephew who I also own who also flat raced is fab under saddle but flighty on the ground and he is doing Novice dressage at mo with more to come. He just needs experience and exposure to get him more chilled out at shows.
You have to take each one as an individual..you can not type cast these horses as they all have different quirks, but I wouldnt hesitate in getting another as the pleasure in developing that bond and watching their characters evolve is so rewarding..and knowing that they put their trust in you is just an awesome feeling..
Its never easy, many tears are involved in helping these horses become 'normal', but the rewards far outweigh the challenge.
 
I bought mine as he just after he turned 3, kicked out of racing yard as had a monor suspensory injury. He had an accident at 18 months old a week before he was due to be exported to bloodstock sales in Germany, had a year off. Sent to racing yard to break and go to Tattersalls as a 3 year old in training but suffered a minor ligament injury and I bought him off a dealer. I had him scanned the beginning of this year and vets advice was that he'd be fine to do any job including eventing. Unfortunately developed sarcoids on his girth area just as I started to bring him into work and I am hoping he will be fit to start work around the beginning of September.

He is hugely sensitive, both in temperament and physically, he seems to prefer a busy yard rather than a quiet place, and is best managed by stabling part of the time and keeping to a strict routine.

Some pics here :- https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150834133580159.471936.786005158&type=3&l=dd3fdfc055
 
They are beyond a delight to have around and to work with. Their intelligence and want/need to learn is something of a true athlete. Obviously, you have to be careful of:
1. Why they are leaving racing
2. What their mental state is
3. What their management has been since leaving racing

As these can affect the way that they can/cannot progress in their new careers. On the whole; however, if you work with them, they give A LOT back and perform as well, if not better than the warmbloods. I find it very interesting that the Germans have some of our best Tb's for their breeding programs and horses such as Lauries Crusador (full Tb and prolific breeding stallion in Germany) have some of the top young horses sold at auction and competing at the highest levels! Tb's naturally have the aspects required for a good dressage horse, a very good walk and a very good canter-the two paces that yes you can improve a little, but cannot make-you are stuck with them. Whereas the trot you can make and produce over time.
When Glum travelled to Germany the Germans LOVED him and thought he moved better than about 80% of the horses in the barn!
Every year I have some young horses in the BD young horse classes, all of whom are ex racers and, touch wood, so far they have not let me down. They have done as well, and most of the time better, than some of the warmbloods put forward......I attach images of : mister glum 9chestnut) So Ecstatic (dark bay) and Quadrille (bright bay). So Ecstatic is medium level and competed in YH classes as a 6 yr old (1 yr out of racing-he looks like a dutch horse!) Quadrille competes as a 5 yr old and Glum-well he is just fantastic!
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