Positive ex racehorse stories!

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gallopinghooves

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Hi everyone,

I'm looking for my next horse and I do really love ex racehorses. But I get SO put off by everyone saying they get so many issues down the line (ulcers, KS, etc). Does anybody have success stories of ex racers who have been completely sound and easy to do?
 
I wish I could tell you otherwise but the reason everyone says that is because its true unfortunately. The are backed so young that it damages their backs permanently and life at a racing yard can have a long lasting effect on their gut health. I'm afraid I can't sugar coat it, I have had a few ex racers and absolutely love their temperaments however, they do break down so so easily.
 
Some do- they tend to work quite hard, quite young and not always in a way that is good for their body. Choose one that hasn’t raced too young, that has been hacked and turned out and that has the best conformation and feet you can find.
I have an absolute treasure of an ex-racehorse- I brought him out of racing aged 8, he had raced 35 times and had done a tendon but had also done a lot of hacking and had a good long spell turned away. He is literally a granny's hack now- he lives out, unshod (brilliant feet) and is fat and happy on no hard feed and very little in the way of rigging (not worn more than 50g most of this winter)
 
The one I'm interested in only raced three times as too slow. So I don't think he's been overworked. If anyone know's a lot about conformation, I'd love to send you a pic and would appreciate knowing what you think!
 
I retired mine at 21 and it was only because she didn’t seem interested in being ridden anymore. Could’ve been saddle fit, not enough consistent work, any amount of other reasons but neither of us were enjoying it so I stopped instead of investigating.

She pulled shoes all the time. She would come in lame after acting the goat in the field on several occasions but as far as I’m aware she didn’t have KS or other lameness issues but she was never in hard work with me. I would do a lot of things differently/better if I had her now tbh. She had raced for 4 years.

I loved her and she didn’t put me off the breed.
 
Mine is 19 in a few months and has had on and off issues. She's such a sweet horse and SO clever and willing. She had a fall while racing and now suffers from a sensitive back, which could also be down to early backing. I can still ride her if I keep my weight down to a reasonable level (I'm currently a little too heavy at 11.5 stones as I gained a bit while she was on loan for 2yrs - working hard to get to 10!)
She has had a few minor bouts of lameness, but nothing serious.
Her biggest downside is excitement coming in from the field, but turnout is a luxury where I am currently, I'm hoping a yard move on sunday will fix this. She is usually so quiet to handle in every way.
I would definitely get another!
 
I honesty don't think they are any more prone to problems than a warmblood. ( our old WB was very prone to colic and we eventually lost her age 19 to colic). I hear constantly about WB's with so many muscular skelatal and GI problems.
We now have one homebred mostly-TB and 2 ex-racers. All barefoot and going about their work( dressage/jumping/ hacking etc). I love their sweet, kind temperament in the stable and their 'let me at it' attitude and desire to please when ridden.
 
There are a lot of thoroughbreds out there post racing very successful in other careers. Some break, some can be patched up and keep going and some are tough as old boots.

I’ve had 3 so far, my first one, Pete was tough as nails and didn’t have a sorry day the many years I knew him until he died of a bone infection from a puncture wound in his 20s. He had had a long race career.

My second one Snoopy didn’t race or trial. He was huge, and started eventing with me and went on to event 1* with a new owner. As far as I know he still out there kicking along, he was in his teens when he went 1*.

My current one Henry has a few issues. He trialled 3 times so not a huge career. His confirmation doesn’t do him many favours I don’t think but equally his issues aren’t career ending, they just need managing. He has done eventing, show jumping and working towards medium dressage. He is also the sweetest horse and I love the bones of him. He has a bit of arthritis but responds well to Arthramid. Even when lame the vets always say “not bad for a thoroughbred” which I take as a good sign.

For contrast I’ve had to pts a Australian stock horse x Arab for soundness issues and my other old boy, who is a registered stock horse with about 3/4 Thoroughbred in his breeding is still sound and kicking at 22, but didn’t do any hard work until he was 10 and I bought him!

My coach also has a warm blood who was purpose bred to event and bought on slowly, lots of breaks, very mindful of his growing body. He has just been diagnosed with a possibly career ending issue, before he’s really got going.

I think heartbreak can come with any horse, and while thoroughbreds may be predisposed to more issues they are really nice horses and can bring a lot of joy. I’d have another but go in knowing a long career might not happen.
 
