Retraining ex-racers thread

[Elf On A Shelf]

He is a proper sprinter build isn't he! A proper stocky lad!

GrayMo was born and bred American. He was by Lasting Approval out of an Affirmed mare. But he was very much the opposite of your lad - tall and lanky!

 

[LEC]

Whereas I would be very excited about 4x bold bidder. The Sir Gaylord and 2x Princequillo. It’s a good pedigree for eventers.

 

[TheMule]

Another little update as Eagle continues to do really well with his re-training. Now he has a bit more strength we're working to develop the jump from canter a bit more- he finds it very easy to jump like a hurdler in canter, off a long, bold stride, but I need him to learn to slow and pop. He is massively improved, but it's a long road!
You can watch his and @LEC Aldi's latest efforts here-

 

[Squeak]

Another little update as Eagle continues to do really well with his re-training. Now he has a bit more strength we're working to develop the jump from canter a bit more- he finds it very easy to jump like a hurdler in canter, off a long, bold stride, but I need him to learn to slow and pop. He is massively improved, but it's a long road!
You can watch his and @LEC Aldi's latest efforts here-

Love seeing their progress, they're both improving so much.

 

[TheMule]

Love seeing their progress, they're both improving so much.

Thank you- they're both so wonderfully easy, it's just fun!

 

[TheMule]

The boys went out and about again- a bit of indoor training this time and a lesson with Eric Smiley who does a lot of ROR stuff so was a useful font of knowledge. Main takeaways- I need to be a bit more daring with the canter on Eagle to actually change it, get it slower and change the habit of lobbing along. Aldy needs to learn to be a bit surprised by a jump so his brain gets quicker thinking as apparently he struts around looking beautiful but without much else going on

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

Eagle looks like he is such a dude! Not my kind of ride though sorry ?? I like horses that take me forwards, as you say he does just lob along without a care in the world.

Aldy looks much more my type, more forward thinking. Though he kept going disunited on the tighter bend. Is this normal for him? We had one at the yard that did it and needed his hocks medicated.

 

[TheMule]

Eagle looks like he is such a dude! Not my kind of ride though sorry ?? I like horses that take me forwards, as you say he does just lob along without a care in the world.

.

Eagle was an absolute tank of a racehorse- every single race report refers to him being too keen and taking a strong hold. But I've just spent 4 months switching him off so that he's a nice ride for his new job. He is far more forward thinking than Aldy

 

[LEC]

Aldy looks much more my type, more forward thinking. Though he kept going disunited on the tighter bend. Is this normal for him? We had one at the yard that did it and needed his hocks medicated.

He isn’t forward thinking at all - hocks are 100%. He just can’t hold his canter on his harder rein because he gets unbalanced and because he is desperate to sit on the right rein/shoulder. He struggles to turn right as well which makes you desperate to grab right rein but he needs to learn. When he first arrived he was solid in right rein and grabbed it all the time but is now nearly even in both after a lot of work.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

Eagle was an absolute tank of a racehorse- every single race report refers to him being too keen and taking a strong hold. But I've just spent 4 months switching him off so that he's a nice ride for his new job. He is far more forward thinking than Aldy

Really? He looks like an absolute plod! Sorry ? You've done a great job with him to change his way of going round completely.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

He isn’t forward thinking at all - hocks are 100%. He just can’t hold his canter on his harder rein because he gets unbalanced and because he is desperate to sit on the right rein/shoulder. He struggles to turn right as well which makes you desperate to grab right rein but he needs to learn. When he first arrived he was solid in right rein and grabbed it all the time but is now nearly even in both after a lot of work.

That makes sense. Its amazing how many racehorses hang or just simply hold one rein given that most go in fairly straight lines or if they do go round circles or bends they go both ways evenly.

I rode one horse, lovely wee thing he was, if you only rode him on a straight line he was the nicest, peachiest ride in the yard, straight as a die. You went round a bend on him and he hung like a one hinged, upside down rusty gate. You may as well have taken your left rein off and left in the stable as you weren't going to be using it. There was nothing physically wrong with him to make him do this it was just how he did things.

 

[TheMule]

Really? He looks like an absolute plod! Sorry ? You've done a great job with him to change his way of going round completely.

Lol- it's really funny that he comes over that way now, and actually quite gratifying! There's a video somewhere of us doing a wall of death around the same arena about 6 weeks ago and clattering through every fence at 100mph

 

[J_sarahd]

Feeling quite disheartened this evening. After a few weeks of Nova being amazing and us progressing nicely, she had a few days off. I changed her bit too to a comfy barrel snaffle. Today I decided to school with a friend - she’s only been in the school once with others and she was quite well-behaved.

