Why is the market value of ex-racers so low?

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Lolo

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I mean the re-schooled ones, who lead a normal life.

The ex-racers I know are fabulous hunters, sensible hacks, have sweet personalities, are very good looking and are all talented (ie are all competing at 3'+ doing all PC or RC activities).

Yet somehow, these gems have a limited price because they raced. The thread saying "I wouldn't pay more than £2.5k for an ex-racer, including tack" shocked me. Ex-racers definitely aren't for novices. But neither are warmbloods, or Welsh Ds, but no one is making such mad statements there! I can honestly say if someone offered us £2.5k for our ex-racer, they'd be laughed off the yard, and his current status is competing at BE100 level (unaff, PC stuff), Novice dressage, all PC/RC activities, hacks out in company or alone never being strong or silly, does very well showing (lightweight hunter, RoR, sports horse) with nice manners and a lovely personality. Does have his mad days (although they are few and far between, and only with my sister- my nervous mum hacks him happily!). If we said he was a sports horse, or something similar why would this make any difference to the above facts?

Agh! Drives me up the wall- sure, for a brand new, straight off the track horse there is a very limited market. But a decent RC allrounder who's been reschooled?
 
When looking for a project, or a new competition horse, I never look at TBs, whether raced or not. While they can and do make fab horses (I have one lol), they cost a fortune to keep, often have soundness issues in later life if have raced, and are accident prone on top of that. There's the odd hardy one, but I could keep two 14.2hh ponies for the same money as my one, never raced, 15hh TB! Especially in vet bills!

So there's less demand, which pushes down the price. Also, there's an awful lot about, which also pushes the price down.
 
My only experience of TBs is that they are incredibly tragically fragile, the one I've put out on loan is lovely, but a total wimp and a worrier, his loaner pampers him and wraps him in cotton wool and lovely fleecy pink rugs and bandages, where I would roll my eyes and tell him to belt up, if I were to ever have him back I would need to rethink my stable management style!

I'd like to see other replies, but I think it's mostly supply and demand, there's a lot of them about and other breeds are hardier, if no less mental
 
joeanne said:
Its because many are so "speshul":D
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Reggie is mildly 'speshul' is has to be said- he's lovely, very talented and a pleasure to own and ride. However, he has approximately 3 braincells and as a male he can only really use one at a time and needs a rest in between each thought... He electrocuted himself trying to eat the moss the other day, walked away, and 5 minutes later tried the same thing... We turned the fence off after he'd done it 5 times in under half an hour!
 
It's because there are a huge amount of exracers out there. And because the majority are quite sharp/sensitive so not suitable for the average happy hacker/riding club type rider - who makes up the majority of the riding population.

Having said that, exracers that have be reschooled and competed cost the same as any other proven competition horse. And there are some exracers with extremely laid back personalities... but I would say they are in the minority.
 
Working in a racing yard I see the other side of the re-homing process. The trainer I work for will never let a horse go to someone who couldn't cope with it or look after it. They would rather have them kicking around in the field until the right person comes along. Because most of ours are given away it has to be got right. Of my 2 from work one of them is the sort of horse that would have got shunted from piller to post every year as he is so quirky, he is technically lame, hates jumping and is scared of most traffic - so not suitable for alot of people. I potter him about the place, go for the odd yeehaa and do some very low level ex-racer show classes. My other one anyone could ride. He is totally bombproof, goes anywhere, does anything and is a gem to deal with - so long as the gate is open wide enough! Saying that he is currently broken!

My 3rd TB came straight out of training from Richard Fahey and again, the home was far more important for them. Due to an old injury he can't jump and I only want to hack, show and do some dressage with him so that's fine. Again, he is lovely, go anywhere, do anything type.

Yes straight out of training they are worth pretty much nothing. And I can see why people are put off of buying properly reschooled ones but I would never say to anyone not to consider one as a formal riding horse. 95% of them are great in traffic, to clip, have their feet and teeth done, bath and load.

Unfortunately there has been a huge influx in them as people can't afford to keep them in training if they aren't paying their way. And with so many to choose from people are going to go for the cheaper ones which then makes other people bring their prices down to try and sell theirs. At the end of the day a good horse will always hold it's value and they shouldn't be discrimiated against because they have been trained and raced.

I wouldn't be without my motley crew but then I'm weird and have Shetlands as well.
 