My daughter has an ex racehorse, top class breeding and meant to win a race and then go to stud. She only raced three times in her 5yr old year, once in a NH flat race and twice over hurdles. She was offered free to us as the owner was fond of her but he needed her to have a top finish to be part of his stud.
She clearly was terrified of the whole racing set up and that was why she didn’t race well. We never usually have mares but she is exceptional looking and moves beautifully. Good at home but has taken patience and expertise taking her to shows. We hoped she might event, she has a great jump but the atmosphere gets to her. However she has settled at shows to show jump and she is going up the levels at British Dressage, has been to area festivals and represented Scotland in teams.
At home she is so easy and well behaved in the field and turns out with any of the ponies. My daughter can even ride and lead with her to keep the ponies going in term time.
 
gallopinghooves said:
Hi everyone,

I'm looking for my next horse and I do really love ex racehorses. But I get SO put off by everyone saying they get so many issues down the line (ulcers, KS, etc). Does anybody have success stories of ex racers who have been completely sound and easy to do?
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You will find lots of success stories because there are so many of them and some are bound to be to good. A huge proportion come out of racing unsound, you only need look at the sales videos of the dealers who sell them on to see that.

My tips on buying would be if possible to buy one that is currently doing the job you want and has been for long enough to suggest it should stay sound.

Failing that, buy one that raced lightly, last time recently, and finished sound. Do not buy one that has been laid off and has not yet returned to work, you don't know how that will pan out as I found to my cost on my last one.

There's a huge amount of the C6/C7 congenital neck abnormality around. I wouldn't buy anything that is at all asymmetric in the front end (particularly the height of the shoulders seen from behind and the height of the side of the chest seen between the front legs from the front) without lower neck x rays.

I sold a lovely mare who I evented to BE90 and she gave her new owners a lot of fun but was PTS for arthritis at 15. I sold another at 4 who went on to BE Intermediate and was still alive at 20. I lost my intended "keepers" at 9 from neck arthritis and 9 again from fetlock arthritis but I believe both of those were from accidents, looking at the xrays.

But then again, I've had 4 GP bred warmbloods and they were all problematic!

I hope you find a nice one, they are such lovely horses.
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well between me and my sister we have had a few!

exhibit 1 never raced, was too slow/backward thinking. sound as a pound(extensive x rays, scans etc) but tricky nappy ride, competed to adv medium,schooled most of the GP stuff except piaffe. Retired to stud but died of brain tumour.

exhibit 2 raced 3 times and was dreadful. also sound as a pound (extensive scans x rays etc again) but extremely tricky ride however competed to inter 1, trained to GP but wouldn't have been many peoples ride! retired and eventually PTS for aggressive behaviour that escalated when retired.

exhibit 3 raced extensively (33 times i think) across UK/Aus/japan and only started his dressage career at 7. absolutely flawless loving easy temperament, super willing ride. competed to inter 2 and trained to GP. retired sound but succumbed to colic in his later teens.

exhibit 4-never raced as been used for breeding, recently re backed without putting a single whisker out of line, super easy loving boy, very steady ride, anyones ride really despite being a stallion he is super straightforward. too soon to comment on soundness but he is a true amateurs type.

there ARE good ones but you have to be in the right place at the right time and willing to buy in the rough.

1 and 2 we never saw move prior to purchase, 3 we saw jogged round a muddy pen and 4 we saw walked up in hand and 5/6 trot steps.
 
The most beautiful horse I ever rode, in terms of physical perfection and her movement under me, was a TB ex racehorse mare who had just arrived at the RS. It was mid winter. I rode her in a small indoor school at a time when I was still unsure about canter in a school. She cantered me round problem free in spite of pigeons in the roof. But by the following week she had gone. It seems that she threw off another student the day after I rode her.

She wasnt the first TB I had ridden. There was a chestnut TB mare recovering at my first hacking school whom I hacked in walk only. But as a hacker I have been well and safely served by more workaday Irish mares.
 
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I do agree with those that say DO NOT buy one from the field/ recently back in light work after time off to decompress or whatever excuse they give.

Either buy from the trainer straight after their last race - assuming they finished sound! Or pay more money for one retrained and working consitently at what ever job you want it to do.

I'm in 2 minds about the lightly raced thing. I think there is a lot to be said for the tough old handicapper who has raced a gazillion times and is still sound.
 
Cragrat said:
I do agree with those that say DO NOT buy one from the field/ recently back in light work after time off to decompress or whatever excuse they give.

Either buy from the trainer straight after their last race - assuming they finished sound! Or pay more money for one retrained and working consitently at what ever job you want it to do.


I'm in 2 minds about the lightly raced thing. I think there is a lot to be said for the tough old handicapper who has raced a gazillion times and is still sound.
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There are quite a few out doing well in second careers with serious racing careers behind them and I don’t just mean well known ones but ones that raced 40 or 50 times doing reasonably well but not superstar names.
 
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