Tell me about your ex racehorse

[Olderrider73]

People have said to me whatever you do don’t buy an ex racehorse blah blah blah, but there is a yard local to me that sells theses beautiful animals and they have already been retrained into lovely riding horses, the videos show them hacking down busy roads sensibly. Schooling and popping some jumps etc. I’ve just been chatting to to the owner of a riding school about them and she’s knows this lady who sells theses horses and highly recommends them and she has had a number of ex racers pass through her school over the years and have been brill. So I’d like to hear your stories off your ex racers ?

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I loved mine so much, she had the most wonderful temperament. I was given her to be a nanny for young stock and she was perfect for the job. She sadly died due to colic, still miss her.

A photo from when she first met her new charge, an arab filly and one with the whole gang (the grey is the same filly, just grown up a bit).

 

[WispyBegs]

Buying my ex-racehorse was the best thing I ever did. (I bought him directly from the racing yard).
He was extremely easy to own and the most affectionate horse I have ever met.
With me he became a wonderful hunter/pleasure ride horse.
Sadly he died a few months ago from a field injury... he truly is irreplaceable

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

You won't find a better, more athletic friend if you know what you are looking for and what you are doing.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I didn't own him, but I once borrowed an ex-racehorse to compete at RDA dressage. That was another horse with a sweet personality.

ETA - sorry for your loss WispyBec

 

[Olderrider73]

I’d love one, they are reasonably priced but everyone is putting me off, the only one who is positive about them is the local riding school my daughter goes too

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Have you ridden thoroughbreds before?

 

[Olderrider73]

Have you ridden thoroughbreds before?

Not in a long time but I’d love to try them

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I suspect that is part of the reason why people have been unenthusiastic. I love riding TB's but they are another level of athleticism. Things like the whip-round and teleport are so fast *blink-and-you'll-miss-it* compared to the same moves carried out by other breeds. Even my anglo-arab (50% TB) is not in the same league when it comes to reaction times.

So I strongly suggest that you ride some TB's/ex-racehorses. More than one, in the school and out on hacks when you are ready just to see if they suit you still. I always say to potential new owners that there is nothing worse than being overhorsed both on the ground and in the saddle. It will definitely be worth your time (and hopefully a lot of fun too) to do your research.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I should add that a cheap horse that doesn't suit is a false economy. Usually paid for in blood, sweat, tears and possibly hospital time. Sadly I know this due to experience.

 

[webble]

I have just bought an ex trotting racer (well bred not a gypsy cast off) and he is the most sensible clever horse ever and feels safe. Would this be an alternative?

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

First and foremost what are you looking for in a horse? What do you want to do with it? Do you mind a sharp horse or would you prefer something a little more settled but still athletic? What sort of size do you want?

Bloodlines can tell you a lot about how a horses temprement is going to be. Milan's - LOVE them! Wouldn't look past one! 99% are lovely, even tempered horses with a good work ethic, plenty of scope for jumping are generally easy going types, I have never had to dope one to clip it yet. Yeats - again lovely horses, the fillies can be quite sharp to ride but most are lovely to deal with, the majority need wind ops by the time they are 5yo as well so any coming out of training will probably have already had this done. Holy Roman Emperor's are horrendous movers, too upright through every limb but are genuine critters that will always try. etc etc. you get the picture.

 

[humblepie]

As with any type of horse, they will be individuals with individual behaviours. It will depend on what they have done, how they have been reschooled and their temperament. One of mine had raced a lot and he is happy as anything to walk in field on hacks and mannerly if you want to trot or canter. A friend's one who raced once, is completely opposite.

 

[milliepops]

OH persuaded me to get one last time I had a vacant stable... mine is a truly lovely character and is a real trier, however he is also terminally broken and daft as a brush, so is now an expensive field ornament. I found the *run first, think later* reactions a bit frustrating even though I'm quite accustomed to riding sharp things. Friend has a lovely ex flat horse who although passed a full vetting has also been plagued with serious physical issues. I think we've been unlucky but I wouldn't get another.

 

[RLS]

I had an ex-racehorse for many years, he was finally pts at age 33yrs. I loved him to bits, he acted as nanny to lots of youngsters - out hacking or going in the trailer, standing beside them for first farrier visit, etc. He was brilliant. He did his first and only dressage test when he was 30yrs old (that didn't go quite so well - walk was fine, trot....erh, what's the point in that?? lets just charge round the arena!) Love thoroughbreds

 

[ycbm]

I've had quite a few, a long time ago I used to buy one or two a year from auction to reschool and sell on. All as 3 or 4 year olds. They ranged from so quiet I would have sent a child out for a hack on them to sharp as a knife. If you can get one from a source where they match carefully to your own ability, you can do a lot worse.