EKW said:
Working in a racing yard I see the other side of the re-homing process. The trainer I work for will never let a horse go to someone who couldn't cope with it or look after it. They would rather have them kicking around in the field until the right person comes along. Because most of ours are given away it has to be got right. Of my 2 from work one of them is the sort of horse that would have got shunted from piller to post every year as he is so quirky, he is technically lame, hates jumping and is scared of most traffic - so not suitable for alot of people. I potter him about the place, go for the odd yeehaa and do some very low level ex-racer show classes. My other one anyone could ride. He is totally bombproof, goes anywhere, does anything and is a gem to deal with - so long as the gate is open wide enough! Saying that he is currently broken!

My 3rd TB came straight out of training from Richard Fahey and again, the home was far more important for them. Due to an old injury he can't jump and I only want to hack, show and do some dressage with him so that's fine. Again, he is lovely, go anywhere, do anything type.

Yes straight out of training they are worth pretty much nothing. And I can see why people are put off of buying properly reschooled ones but I would never say to anyone not to consider one as a formal riding horse. 95% of them are great in traffic, to clip, have their feet and teeth done, bath and load.

Unfortunately there has been a huge influx in them as people can't afford to keep them in training if they aren't paying their way. And with so many to choose from people are going to go for the cheaper ones which then makes other people bring their prices down to try and sell theirs. At the end of the day a good horse will always hold it's value and they shouldn't be discrimiated against because they have been trained and raced.

I wouldn't be without my motley crew but then I'm weird and have Shetlands as well.
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Your post made me smile- it's interesting to hear about the 'other side', as Reggie was privately owned and still has the same owner as he did when he raced, so when he was injured she just put him in one of her fields and let him chill and recuperate so I have never seen the more 'industrial' side of racing.

He's the best in traffic and out hacking- never strong! He knows that where he's put in the 'pack' is where he stays, and does his best to stay in that position regardless of what's going on around him!
 
Hi
Personally I have an ex-racer, and he is a very good doer, her lives out in the summer with just a handful of mix of a morning (more to get him over to me quicker when im short of time on my break from work) because he certainly doesnt need it for the weight or condition, and is part stabled in the winter. He has only had the vet out to him once other than general jabs and that was due to being abit colicy. So he has not cost me much to keep at all.

Plus there is no horse i would trust more on the road than him,tractors, sprayers, combines,quads, buses you name it and he will go past it without a fuss.

Yes he has his moments but what horse doesnt?
 
None of the ones I have come across have ever been a problem and personally I would consider one myself.

However they are bound to always be more difficult to sell and therefore cheaper than other breeds because:
1. TBs are notoriously poor doers, why buy a poor doer if you could have something that need no hard feed?
2. There is a risk of soundness issues due to the hard work at a young age.
3. Even after schooling they often have quirks.
4. TBs aren't very fashionable at the moment, most disciplines are looking for warmblood types.
5. Everyone has heard the horror stories and no one wants to be told "that they should never have bought an exracer, they should have bought a sensible cob.

To be honest I shared one who wasn't straight off the track but had not had any schooling as she had been a broodmare and she was a pretty super hack. But when we bought our horse (warmblood cross) the vet basically told us we should be looking for a middle aged cob (despite never having seen us ride....) so it isn't surprising that a cob type capable of jumping a 3ft course will sell for more than a tb type with the same credentials. Even princess sparkle has acknowledged that cs would be worth more if he wasn't a tb!
 
OP- Why can the same be said for Section D's? Are they prone to being uppity? This must be stereotype I haven't heard about yet?

Blue raced for something like 10 years (perhaps a bit more?) as he's 13 now and just retired last year. I think if racing is looked upon as a business, there's only one reason to retire a horse- they stop winning. Why? Often due to lameness, or low grade pain issues like stomach ulcers etc. An animal is built for what it does, and what TB's do best is run (well, some of them lol).

I guess its possibly also part public mind-set... I wouldn't buy an ex-hunting dog as a pet, so I wouldn't buy an ex-race horse as a kick-along plod. Blue wasn't professionally (or otherwise) reschooled before I got him on loan, but he has good ground manners with a few quirks (doesn't tie up very well, doesn't stand to be mounted, needs things done the same time/way each day) but he's lovely and I consider myself lucky to have him!
 
MosMum said:
OP- Why can the same be said for Section D's? Are they prone to being uppity? This must be stereotype I haven't heard about yet?

