I've just retrained one, definitely not a job for a novice but very satisfying. My guy had won as a race horse and retired at 8 so was very much set in his ways, also a monster at over 18 hands and by some distance physically the strongest horse I ever worked with. It took time, approximately a year, but the TB is a very straightforward animal in many ways, they are smart and tend to tell you what they are thinking. They are happy when they have company, are fed, sheltered and exercised. I now have a fantastic riding horse who loves his new job.
Used to own a Thoroughbred off the track. He was already retrained. He was lovely. Still miss him. There's another Thoroughbred off the track in my future. Currently have a behemoth of a Standardbred who is a hefty 16.2hh. He is off the track too. We are lucky here in Australia, our Thoroughbreds can generally live out 24/7. I think this helps to keep them saner.
Never had an ex racer but did have a TBX ex hunter who appeared to have been ridden hard and then left neglected and skinny. Fattened him up on good grazing, sorted out his feet, he was a different animal. Had ridden a variety of horses before him but he was the first Thoroughbred and was immediately struck by the different experience. They are born athletes, even just leading him I was surprised by the whopping long strides and how effortlessly he seemed to cover the ground compared to others I’d ridden. That would be where the Ferrari vs Polo analogy comes in! He never really took to flatwork in the school but we kept it going at a basic level and he brought me endless joy riding for pleasure, he had a monstrous jump too but we only did a few local shows, working hunter etc, because for me it was all about riding out for fun. He was going strong up to 27. Now I’m ready to do it all again, and I’m thinking of doing something similar with an ex racehorse. But there is one stand out area of caution which I don’t think was mentioned, and that is the feet. These horses are known to have foot issues, they have thin soles and relatively small feet for their size so there is a lot of stress which can not only be an issue for the foot but create secondary issues further up. If I take the plunge I’ll be sure to have the horse thoroughly vetted with particular attention to the feet, and would recommend the same to anyone else. Minor issues shouldn’t be a deterrent if you have a good corrective farrier, but need to be taken into account. With that being said, after my previous experience I would only want a Thoroughbred now, they are just amazing creatures inside and out.
Fascinating video. I would much prefer to own an ex racehorse that costs next to nothing, than an stubborn old cob that's difficult to get out of first gear. You are basically giving that horse a chance of a second life.
I'm a 'happy hacker' with no particular technical skills and have been lucky enough to hack out ex racehorses at a riding centre near me. Amazing horses, chosen for their temperament, so snaffle mouthed, responsive, polite in the stable, nicely forward going but really easy to stop. Not like some lazy old cob you have to half kick to death to move forward, or so hard mouthed you can't stop. Yes, they can't live in air like a cob and need a little more TLC but are so worth considering.
If you're an experienced & knowledgeable horse person off the track thoroughbreds are nice. My 1 was one. But he needed educating. Over the fields he was navie. Handing hills was new to him. It took time. & patience. But he was a good horse. Took him out to the hunt, & he behaved like a gentleman. Bur they do require retraining. They only know going in circles. And some are very hot to handle.
My boy is four now raced once at 2 and cracked a bone in his front leg, healed over entirely and i am now starting him so even if they sustain injuries dont immediately write them off
Absolutely, same with foot problems, many issues can be sorted over time by a good farrier. Mine had early symptoms of navicular, the vet thinks it was wear and tear from his previous life; the blood vessels feeding the navicular bone were damaged and the bone surface had deteriorated causing friction against the tendon. The farrier trimmed his feet short and fitted eggbar shoes to raise the angle and ease the pressure, and he was given a course of blood thinners (basically a mild form of warfarin!) and vasodilators which increased blood flow through the capillaries that were still functioning, and opened up those that were not. It took a while but he made a full recovery and never looked back.
