Viewing an ex race horse - any tips?!

Tiarella

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Hi, I'm going to view an ex racer from a retraining centre this weekend and wondered if anyone could give me any hints/tips what to look out for etc. I'm pretty experienced when it comes to noticing lameness/unlevelness etc and confirmation. If I like him I will put a deposit down and have him 2 stage vetted and looked over by a chiro. But is there any other hints/tips I am missing out on or wish you'd done yourselves.

Thanks :)
 
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Make sure you see him loose in the box and not pre caught and tied up. 95% are fine but some can be quite tempremental in the box as it's 'their space'. Same with tacking up watch them tack up as quite a few nip when doing the girth.

Ask for vet history and take a good look at from behind at the pelvis to see if it is symetrical.
 

minesadouble

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We currently have two ex racehorse geldings, both of whom are very colty both to handle at times and also in the field with other horses. The don't 'cover' anything but will gallop up the field screaming in typical stallion manner and both are very partial to in season mares too!!

They can both be mouthy sometimes and whilst one is lovely in the stable, the other is as EKW describes above. It doesn't bother us that he sometimes pulls faces and 'snacks' but some on our yard are quite intimidated by it.

A high proportion do windsuck so ensure you see him loose in his box if this would be a deal breaker for you. One of ours cribs whilst the other has invented his own little 'vice' - he walks backwards from his stable door to the back wall till his tail touches the wall and then comes forward to the door again .......repeatedly, when he gets stressed. (He does this much less often now but when he first arrived would do the 'backwards, forwards' routine a lot. We did get him just a fortnight after he ran his last race though and I'm assuming your prospective horse has been out of training a bit longer.

Both of ours are lovely and real characters but wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea ;)
 

Pearlsasinger

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My tip for any-one viewing a horse is to listen very carefully to everything the owner tells you and note the things that they don't tell you about. Ask the same questions in a different way, if possible of a different person, and see if you get the same answers. Sometimes it can be very amusing - so long as you haven't travelled very far!
 

Tea Drinker

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Check his feet. Feed requirements.
How is he alone? Some have lived nose to tail in a string and panic on their own.
Girthing up.
Ask to speak to previous trainer and find out about his history before you spend a penny on him.
Ex racers can be a cheap way to have a nice horse or a cheap way to have a problem horse!
 

poiuytrewq

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Check his feet. Feed requirements.
How is he alone? Some have lived nose to tail in a string and panic on their own.
Girthing up.
Ask to speak to previous trainer and find out about his history before you spend a penny on him.
Ex racers can be a cheap way to have a nice horse or a cheap way to have a problem horse!

The how is he alone is a great question. Don't just ask if he hacks alone but a horse who cant be got in until the whole rest of a livery yard Is in (and god help you if you are actually the last owner there either!) is a difficult prospect.
I did ask and the trainer told me they were pretty sure he'd be ok. He really wasn't and was described as borderline psychotic by a TB retrainer who's help I eventually sought!
Solved the issue by moving from a livery yard to a private place and giving him his own full time pony.
In the future id ask to see a horse alone for a few minutes, even just led round the corner to a area they cant see any others would suffice to give a general idea.
 

Nicnac

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However experienced you are, I would have a 5 stage vetting with x-rays. There are far too many ex-racers who have issues arising from their previous life. I have one! Wish I'd followed my gut 10 years ago - would have avoided a lot of heartache and expense.

ETA - yes definitely check how he is alone. 10 years on and can now leave mine in his stable on his own with radio, treat ball, hay while other one is out competing. He still stresses though and often has a syringe of calmer too. Still cheaper than a third horse!
 
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Tiarella

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Brilliant thanks guys!

It's a bit difficult as he is at a retraining yard and hasn't been there long so sure they are still getting to know him too. He last raced in January and has been rested since then and brought back into work starting today and looking from the video seems a happy little chap :) I will only have a 2 stage vetting and have chiro check over him too.
 

pippixox

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i would ask how long he raced for? I have a super ex-racer- raced from 2-7 years old, then fired and turned away for a year due to tendon that stopped him racing, then i had him aged 8. still have him now aged 17 :) he is a donkey who I would, and do, sit a complete novice on. But at 17 he is showing his age, since 15 has had hocks injected due to arthritis, and is plodding along a bit now. did a tendon last summer we think the same as when he raced as ultrasound showed old scar tissue. so how heavily they raced is a factor to consider if looking for longevity.

but as a hole, take it as you would with any horse. their personality is the most important factor. As a 2 yo in racing fitness grooms could give him a chilled groom in the stable, he has always been a lovely character.


I love my ex-racer :D
 

Tiarella

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He is from Cheveral House Michen :)

I actually have little knowledge in what is/isn't a long time in racing....These are his stats if anyone can enlighten me....
http://www.irishracing.com/horse?prt=426328

ETA - Is it normal/acceptable to contact owner/trainer to find out more info? From searching through facebook/internet he seemed well loved.
 
