Talk to me about your ex racers

[cobbycobgirl]

This August I acquired a beautiful ex racer and I’m in LOVE!
She’s on holiday until spring to grow up a bit and enjoy her childhood and in the meantime I really want to learn more about what’s best to do with her when she’s ready to come back into work!

How did you guys go about getting your ex racers back into normal horsey life? Especially hacking out, something she’s never done!

What have you found they excel in and just tell me about them in general

 

[Cragrat]

Most race horses actually do do some hacking, and they see a lot of sights and sounds at the racecourse.

I bought mine as a 5 y/o, a few days after his last race. I hacked with another horse the day after he arrived, and alone the day after that.

My daughter bought hers as a 2.5 y/o, about 6 weeks after her last race. She also started hacking straight away.

With both, the tactic was to gently teach them straight away that life from now on still had purpose, but that it was at a slower pace than they were used to. After they had got the hang of mooching around, we started gradually introducing basic schooling. The younger one then had the winter off, and spent the next couple of summers just doing gentle hacking and very short schooling sessions once or twice a blue moon. She's now 6 and working well.

Ours live out 24/7 in the summer, in a small herd, which was something they had to get used too as well. They are used to being in a busy yard, with routines and comings and goings. Mine hadn't had turn out since he was a yearling - it definitly took some getting used to for him. Being ridden was almost a relief for him - it was a bit of normality - which is quite sad. The younger one very quickly remembered how to be mud monster

 

[cobbycobgirl]

Most race horses actually do do some hacking, and they see a lot of sights and sounds at the racecourse.

I bought mine as a 5 y/o, a few days after his last race. I hacked with another horse the day after he arrived, and alone the day after that.

My daughter bought hers as a 2.5 y/o, about 6 weeks after her last race. She also started hacking straight away.

With both, the tactic was to gently teach them straight away that life from now on still had purpose, but that it was at a slower pace than they were used to. After they had got the hang of mooching around, we started gradually introducing basic schooling. The younger one then had the winter off, and spent the next couple of summers just doing gentle hacking and very short schooling sessions once or twice a blue moon. She's now 6 and working well.

Ours live out 24/7 in the summer, in a small herd, which was something they had to get used too as well. They are used to being in a busy yard, with routines and comings and goings. Mine hadn't had turn out since he was a yearling - it definitly took some getting used to for him. Being ridden was almost a relief for him - it was a bit of normality - which is quite sad. The younger one very quickly remembered how to be mud monster

This is lovely! I can’t wait to start hacking on mine! We’ll need to go alone though as my other pony is a bit of a nightmare. How would you recommend getting started on their own?

No turn out since being a yearling sounds TOUGH! Yours seem to have such a lovely life with you

 

[Cragrat]

This is lovely! I can’t wait to start hacking on mine! We’ll need to go alone though as my other pony is a bit of a nightmare. How would you recommend getting started on their own?

No turn out since being a yearling sounds TOUGH! Yours seem to have such a lovely life with you

He is spoilt rotten, and deserves it

 

[tyner]

Congratulations and enjoy

I think whats most important is that they are all individuals.

Unfortunately they haven't really had a chance to have much agency in their early lives and are quite good at "masking" behavior as compliance serves them well in the training environment.

Cortisol stress levels and handler perception

The really hot blooded TB with all their emotions on the surface is harder to find these days.Those are a joy and comparatively easy because you really know what you are working with. But those that are quiet may be hiding a storm that is not visible (see linked article above) and bottling it up. They are so gracious and willing and want to please. Because of this they can endure a lot.

If you want to build a different type of relationship with them.. for example a bond based on consent /trust, rather than the traditional way/pressure/release, in my experience (restarted about 20 ex racers, albeit majority of them a long time ago, have just one now) it can take a bit longer for them as compared to starting a horse from nothing. Not that they are resistant or unintelligent. Rather they need to rewire their brains essentially to understand that communication is not just a top down thing, being told what to do, it's a two way street that both can partake in. Once the lightbulb goes off and they get that confidence, it's really special.

