bonny
Well-Known Member
He’s very nice and obviously very talented, sounds like you two will have lots of fun together 
can we have a name ?
can we have a name ?
Retraining ex-racers thread
- Thread starter TheMule
- Start date
Squeak
Well-Known Member
Oh he's very lovely. I love his markings, I always seem to end up with plain bays with a star of some sort so anything else seems wildly exciting!
humblepie
Well-Known Member
How lovely to have one of your own - I think I know who he is from a bit of Punchestown stalking (!) but won't mention any names. Looking forward to watching his progress.
Gamebird
Well-Known Member
He’s very nice and obviously very talented, sounds like you two will have lots of fun together
I'll say that he won the 3m7 chase on the last day of the Festival last month... And leave it there! I have met him before, certainly when he ran at Cheltenham, but have never ridden him or led him up.
bonny
Well-Known Member
You’ve got yourself a very nice horse
Gamebird
Well-Known Member
I hope so! It was very kind of his trainer/owner to think of me, and im very grateful to them .You’ve got yourself a very nice horse
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Splash2310
Well-Known Member
He’s gorgeous! Wishing you lots of fun
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
Gamebird
Well-Known Member
Hopped on tonight. He's grand 
Hamlet
Well-Known Member
He’s a lovely looking boy, hope you have fun with him! And I hope everyone has been getting on well with their ex-racers!
Brian has taken his time to settle in but we’re getting there. I think field hacking is quite new to him and also our arena is right by his field where his friends often still are when he’s working so it’s taken some time to get used to all the above but we’ve turned a corner this week
We have our first mini lesson coming up, just half an hour with mostly walk and some trotting I imagine but I’m excited. 
What I do know for sure is that he is the sweetest, friendliest horse I’ve ever known.
AandK
Well-Known Member
My guy has been going great guns this year after the sh1te show that was last year. This time last year I’d just found he had ulcers. We’ve just had our first canter under saddle for over a year (not as bad as I thought it might be!) and first time hacking up on the downs since November. He is going and looking so well at the moment. Here he is doing some post groundwork arena maintenance this morning.
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ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
Charlie's muscling up nicely, hacking alone with only a little hesitation, learnt a leg yield this morning. He's mighty confused about this strange idea I have a creating a bend 
I'm hopeful he's going to manage to stay barefoot, the signs are good so far.
I'm hopeful he's going to manage to stay barefoot, the signs are good so far. 
JBM
Well-Known Member
Some screenshots of a video of me and Barry at a dressage lesson
Learning to bend and drop his head and I’m learning to ask with a bit
Sorry about the position was out of saddle 3 weeks for exams
He attempted to leg yield and got 2 steps was very proud
Learning to bend and drop his head and I’m learning to ask with a bit
Sorry about the position was out of saddle 3 weeks for exams
He attempted to leg yield and got 2 steps was very proud
Attachments
criso
Coming over here & taking your jobs since 1900
Mine seems to find lateral work remarkably easy though not necessarily on demand.
Instructor's comment at a pole clinic last week when trying to tell us how dangerous poles can be " that's actually an advanced dressage move*
He's been in a spooky mood since I got back from holiday, not just ridden, we bounced sideways coming in from the field yesterday and exploded on the lunge because a duck quacked. Farm machinery is of course as ever our friend.
I'm putting it down to spring grass, he's picked up weight and looks very well. Hoping the swap to night turnout today might help.
Instructor's comment at a pole clinic last week when trying to tell us how dangerous poles can be " that's actually an advanced dressage move*
He's been in a spooky mood since I got back from holiday, not just ridden, we bounced sideways coming in from the field yesterday and exploded on the lunge because a duck quacked. Farm machinery is of course as ever our friend.
I'm putting it down to spring grass, he's picked up weight and looks very well. Hoping the swap to night turnout today might help.
humblepie
Well-Known Member
Lol to the duck quack.
vhf
Well-Known Member
Such a nice stamp of a horse!Charlie's muscling up nicely, hacking alone with only a little hesitation, learnt a leg yield this morning. He's mighty confused about this strange idea I have a creating a bend
View attachment 115122
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
Thank you, he is turning out even better than I had hoped. He has a temperament worth his weight in gold.
The trainers, who I think have been completely honest about him, have another who has been let down from race fitness and is now ready to leave. I think it's black and will be a very good looking horse, but I've not seen it. Ex flat racer again. If anyone is looking for one, PM me.
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Errin Paddywack
Well-Known Member
I wish my mare had legs like Charlie's, she would still be rideable if so. He is a lovely looking horse.
Elf On A Shelf
...
I always said that when Gray was in one of his moods Carl Hester would run over and offer a blank cheque for him!
Serious moves just not required at the time 
J_sarahd
Well-Known Member
I am feeling like I had a breakthrough with Nova yesterday. She came back from her few weeks off on Monday and we’ve kept things steady. I hacked her out the other day on her own to the end of the lane and back (probably a 1km round trip). Despite a couple of calls on the way out and a spook at a pheasant (which wasn’t half as bad as it could have been!!) she was perfect and just plodding along. I need to get my confidence back up with hacking as we have so much great hacking around us.