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Michen

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He is from Cheveral House Michen :)

I actually have little knowledge in what is/isn't a long time in racing....These are his stats if anyone can enlighten me....
http://www.irishracing.com/horse?prt=426328

ETA - Is it normal/acceptable to contact owner/trainer to find out more info? From searching through facebook/internet he seemed well loved.

Chevral house have lovely TB's. No it's not, I rang Torres' previous two trainers before buying him. Didn't help me though...
Just take a good look at the feet and I would really consider a 5* vetting..
 

Polos Mum

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Chevral don't have anywhere to vet (nowhere flat) so you'll have to buy him, vet him at yours and take him back if he doesn't pass - might be Ok for 2 stage if they don't need a circle.

They also have nowhere to hack so you can't try him doing that and they won't know if he can/ does or not.

Lovely horses though

I'd speak not just the trainers but if you can someone who handled him on the yard - very valuable insight
 

Tiarella

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Chevral house have lovely TB's. No it's not, I rang Torres' previous two trainers before buying him. Didn't help me though...
Just take a good look at the feet and I would really consider a 5* vetting..

Thanks Michen. I will email the owner and see if they can give me any info :) Im not sure what to do about vetting - I was thinking just 2 stage but a 5 stage incl some xrays will cost more than the horse.
 

Tiarella

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Chevral don't have anywhere to vet (nowhere flat) so you'll have to buy him, vet him at yours and take him back if he doesn't pass - might be Ok for 2 stage if they don't need a circle.

They also have nowhere to hack so you can't try him doing that and they won't know if he can/ does or not.

Lovely horses though

I'd speak not just the trainers but if you can someone who handled him on the yard - very valuable insight

Thanks polosmum. I spoke to cheveral house and they said no one normally vets the horses, only add the odd couple of people do a 2 stage - theyre normally gone and sold before people even view theyre that in demand!

Hacking isn't too much of a problem - I will long rein before hacking out with me on board, but would be nice to know they are level headed hacking.

Im really not sure what decision to go down - I could save for a 5k horse, get it 5 stage vetted/x rays and it could all go wrong 6 months down the line.
 

amage

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Approach the horse exactly as you would any other horse you are considering buying. Few people vet them because they are so cheap. 2* definitely worth doing but personally I feel chiro doing a pre purchae check is a waste of time and money...if it has a problem in a months time that chiro should have spotted its not like you have any comeback. David Marnane who trained him is on twitter fairly actively so probably worth tweeting/direct messaging him
 

Michen

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Thanks Michen. I will email the owner and see if they can give me any info :) Im not sure what to do about vetting - I was thinking just 2 stage but a 5 stage incl some xrays will cost more than the horse.

I wouldn't bother with x rays. You'd have to get a ridiculous number of slides to get everything covered and even then there could be stuff on there that will never cause a problem... I think most people on here would agree unless you are paying tens of thousands theres little point in x raying.
I bought mine straight off the track from a trainer. He reached nearly 10k in vet bills and care in 7 months. If I was to do it again I'd either be more prepared to have it shot at the first sign of trouble or have it vetted whatever the cost :( Having said that if a two stage includes flexions and hard circle etc that's probably ideal... I can't remember but I thought they just included walk and trot in a straight line and checking things like eyesight, teeth etc.

Edited to say and he was 200 quid!!
 
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His racing history has no gaps so he has had no racing injuries unless he picked up one in his last race. I wouldn't say that is likely as his form really deterioted and he wasn't great at the end so he probably retired do to that more than anything else. He ran 40-ish times in 4 years. His soundness can't be questioned just now but might in the future. That's a chance you will have to take.

I looked through his form and you are lucky - he has a sneaky wee Goodwood & Chester run in there qualifying him for any and all ROR activities!

Most trainers are happy to respond to your about their previous charges. Some might get back to you straight away, others may take a bit of time depending on how busy they are as you won't be top priority - sorry! Some may never reply.
 
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Michen

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Thanks polosmum. I spoke to cheveral house and they said no one normally vets the horses, only add the odd couple of people do a 2 stage - theyre normally gone and sold before people even view theyre that in demand!

Hacking isn't too much of a problem - I will long rein before hacking out with me on board, but would be nice to know they are level headed hacking.

Im really not sure what decision to go down - I could save for a 5k horse, get it 5 stage vetted/x rays and it could all go wrong 6 months down the line.

Absolutely. I'm on the 5k horse part now (or rather looking for a 4k one). Have a look through my posts if you haven't already seen them.

The way I'm looking at it is that any horse I get now for proper money will be vetted and insured loss of use. I love TB's I really do and hundreds of people get them and are just fine but I personally will not run the risk again with one that's off the track and raced hard (and Harry has worked fairly hard). From the sounds of it your best bet in that case is to get him vetted when you get home and see how he goes, 2 star if they do flexions and look at them on a circle and see how it goes.