I used to think that they broke a lot more often than other horses but I'm seeing lots of problems with heavier set horses that can't cope with the expected level of arena work, so things are leveling out a bit in that respect.
.

 

[ihatework]

Ex-racers are so variable there just isn’t a one size fits all. Bloodlines seem to deliver strong traits (good and bad). How they have been raised, their early training and handling, attention to medical needs all play a part.

My generalised response to ex-racers are that due to the nature of their upbringing and training they generally need a skilled and patient rider to re-educate them for the leisure and sport market. They also usually come with a number of niggles that are best dealt with upfront or bring about bigger issues down the line. So you need a veterinary budget in addition to purchase price and set aside a good year to transition them to their new life.

If you choose a horse with good basic conformation and temperament and invest the money and time, then you have a reasonable chance of a super useful horse at the end of it. But they are not a cheap option for the novice/inexperienced.

 

[paddi22]

I have just bought an ex trotting racer (well bred not a gypsy cast off) and he is the most sensible clever horse ever and feels safe. Would this be an alternative?

these ex-trotters are fabulous. I retrain exracers and trotters and hands down would pick an extrotter over an exracer. All the extorters have been sane, sound, very low maintenance and all had amazing jumps and a brilliant work attitude. The exracers are more of a mixed bunch, but I'd reckon about 70% of them that have come through my stables have had SI, kissing spine or sciatica issues. They are also on the whole way more sensitive and reactive to things and would need a rider used to sensitive horses. They also seem to get injured on anything and run up more vets bills. They seem to take way more feed and supplements, and need a lot of rigging and care in cold months. Saying that, the national hunt kind seem fairly hardy and quiet. Whereas the trotter are all barefoot, rules and live off air even in winter.

I think the most important thing with most Tb's is to be a relaxed rider. you see so many people sit on them, get tense, and then the horse gets tense and it's all downhill from there.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

Ove my ex NH/pointer. He is stocky so you wouldn't know he was full tb. He turns his hoof to everything. He especially likes jumping!! He has got his quirks but I've now worked them out!! I've had quiet tbs that honestly your granny could ride, I've also had the nutters!! If you can find one to suit you you would be hard pressed to find a better horse.

 

[Dreamer2020]

Hi OP, when I got my ex racer 15 years ago everyone tried to talk me out of it beforehand. I wasn't experienced tbh, having not had a horse since I was a teenager ... and I was 33 when I got Finn. It was the best thing I ever did ... he had the sweetest nature, was brave, clever (too clever sometimes lol) & sensible. He was a flat horse & raced for 4 seasons ... but on the beach you could ride him with a loose rein & he didn't go until you asked him. He was only ever ridden in a snaffle, never bucked or reared & was always the horse that would go past anything ... dogs, tractors, kitesurfers (yes really lol). He was never lame & he had such presence ... I always felt really proud to say he was my horse. I'm a big softie but he was properly the love of my life. I lost him a couple of years back following a field accident ... but I count myself lucky to have found him. I wouldn't hesitate to get another ... I just need to shed the lockdown weight first haha. It's a good idea to ride a couple first, as said above. So all in all, don't be put off by their reputation & best of luck with your search. Sorry for waffling on, I do that x

 

[brighteyes]

I was 58 when I got mine - not long out of a longish racing career, very fit and very sharp - two years on and we have come miles. He's handsome, kind pretty easy and whilst still 'sharp' rarely does much other than shake his head to help process his thoughts. Been XC, SJ beach, hacking and RC training and he has tried so hard not to kill us both (much). I am used to sharp ones and retraining but the temperament and amenable nature is ample payback for any idiocy.

Also he is now my boy and has attached himself to me in an endearing way.

When they overreact it is VERY FAST!

 

[SibeliusMB]

Most important thing is that you do your homework ahead of time and get along well with that particular animal. I agree with others to try to ride some TBs at a local riding school if possible to get reacquainted with how some TBs are. Research bloodlines, also try to find out the horse's race record. If there are any long gaps in their races, ask why. Usually those are indicators of past injuries. Try to get familar with trainers and who is reputable and who is not. Many are quickly put off by the long runners (we call them "warhorses" in the US, those that have 30+ starts and come off the track older, ie. 6+ years old)...I've found them to be the absolute best types. And do not feel pressured to get something recently off the track or recently graduated from retraining. An ex-racehorse that already has several years off the track and in its second career is an excellent choice for someone who is new to, or long removed from TBs. The added benefit is that they come with additional experience, and any post-track issues have been identified and dealt with (or in the process of being dealt with), so one less thing for you to have to identify.

I've grown up mostly on Thoroughbreds, and I agree with others that a good TB is impossible to beat when you find the right one. They have the biggest heart, are usually very people-oriented/sweet, and their work ethic is second to none. Find the right TB for you, and you'll have incredible partner. The trick is understanding the individual horse and what they need. Most TBs can be a very different ride from your typical, colder WB type. Some really like a ligher seat and softer contact.