Then I went in the school for 5 minutes yesterday as I’ve changed her bit (again!!) and wanted to see if it made any difference. She was her normal self to start with but once I started to ask her to come long and low, well!! It seemed she was starting to understand. We got a half a 20m circle of long and low on both reins in walk and I honestly couldn’t be happier.
Then I went in the school for 5 minutes yesterday as I’ve changed her bit (again!!) and wanted to see if it made any difference. She was her normal self to start with but once I started to ask her to come long and low, well!! It seemed she was starting to understand. We got a half a 20m circle of long and low on both reins in walk and I honestly couldn’t be happier.
Hamlet
Well-Known Member
Why did I get a grey
Brian worked up a sweat after our first lesson yesterday, unfortunately he got himself in a bit of a pickle before I’d even got on which set the tone for the lesson. It’s not all bad though because at least we had that session with my instructor there - I probably would have gotten off after five minutes if she wasn’t! I also stayed on all his massive spooks and learned how to get him back to me pretty quickly and not once did he think of throwing in a buck which I was half expecting.
And by the end we had some lovely trot work
By far our worst ride but also the one that’s given me the most confidence?? Wanted to ride again today to cement what we’ve done but my fingers are shredded as I didn’t get a chance to put my gloves on once onboard
so I think some groundwork in the arena will do him some good instead. I’m eyeing up a very local (five minutes) unaff dressage comp next month. They don’t do school hire but it would be nice to get him out and it’s a nice open venue, would go with the intention of just schooling, entering the first intro (when it’s usually very quiet) and prepared to withdraw if he doesn’t settle? Has anyone done that before?
J_sarahd
Well-Known Member
That’s my plan with Nova too, Hamlet. There’s a local one to us that’s “dress down”, so very casual. Not bothered about the score - if we can go into the boards, do something and come out of the boards with me still on top I’ll be over the moon!
AandK
Well-Known Member
I'm planning similar with my guy if/when we get that far. Local quiet dressage, ask to be first rider of the day (which means Intro test) and just see how we get on!
Flowerofthefen
Well-Known Member
For my first few shows with my little tb ( not with us anymore) I asked to go first in the intro class. I made sure I was there in good time so I could get him settled in the warm up on his own then have other horses join us. I didn't worry about the test, it was the rest that I was more concerned about!! He was a really good lad. I would then come out the ring, back into the busier warm up and just wonder round for a few mins. Worked a treat.
Hamlet
Well-Known Member
Thanks all, I think if our ridden sessions over the next week mostly go well I’ll look to enter it as a schooling opportunity. Anything in the boards will be a bonus!
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
Charlie has been with me a month and today he met the last milestones that I was hoping to have achieved by the 3 month mark.
We're up to nearly an hour in the saddle with big increases in strength in his back. I'm now over 95% sure he's never going to need to be shod for what I want to do, though he may continue to need front boots.
Today we passed other people on the farm ride and were passed by some others, both for the first time. He didn't give a damn about passing others and leaving them behind. Being passed he just watched them trot off without breaking out of a walk. Oddly when they went on up the hill and we turned left he got agitated for a few yards but soon calmed down.
And we had our first canter, only short because he was laid off for 5 months until I bought him. He rolled along like a limo and pulled up with a squeeze of the rein.
He's absolutely everything I was promised he was by the trainer. Sweet, gentle, kind without a bad or naughty bone in his very big body. I'd forgotten just how much I love riding big horses.
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We're up to nearly an hour in the saddle with big increases in strength in his back. I'm now over 95% sure he's never going to need to be shod for what I want to do, though he may continue to need front boots.
Today we passed other people on the farm ride and were passed by some others, both for the first time. He didn't give a damn about passing others and leaving them behind. Being passed he just watched them trot off without breaking out of a walk. Oddly when they went on up the hill and we turned left he got agitated for a few yards but soon calmed down.
And we had our first canter, only short because he was laid off for 5 months until I bought him. He rolled along like a limo and pulled up with a squeeze of the rein.
He's absolutely everything I was promised he was by the trainer. Sweet, gentle, kind without a bad or naughty bone in his very big body. I'd forgotten just how much I love riding big horses.
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humblepie
Well-Known Member
Sounds fabulous and well settled. Lovely update.
Kunoichi73
Beware... My Plants...
He sounds like an absolute star! 
RachelFerd
Well-Known Member
My lovely boy went to Catton Park today and we finished 4th in the Novice Masters class with a good double clear. He was the quickest in our class XC, which was amusing because that meant he actually went quicker than the Cheltenham winner Saphir du Rheu who was also in our class. And mine was totally useless on the track
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
My lovely boy went to Catton Park today and we finished 4th in the Novice Masters class with a good double clear. He was the quickest in our class XC, which was amusing because that meant he actually went quicker than the Cheltenham winner Saphir du Rheu who was also in our class. And mine was totally useless on the track
I'm jealous, I used to love Catton, one of the special country house courses.
Well done!
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