I asked her for trot and she completely lost it and chucked me off, taking her bridle with me. I know she’s most likely just being nappy but I am feeling pretty pants about it right now.

 

[Carrottom]

Feeling quite disheartened this evening. After a few weeks of Nova being amazing and us progressing nicely, she had a few days off. I changed her bit too to a comfy barrel snaffle. Today I decided to school with a friend - she’s only been in the school once with others and she was quite well-behaved.

I asked her for trot and she completely lost it and chucked me off, taking her bridle with me. I know she’s most likely just being nappy but I am feeling pretty pants about it right now.

Aw, sorry to read that, these things do happen, hope you are OK.
Could you try doing some in hand work with someone else in the school to regain confidence.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

Aw, sorry to read that, these things do happen, hope you are OK.
Could you try doing some in hand work with someone else in the school to regain confidence.

Yeah, I would do some in hand work and also not try this again directly after she's had a few days off from work? she was possibly feeling too fresh and had some funny ideas.

Bringing along ex-racers and/or youngsters is a journey that goes in zig zags sometimes...ups and downs. Happens to the best of us.

 

[TheMule]

Yeah, I would do some in hand work and also not try this again directly after she's had a few days off from work? she was possibly feeling too fresh and had some funny ideas.

Bringing along ex-racers and/or youngsters is a journey that goes in zig zags sometimes...ups and downs. Happens to the best of us.

Totally agree with this- it's easy to think everyone else is just following a straight line of progression but we're really not! I fell out with Eagle schooling today over something really trivial and had to just get off and remind myself how far we've come.

 

[J_sarahd]

Yeah I kind of had a bit of an existential crisis about it, more because I know this is the nature of having young ex racehorses and I didn’t know if I’d done the right thing buying her. But now I’ve had a sleep, I’m feeling better. She’s been 99% perfect recently, so it’s bound to happen. I am going to do some in-hand stuff with others in the arena and build on that. I need to get her used to others in there, but I don’t want to overface her.

I also realised last night that her bit may have been too high. Probably such a minor thing but it could have contributed to the overall tension. I changed it on Sunday to try another bit and I had to put it up as the bit was bigger, but I forgot to put the cheek pieces down today.

I’m going to hop on today for my confidence more than anything and have a quick 10 minute walk and trot on our own.

 

[humblepie]

Yeah I kind of had a bit of an existential crisis about it, more because I know this is the nature of having young ex racehorses and I didn’t know if I’d done the right thing buying her. But now I’ve had a sleep, I’m feeling better. She’s been 99% perfect recently, so it’s bound to happen. I am going to do some in-hand stuff with others in the arena and build on that. I need to get her used to others in there, but I don’t want to overface her.

I also realised last night that her bit may have been too high. Probably such a minor thing but it could have contributed to the overall tension. I changed it on Sunday to try another bit and I had to put it up as the bit was bigger, but I forgot to put the cheek pieces down today.

I’m going to hop on today for my confidence more than anything and have a quick 10 minute walk and trot on our own.

Hope all goes well - there will definitely be blips along the journey. Mine used to want to follow the other horses around - had very helpful riding club trainers who were happy for me to go to their clinics and build on him doing his own thing in a group lesson.

 

[J_sarahd]

Hope all goes well - there will definitely be blips along the journey. Mine used to want to follow the other horses around - had very helpful riding club trainers who were happy for me to go to their clinics and build on him doing his own thing in a group lesson.

Thank you. I think that's something I will look to do after her winter break, definitely. The girls on my yard have regular "away from home" lessons, so it may be that eventually we go to them with the aim of just being in the arena do, like you said, doing our own thing. But before her winter break, I'll definitely get cracking on just being in the arena at home with others in hand and then eventually ridden.

I was told this morning that she napped when being led out to her field. She usually naps to and from her field when she's in season and has to go past two geldings (one of whom was cut late and definitely thinks he's still a stallion) so I'm thinking that may be what's happening. She doesn't really get many behavioural changes during her seasons since putting her on agnus castus, but she is definitely nappier. I've tried to keep a diary of her seasons but with the symptoms being so subtle now, it's difficult and I don't want to take her off the agnus castus because she's much happier now.

 

[AandK]

I would try the old bit again. I tried a barrel type bit with my exracer, he said in no uncertain terms he did not like it! Didn't throw me off but was very chompy and humpy. Changed back to old bit straight away and all good again.