They are capable of much more than people realize. Rehoming people usually put it in context of athletic ability, but if you give them a chance to use their brains you would be surprised how intelligent they are.

Mine is a highly inbred, broke down at his last race, busted up chap who went unsold at the sales and whom I sprung from the meat truck. He was gelded late and instead of spooking at things, he fights them. But he also knows the difference between left and right, how to paint and lots of tricks by voice command. He loves to learn and is curious about everything.

He's cost me a fortune to repair, and broken my heart a thousand times. To anyone else he's another bay horse with lumps and bumps and who would be laughed out of the show ring at a ROR show. To me, he's the entire world. I love him uncontrollably and being a Thoroughbred, he puts up with it

 

[Cragrat]

Very interesting article. Both ours are stressy, but in different ways. The one who was in racing the least I described as a crab in her fisrt year with us - if she didn't understand something she would retreat into a shell and shut down totally She can also be explosive and overreactive. She does however want to please, and is hugely clever

 

[Barton Bounty]

I am an unconditional thoroughbred lover. I have just lost my heart horse a month ago who was a hot head and have jumped right in with a 3 yo french tb he is absolutely amazing in every way possible.

So a few tips to get yourself hacking out happily on your horse…

Do it alone,, that way when you do have company , its nice but he/she wont expect it, and get stressy and nap.

Do little bits at a time. Start off just 20 minutes, or even 10, just build on it every time.

Over praise every single time she/he manages to do something really good. Lots of good boys/girls etc.

And if you feel he/she is getting a bit nervous, sing away , we all do it, it calms their nerves, yes we all felt stupid at first, ten green bottles, happy birthday or taylor swift whatever you want but it really does work.

I chat to my horse all through the hack anyway, in fact I rarely shut up

 

[danda]

I suspect the younger they are when you get them the easier it is to change their behaviour. Mine was 8 years old and had been racing from 2 years old. He was sold when he stopped winning.
he was a big powerful horse and to be honest I was not up to the mark to really make significant changes so I mostly rode out alone as with others he always wanted to get in front And if others wanted a canter he was off.

to me they are the most beautiful horses but not easy. He lived to 27 so I managed healthwise ok but hacking our was always stressful so he was nervous of many things and I was obviously not giving him enough confidence to trust me to look after him. If I was younger I’d do it again!

 

[webble]

@tyner that's really interesting thank you for sharing the link. I've always wondered why there wasn't more genomic testing in horses at higher levels, it would likely mean less wastage

From memory temperament in cattle is only around 35% heritable though so making breeding choices based on it might have limited affect

 

[humblepie]

Mine was 8 and had raced since a two year old. He was kept at a yard where he wouldn’t need to hack off site. We started by my OH leading my older ex racehorse with us around a small circular hack then to OH on foot then doing that familiar route on his own. He’d also hack out with others. I’ll fully admit I had quite a few early hacks alone where I got off which was my lack of confidence rather than him really doing anything. He’d neigh quite a lot. Someone else also rode him for me and she was more confident which helped him. Moving forward I can’t remember the last time we hacked out in company and he’s now a lovely hack.

Sounds very exciting and just don’t rush or feel you should be doing x by a certain date. They are all different with different life experiences.

 

[ycbm]

I suspect the younger they are when you get them the easier it is to change their behaviour.

That's certainly my experience. I used to buy 3 or 4 year olds and found them pretty easy to convert to a different way of moving. Another 3 years down the line my 7 year old has found it a challenge to understand that I want him to use his whole body a different way and at 5 months is still inconsistent in whether he responds softly to a half halt or whether he sets his shoulders against it. I've felt sorry for him at times when he's said "I don't understand. Why do you need to change what I've done for 5 years and never known any different?".
.

 

[ycbm]

Feet.

