Racehorse retraining methods.

[CracklinRosie]

Would all you ex racer owers like to share your retraining gems!

How do you de fizz?

How do you teach more technical moves, i.e. half pass, shoulder in.

Any others you think might be helpful to ex racer owners specifically.

Would be nice to have a stickied database.

 

[china]

with mine (every horse may be different)
i did everything slower then normally and i try and ride as quite as possible! i have managed to teach mine leg yeild, turn on the forhand and priroute in walk and that has taken aaaaaaaaaages! just becuase he thinks legs means forwards and faster! i think lots of transitions is the answer to controling the fiz. just generaly getting them to understand leg doesnt mean faster all the time lol!

 

[CracklinRosie]

That's a great point.

Let's keep the coming. I'm sure there are loads more gems of knowledge out there.

 

[Toby773]

Why not contact the RoR Helpline. The advice is just brilliant and on-going.

 

[brighthair]

The best advice I ever got was this. After about 9 months, I still couldn't get right canter as he was so used to cantering on the left.
Eventually someone told me to ride in trot down the three quarter line, leg yield out to the corner, sit and ask straight away. I got right canter, with tears (happy ones) streaming down my face!

 

[CracklinRosie]

[ QUOTE ]
Why not contact the RoR Helpline. The advice is just brilliant and on-going.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not asking for specific advice, if so, then I would ask my instructor.

I thought it would be nice to share some positive experiences first hand.

 

[emma69]

Time in the field learning to be a horse again! I think the mental adjustment is huge, and they need their thinking time to digest it all!

 

[Rowena]

Sorry it sounded as if you were after more specific help.

 

[Toby773]

Yup that's what I thought when you asked about teaching more specific lateral move.

 

[hatters]

Just got an ex-racer (had him about month and half). He has had 6 months chilling in the field, he's going to hack all summer and a tiny bit of schooling. Winter he is going to have another chill in the field for a couple of months before coming back into work in the spring to learn to jump etc.
I think best thing you can do is be relaxed, the more chilled I am the more my lad seems to be! I will be watching this thread for hints and tips though, as we have a long road ahead

 

[brighthair]

oh and when mine used to get strong (for that read - galloping flat out) , I was told bot to pull as that's what he was used to? I did find giving my reins if he was on one really helped, just ignoring him and keep using my legs gently

 

[CracklinRosie]

Sorry if you thought my initial post was confusing.

I thought it may be interesting to compile a top 20 list of advice for TB owners.

 

[toomanyhorses26]

Oooohh my sort of post

Haven't completely de spooked after two years but we are trying!! I am lucky as I am a fairly busy yard that tends to double up as a building site and playgroup so there is always loads to look at and this has de sensitised him to alot of of things but as ever the other day we were in the school and somebody had left a coat over the fence and it had obviuosly turned into a horse eating monster

I am a firm believer in showing tb's as much of life as possible when they come out of racing as they tend to be a bit sheltered bless em!!! eg mine wouldn't go anyuwhere near our 2 welsh sec a's as they weren't his size and having been in racing since 2yo he just didn't seem to get that horses could come that small

Riding wise mine has been the complete opposite to many in the fact I have to ride in spurs and a schooling whip as he really is a lazy little wotsit!!! I spend alot of time in walk to get that connection between front and back as he is like the titanic and it takes a while for messages to get to the backend. We are getting leg yield and shoulder in slowly (like previous poster) - think quiet repetition is the key with these and also try doing it out hacking as you may find them more forward from your leg so it may come easier. Geta pessoa it will be your best friend and has totally transformed my horses way of going. Lots of gridwork with jumping to get the knees up and the striding sorted - mine still finds it hilariuos to bounce a one stride distance. When sj keep the canter as short and bouncy as you can so that you have more say over when you take off. As recommended from a poster on here jumping from walk is an ace way of getting the shoulders up and rounding the back even tho it feels totally wrong when you first do it. If I did it all again I wouldn't turn my horse away at the beginning - mine in the first 3 months got tendonitis ,a back injury and a haemotoma because I was trying to do the right thing and give him some chiil out time but instead he just used this time to try and kill himself so personally would make sure they get plently of turnout but keep doing things with them so they don't get bored. They are truely fab animals tho and would have another one in a hearbeat

P.S keep your vet on spped dial as well