Blue raced for something like 10 years (perhaps a bit more?) as he's 13 now and just retired last year. I think if racing is looked upon as a business, there's only one reason to retire a horse- they stop winning. Why? Often due to lameness, or low grade pain issues like stomach ulcers etc. An animal is built for what it does, and what TB's do best is run (well, some of them lol).

I guess its possibly also part public mind-set... I wouldn't buy an ex-hunting dog as a pet, so I wouldn't buy an ex-race horse as a kick-along plod. Blue wasn't professionally (or otherwise) reschooled before I got him on loan, but he has good ground manners with a few quirks (doesn't tie up very well, doesn't stand to be mounted, needs things done the same time/way each day) but he's lovely and I consider myself lucky to have him!
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I think welsh Ds have big brains and bigger personalities, and most threads agree with my experience of them! Ours was certainly a 'character' (read little sod, who we kept because my sister adored him and he'd jump 1.10m all day long...), and our welsh D x TB was an opinionated little cow (she went back rather quickly!).

Reg won't stand either... Nightmare in showing- we pin him surreptitiously, and stuff him with polos so he doesn't notice!
 
Oh lol good idea with the polos/pinning

I wasn't disagreeing with your opinion of sec D's, just hadn't heard that before :) There's a Sec D on our yard (I think two but I'm not sure if box_of_frogs' is a sec D or not) and she is quiet and easy... but also a tart and likes to tease the boys!!!
 
lannerch said:
Do you think I could buy miners frolic for £2.5k?:)
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LOL!! I think you're offering way to much there!!

I think they're cheap because ther are such a limited number of people wanting to take something with a "personality" on. I love my two to pieces and I wouldn't pay for any other breed of horse, but then I have time and patience to deal with their quirks.
 
One of my horses is an ex - racer and yes, to begin with I had to put a lot of work into her. She does consume about three times what my other horse eats, and still looks like an RSCPA case ( joke!), but you know she is highly intelligent, very pretty, certainly has talent and has totally responded to one - to - one care. Frankly, I adore her, and although she will never be for sale I certainly would not accept silly money for her. She is worth much more than that but then again there are a lot of them out there - because of the recession. Poor devils.
 
I have only had 1 TB, my new boy, and he is the quietest, loveliest, bravest little horse!! Yes he gets little scrapes and cuts, but he isn't a poor doer, and is just a generally nice person! He hasn't raced, but is coming along beautifully, not what I'd expected from a TB at all! I guess people struggle to judge horses on their own merits, and rely on stereotypes, which is such a shame.

J&C
 
Low price isn't just confined to ex racers - most Tb's are cheap - poor doers and self injurous and spook at theri own pooh!

Love mine though, sensitive, forward, exciting
 
Yeah Achinghips - exciting - that's exactly right. They're exciting horses to ride, if you can cope with what comes with them. Don't think that there are many of us who are prepared to these days though.
 
Probably as already said there are too many of them and they have grown a reputation as poor doers, accident prone nutters.

IMO once they have settled down into their new life and given time and patience and not fed bucket loads of cereals to fatten them up they are like any other breed.

They are bred to race and aren't skinny they are lean and musclely for the job they were bred to do. Over time with different work and forage based feed they change shape and mine now has a small feed twice a day on good grass.

Often they don't keep their weight because they have ulcers or discomfort from their racing years, that combined with cereals often makes them react and then they're labelled difficult.

Just my observation and mine is a fab horse. Perhaps I'm just lucky.
 
Basic economics, because there are so many of them available at very cheap prices, and in reality a decent TB is more than capable of fulfilling most average riders ambitions.
That said I have a TB who isn't worth £800 if I was to sell him, but he is irreplacable to me, I would need 3 or 4 horses to do all the things I do with him.
TB's in the right hands are the most versatile horses ever. And there is no feeling in the world like jumping a bloody big hedge on a TB. None!
 
I have a 24yr old TB. He probably raced once but has spent most of his life as a riding horse, county showing and doing dressage. He is beautifully schooled( was when we got him) and exceptionally lazy.
The down side is ..he costs a fortune to keep, dislikes some people and will protest, can not be left on his own,gets overly attached to my mare so can not live with her, goes nuts in the lorry on his own. Has to be sedated to do anything with his head, has poor feet, can not regulate his body tempreture properly either sweats or is too cold. Hates hacking, hates loud speakers and give him a flat open space and he flips into racehorse mode.
We have owned him since he was 17 and this year may be his last year. He has been a wonderful schoolmaster and is much loved but I doubt if I would ever have another. TBs are just to time consuming, like delicate watchs they have to be checked and tinkered with contantly to get the best out of them. Like sports cars lovely to look at but not really practical
 
QR
again people are sterotyping horses, i have had plenty of ex racers and 2 that were classed as unrideable and were a libality are now out on loan and you know what are happy hackers.
I have a couple of ex-racers at yard at present and have re-schooled them and they are perect all round horses.
So should i give them away for pennies bacaused they raced, each horse is worth what it is worth on its own merit not on its colour or might have ran around a track 3 times.
 
