Persuading an Ex racer to stop?

[NewRacer]

Hi all, sorry its long, just wanted to give the full picture.
I recently bought a just gone 5yr old ex sprinter gelding. He is my first Ex racer, and he has been out of racing for 2 years, since then he was jumped up to a metre, done unaff dressage and hacked.
Ive had him about 2 weeks, the first he was lame (Bad shoeing, all sorted now and completely sound) and i have ridden him about 4 times in the school, in the school he is very lazy, and tries to drop down a gait, but that is easily solved. Friend has also ridden him. Today we took him on his first hack with us, friend ridden because she wants the experience riding different horses and it gave me a chance to see how he went. We took friends WB to accompany him, and show him the ropes, but unfortunately he chose to lose ten years of his training today. We set of from the yard, and apart from the expected babyish spooking he was good, we walked and trotted with him in front, behind and beside me with no problems. We also had took him over his first XC jumps, and he went well with a bit of leg. He cantered after them, but stayed soft and came back when he was asked. We then went to the stretch we usually have a gallop at, friend decided to go in front, she feels more comfortable there, so we started at a trot, then had a controlled canter for about 20 strides, then TB broke into a gallop, and friend couldn't pull him up, eventually at the end of the track, he came back to her and stopped. We then turned round and walked back along on a loose rein. We then headed of into the woods, and popped a few jumps here and there, until we got to another canter track, he stayed controlled and soft all the way, even with dumblood being an idiot behind him, we then continued to amble around the woods more, when we got to the sandy track, so TB lead again, and stayed controlled, but WB only got to trot, because TB is a lot smaller than him, so we went to the other sandy track, and i lead this time, but TB didn't like it, and friend couldn't stop again, and wouldn't slow down until he had caught up with me. We then ambled along home slowly without a problem.
My question is, how can i stop, or prevent his extra bursts of speed, and how can i slow them down when it does happen? Also, is there a way i can teach him to accept being behind in canter, or would all this be unreasonable, due to racing?

Thanks in advance.

 

[ofcourseyoucan]

drop your reins!

 

[EstherYoung]

In racing, take up a contact = go, whereas sit up and drop the reins = stop. If you want him to respond to anything different you will need to take him right back to scratch and teach him.

They can go behind quite happily, as after all a racehorse that just barrels through with no thought is a liability when you're exercising a string just as much as it is when you're hacking. But if the horse is behind and being inadvertently given the aids to go, it will react.

It sounds like you need to teach the horse your style of riding and then set yourself up for success by gradually creating situations where it will be passed in a safe place.

 

[marley and danni]

i agree with botht he above comments either take him back to basics and teach him your way to stop.....or rather than teach a new trick what works with my little race beasty is dropping all contact and sitting deep and just pretending your not bothered....

mines the same takes off whenbehind or when contact is taken up....

hes ok behind now although still alot speedier but take being behind ok but i still need to half halt most of the time to tell him not too, he also use to take off untill hecaught up or got infront of other horses but hes perfect now

its just time and patients and knowing how to stop a race horse in general which is sit back and deep let the reins silde through gradually and have them sat on his withers bridged....