My past TBs were both off the track, both super sound, both extremely quiet, had the best temperaments, and were extremely athletic. Once they knew what their new job was, they always gave maximum effort. Neither had any soundness issues or mental baggage after their racing career. I took my last horse, Soon, off the track myself and did all the training. He was a warhorse with 52 starts and came off the track at 7 years old. He was the most rational, professional kindest horse I had ever met, and the easiest in my life to restart. He is the bay in the jumping photo below. My current gelding is a full Thoroughbred, but was never race trained. He, too, has a lovely temperament, is quiet, athletic, and has a wonderful work ethic. Like Soon, Sig has a snaffle mouth, hacks happily alone or in company, and is equally fun out XC, doing dressage, or jumping around a course as he is to sit and snuggle with you. I just love a good Thoroughbred.

 

[Bonnie Allie]

Love them. Super smart and naturally athletic.

We have had them as Show Jumpers and eventers as their primary role but they have been great dressage and pony club horses for my teens as well as go all day happy hackers. All of ours had forever homes with us and lived to late 20s.

On the challenging side, they were hard to keep weight on, were paddock terrorists if they got bored, had some mental and physical quirks post racing that you had to take into account.

Best quote I had from an International SJer who made her mark riding ex-racers - “these horses are bred to go fast in a straight line, so before you jump them you must get your flatwork up to a high standard so that they travel in a balanced fashion constantly turning and changing direction”.

 

[Trouper]

Echo everything that everyone above has said but just a thought when you go looking - try the racehorse re-homing charities. They will match you to what you are looking for and will have worked with the horse out of the racing environment for a while so should be able to give you a good assessment of character etc.

BUT - do have a thorough vetting. Their bodies are stressed so young that it does seem to set up problems for the future. Personally, I would want spinal x-rays before taking on another - but having lost 2 to kissing spines I am maybe a tad over-sensitive in this area!!

Get a good one and you will never regret it.

 

[Elno]

They are not for everyone.

I had one. He was (is) the most beautiful horse I've ever seen. He also was the craziest. He went from 0 to 100 in a millisecond and he is the reason I have several broken bones in my body and serious trust issues when it comes to horses. He perfected the 'drop shoulder, spin 180 and buck"-number and would do that when you least expected it. I love thoroughbreds from a far, but will never own one again. Fortunately we have one on our yard and she is beautiful (and only moderately crazy) to look at and I' m happy that I'm not her owner ?

Edit: I think if you buy one, you have to be able to provide a home where you can provide a lot of excercise for it. I think a lot of our issues came from not understanding how much excercise he actually needed.

I also would never own or ride an ex trotter again. They are even worse than TBs. They are usually equally crazy but with the difference of being of poor riding horse conformation and having really horrible gaits, especially when it comes to canter. Here where I come from people buy ex trotters when they can't afford proper riding horses and then usually struggle with re-educating them.

 

[SibeliusMB]

They are usually equally crazy

I am truly sorry you had that experience with your TB and trotters, Elno. Based only on the info you provided, it sounds like you had a bad match between horse/rider and the wrong environment for that individual horse. Those circumstances obviously contribute to the horse's behavior, but that doesn't necessarily make the animal "crazy." In a different situation, that horse might be more manageable. We've had to move horses into different hands/careers/retirement because everything we tried just didn't suit the individual horse.

That said, I always get defensive when I hear people stereotyping TBs (or Standardbreds/trotters) as "crazy." Yes, horses come off the track with mental/emotional baggage sometimes. That's not their fault. That could happen to any horse, of any breeding, in that situation (shall we talk about the number of show jumpers or dressage horses that get absolutely brain fried in certain programs?). I can count on one hand the number of TBs in my 15+ years of retraining and rehoming that were truly too difficult to work with and ride. Others got any behavioral issues sorted out through medical attention (ulcers, shoeing, teeth, back issues, etc) and proper training. The vast majority became extremely solid citizens in their second careers. I think a lot of struggles people have with TBs is the result of a lack of experience/skill or a lack of knowledge on the human's part. I've seen way too many people IRL blame behavior issues on the animal being "crazy." Turns out, the horse had ulcers. Or a bad training experience. Or wasn't being turned out. Or some other tangible reason for their behavior.

TBs are not as "fashionable" here in the US as anything European, but they certainly have made up a significant portion of our sport world over the years, and thankfully are making a comeback. We got away from TBs for awhile, and an entire generation over here has grown up on imported warmbloods. As a result, they lost the skills and knowledge to ride and train TBs that had previously been handed down. That only made TBs seem even less favorable, because the "THEY'RE CRAZY!" stereotype started taking hold with the younger riders/professionals that lacked experience with TBs. Now we're seeing a resurgence thanks to retraining programs and competitions. More of the sport world is tapping back into that knowledge/skill to make TBs more common and accepted again in the various disciplines. They are amazing horses and the best partners...when you find the right match, the right environment, and any training or physical issues are corrected.