My TB is ROR in Showjumping and Hunting. But He is still a Spooky Boy. I can't seem to get answers about what retraining he has had as he is still very much in the full speed mode.
ive taken on Sixties Star (ex race horse) with my daughter - he started off rough but is getting much better. Im getting allot of support from the stables hes at now (Muirhead in Dundee). Amazing horse. he was a bit hard going at the start when we got him. Hes getting used to us and he is much happier now. btw he was bolting when we got him.. we lunge him for 10 minutes now and then get on. Hes got used to my daughter getting on him from the block. We are trying to get him out of lunging. The SECOND time my daughter tried to get on him, she got threw off on to concrete and she was shitting her self for around a week. It was a scary affair and I was on the verge of selling him on thinking to my self FUCK I have bitten off more than I can chew here. I instantly knew (im not a jockey) that the horse thought it was race time! And he had to get ready to race. There were about 15 other horse there for the hack so the only other time he's seen this he's been racing! Since then we have calmed him right down. Made a connection with him. he's been out hacking maybe 15 times now and goes out for rides with my daughter and her friends who also have ex race horses and together they have been doing well with him. He gets to gallop and kind of race with his new pals but its not ascot - lol infact its not even perth races ffs. Im still shitting my self every time but Ive always been like that when I see her go out on a ride even when we had a fat cob who I could run waster than! TBH I didnt have a clue when I got him but im/WE are learning. Im really loving this experience and my daughter is too even after she's been flung off 2 times and her friends were as well (she got trampled on from him). 6 weeks later, hes doing well now. We lunge him for 10 minutes (which I think we might be able to stop soon) then he hack out no problem. He hates getting bridled but Ive started a process with him that makes it easier and more fun for him. For the first time today, I used my new bridling method and done it less than a couple of minutes. He was cool with it. LONG slow process with the boy. Hes now called Woodie btw but we think hes a total star.
I’m not Rhi, but I used to work without stirrups a lot to help my leg position, especially in trot! Also stretching my heels by standing with my toes/part of the foot that contacts the stirrup on a step and stretching my heel down, bounce up and down for a few minutes.. It helps build my muscle & stretch the tendons to improve my lower leg & keeping its position while riding ☺️ hope this helped a bit!
I have an ROR who’s retrained in Hunting and showjumping but I got him for a quieter life. He’s recently started napping going away from the field and leaving our pony. But when we are out he’s took to being very fresh. Any advice as we were cantering etc but I feel we’ve went backwards!
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I've just retrained one, definitely not a job for a novice but very satisfying. My guy had won as a race horse and retired at 8 so was very much set in his ways, also a monster at over 18 hands and by some distance physically the strongest horse I ever worked with. It took time, approximately a year, but the TB is a very straightforward animal in many ways, they are smart and tend to tell you what they are thinking. They are happy when they have company, are fed, sheltered and exercised. I now have a fantastic riding horse who loves his new job.
Used to own a Thoroughbred off the track. He was already retrained. He was lovely. Still miss him. There's another Thoroughbred off the track in my future. Currently have a behemoth of a Standardbred who is a hefty 16.2hh. He is off the track too. We are lucky here in Australia, our Thoroughbreds can generally live out 24/7. I think this helps to keep them saner.
Never had an ex racer but did have a TBX ex hunter who appeared to have been ridden hard and then left neglected and skinny. Fattened him up on good grazing, sorted out his feet, he was a different animal. Had ridden a variety of horses before him but he was the first Thoroughbred and was immediately struck by the different experience. They are born athletes, even just leading him I was surprised by the whopping long strides and how effortlessly he seemed to cover the ground compared to others I’d ridden. That would be where the Ferrari vs Polo analogy comes in! He never really took to flatwork in the school but we kept it going at a basic level and he brought me endless joy riding for pleasure, he had a monstrous jump too but we only did a few local shows, working hunter etc, because for me it was all about riding out for fun. He was going strong up to 27. Now I’m ready to do it all again, and I’m thinking of doing something similar with an ex racehorse. But there is one stand out area of caution which I don’t think was mentioned, and that is the feet. These horses are known to have foot issues, they have thin soles and relatively small feet for their size so there is a lot of stress which can not only be an issue for the foot but create secondary issues further up. If I take the plunge I’ll be sure to have the horse thoroughly vetted with particular attention to the feet, and would recommend the same to anyone else. Minor issues shouldn’t be a deterrent if you have a good corrective farrier, but need to be taken into account. With that being said, after my previous experience I would only want a Thoroughbred now, they are just amazing creatures inside and out.
This was SO interesting! I love my little ex-racer he was too slow for racing, had a career in a riding college, a hunter and now he’s my eventer!
Fascinating video. I would much prefer to own an ex racehorse that costs next to nothing, than an stubborn old cob that's difficult to get out of first gear. You are basically giving that horse a chance of a second life.
