Rehoming Racehorses

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Crackedhalo

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I am seriously considering looking into re homing a race horse. I already have two horses and think getting a third will make it easier to ride out etc, I have always thought of TB's as highly strung and demanding, However as i have racing dogs, which are very laid back and chilled, i assume most TB's are probably like this and not the stereo type!

Can anyone give me advice? Do they make good hacking horses? Are there any good rehoming websites?

Thanks :-)
 
There are a lot of misconceptions about TB's. Mine was easy to deal with, tough, intelligent, a good doer and a thoroughly nice all round person. There are loads of sites rehoming ex racehorses, just google.
 
The ex racers on our yard are two of the most chilled out guys you could imagine, so intelligent and, of course, beautiful :D
Mine is as easy to do as you could wish for, a big gentleman and very laid back. However they do tend to be injury prone - i think this is due to having so much stress on their legs early in life - and my boy has some issues with hacking out on his own or being seperated from the herd. These are not major issues however and the hacking out is as much to do with me as him i think! The other ex-racer hacks out no problem. He is very well mannered in the stable and under saddle and will happily oblige my friends and family with lead rein trots around the school (although not put any wee ones on him yet, this is more to do with his size than any worries about his behaviour).
I would def recommend them; lovely, hardworking and... did i mention... beautiful horses :D
 
Would totally agree that most ex racing Greyhounds are so laid back they are horizontal. I have a hound that used to live in a pack and she is pretty much the same, spends most of the day stretched out on the settee. But, like the horses, they are all individual. You learn the triggers that set off unwanted behaviour and try to avoid them. I would guess it is the same with horses.
 
We have a few wonderful ex racehorses on our yard - all have adapted to becoming 'hobby' horses as it were. I also used to have an ex hunter chaser, who was just fabulous.

It's true of course that they can be highly strung, and sharper than your average ned - however, there are definately many out there retiring from the race track that will make wonderful general riding horses.
 
jendie said:
Would totally agree that most ex racing Greyhounds are so laid back they are horizontal. I have a hound that used to live in a pack and she is pretty much the same, spends most of the day stretched out on the settee. But, like the horses, they are all individual. You learn the triggers that set off unwanted behaviour and try to avoid them. I would guess it is the same with horses.
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My dogs still race, they love it, At racing they are Possessed :eek: but totally different at home so, although they are all different, i imagine TB's to be some what Similar .

Thanks for all the comments, I will probably be looking next year all being well but think i would love to take on a ex racer, i shall have a google!
 
I wouldn't compare greyhounds to racehorses really, not a very good comparison really. Yes they both run fast.
To be honest you can get quiet racehorses, mad racehorses etc but in general a TB is more highly strung than a cold blooded, (yes there are exceptions) and you need to be experienced rider and have a good knowledge of horse care etc before taking on a TB off the track.
 
hi i bought my ex racer a year after he finished racing and never had much done with him before i got him mainley hacking....

he is gentle not very forward in the school not forward hacking and just generally lazy unless hes on his own hacking then hes a little on his toes...

i dont agree when people say they are highly strug and hot headed there not they just have a faster reaction time to somthing that scares them or excites them than other breeds! but there are the exceptions that are crazy as there are in other breeds!

depends on the temprement of the horse and how they were brought up same as kids!

:)

PS just to ad i bought my ex racer when id only been riding 6 months and im so glad i did hes been the best thing i ever did we learn together :)
 
dominobrown said:
I wouldn't compare greyhounds to racehorses really, not a very good comparison really. Yes they both run fast.
To be honest you can get quiet racehorses, mad racehorses etc but in general a TB is more highly strung than a cold blooded, (yes there are exceptions) and you need to be experienced rider and have a good knowledge of horse care etc before taking on a TB off the track.
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I was comparing the stereo type, and i didn't mention greyhounds?
 
An ex race horse is more likely to be a chilled out person than plenty of cobs out there. He'll have been there, seen that AND got the tshirt. Most of them hack as part of their training so most likely they'll have seen traffic. He/she will have been handled by people who, as a rule, know how to deal with horses and therefore he will be mannerly for the farrier/vet for general handling.

I worked on a flat yard and I would have taken home any of our horses without a moments hesitation (I did have a couple) I think all of them would have turned into perfectly nice allrounders. Sometimes it takes a while for them to get used to being a pet in the sense they aren't used to being fussed constantly and are used to very strict routines but they get used to it.

If you aren't totally confident reschooling one for every day riding there are plenty of well organised schemes who will match you carefully to a horse and keep an eye on you. Darley and HEROS just for a start.

I don't know why the idea that they are difficult persists. Anyone who has ever worked with race horses will tell you that you don't get a higher proportion of flighty ones than in any other breed. Go for it :)
 
My ex racer is the most chilled out horse going, a bomb could go off next to him and he wouldn't flinch!!!! my other one on the other hand is a little bit sharper but wouldn't do anything nasty........

I highly recommend Darley rehoming, as that is where my second boy came from......
 
My horse is a flat ex-racer and we did all sorts...she was always the 'brave' one on hacks and looked after youngsters too. We did dressage and jumping - she took it all in her stride! She was very difficult to handle but that was mostly from the people who bought her after racing i think...very intelligent, liked to use her brain, sensitive to her surroundings and likes a routine - she screams to tell you off if it deviates!! I learnt to 'listen' to her and after that we got on better!
For all the time and patience it took - through no fault of her own or the fact that she was an ex-racer i think, I have learnt so much from her and after 15yrs together well worth it all!
I would do it again...maybe through one of the racehorse rehab centres ie. Greatwood.
 
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