Racehorse Rehabilitation Centres

Sheikh Mohammed is not, of course, the only one involved in giving ex-racehorses a good life when they retire from the track. Caring owners and trainers have always done it, and many a retired racehorse has enjoyed a new lease of life in private hands in the hunting field or showring. Some went on to find new fame, even years ago - remember David Broom's great ex-racer-showjumper Philco, and Pat Smythe's Prince Hal even earlier on ?



Horsedealers - both high-class and , er, less-so - have always made a tidy profit buying racers out of training and quickly turning them round as hacks, hunters and jumpers, with variable success. ( It always depended on whether the buyer with the money also had the knowledge - some horses got lucky, some didn't.)



But over the past fifteen years or so, certainly here in the UK, there has been a growing public concern over the fate of racehorses, both on and off the track. Partly in response to this, the British Horseracing Board set up an official charity called Retraining of Racehorses - or ROR - to support and oversee welfare developments for former racehorses. ROR, based in London, acts as a contact and information centre, as well as making large contributions to the running of the four racehorse rehabilitation centres it officially supports.


Contact : http://www.ror.org.uk/ tel: 020 7152 0000



Thoroughbred Rehabilitation Centre (TRC)


This was the first of the four main centres, ( and the first in Europe), set up in 1991 by Carrie Humble, MBE ( awarded this honour by The Queen for her work with ex-racehorses.) TRC now has its own farm premises in Lancashire, where it can board 30 horses. There is always a waiting list ! It's founding philosophy is summed up in its brochure - " We breed them, we train them, we push them to their limits to provide us a sport - we owe them, either a decent life or a decent exit". And that's what TRC provides; as many horses as possible are rehomed, (always on loan, to approved homes, and remaining in TRC legal ownership.) Horses that cannot be rehomed, for physical or mental health reasons, are humanely euthanased.


Contact: http://www.thoroughbredrehabilitationcentre.co.uk/ tel: 01524 812649



Greatwood


The Greatwood centre was founded in Devon in 1992 by Michael and Helen Yeadon, and now operates from a farm in Marlborough, Wiltshire. It's motto is " The finishing line is only the beginning", and, like TRC, has a tremendous success record of rehabilitating and rehoming ( again, on loan) ex-racers.


Contact: http://www.racehorsesgreatwood.org/ tel: 01672 514535




Moorcroft


Based in Sussex and running on very similar lines to Greatwood and TRC, Moorcroft can cater for 28 horses at a time.


Contact: http://www.mrwc.org.uk/ tel: 01403 791916



Whilst not one of the original 'big three' ex-racer charities, Heros, based at Wantage in Oxfordshire, is also now recognised and supported by ROR. Begun by Grace Muir in the 1990's, the charity's name stands for Homing Ex-Racehorses Organisation Scheme. It's motto is " to pastures new", and it has successfully rehomed over 300 retired racehorses. Unlike TRC, Greatwood and Moorcroft, Heros does sell some of its horses, as well as placing others on loan, though of course the same careful matching process is required for horse and new homer.


Contact : http://www.heroscharity.org/ tel: 01488 638820



There are many more rehabilitation centres in the UK, of course, both privately run and charitable. ( Anyone know of any they can recommend ?)



Racehorse rehoming is now growing world-wide, too. I know of three organisations in USA:



CANTER (Communication Alliance to Network Thoroughbred Ex-Racehorses)

This is a not-for-profit organisation, with affiliate branches throughout the US. It takes a special interest in rescuing ex-racers from slaughter, and has strong links with the on-line club, Ex Racers.com , with joint members working on shared rescue projects.



Contact : http://www.canterusa.org/



ReRun Inc

To help the adoption of retired thoroughbred racers.



Contact: http://www.rerun.org/



New Vocations

Racehorse adoption organisation.



Contact: http://www.horseadoption.com/



Anyone out there with any details of the work of these groups, or anything similar elsewhere in the world?

Sheikh Mohammed's Racehorse Rehabilitation Centre

This week's Horse and Hound magazine ( 22nd May) carries a very interesting article on Sheikh Mohammed's new 'in-house racehorse rehoming scheme'. A retraining centre has been set up at Badlingham Manor, in Cambridgeshire, for which the residents are all horses owned, funded, and specially chosen by the Sheikh himself. They are unlikely to be his best champion stallions, or any mares, since these will naturally be retained for breeding. But all of Sheikh Mohammed's horses are superbly bred, so anyone who is lucky enough to eventually acquire one of the retrained ones will be getting a fantastic horse - and a real bargain, as the new owners are only asked to make a donation of £100. Some horses go out on loan. (Of course, prospective rehomers have to pass a vetting and matching process first.)



The project is still quite new and small, having been started in 2006 and being able to take 20 horses at a time. No doubt the Sheikh - who owns thousands of racehorses worldwide - will be wanting to expand the programme as it gains momentum. It's good to see influential owners like him demonstrating a responsible and caring approach to their retired racers. Anyone wanting further details of the Badlingham Manor scheme can contact the manager, Sophie Candy by telephone : 01638 569130



The article has some details on racehorse rehabilitation methods, some of Badlingham's success stories, (Summoner, Beatnik, Old Kent Road), and an important note on the issue of overproduction of racehorses. I can't find a direct link to the feature at the moment, but will post it if I do. Meanwhile, the full article is on pages 28-32 of Horse and Hound (22 May 08)

It's Showtime !