It isn't true that all TBs have rubbish feet. But it is true, imo, that far more than any other breed have feet that run forward and go flat with a collapsed heel, long toe and a thin sole when shod, especially so if they were shod young.

If you must shoe, then you're far less likely to have problems if you can give your horse 3 months a year out of shoes.
.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

I bought my current exracer when he was 10. He hadn't run for around 6 months when I got him, he had had a summer of doing normal horse things. The only issue I had with him was turnout. He absolutely hated being turned out in the winter as NH /pointer horses are obviously stabled in winter. It's taken 6 years for him to be happy enough to be turned out in the mornings during winter. I doubt he will change now!! Fab feet, fab to clip, fab to load. Wouldn't change him for anything.

 

[ycbm]

Mouths.

Because they aren't usually started with any concern for the creation of an educated mouth, my experience is that a much higher proportion of ex racers than other horses will be gobby gurners who never give up opening their mouths, if not grinding or clacking their teeth to show their irritation.
.

 

[ycbm]

Keep calm and carry on!

Don't try to calm an over excited ex racer down by slowing it up. Even worse, by standing still. This rarely does anything but make the situation much worse and potentially explosive.

Get the horse moving, keep it bent so it can't tank off, put its mind and body to work. That's how to calm down an ex racer TB.
.

 

[cobbycobgirl]

Congratulations and enjoy

I think whats most important is that they are all individuals.

Unfortunately they haven't really had a chance to have much agency in their early lives and are quite good at "masking" behavior as compliance serves them well in the training environment.

Cortisol stress levels and handler perception

The really hot blooded TB with all their emotions on the surface is harder to find these days.Those are a joy and comparatively easy because you really know what you are working with. But those that are quiet may be hiding a storm that is not visible (see linked article above) and bottling it up. They are so gracious and willing and want to please. Because of this they can endure a lot.

If you want to build a different type of relationship with them.. for example a bond based on consent /trust, rather than the traditional way/pressure/release, in my experience (restarted about 20 ex racers, albeit majority of them a long time ago, have just one now) it can take a bit longer for them as compared to starting a horse from nothing. Not that they are resistant or unintelligent. Rather they need to rewire their brains essentially to understand that communication is not just a top down thing, being told what to do, it's a two way street that both can partake in. Once the lightbulb goes off and they get that confidence, it's really special.

They are capable of much more than people realize. Rehoming people usually put it in context of athletic ability, but if you give them a chance to use their brains you would be surprised how intelligent they are.

Mine is a highly inbred, broke down at his last race, busted up chap who went unsold at the sales and whom I sprung from the meat truck. He was gelded late and instead of spooking at things, he fights them. But he also knows the difference between left and right, how to paint and lots of tricks by voice command. He loves to learn and is curious about everything.

He's cost me a fortune to repair, and broken my heart a thousand times. To anyone else he's another bay horse with lumps and bumps and who would be laughed out of the show ring at a ROR show. To me, he's the entire world. I love him uncontrollably and being a Thoroughbred, he puts up with it

I agree with you so so much! When my new baby first came I tried to continue with how she was traditionally taught (pressure and release) and she was quite reactive. Once i showed her I was someone to be trusted, she became a friend! I started listening to what she wanted (eg, if she turns away from her rug, she simply doesn’t want it on) Still as spirited and lively as ever (which is exactly what I want and expect!) but kind and loving too!
I’ve never been more in love with a horse ♡

 

[cobbycobgirl]

I am an unconditional thoroughbred lover. I have just lost my heart horse a month ago who was a hot head and have jumped right in with a 3 yo french tb he is absolutely amazing in every way possible.

So a few tips to get yourself hacking out happily on your horse…

Do it alone,, that way when you do have company , its nice but he/she wont expect it, and get stressy and nap.

Do little bits at a time. Start off just 20 minutes, or even 10, just build on it every time.

Over praise every single time she/he manages to do something really good. Lots of good boys/girls etc.