If i were you I'd take photos of his feet and have your farrier have a look too, or post on here :)
 

Tiarella

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His racing history has no gaps so he has had no racing injuries unless he picked up one in his last race. I wouldn't say that is likely as his form really deterioted and he wasn't great at the end so he probably retired do to that more than anything else. He ran 40-ish times in 4 years. His soundness can't be questioned just now but might in the future. That's a chance you will have to take.

I looked through his form and you are lucky - he has a sneaky wee Goodwood & Chester run in there qualifying him for any and all ROR activities!

Fab info - thanks EKW. From what I can gather he just became a slower horse - which is fine by me, haha! I was wondering if I could do ROR on him, thank you for letting me know I can :) He will never be seriously competed but would do a bit of low level stuff, but mainly going to be a general fun horse.
 

Tiarella

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Absolutely. I'm on the 5k horse part now (or rather looking for a 4k one). Have a look through my posts if you haven't already seen them.

The way I'm looking at it is that any horse I get now for proper money will be vetted and insured loss of use. I love TB's I really do and hundreds of people get them and are just fine but I personally will not run the risk again with one that's off the track and raced hard (and Harry has worked fairly hard). From the sounds of it your best bet in that case is to get him vetted when you get home and see how he goes, 2 star if they do flexions and look at them on a circle and see how it goes.

If i were you I'd take photos of his feet and have your farrier have a look too, or post on here :)

I've had a nosey through your posts a few times Michen, and it has made me question if I am mad! But like you said, its just luck I suppose. I could have an ex racer for years with no problems, or the other way round. I will have a chat and see what they think to me taking him home to vet.

I ideally want to get his shoes off as soon as possible!!
 

Polos Mum

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My view (and my farrier and dentist) is that if they have mad it sound for a few years hard racing there can't be much structurally wrong with them (mine from Cheveral was 8 and raced a lot)
You could be unlucky and probably won't be hacking him at 25 but equally I know a lovely Jumbo horse bought for a fortune with all the vetting you can do that was dead in 6 months from a liver problem. Horses are a gamble.

With an older OTTB they will need longer to retrain than the 3 y/o's that have had the odd go - I am working on 2 years to get mine to be a nice all rounder (might be a little optimistic!) the ones from there that are jumping 6 weeks after rehoming are not that common.
I love mine but in hind sight probably wish I'd have stuck it out for something more straightforward!!
 

Michen

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I've had a nosey through your posts a few times Michen, and it has made me question if I am mad! But like you said, its just luck I suppose. I could have an ex racer for years with no problems, or the other way round. I will have a chat and see what they think to me taking him home to vet.

I ideally want to get his shoes off as soon as possible!!

You aren't mad. They are the best horses in the world to ride and having T even for 7 months was wonderfully rewarding despite everything. If I knew what I know now I would never have taken him home and would have picked a "better" one. Harry looks lovely from his video and I highly doubt you will have all of the problems I did. I would just suggest that if you aren't insuring him, and he is cheap, you set yourself some firm rules as to what you will and won't do if he were to go lame/sick in the near future (differen't when they are re trained and established!).
 

Tiarella

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I contacted owner/trainer last night and they replied pretty much straight away. Really good report on him, and he was very much a loved horse. Really want to keep in contact to see how he is etc.
 

Optimissteeq

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Firstly, I hope it works out for you - he looks lovely from the pics I've seen on the Cheveral site. My very recent OTTB has been tricky to get a saddle to fit, I have also discovered that he has some scar tissue from a saddle that has been too tight on him in the past, and the saddler tells me this could have occurred from a racing saddle. This surprised me a little but I have been reading up on it since, and found some articles to support this.
Its not the end of the world - with the correct work and stretching etc he will develop the muscle needed, but he did have a sore back. I had assumed (incorrectly) that he wouldn't have back issues due to only ever having a racing saddle, I was wrong :( so just re-iterating to get the back checked. :)
 

biggingerpony

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I bought my ex race horse (5 yr old, raced 20+ times) in December from a specialist dealer. He is an absolute saint. I tried him once, hacked him alone (and took him for a little canter) and did about 10 min in the school and a popped a tiny x pole. Dealer rode him first for a little bit. Knew he was the one straight away as I felt so safe on him despite him looking like a muddy yak! She gave me his previous trainers owners number so I spoke to him. Also she disclosed his previous vet history, despite this I also had him 5* vetted to be on the safe side. Which he passed with flying colours.

I would see him hacked out by himself, and also see what he's like to be girthed and in the stable.

Mine is very very girthy, which after being scoped clear is thought by my vet to be psychological after having it done up too tight during racing.

Good luck! I'm sure he'll be fab :)
 

Tiarella

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He is loooovely :)

Rode him in walk/trot/canter felt very unbalanced and tight muscled but chewing and licking listening to me with his ears. Walked him over a pole (they hadn't got to that stage yet) and he had a sniff and a think then strolled over it. Seems chilled and a bit lazy but to me that is a much better option :) perfect to tack up/untack, wash down took him away from his pals, his pals went away from him. Going to sleep on it tonight but really smitten with him. People just keep telling me horror stories which put me off.
 
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