Advice Re - X-racehorse

[alexa]

Will anyone with experience of x-racers please get back to me with advce:

I have an x-racer and have given my advice to the person in question but I have only experience of the 1 horse so am asking for more input.The situation is as follows:

Horse was racing until 2 weeks ago, no good at his job, too slow and didn't like it so sold for meat prices. 3 year old gelding on the scrap heap, good looking and other than thin and numerous skinless patches on hip bones and backside (I heard he had a bad trip in the van) he looks in relatively good shape.  The person who has bought him is a rather nervous lady in her late 40's. He has colicked badly since she bought him. Yesterday while I was out riding my horse she got on and tried to ride him, he was having none of it, practically refused to move forward at all. He seems to have completely "turned off". He would follow my horse for a while then just stop and she could not get him going again and did not want to use a crop on him as I guess he has had enough of that already !!

From what I have learnt with my horse I suggested (but want confirmation from others more experienced in the x-racing thoroughbred field) that she not ride him at all for the moment. Let him relax, turn out as much as he can cope with, work with him on the ground establishing a rapport. Eventually long rein or lunge him, groom him and just spend time with him so he has confience with someone. Build up his strength, heal his visible wounds and then next Spring start working with him as with a baby just broken in. The lady listened to me but whether she will do this I don't know, she was very frustrated and unhappy yesterday. I just would like that she gives him a chance as he is so young after all. Anyone with experince please get back with your advice and I will translate for her (I live in france).

thanks
Alex

[cassiejane]

I do not have any experience of ex racehorses but your advice sounds very sensible - at 3 years old he is just a baby and has probably had a hard time up to now in his short life - so needs a bit of love, patience and understanding.

[Cloud_cirrus]

She has bought an animal that up until two weeks ago was in a very structured routine, probably stabled 24/7, exercised in a string wearing a racing saddle and fed to race.

She (presumably) has turned him out in a field, fed him whatever her favourite horse feed is and has now tried to jump on and take him out for a hack.  I'm not sure about France but in this country apart from walking out to the gallops along the lanes, the only pace they really know is canter/gallop.

He is very young and just experienced a huge lifestyle change.  I would be treating him as an unbacked horse.  As a three year old he would have been flat racing and they really only know about going forward in straight lines, jumpers are a bit different, they tend to get a wider range of schooling including some dressage in some trainers yards!!

I think the advice so far has been very sensible, ex-race horses in some respects are very easy in that they are usually very good at loading, working around in the stable, washing off etc, but in other areas they have been imprinted to do things in a very specific way, this can be hard to change.

On the positive side as a three year old he will be trainable, I'm not sure it's a match made in heaven for a nervous rider though.  She should look on him as a long term project I think.

Tracey

Ps.  Ex-racers very often have some muscle tension and soreness around the saddle area, this and the teeth would be the first things I would look at.

 

[nix]

As C-C has already said, your friend's horse needs starting as if he'd never had anything done with him and a full vet check if he hasn't already had one.

Racers are ridden very differently to other horses and he probably doesn't understand the aids given. How experienced is she as she'll need lots of help and support? Ex racers, again as C-C has pointed out, can be easy in may ways but not others. If your friend is nervous or inexperienced, it could be that she will need to get someone who has rehabilitated ex racers in to help her work with him.

The colic is probably related to all the changes in this young chap's lifestyle and he is probably finding it a very stressful time. He will be very trainable but your friend needs to help him learn the right things and take it slowly with him.

Give her my best, I hope their relationship does nothing but improve   .

[Willy Gofast]

From what I have learnt with my horse I suggested (but want confirmation from others more experienced in the x-racing thoroughbred field) that she not ride him at all for the moment. Let him relax, turn out as much as he can cope with, work with him on the ground establishing a rapport. Eventually long rein or lunge him, groom him and just spend time with him so he has confience with someone. Build up his strength, heal his visible wounds and then next Spring start working with him as with a baby just broken in. The lady listened to me but whether she will do this I don't know, she was very frustrated and unhappy yesterday. I just would like that she gives him a chance as he is so young after all. Anyone with experince please get back with your advice and I will translate for her (I live in france).

thanks
Alex

That's good advice.  Usually, ex-racers have to learn to be horses before they can be usefully ridden.  They need to get used to being turned out, getting on with other horses in a herd situation, and generally being in a more relaxed environment.