I think the answer is that the market is saturated with them. It doesn't help that a higher percentage of ex-racers will have wear and tear related soundness issues compared to non raced horses. Not all of them do, of course!
 
I've had one (presumed) ex-racer tb. She was a neglect case so can't be sure, but she had all the right characteristics. She was prone to injuring herself, was a poor doer and eventually was pts because of soundness issues.

At the same time on the same diy yard was another ex-racer. He wasn't a poor doer, though consumed a lot of food. Just like my mare he was prone to injuring himself and had soundness issues.

So when I lost my mare my dad was blunt about it. He would not continue to pay for a horse if I bought another ex-racer, as they wern't worth it.

I know there are ex-racers out there who live happy lives and do not fit the stereotype, but my dad sums up the problem. They are perceived to be difficult to keep, and horses are expensive. Why buy yourself something you will spend more time nursing than riding?

I loved my ex-racer; she was the sweetest horse I have ever met and I miss her all the time. I now have a young connie. However much I loved my ex-racer, I have to be honest and say that when I contrast what I had with him to the trouble I have with her, I wouldn't go back to an ex-racer. An easy keeper is much less stessful.
 
Arabs are incredibly cheap - probably for the same reason. I bought an Arab because I love them, but I know I would love riding a TB for the same reasons - I am just put off because of the cost issues in terms of legs and feed
 
Yep I've been stunned by how cheap Arabs are, and that is probably even less fair as they are generally as hardy as a native. They are perfect teenagers allrounders if you as me, and if I'd been in the market for something under 16hh I would have had one like a shot. I still want to own one eventually.
 
Weird. TB's we've had have been amazing. My mums evented Intermediate and lived to 23 (and was sound!) but then we also had an Arab that jumped 1m40.
Maybe we have been lucky?
My mums TB is lazy and really easy. Mine is easy, neither are lame. Mine can be left alone or surrounded by horses and he doesn't care. He's a good do-er and doesn't need sedating for dentist or vet or anything! He's really laid-back and stress free. He can sometimes be sharp to ride but he's an amazing comp horse. Saying that I can canter him in a group on a long rein and meander round a field at a walk so slow it's a crawl if I feel like it.

I suppose it depends on the horse but our TB's have always been nice horses. I dont much agree with stereotypes, They are for numptys. I've met cobs that are trickier than our boys and need more maintenance. At least I can chuck my TB on a field of grass and not worry about it ;).
 
Lolo said:
I mean the re-schooled ones, who lead a normal life.

The ex-racers I know are fabulous hunters, sensible hacks, have sweet personalities, are very good looking and are all talented (ie are all competing at 3'+ doing all PC or RC activities).

Yet somehow, these gems have a limited price because they raced. The thread saying "I wouldn't pay more than £2.5k for an ex-racer, including tack" shocked me. Ex-racers definitely aren't for novices. But neither are warmbloods, or Welsh Ds, but no one is making such mad statements there! I can honestly say if someone offered us £2.5k for our ex-racer, they'd be laughed off the yard, and his current status is competing at BE100 level (unaff, PC stuff), Novice dressage, all PC/RC activities, hacks out in company or alone never being strong or silly, does very well showing (lightweight hunter, RoR, sports horse) with nice manners and a lovely personality. Does have his mad days (although they are few and far between, and only with my sister- my nervous mum hacks him happily!). If we said he was a sports horse, or something similar why would this make any difference to the above facts?

Agh! Drives me up the wall- sure, for a brand new, straight off the track horse there is a very limited market. But a decent RC allrounder who's been reschooled?
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Personally I would stear clear because of potential injuries they may have sustained whilst racing, my friend recently had her boy put down cos he'd had a bad back prob from racing, possible fall, you just don't know what's happened to them in their past racing life, you could be taking on something costly in the long run, maybe that's why
 
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