...which can be said for basically any horse from any breed....ever.

The OP has received some good advice on this thread if they decide a TB is possibly in their future.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

"THEY'RE CRAZY!" stereotype.

My American TB is ... well he is more of a moron actually ??



But actually he is a truly lovely horse with a very trainable attitude whilst still being incredibly happy go lucky.

I think a lot of the problems that people have these days with exracers is in part because they are broken in and ridden away for one job and one job only at the time unlike in yester years where they had a good all round basic education before galloping on. And in another part because people don't understand how to ride them as a racehorse they get on and expect the horse to know how to be ridden but in reality they know a completely different way of being ridden to a normal horse.

 

[Elno]

I am truly sorry you had that experience with your TB and trotters, Elno. Based only on the info you provided, it sounds like you had a bad match between horse/rider and the wrong environment for that individual horse. Those circumstances obviously contribute to the horse's behavior, but that doesn't necessarily make the animal "crazy." In a different situation, that horse might be more manageable. We've had to move horses into different hands/careers/retirement because everything we tried just didn't suit the individual horse.

That said, I always get defensive when I hear people stereotyping TBs (or Standardbreds/trotters) as "crazy." Yes, horses come off the track with mental/emotional baggage sometimes. That's not their fault. That could happen to any horse, of any breeding, in that situation (shall we talk about the number of show jumpers or dressage horses that get absolutely brain fried in certain programs?). I can count on one hand the number of TBs in my 15+ years of retraining and rehoming that were truly too difficult to work with and ride. Others got any behavioral issues sorted out through medical attention (ulcers, shoeing, teeth, back issues, etc) and proper training. The vast majority became extremely solid citizens in their second careers. I think a lot of struggles people have with TBs is the result of a lack of experience/skill or a lack of knowledge on the human's part. I've seen way too many people IRL blame behavior issues on the animal being "crazy." Turns out, the horse had ulcers. Or a bad training experience. Or wasn't being turned out. Or some other tangible reason for their behavior.

TBs are not as "fashionable" here in the US as anything European, but they certainly have made up a significant portion of our sport world over the years, and thankfully are making a comeback. We got away from TBs for awhile, and an entire generation over here has grown up on imported warmbloods. As a result, they lost the skills and knowledge to ride and train TBs that had previously been handed down. That only made TBs seem even less favorable, because the "THEY'RE CRAZY!" stereotype started taking hold with the younger riders/professionals that lacked experience with TBs. Now we're seeing a resurgence thanks to retraining programs and competitions. More of the sport world is tapping back into that knowledge/skill to make TBs more common and accepted again in the various disciplines. They are amazing horses and the best partners...when you find the right match, the right environment, and any training or physical issues are corrected.

...which can be said for basically any horse from any breed....ever.

The OP has received some good advice on this thread if they decide a TB is possibly in their future.

I completely agree with you. I was over horsed and it was a bad match and unfortunately it did leave some psysical and emotional scars.

I think Tbs can be awesome in the right home, and like I said they are utterly gorgeous animal, but they are bred for a specific task, backed early and trained hard from young years-and sometimes that messes them up. I found out a lot about my boy when I contacted the people in his previous life, which explained some of his quirks.

When it comes to standardbreds, I'm really not a fan. Where I live the trotting sport is very popular and I have several friends who own and complete standardbreds so I'm very familiar with them. They are extremely popular even off track, usually bought very cheap (if not given away for free) mostly by young girls or people who can't afford a more expensive horse. Very few of them have good riding horse conformation, a lot of them have damaged legs (usually the reason for retirement from the track) and odd gaits.

 

[Trouper]

Oh Elf - that picture!! He's going to find Unicorn school very hard!!!!!

 

[Goldenstar]

I have had several Tbs and still own one the lovely J .
He’s on loan now with friend where he hacks he’s loves hacking .
However there where several things J did not like ,water he had epic hatred of getting his feet wet and jumping at competitions .
He should in a world where being competitive mattered have been shown as a large riding horse but that sort of thing is not for me .
Extremely talented to train on the flat he was great fun .
We tried him out hunting it went on too long and he had to get sweaty and dirty it was not for him .
He's been away for several years now with a friend he lives out with his mates in the park of a Georgian house behind a magnificent haha which is ironic as we always said all J wanted to do was fast forward to the last scene of Black Beauty .
He had a tooth problem which costed ££££££ to fix it was congenital and it may have been why he was so uncooperative in training .
Galloping him was epic .
I do miss him but he’s happy where he is it suits him I think he’s 17 now I keep an empty stable in case he needs to come back .