That extra Thoroughbred gear...

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kit279

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So I thought I'd had a proper gallop on my fat old chestnut Thoroughbred. Turns out he has an extra gear, one I would prefer to reserve for *special* occasions, like when I'm being chased by a grizzly bear or similar. Going across the stubble fields today with his boyfriend, my other TB, beside him and a cold wind behind him, I thought 'my god, this horse can really really shift it' closely followed by 'oh lord, there's the end of the field' and then 'ah well, I've had a good life but I should have phoned my mother more'.

Mercifully he is too fat and lazy to do it often. Bless him, he's an ex-racehorse, raced eleven times, came last eleven times. Clearly the jockeys just needed to stick an icecube up his bottom..

I love a good Thoroughbred
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but I don't know how these jockeys cope! Anyone else have a four-legged Ferrari?!
 
Oh yes and there is nothing better
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Went out with MIL the other day.. just having a sedate canter across the field and she says 'god can't he shift' I looked at her a bit dumbfounded and asked if she really wanted to see him shift... she couldnt believe it!!! He to is a failed racer
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Hmmm I struggle to even find 3rd gear with my TB without much pony club stylee kicking
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There is a genuine reason why he was slung out in a field and never out into training......
 
Well, let's just say I won't be needing my facelift this year... Maybe I should stop starving him, maybe the extra fat will slow him down...
 
Lol.

I found the extra gear on my failed ex-racer a few weeks back & totally teriffied myself. We gallop along a bridle path along the egde of a field next to the M65 (wide hedge & big fence between us & the M-way) & on his 1st (& probably last) trip there my boy turned into a complete speed demon. I trotted the whole length of the field 1st then turned to gallop back expecting a nice steady pace like I'd had on the other gallop track we use. There was nothing steady about it!! My friend was following me & struggled to keep up on her crazy, fast boy. At the end of the field we stopped (amazingly & with only slight issues) & went thro the gate into the next field where there are cows. This 2nd field is uphill so we expected a slower pace. Again, there was no slowness. At the top of the hill my breaks failed & as the fence approached v.fast I finally resigned myself to the fact I wasn't stopping (or turning-steering had also failed) & was going to have to sit forward & let idiot horse jump the fence. At this point my stupid horse spotted a cow & it spotted him. Both animals decided they were terified of the other & whilst Chilli slammed on the breaks (60mph-0mph in 1split second) & promptly dropped me over his head the poor cow jumped clean over the fence into the next field. Opps! Luckily the fence wasn't big, the cow cleared it well & walked off totally sound. Unfortunatly as I'd hit the deck my friends boy had come up behind, seen the whole thing & spooked also depositing my friend on her bum on the floor. Both of us were fine & I still had hold of my reins so we both got back on & rode home at a steady walk with faces like this
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& feeling like total numptys (which, I promise, we're not). I think I'll stick to hacking on the roads in future as he's a total donkey on tarmac.

I'm laughing now but I was a bit scared at the time & I do hope the farmer who the cow belongs to was not too cross to find his cows had rearranged their field sharing arrangements. I honestly never knew cows could jump!
 
i have an ex racer and i don't think i want to find that extra gear lol.
His canter is quick enough thank you very much.
I imagine his galloping will include a lot of bucking.
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!
 
i remember the 1st time i started excercising point to pointers.went on my usual hack that i take my own horse on - got to the canter path and off we went, faster and faster and fasterrrr, oh my god - couldn't believe it!!!!!! i was honestly out of breath with tears running down my face because of the wind! a bit faster than my old arab! wasn't prepared fot that. certainly found that extra gear.
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Yup that happened to me on Saturday in a stubble field and we ran out of field and brakes..... We don't often hit warp/racing speed but boy it's fun when we do - if a little scary
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And yes I lost my mascara
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I took my old ex-racer on the all weather gallops at newmarket on the sponsored ride. He trained there and knew EXACTLY what to do. I couldn't see either side of me as it was all blurry from the speed! I am sure he wasn't even at top speed as I could feel he had more to give!!!

I love having a TB and that feeling when you engage the extra gear.............

X
 
my anglo arab had it too! it really is an amazing feeling as they sort of "drop" from under you and just go!! my cob can do it to a degree but nothing compared to the turbo gear of the TB!!
 
Reminds me of the time many years ago when I was about 7 months pregnant - my friend was jumping my ex pointer and saying she was having trouble getting him to canter (her legs weren't that strong)
So I clambered on board to demonstrate that he did have a canter in him - trotted off across a 30 acre field and turned him around to canter him back - what a mistake!
Stirrups were too long for me, lost both of those in the first few strides while we launched into warp speed and streaked across the field in a blur with the gate into the next field getting closer and closer. Bailing wasn't an option at that speed with a huge bump and I was resigning myself to jumping the gate - and all I could hear was my friend screaming in panic as we got closer and closer to her (helpful!).

He stopped, of course, because he was a total gent, but I had rarely travelled at that speed before, and never since - well I haven't ridden a TB since.
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i have only found the Moose's 6th gear once, but the feeling as she "drops" and goes is just incredible. I've never been that fast on a horse. It was only slightly spoiled by the fact that she slipped as we were pulling up at the top of the hill and i fell off....
 
last time I opened my boy up I ended up just holding on as I couldn't see for crying.... and that was even wearing glasses...... thankgod I was going up hill at the time..... brilliant absolutly brilliant.

hammers home though that I am not feeding my mare correctly as she doesn't seem to have the same effect
 
It's not a thoroghbred gear it's a hot bllod gear, my Arab has this ridiculous 6th gear she can engage. Just like you said, having an ice gallop then the next thing you know you're at the other end of the field like someone just moved time round about you
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The first time we hot full tilt gallop I kinda crapped myself, had never felt anything like it before and all the power was coming from behind in waves, utterly terrifying!
We now reserve that gallop for beaches and the really really big steep stuble field
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Like Silverspring, my Arabs can shift too. I have a fond memory of my now-retired Anglo-Arab taking on my friend's ex-racer - and leaving him out of sight. Mind you, my boy was very fit and the ex-racer was ex for a reason, but even so ... it's a fantastic feeling if you can keep your nerve!
 
my chestnut TB can shift when he wants to aswell.
Deffinately made my friends kids think twice about asking for another race...we even had time for a quick munch waiting for them to catch up
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My neddy is only in a loose ring straight bar happy mouth but luckily i have brakes
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