And if you feel he/she is getting a bit nervous, sing away , we all do it, it calms their nerves, yes we all felt stupid at first, ten green bottles, happy birthday or taylor swift whatever you want but it really does work.

I chat to my horse all through the hack anyway, in fact I rarely shut up

Thank you so so much for the advice! I really want to hack alone but EVERYONE tells me not to, and wait for the nanny horse.
I completely understand why they say this but, when we go hacking in hand with eachother, she is extremely looking (which makes sense, she’s gone from a race yard to a random farm in Wales), but genuinely looks after me.
I might just take the plunge and do it

 

[cobbycobgirl]

I suspect the younger they are when you get them the easier it is to change their behaviour. Mine was 8 years old and had been racing from 2 years old. He was sold when he stopped winning.
he was a big powerful horse and to be honest I was not up to the mark to really make significant changes so I mostly rode out alone as with others he always wanted to get in front And if others wanted a canter he was off.

to me they are the most beautiful horses but not easy. He lived to 27 so I managed healthwise ok but hacking our was always stressful so he was nervous of many things and I was obviously not giving him enough confidence to trust me to look after him. If I was younger I’d do it again!

Thank you for sharing your story! Interesting point about the younger they are the better for changing their behaviour. My little girl is 4 and she’s gone from a bit of a stress head (rearing and screaming) to the chillest youngster I’ve ever met!
I expect hacking to be a bit of a challenge but oh well! I’m still in my bouncy years

 

[Barton Bounty]

Thank you so so much for the advice! I really want to hack alone but EVERYONE tells me not to, and wait for the nanny horse.
I completely understand why they say this but, when we go hacking in hand with eachother, she is extremely looking (which makes sense, she’s gone from a race yard to a random farm in Wales), but genuinely looks after me.
I might just take the plunge and do it

I hacked alone and bitless so definitely have faith in yourself.

Do not wait for a nanny horse… youll be forever waiting for someone to be available to ride, then something will come up , they cant make it, their horse goes lame!

Of she is looky! Its all brand new! My horse was a frikking nutcase!
But I wasnt and that is the difference, I stayed calm, he trusted me implicitly and that is how it works.
Oh and BB was 7 when I got him and has a really successful career so was a hot head a fruitloop. It takes time, patience and treats

 

[cobbycobgirl]

Mine was 8 and had raced since a two year old. He was kept at a yard where he wouldn’t need to hack off site. We started by my OH leading my older ex racehorse with us around a small circular hack then to OH on foot then doing that familiar route on his own. He’d also hack out with others. I’ll fully admit I had quite a few early hacks alone where I got off which was my lack of confidence rather than him really doing anything. He’d neigh quite a lot. Someone else also rode him for me and she was more confident which helped him. Moving forward I can’t remember the last time we hacked out in company and he’s now a lovely hack.

Sounds very exciting and just don’t rush or feel you should be doing x by a certain date. They are all different with different life experiences.

Thank you for this. Good advice there!
I wish i could take my feral little pony out with us as company! I’ve been going in hand with her, just the two of us and so far so good I think.

Thank you for your point about not rushing. I’ve had so many people telling me to “make sure she’s doing this before you turn her away” and so on. Honestly I think she just deserves a holiday. If I need to re-educate her in the spring, that’s fine

 

[cobbycobgirl]

Keep calm and carry on!

Don't try to calm an over excited ex racer down by slowing it up. Even worse, by standing still. This rarely does anything but make the situation much worse and potentially explosive.

Get the horse moving, keep it bent so it can't tank off, put its mind and body to work. That's how to calm down an ex racer TB.
.

Amazing advice honestly. Thank you so much. I might just write this down and stick it up in my tack room

 

[cobbycobgirl]

I hacked alone and bitless so definitely have faith in yourself.

Do not wait for a nanny horse… youll be forever waiting for someone to be available to ride, then something will come up , they cant make it, their horse goes lame!