 

[J_sarahd]

I did think that maybe it was the bit yesterday as obviously that was one of the two variables about yesterday's ride. But, I tried her in a barrel bit on Sunday and she went so sweetly, like the best she's ever gone - but that bit was too big (hence the cheek pieces having to go up) so I had to buy a new one - which is the one I tried yesterday. Obviously, if she's still the same again today, I will change back to her old bit but I really don't think she liked that. It's a single jointed D ring - which I've read aren't good for TBs anyway - and any time I so much as touched the reins, her head shot up.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

Thank you. I think that's something I will look to do after her winter break, definitely. The girls on my yard have regular "away from home" lessons, so it may be that eventually we go to them with the aim of just being in the arena do, like you said, doing our own thing. But before her winter break, I'll definitely get cracking on just being in the arena at home with others in hand and then eventually ridden.
.

When you are ready to venture away from home look for RoR Club Nights local to you. They are very low key, no pressure environments where everyone has been through the retraining process or is just starting it. Groups are tailored to horse experience so you could easily slot into a group of people who just want to mosey about chatting, chilling and letting their horses see life away from racing. Most groups do not exceed 4 horses. There is always a qualified instructor present to help you with anything too. I went to one a couple of weeks ago and both horses in the arena had never been in an indoor before or away from their new homes with their new owners. One did a fair bit of walk and trot work and had a wee canter at the end as the horse was so good. The other one just walked about taking in life and worked on bending and stretching. The lady wanted to do no more and expected to leave after 20mins. Instead an hour later she was beaming from ear to ear with a much more relaxed horse who she will do more with next time.

The RoR Club Nights really are designed for this purpose.

 

[J_sarahd]

When you are ready to venture away from home look for RoR Club Nights local to you. They are very low key, no pressure environments where everyone has been through the retraining process or is just starting it. Groups are tailored to horse experience so you could easily slot into a group of people who just want to mosey about chatting, chilling and letting their horses see life away from racing. Most groups do not exceed 4 horses. There is always a qualified instructor present to help you with anything too. I went to one a couple of weeks ago and both horses in the arena had never been in an indoor before or away from their new homes with their new owners. One did a fair bit of walk and trot work and had a wee canter at the end as the horse was so good. The other one just walked about taking in life and worked on bending and stretching. The lady wanted to do no more and expected to leave after 20mins. Instead an hour later she was beaming from ear to ear with a much more relaxed horse who she will do more with next time.

The RoR Club Nights really are designed for this purpose.

Oh wow, thank you that sounds like something we could really, really benefit from. I will definitely look into this when I am ready next year as it sounds perfect for what we need.

 

[BACR]

Hi all, just thought I'd resurrect this thread to see how everyones exracers are going and plans for 2023.

Mine has turned into a super hack over the last year, we're having a lovely time together. As he was very heavily raced, I decided to use give him the opportunity to enjoy a low key year and it seems to have worked, we've gone from shut down robot to huge personality. He's become very expressive, both with his personality and his movement, which is fantastic. We're just about to buy a big truck so we can get out and about with the aim to be eventing by the end of the season.

Would be great to hear everyone else's progress and plans as well.

 

[LEC]

Mine is turning into a nice chap. He is being aimed for the Cotswold Cup but will on the whole have a quiet season while he learns his job. I think he will go further than I expected and I am happy to give him the time this year to get it right.

 

[J_sarahd]

Nova has had 3 months off and has come back into work really well. I had my first sit back on her on Tuesday for a plod down the lane and apart from a mini tantrum because I wouldn’t let her jog to catch up with a pony 300m away, she was perfect. Even better than before her holiday! Plenty more hacking until our saddle check on 20th and then we will see.

 

[humblepie]

Mine is at the other end of the scale so contesting veteran classes - enjoy reading everyone else's experiences with their new ones. Had hoped to be out to the very early shows and get some qualifications in, but unfortunately not been able to do.

 

[RachelFerd]

Mine is turning into a nice chap. He is being aimed for the Cotswold Cup but will on the whole have a quiet season while he learns his job. I think he will go further than I expected and I am happy to give him the time this year to get it right.

He really is a *very* nice horse!

 

[Squeak]

Mine is turning into a nice chap. He is being aimed for the Cotswold Cup but will on the whole have a quiet season while he learns his job. I think he will go further than I expected and I am happy to give him the time this year to get it right.

He is looking really smart and in really lovely condition too.

 

[Squeak]

Hi all, just thought I'd resurrect this thread to see how everyones exracers are going and plans for 2023.

Mine has turned into a super hack over the last year, we're having a lovely time together. As he was very heavily raced, I decided to use give him the opportunity to enjoy a low key year and it seems to have worked, we've gone from shut down robot to huge personality. He's become very expressive, both with his personality and his movement, which is fantastic. We're just about to buy a big truck so we can get out and about with the aim to be eventing by the end of the season.

Would be great to hear everyone else's progress and plans as well.

A year predominantly hacking completely transformed mine. I need to be careful this year to make sure that I don't get too wrapped up in everything else and not manage to do enough hacking.