In defence of ex-racehorses

Why are so many people afraid of thoroughbreds? I can honestly say that some of the easiest horses I’ve had to ride have been TBs. I know we shouldn’t generalise about any breed of horse or pony but I think the view of an ex-racehorse as an excitable, impossible to train equine is often unjustified. I’ve met horsey people who even think they are less intelligent than sports horses.

My second horse was an ex-point to pointer who had suffered a suspensary ligament injury. He was a home bred who had a sweet temperament and was good at jumping. I retrained him for show jumping and he loved it. He was the one horse I never fell off and others were happy to ride him too. He was a flashy chestnut with white blaze and stockings and attracted a hoard of young girls around him at shows!

The next thoroughbred was another who had broken down. He was well bred and went back to a Derby winner on the dam’s side but he had bad conformation and a fore leg didn’t stand up to training. Years later vets would look at his bow tendon in amazement and wonder how he ever stayed sound. He could only be used as a hack but he was so quiet any beginner could ride him. He was hopeless at jumping and very set in his ways – not too keen on strange new things – but a pet. He lived to his 30th year.

The third thoroughbred was a mare and, I have to admit, a bit fizzy. She would hack out with a beginner on her back, never minded traffic, no fear of umbrellas (racehorses don’t usually mind umbrellas because they get used to them around the parade ring at the races) but put her in an arena with show jumps and she would go ballistic. She used to be a hurdler (albeit rather a slow one!) and it took a lot of time to retrain her to approach coloured fences with more caution. In her mid-twenties we gave her to a vet student who wanted a horse to look after so that he could get used to handling them.

If you ride an ex-racer we would love to hear about your experiences. What do you do with him or her? What is his temperament like? Would you recommend a thoroughbred? Send any info and photos to [email protected] for our article on ex-racehorses.