Of she is looky! Its all brand new! My horse was a frikking nutcase!
But I wasnt and that is the difference, I stayed calm, he trusted me implicitly and that is how it works.
Oh and BB was 7 when I got him and has a really successful career so was a hot head a fruitloop. It takes time, patience and treats

Aahhhh thank you so much for saying this!! The thought of not being able to ride until someone was available was really starting to get to me!!

Alone and bitless is brave! props to you!
You seem to have done an amazing job with your boy ♡

 

[Barton Bounty]

Aahhhh thank you so much for saying this!! The thought of not being able to ride until someone was available was really starting to get to me!!

Alone and bitless is brave! props to you!
You seem to have done an amazing job with your boy ♡

I did, it wasnt easy, he was a challenge, sadly i lost him last month but another new challenge has come along and the right time will come and we will go bitless too

 

[cobbycobgirl]

I did, it wasnt easy, he was a challenge, sadly i lost him last month but another new challenge has come along and the right time will come and we will go bitless too

I like the way you live!! I’m gonna channel my inner adrenaline junkie and go for a ride

 

[Bobthecob15]

Just bumping this thread as I’ve just bought an ex racer myself!!

He wasn’t very good as far as I can tell, 21 runs and only 3 places he’s a 6yr old. My YO bought him in spring to hack and ride over the summer with the purpose of being a hunt horse. I managed to persuade her to sell him to me! He’s very sweet, quiet and gentle, super easy to handle. I’m new to pure TB’s so haven’t a clue where to start with him

No massive ambitions other than hacking, schooling and possibly the odd unaffiliated dressage…any suggestions where to start?! He’s having to get used to being a pet now rather than a working horse, he’s enjoying the fuss, cuddles and treats! X

 

[ycbm]

Join this thread BtC, there's lots of experience on there.

Retraining ex-racers thread

@ponyparty my RoR sweated buckets on all his early journeys. Even now travels with only over reach boots and perhaps a cotton sheet of clipped in the middle of winter. Sounds a good move for you

forums.horseandhound.co.uk

 

[Bobthecob15]

Join this thread BtC, there's lots of experience on there.

Retraining ex-racers thread

@ponyparty my RoR sweated buckets on all his early journeys. Even now travels with only over reach boots and perhaps a cotton sheet of clipped in the middle of winter. Sounds a good move for you

forums.horseandhound.co.uk

Thank you!

 

[Flying_Form]

This August I acquired a beautiful ex racer and I’m in LOVE!
She’s on holiday until spring to grow up a bit and enjoy her childhood and in the meantime I really want to learn more about what’s best to do with her when she’s ready to come back into work!

How did you guys go about getting your ex racers back into normal horsey life? Especially hacking out, something she’s never done!

What have you found they excel in and just tell me about them in general

Congratulations! Ex racers can be some of the most rewarding horses to work with and I for one love them!! There’s a few things that I always try to do - one is not over-bitting. If they have come straight from racing you’re essentially retraining their entire way of riding and some people can frighten themselves and the horse when they pull and the horse pulls back resulting in a fight, and often times a big bit put in the horses mouth when it’s all just miscommunication. It’s easier said than done but most ex racers are a snaffle ride and it’s just a matter of clear communication, patience, bravery from the riders perspective, and calming things down.

That being said - as ycbm said TBs are not the type where when they get a bit fizzy and on their toes you make them stand or walk and fight with them. If they are fresh and need a canter let them canter - the less of an argument the better because they can be stressy and hot when you get stressy and hot! Do talk to them and don’t forget your voice is a huge aid, if they’ve been racing they are well aware of what the riders voice means and it really relaxes them. I used to sing around XC phase in events mainly to help me breathe, but also to relax the horse and it really worked!

With stress often comes ulcers which a lot can have from racing - so making sure you have them checked by a vet if you suspect ulcers, creating a diet that supports this if they do have them, and including a good supplement or pre/pro biotic can be very important.