I'm a 'happy hacker' with no particular technical skills and have been lucky enough to hack out ex racehorses at a riding centre near me. Amazing horses, chosen for their temperament, so snaffle mouthed, responsive, polite in the stable, nicely forward going but really easy to stop. Not like some lazy old cob you have to half kick to death to move forward, or so hard mouthed you can't stop. Yes, they can't live in air like a cob and need a little more TLC but are so worth considering.
This is so helpful Rhi! As someone who is going on a roastrip next year to get my ex racer from the North, this is very helpful!
Lovely video! I’m planning to own an ex-race horse :)
If you're an experienced & knowledgeable horse person off the track thoroughbreds are nice.
My 1 was one. But he needed educating. Over the fields he was navie. Handing hills was new to him. It took time. & patience. But he was a good horse. Took him out to the hunt, & he behaved like a gentleman. Bur they do require retraining. They only know going in circles. And some are very hot to handle.
My boy is four now raced once at 2 and cracked a bone in his front leg, healed over entirely and i am now starting him so even if they sustain injuries dont immediately write them off
Absolutely, same with foot problems, many issues can be sorted over time by a good farrier. Mine had early symptoms of navicular, the vet thinks it was wear and tear from his previous life; the blood vessels feeding the navicular bone were damaged and the bone surface had deteriorated causing friction against the tendon. The farrier trimmed his feet short and fitted eggbar shoes to raise the angle and ease the pressure, and he was given a course of blood thinners (basically a mild form of warfarin!) and vasodilators which increased blood flow through the capillaries that were still functioning, and opened up those that were not. It took a while but he made a full recovery and never looked back.
I re-train race horses ❤️❤️
My TB is ROR in Showjumping and Hunting. But He is still a Spooky Boy. I can't seem to get answers about what retraining he has had as he is still very much in the full speed mode.
ive taken on Sixties Star (ex race horse) with my daughter - he started off rough but is getting much better. Im getting allot of support from the stables hes at now (Muirhead in Dundee). Amazing horse. he was a bit hard going at the start when we got him. Hes getting used to us and he is much happier now. btw he was bolting when we got him.. we lunge him for 10 minutes now and then get on. Hes got used to my daughter getting on him from the block. We are trying to get him out of lunging.
The SECOND time my daughter tried to get on him, she got threw off on to concrete and she was shitting her self for around a week. It was a scary affair and I was on the verge of selling him on thinking to my self FUCK I have bitten off more than I can chew here. I instantly knew (im not a jockey) that the horse thought it was race time! And he had to get ready to race. There were about 15 other horse there for the hack so the only other time he's seen this he's been racing!
Since then we have calmed him right down. Made a connection with him. he's been out hacking maybe 15 times now and goes out for rides with my daughter and her friends who also have ex race horses and together they have been doing well with him. He gets to gallop and kind of race with his new pals but its not ascot - lol infact its not even perth races ffs. Im still shitting my self every time but Ive always been like that when I see her go out on a ride even when we had a fat cob who I could run waster than!
TBH I didnt have a clue when I got him but im/WE are learning. Im really loving this experience and my daughter is too even after she's been flung off 2 times and her friends were as well (she got trampled on from him). 6 weeks later, hes doing well now. We lunge him for 10 minutes (which I think we might be able to stop soon) then he hack out no problem. He hates getting bridled but Ive started a process with him that makes it easier and more fun for him. For the first time today, I used my new bridling method and done it less than a couple of minutes. He was cool with it.
LONG slow process with the boy. Hes now called Woodie btw but we think hes a total star.
Hi Rhi,great video!Do you have any tips that I could try to keep my lower leg still while riding?
I’m not Rhi, but I used to work without stirrups a lot to help my leg position, especially in trot! Also stretching my heels by standing with my toes/part of the foot that contacts the stirrup on a step and stretching my heel down, bounce up and down for a few minutes.. It helps build my muscle & stretch the tendons to improve my lower leg & keeping its position while riding ☺️ hope this helped a bit!
Thanks,I’ll try that!
I have an ROR who’s retrained in Hunting and showjumping but I got him for a quieter life. He’s recently started napping going away from the field and leaving our pony. But when we are out he’s took to being very fresh. Any advice as we were cantering etc but I feel we’ve went backwards!
Hi I was wondering if you have any tips for me, I am about to start riding :)
This was so interesting!
Glad you liked it!