ycbm
Overwhelmed
Congratulations Rachel, you make that look so easy. I think I'll probably be happy if I can pop 70cm on mine.
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Retraining ex-racers thread
- Thread starter TheMule
- Start date
Congratulations Rachel, you make that look so easy. I think I'll probably be happy if I can pop 70cm on mine.
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stangs
Well-Known Member
Love the way you ride, and love the way he goes for you. Very nice viewing.
McGrools
Well-Known Member
RachelFerd
Well-Known Member
Thank you, that's very kind - I was mainly just trying not to ride like an idiot in amongst all of the pros today
Bernster
Well-Known Member
Lovely riding RF, it does look effortless but I know it’s not!
Brian is a great name, Hamlet, he looks fab.
Brian is a great name, Hamlet, he looks fab.
Squeak
Well-Known Member
Well done RF, a big achievement to make it to and complete an intermediate. Agree with the others that you both made that look easy. Out of interest how old is he now?
RachelFerd
Well-Known Member
He's 12 now, so i'm really hoping we've got a good few years of being able to enjoy him at some of the big fancy events at 2* and the odd intermediate. He's a real dude and a complete pleasure to take out and about.
Squeak
Well-Known Member
Oh yes, that's a really good age to hopefully have a good few years to enjoy, for some reason I was thinking he was 16ish! It was encouraging at the RoR awards evening to hear the ages of the horses that were being awarded the prizes (I'm pretty sure the elite prizes too) as if I'm remembering correctly most of them were late teens +.
RachelFerd
Well-Known Member
I saw that Think Tank Think was back at Badminton Grassroots again this year aged 21 - 651 foundation points in total - this is a BE record to be very proud of for an ex racehorse - https://www.britisheventing.com/about/people-and-horses/horse-profiles/THINK-TANK-THINK-39964
Errin Paddywack
Well-Known Member
Very nice and beautifully ridden.
Bernster
Well-Known Member
What a campaigner! And the same rider all the way through. Fabulous. I remember his name, as I was there on the Thursday for the GR.
ycbm
Overwhelmed
Even more incredible than that, he's 22. Been eventing since 2007. Gives us hope, doesn't it?
ycbm
Overwhelmed
Hi! I'm so excited to join this thread. Here's Charlie, 17.1+hh staying flat racer, 7 years old. Won once with Frankie Dettori, stopped racing, sound, after his owner ran out of money.. Bought from the trainer after being let down for a few months.,
Arrived today, Starts his retraining process tomorrow.
Arrived today, Starts his retraining process tomorrow.
TheMule
Well-Known Member
Congratulations, and good luck!
McGrools
Well-Known Member
Beautiful! Congratulations!
Hamlet
Well-Known Member
Congrats ycbm! He’s got the sweetest face 
looking forward to the updates.
Not much going on in the life of Brian, other than learning to be chilled. He was a superstar out hacking today though as a pheasant shot out behind his nanny which caused said babysitter to leap forward and buck. Brian jumped out of his skin but then that was it…carried on marching around the fields like nothing had happened. Gave me a chance for the heart rate to come back down
looking forward to the updates.Not much going on in the life of Brian, other than learning to be chilled. He was a superstar out hacking today though as a pheasant shot out behind his nanny which caused said babysitter to leap forward and buck. Brian jumped out of his skin but then that was it…carried on marching around the fields like nothing had happened. Gave me a chance for the heart rate to come back down
Kunoichi73
Beware... My Plants...
He's lovely. Good luck with him!
J_sarahd
Well-Known Member
I’ve posted this on the weekend thread but thought I’d post it here too.
Nova and I went for our first outing together yesterday. It was an RoR pole clinic, which was ideal. I genuinely had no expectations of how it would go and was extremely nervous. Many of you will know we’ve had a few issues over the last few months but she’s had the all-clear to crack on. But she is still as sharp as anything so I was worried that she would just have a moment in the arena and I’d lose control or topple off.
She didn’t travel very well - she is fine if we are moving but as soon as we are still, she gets impatient. And then when I took her off the trailer, she was very anxious - calling, spinning, pawing. I was tempted to call it a day there as I was very nervous to get on her. But I tacked her up and took her to the school and led her around, working on keeping her attention through halts, backing up and changes of direction. She took a disliking to a tyre jump just outside the arena, so that took a few minutes to work through. But after 5 or so minutes, she let out a sigh and relaxed her body so I thought I should get on. Walked her round the arena and she was so chilled. Trotted on both reins, keeping to a 20m circle at first until I felt brave to trot the whole arena.
Then we started poles and there wasn’t a single time that she felt iffy about going over the poles. When I bought her, she was terrified of poles so the fact she will go over “new” poles is so exciting. There were times when we were stood around chatting and I expected her to then nap once it was my time to go, but she didn’t at all. We were the only combination who didn’t canter but I always feel you should leave clinics wanting more, not feeling disheartened.
Very proud of her. I’m not proud of my riding as I rode with the handbrake on a little bit and my reins are like washing lines. And I wonder why she goes around like a giraffe!