The nature of racing is that they’re with their friends all the time so forging a bit of independence for the first while can be a good idea - hacking alone, trying your best not to get leads into jumps or obstacles when you can (I know this is easier said than done), riding in the arena on their own, etc, so that when they are with their friends it’s a nice bonus, and when they’re coming up to a spooky jump, a scary bridge, or a bright road sign, they’ve tackled that before and know they can do it on their own!

I’ve found each horse to be different - one was a complete and utter allrounder and now he’s living his best life in wales with a teen doing every competition possible! An ex flat mare I had wasn’t too keen on jumping and just couldn’t find her feet but she was absolutely amazing at dressage and has gotten on amazingly at riding club dressage with her new owner. I do find a lot of them absolutely love XC but it’s in their nature to gallop around and jump brush and natural fences - especially if they’ve come from jumps racing! But really enjoy your new horse, I am an avid TB advocate!! I think anyone who can handle one should absolutely experience how rewarding it can be retraining them and enjoying how talented they are - they really are a breed that aims to please

 

[Bobthecob15]

Congratulations! Ex racers can be some of the most rewarding horses to work with and I for one love them!! There’s a few things that I always try to do - one is not over-bitting. If they have come straight from racing you’re essentially retraining their entire way of riding and some people can frighten themselves and the horse when they pull and the horse pulls back resulting in a fight, and often times a big bit put in the horses mouth when it’s all just miscommunication. It’s easier said than done but most ex racers are a snaffle ride and it’s just a matter of clear communication, patience, bravery from the riders perspective, and calming things down.

That being said - as ycbm said TBs are not the type where when they get a bit fizzy and on their toes you make them stand or walk and fight with them. If they are fresh and need a canter let them canter - the less of an argument the better because they can be stressy and hot when you get stressy and hot! Do talk to them and don’t forget your voice is a huge aid, if they’ve been racing they are well aware of what the riders voice means and it really relaxes them. I used to sing around XC phase in events mainly to help me breathe, but also to relax the horse and it really worked!

With stress often comes ulcers which a lot can have from racing - so making sure you have them checked by a vet if you suspect ulcers, creating a diet that supports this if they do have them, and including a good supplement or pre/pro biotic can be very important.

The nature of racing is that they’re with their friends all the time so forging a bit of independence for the first while can be a good idea - hacking alone, trying your best not to get leads into jumps or obstacles when you can (I know this is easier said than done), riding in the arena on their own, etc, so that when they are with their friends it’s a nice bonus, and when they’re coming up to a spooky jump, a scary bridge, or a bright road sign, they’ve tackled that before and know they can do it on their own!

I’ve found each horse to be different - one was a complete and utter allrounder and now he’s living his best life in wales with a teen doing every competition possible! An ex flat mare I had wasn’t too keen on jumping and just couldn’t find her feet but she was absolutely amazing at dressage and has gotten on amazingly at riding club dressage with her new owner. I do find a lot of them absolutely love XC but it’s in their nature to gallop around and jump brush and natural fences - especially if they’ve come from jumps racing! But really enjoy your new horse, I am an avid TB advocate!! I think anyone who can handle one should absolutely experience how rewarding it can be retraining them and enjoying how talented they are - they really are a breed that aims to please

Thanks so much for the advice!! I’ve got him in a snaffle and we are going in the arena by ourselves, haven’t hacked alone yet so that’s something to try soon, seems happy if he’s hacking in front/middle/behind which is good. Got the physio coming next week for a once over and saddle fitter the following week as we are borrowing one from YO at the moment. Having fun finding rugs to fit any suggestions?? Gallop fly rug rubbed his shoulders so already looking for another! Someone said horsewear or weatherbeeta? We have swish for my Welsh D which I love but not sure if too baggy for a TB x

 

[Squeak]

I've had horsewear and their amigo mio fly rugs on my tb and had no problems with rubbing from them.

He's also got rhino and rambo turnouts and a gallop trojan turnout. He doesn't live in so can't comment on stable rugs.