If the horse was mine I'd do what you suggested and treat him like a youngster who's had a difficult start.  He will definitely still have growing to do so turning him away and doing simple ground work exercises would be a good plan.

My ex-racer had a year in the field after he came out of racing with behavioural problems.  His owners thought they would take him away from the trainer and take him hunting.  He was so confused and unhappy he kicked, bucked them off and reared a lot.  After a year being neglected he went to a friend of mine for rehab and she left him another 3 months to settle on her yard and re-broke him.  I went to stay with her a week after he had been ridden again and took him for his first hack.  I bought him and he stayed with her for another 3 months while he gained more confidence and then I brought him home.  

Even though we'd done everything slowly and carefully he still had issues and the next six months or so were interesting.  I've had him 7 years now and he can still be sharp but we know each other pretty well.  

I'd say that your friend needs plenty of patience, to be consistent and to understand that he's a confused and emotionally-stressed horse at the moment.  However, given time and fair handling, he'll be a lovely horse.  

You may also want to have a look at the forums on the Retraining of Racehorses site.

Good luck to your friend and to her new horse.

[Camacoona]

Hi there,

I have had a number of x race horses, and all of the advice so far has been great.  Aside from what has been said so far, I would also recomend inhand work.  In hand work in the style of M Hinrich, or A Dietz (authors of books) keeps you much closer to the horse and, I think helps to build up a bit of trust in the relationship.  I Use these methods with all of my horses, and combine it with clicker training,  The methods are outlined in the above mentioned books, and the reward for correct work is in the click and the treat.  I think it works very well, and contrary to popular opinion, clicker training does not create any nippy horses that envade your own personal space!!!

I hope this helps.

Omar

[janehjubilee]

Hi I also own an ex-racehorse.  When I bought him out of the polo yard I was working in, he was completely switched off.  I later found out he had been in a bad yard, and had probably had even worse treatment, than was normal.  If possible they need turning away, so they can get their heads together.  My horse took nearly a year to turn from a horse, who would hardly put one foot in front of the other, and seemed completely oblivious of everything around him.  Five years on he is very much Thoroughbred, very fast, and lively.  His racing form was never dangerous, that can't be said about him now!!  I would also suggest not using a whip, they have had so many beatings, they are either afraid or angry, if you use one.  Having someone to ride out with helps, they can stick their nose up their bottom and pretend they are back in a string.   Hope this helps.  Jane

[alexa]

Thank you all for replying, I am printing this out together with the info I found on the re-training racehorses board. I hope she will take it into account but am afraid that she wants action now and will not have the patience but hre's hoping for his sake.
regards
Alex

[cptrayes]

I've had a dozen of them over the years. Every single one which came out of training took 3-4 months to even begin to come out of their shells and develop a normal personality.

rather nervous lady

and ex-racer is not a good combination. If she also

wants action now and will not have the patience

then quite honestly she needs to sell the poor horse now before she causes any more difficulties in his short and so far pretty miserable life. Sorry :( .

C.  

[a little bird....]

I am afraid I agree with Caroline, that is not the home for that horse.

These guys need time when they come back from training to be “proper” horses again.   Mine came home recently, he has only ever been owned by myself and the breeder and was in training with a friend of mine so not really too traumatic a start compared to many racehorses out there.  His personality arrived and the yard darling turned into an exploding idiot who thought having more than one leg on the ground was completely unnecessary!

They need the time to totally relax and wind down their fitness levels, they may be muscled up and look fine but realistically all that muscle is very little use for everyday riding.  They have no experience of being alone and are absolutely herd animals quite happy in their string but tantrums galore if you even suggest going it alone.  It all takes time, you can’t turn a speed machine into a happy hacker overnight and it is dangerous and unfair to the horse to think you can.

The feeding is really important too, most good trainers feed some form of probiotic to try to aid the digestive system and prevent colic, and coming off this will have an effect.  You need to switch them too a much higher fibre diet than they are used to with more forage, I have had mine on high fibre cubes, Alfa A lite and Blue Chip Pro fed in small feeds so not to overload the gut.  In the six months he has been home and along with grazing he has put on 120kgs (a huge amount for a now 16 hand horse (he has also grown 3 inches!) He really is a different horse (after month the trainer saw him and was amazed at the difference)  for mine it was too much too soon but I guess he is a lucky one as we realised that in time.