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

I own a TB *touch wood* he is very cheap to keep, I don't spend anymore on him than I have done on any of my other horses/ponies. He is kept out 24/7, in winter he gets a little bit of chaff just so I can check him over and in the summer i'm constantly keeping an eye on his weight and he is in a starvation paddock. He is ridden 5 times a week, schooling/hacking mix. He is shod every 8 weeks and not a day's lameness.
I tend to buy extras for him as I had budgeted that I would have to spend loads on him.
Because of him I wouldn't hesitate buying another ex racer however I don't like to spend much on a horse full stop no matter if its a TB, warmblood, Welsh, Arab or anything - it just goes against me to spend so much on horses but that's my own personal view.
 
When I worked in racing, National Hunt, most of the horses had good feet, they had been kept unshod for the first three or four years of life, not shod and broken as yearlings (flat racing), it has been well documented that a major reason for unsoundness is working while bones are developing.
I know that some TBs are a handful in training, but many are actually very good rides, they are usually ridden in groups which helps a lot. Only one or two percent come in to the loopy category, these would never be sold to ordinary people, generally are given to stable staff or returned to owners for field retirement.
We did keep one horse who really was too fragile to race, and too strong to be ridden by an amateur, in the end he was put down at the yard (his home) because he could never have been re-homed, very sad, but it was the best thing.
We were very concerned about welfare, no horse was ever beaten, or abused, only the professional jockeys were allowed to carry a whip, the lads had to use hands and heels. even with horses that were newly backed, and were being schooled.
I know other yards where the horse were just the means to an end, and things were different, these yards have a high staff turnover as might be expected.
We sent a few horses to Doncaster Bloodstock sales every year, where they were generally sold on to competition homes, most of the viewers were from racing or point to pointing,, fortunately no dreamers looking for happy hackers, so I think this was the best sales place for them. I know I have phoned up local trainers, and they have always been very honest about their horses, which is more than can be said for private vendors or some dealers.
 
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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!
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I have a Welsh D cross, so this made me smile. :)

There's an ex-racehorse on our yard that is the most laid back, bomb proof beast you'll ever meet. If he was any more relaxed, he would be in a coma. The owner says, "That's why he's an EX-racer. He never won anything!" :D

But I do think he costs more to feed than my little Welshy. And he's mainly used for hacking. I don't know if his constitution would stand up to a workload of jumping and competing. But he's absolutely perfect for his job as a safe happy hacker.

I've also seen TBs that do fit the stereotype of being chronically loopy, unsound, expensive, delicate hayburners.
 
This is an interesting thread. I'm horse shopping at the moment, and I'm looking for an ex racer because I love TBs, and I've known a couple who've come off the track and gone on to have great lives. My friend has one who's 27, still being ridden 4 times a week, and is the sweetest, most bombproof horse in the world; he's had some soundness problems but corrective shoeing has sorted them out.

I think a lot of it depends on where you are. There aren't many racing stables near me (I don't think), whereas I phoned about a lovely horse at the weekend - already sold, unfortunately :( - who was being sold for peanuts because in their area, exracers are ten a penny and he wouldn't have sold otherwise.

Wish me luck, going to see one tonight :p
 
personally, you'd be looking at the thick end of £15k to buy mine, but he's very much proven his worth as a dressage horse, schooling PSG at 6 + winning affil elem and med,shows piaffe and passage and is sound and tough-he's got all the ingredients to make a super amateurs GP horse.
if he debuts at PSG next year and does well,as a 7yo, his market value will rise, because he's dead easy, anyones ride at a show,and moves like a warmblood.

if you offered me £2.5k you wouldnt be so much laughed off the yard as ejected at speed!

mine is very spoilt, but thats because he's a hard working competition horse and i owe it to him to give him the best, to give us the best chance. nothing to do with being a TB because he holds his weight well, isnt fussy, works barefoot and is never sick or sorry.

he isnt a novice/RC horse, he's too sharp to hack and needs/wants to work, but for a dedicated serious dressage rider, he's a dream.

stupid to say you might be buying a racing injury, because by the time they have been re-schooled its either shown up and caused a prob, or there isnt one there....................you cant say that any problem developed later in their life is attributed to the racing. different if buying direct off the track, but by the time its been in a new job for a year, you will know if its got an if/but/maybe or not.

people that want a cheap horse buy them, cant handle them, and sell them even cheaper, and that drives the prices down by reputation.

or the buy one unsuitable for their disipline, it goes lame though innapropriate work, and same thing happens.
 
Very interesting! There value is low as there are many of them out there and they do get tarnished with a certain reputation as its a shame (then all breeds have a reputation of some sort). I have 2 and the only real difference is one is a cheeky chappie that needs a bit more feed and the other is a softie that gets fat on grass! They are hurt no more no less than anything else on the yard and haven't been lame since sept - an ID on the yard has been lame for 2 weeks now after a kick....

I didn't set out to buy an ex racer or TB, but I would happily do it again as they have so many positives as long as you are happy to choose carefully and put in time and effort. I guess a lot of people want something they can hop on and go with, that's not me and that why I'm happy I've got the boys :D
 
Simple - supply exeeds demand - Racehorses are breed in large numbers and retire from racing fairly early compared to other equine sports. They are breed to be competition horses not leisure horses and are often seen as not suitable for the novice or faint hearted.

I think the majority of horse owners are hobby riders who want pony club or riding club types who are easily to handle and cheap to keep. They don't need a very atheltic sports horse, and certainly not one that has not been trained for the job.

An ex racer that has had a succesful career doing something else is going to command a higher price than one straight out of racing. In same way as just backed cobs are going to be cheaper than experienced riding club ones (though people tend to think they are going to find it easier to train a young cob than retrain a racehorse).
 
Here here PS!

At the end of the day ex-racers direct off the track are peanuts if anything because they are an unknown quantity as far as a riding horse and there are simply SO many of them.

HOWEVER

Once they are trained they cease to be a racehorse, they are a dressage horse or a showjumper or an eventer or whatever. They have had the effort and training put into them and a good horse that is well trained will get a decent price. PS is right, by this point if there is an injury that stops them from being an event horse or a dressage horse ect you will know about it. ISH from Ireland can be hunted too young, doesn't mean they are all write offs.

My horse raced once. That's pretty insignificant compared to everything else he's done, he doesn't even look like a racing TB. He's a quality, good horse no matter what his breed you can't take that away from him.

PS's horse is not an 'ex-racer' he's a dressage horse and will command a price as befits his quality, training, results and potential.

I wouldn't accept 2.5k for mine, what a joke. Double that at least. Looking at HQ ect, the ones out of racing or the ones that have had basic reschooling are cheap and understandably. The ones that are proven and successful RC, Event, SJ, DR horses are more expensive and more in line with horses of a similar level but different breeds.

An ex-racehorse off the track, yes should be cheap. Competition, sound, sane TB's should be as much as any breed of the same quality. A good horse is a good horse no matter what guise.
 
"Once they are trained they cease to be a racehorse, they are a dressage horse or a showjumper or an eventer or whatever. They have had the effort and training put into them and a good horse that is well trained will get a decent price"

YES!!!!

"ISH from Ireland can be hunted too young, doesn't mean they are all write offs"

YES again!!!!!!
 
I love TB's and find on the whole that ex-racers are polite to handle and good to ride if you are reasonably competant. They have a very good work ethic too!

However I do think they are 'high mileage'. It has to have had a detrimental effect on joints etc to have done so much work so young.

Having said that I have severe TB envy at the moment as I don't currently have one and I'm looking at a few on Horsemart!! :D :D :D
 
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