So, what is it with Racehorses?

[kirstyl]

Well said!

I agree! Very well said. Wouldn't it be lovely if all sellers had such a conscience?

 

[minkymoo]

Thanks for replying, these are all really interesting stories. I see alot of TB in my boy - the sharpness, the spooking so it is nice to read about it all!

 

[thatsmygirl]

As trainers of racehorses we obvioulsy continually rehome racehorses i will say its not always the horses fault that the purchaser does not get on with the horse. Some people selling/rehoming ex racehorses are far from honest about them in five years i have never had one complaint about a horse i have rehomed for my husband derek shaw as we are honest and if they have had injuries we tell people if they buck rear pull etc i tell people so everyone knows exactly what they are taking on and everyone is then happy but people are too quick to blame the horses. If someone is prepared to sell an exracehorse to a novice person when they know full well it can be strong buck etc then why is it the horses fault we should be blaming those selling the racehorses to the wrong people in the first place. Ex racehorses have seen more than most horses and if sold to the right person for the right discipline will make a wonderful cheap horse for life for people DONT BLAME THE HORSES!!!!

WELL SAID, iv worked with racehorses for years and owned tbs which were going for meat cause they were nutters!!!! The horses were fine it's the owners who had a problem. All the race horses WERE well handled and had good manners and good to ride, a bit quirky but never nasty. Also no horses on the yard had bad feet!!!! 55 tbs and not one bad set off feet.
I like my tbs and generally it's the owners who are at fault not the horse, get the diet and work load right and you will have a nice horse with good feet and iv never had a bad doer tb. Diet has a lot to do with things.

 

[Riverboy]

My ex racer is a senstive soul but with a heart of gold! I got her 2 years out of training and she had been sensitively reschooled - but her owner made me have her on trial for a month at his yard to make sure we got on before I could bring her home, and came down and gave me lessons for the first month she was at mine... not because she's nasty or difficult - but she is 'different' to other horses I've owned and ridden (and I broke in a TB who'd never raced before I had her).

She picks up on moods quickly and I often find myself having to take a deep breath and slow myself down and watch her do the same. But she's never nasty (though she IS sharp), tries her heart out when you ask her - less is more with her...

That said she would not be suitable for someone without some experience (though I am no an expert by any means) as you could easily bully or over face her.

She's not a great doer - but she puts weight back on as quickly as she looses it and its our first winter together and I'm still trying to find the 'right' feeding routine.

She does HATE changes in routine though - she went from a racing yard to a competition yard so is quite 'instutionalised'... hence in the same routine Mon - Fri I can hack her alone in the dark, do anything with her - treat myself to a lie in at the weekend and she can be an unexploded time bomb - simply due to be ridden 2 hrs later in the day...

I think however it is the difference in lifestyle that makes her like this - not her breed. The TB I had before had never raced and was a dope on a rope - needed very confident handling - but what youngster doesn't. He, unlike Bella, was a little 'special needs' and very accident prone... She is as bright as a button and VERY careful with herself....

They are quick though... my gosh can she shift when she wants to and even in walk we struggle to find hacking partners to keep up - but my Conne x arab was harder work than she is!!

Bit of a ramble - guess what I am trying to say is that a lot of the issues with Ex racers are down to nurture not nature - but the same is true of any horse where the expectations and lifestyle change so dramatically...

I'm really coming to admire and understand my mare - and have a strong feeling that once we fully trust each other she's going to be the horse I've waited my whole life to own...

t x

 

[nikkiportia]

A lot of ex racers also have very poor ground manners because a lot of racing stables don't feel the need to bother with them. So they can be tough to handle at first. .

Sorry, but I have to disagree with this!
Racehorses have done heaps of groundwork before they get broken, much more than your average hobby horse. Trust me I should know, lol, I spend August, September and October every year walking TB yearlings around and around paddocks
And when they go to the races they have to walk around and around the parade ring as well
The reason people find them hard to handle is often because their walk stride is long, and they are taught to walk on quite quickly, they're not used to being asked to go slower