Nova and I went for our first outing together yesterday. It was an RoR pole clinic, which was ideal. I genuinely had no expectations of how it would go and was extremely nervous. Many of you will know we’ve had a few issues over the last few months but she’s had the all-clear to crack on. But she is still as sharp as anything so I was worried that she would just have a moment in the arena and I’d lose control or topple off.
She didn’t travel very well - she is fine if we are moving but as soon as we are still, she gets impatient. And then when I took her off the trailer, she was very anxious - calling, spinning, pawing. I was tempted to call it a day there as I was very nervous to get on her. But I tacked her up and took her to the school and led her around, working on keeping her attention through halts, backing up and changes of direction. She took a disliking to a tyre jump just outside the arena, so that took a few minutes to work through. But after 5 or so minutes, she let out a sigh and relaxed her body so I thought I should get on. Walked her round the arena and she was so chilled. Trotted on both reins, keeping to a 20m circle at first until I felt brave to trot the whole arena.
Then we started poles and there wasn’t a single time that she felt iffy about going over the poles. When I bought her, she was terrified of poles so the fact she will go over “new” poles is so exciting. There were times when we were stood around chatting and I expected her to then nap once it was my time to go, but she didn’t at all. We were the only combination who didn’t canter but I always feel you should leave clinics wanting more, not feeling disheartened.
Very proud of her. I’m not proud of my riding as I rode with the handbrake on a little bit and my reins are like washing lines. And I wonder why she goes around like a giraffe!
LEC
Opinions are like bum holes, everyone has one.
Better to have long reins and forwards relaxed than be holding onto the mouth and tense. The body shape and contact and be improved, relaxation can’t be if you don’t make the experiences positive ones.
ycbm
Overwhelmed
Nothing wrong with washing lines to start with 
. Charlie on my first day on him.
. Charlie on my first day on him.
J_sarahd
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I’d rather have long reins, a giraffe impression and a happy, positive experience than short reins, strong contact and a stressed Nova. I can work on head carriage, suppleness etc at home, these outings are about creating positive experiences at the moment!!
ycbm
Overwhelmed
Short reins when all they've known is racing is often taken as a cue to go forward faster. I've discovered mine won't lead from in front. I was afraid he was saying he didn't want to go back into his stable but I think it's a hangover from being loaded into stalls on the racetrack.
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J_sarahd
Well-Known Member
Oh, yeah I’ve definitely learnt that the hard way when Nova is out hacking and see feels a bit silly so I shorten my reins and it makes her worse! I always say to people that you don’t understand how different ex racehorses are to other horses until you have one!
Elf On A Shelf
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That's because when we are tootling too and from the gallops we ride without stirrups, reins in one hand chatting away to the people around you paying the horse very little attention
it's a hard thing to do when your horse dicks about when your not used to it but honestly - sack of spuds is quite often the best way forward.
Gamebird
Well-Known Member
I teach all my breakers to do this very early on. Almost before they go in the school I want them to be able to hack up and down the drive on a long rein with me messing around on FB on my phone! It's a great life skill. It gives them the responsibility to go forward and get on with it with zero input from the rider, and stops you fiddling about with them all the time and pissing them off.That's because when we are tootling too and from the gallops we ride without stirrups, reins in one hand chatting away to the people around you paying the horse very little attention
humblepie
Well-Known Member
Really funny I was only thinking about the short reins cue this morning in the light of this thread as we were wandering a long a track before turning back up for a canter.
Gamebird
Well-Known Member
Well I get to join in now too! Very happy to have been trusted with this chap in his retirement. He's been pretty successful, though fairly lightly raced, winning his PTP, bumper, over hurdles and fences - most recently last month at the Punchestown Festival.
I haven't ridden him yet - he only arrived yesterday and I promised my husband that I wouldn't get on if there was no-one at home - but I sorted out some tack tonight and he's been on the walker. He has a very small niggle, and needs to do 3 or 4 weeks walking, after which I think he deserves a month or two in the field.
I've had many ex-racers before, but I think this is the first I've actually had for me, rather than to produce and sell on. I'm very much looking forward to it, and to having the time to take things slowly. My background was originally eventing, but in the last 8 or 10 years has been almost exclusively open team chasing and hunt racing. This chap can do whatever he chooses, discipline-wise. I dare say he'll be on the start line of a team chase at some point, but I'd love for him to be a well-rounded all-rounder and all round fun horse. Fingers crossed!
I haven't ridden him yet - he only arrived yesterday and I promised my husband that I wouldn't get on if there was no-one at home - but I sorted out some tack tonight and he's been on the walker. He has a very small niggle, and needs to do 3 or 4 weeks walking, after which I think he deserves a month or two in the field.
I've had many ex-racers before, but I think this is the first I've actually had for me, rather than to produce and sell on. I'm very much looking forward to it, and to having the time to take things slowly. My background was originally eventing, but in the last 8 or 10 years has been almost exclusively open team chasing and hunt racing. This chap can do whatever he chooses, discipline-wise. I dare say he'll be on the start line of a team chase at some point, but I'd love for him to be a well-rounded all-rounder and all round fun horse. Fingers crossed!
SashaBabe
Well-Known Member
He's lovely. Hope you have lots of fun with him. 
Elf On A Shelf
...
The front of his face looks so much like Arthur!
He looks a cracking sort! Enjoy having your own horse for a change.