Here in Britain the showing season is upon us. (The pictures are of my mare Miraed, the only one of my present ex-racers that I've had any real showring success with so far. I'll introduce her to you properly in a later post) For me the show season is a time of frenzied late-evening and early-morning activity every weekend; bathing horses, washing and plaiting manes and tails, cleaning tack, retrieving the show jacket from the corner of the horsebox and trying to scrub and iron it back into respectability....

All this to get up at some stupid-o'clock dawn hour, drive your now-beautiful horse to a muddy ( or dusty) windswept field, meet up with a lot of like-minded lunatics, and then run up and down all day in driving rain or baking heat. It's a ritual called the Great British Horse Show, and people actually do it for fun. ( Some folks even take it seriously - but ex-racehorse owners are seldom able to do so, because ex-racers have a real talent for making their humans look complete idiots in public. A healthy sense of humour is pretty essential.)

Attending all these shows, large and small, throughout the summer months has always been a great way to accustom young horses to travelling and to riding in different situations. It works well for ex-racers too. Though they are usually good at loading and travelling ( after all, it was part of their former day-job), they benefit enormously in their retraining and rehabilitation process by getting out of a horsebox at a big gathering that ISN'T racing. The first couple of times, of course, the horse will get himself all excited and geared-up to race. He will be confused when you then ask him to do nothing more than trot up in hand once or twice. (In-hand classes are the safest to start off with. It's also best to have someone along to help you if, through nerves or frustration, your ex-racer decides to show you exactly what he used to do for a living.)

Gradually though, over the weeks, the horse will realize that travelling does not always result in racing, and he will learn to relax. He will come to enjoy the long, lolling-about hours between classes, with nothing to do but be petted and fed endless grass, hay and carrots. Eventually he will be blase enough to listen to you when you ask him to walk, trot and canter circles under saddle in the showring. That marks a great watershed achievement !

The biggest drawback to showing ex-racehorses ( for those interested in prizes, anyway) was always that, likely as not, these horses had various blemishes, scars, lumps and bumps acquired during their racing days. This meant they were heavily marked down against the flawless beauties who had never had a hard day's run in their lives. Recently, though, several groups have grown up which, in order to promote the rehabilitation and retraining of racehorses more widely, have begun to organise or sponsor show classes specifically for ex-racers.

Here are some of their details :

ROR - Retraining of Racehorses ( the largest official ex-racer charity in UK.) Presently they are organising the Tattersalls Show Series, the Retrained Racehorse Challenge, and the RoR/SEIB Racehorse to Riding Horse series through shows around the country.

web: http://www.ror.org.uk/ email: info@ror.org.uk

Ex Racers Club - an online forum club that sponsors classes nationwide

web: http://www.exracersclub.com/ email: exracers@horse-directory.co.uk

Scottish & Northern Ex-Racerhorse Club - Similar to the above, but concentrating on events in Scotland and northern England.

web: http://www.scotnorthexracers.co.uk/ email: scotnorthexracers@fsmail.net

TARRA - Thoroughbred & Retired Racehorse Association - organizes classes in England
web: see http://www.ror.org.uk/ email: petergunn3@aol.com

In addition to these, more and more small local shows are now including TB/Ex-racehorse classes of their own in their schedules, so it's always worthwhile enquiring.

I'm guessing that similar things are happening in other countries too. Anyone out there know ?

Racehorse Rehabilitation on Display

Two of Britain's top centres for racehorse rehabilitation, retraining and rehoming are inviting the public to visit this summer.

The Thoroughbred Rehabilitation Centre, at Whinney Hill, Halton, near Lancaster, used to hold annual Open Days, but this year is offering a series of eight Open half-Days. The first ones are this weekend, Saturday and Sunday 17th and 18th May, 10.30am - 1.00pm. Further dates are June 14th-15th, September 13th-14th, and October 18th-19th. The tours will be hosted by TRC Director Julie Robinson, and Founder, Carrie Humble. Tickets cost £10, including refreshments, but each day is limited to 50 visitors, who must book in advance. TRC feel that this system will allow more people to visit overall, whilst reducing the stress and upheaval to the horses of one hugely busy event.

To book tickets telephone 01524 812649,

or get further information online at www.thoroughbredrehabilitationcentre.co.uk

Meanwhile, at the other end of the country in Marlborough, Wiltshire, the retraining and rehoming centre Greatwood is planning an Open Day for Friends of Greatwood on 28th June. Friends of Greatwood have been pioneering a programme called Horse Power for children with special educational needs, who develop their learning and communication skills through interaction with the horses.

Peter Deal, Chairman of the BHA-backed Retraining of Racehorses organisation, was very impressed by his recent visit to see Horse Power in action. "I, and my colleagues, fully endorse Greatwood's innovative work with racehorses and special needs children, " he says, "and would encourage others to lend their support to this worthwhile cause."

Joining Friends of Greatwood costs just £5 per month. For details,

telephone 01672 514535

or for more information go online at www.racehorsesgreatwood.org

Greatood's founders. Helen and Michael Yeadon, are seeking to promote Horse Power nationally, and they have taken on Claudia Fisher ( former head of fundraising at Racing Welfare, and now running her own consultancy) to help. Initiatives such as this open up whole new life possibilities for ex-racehorses. As Greatwood's motto says, "The Finishing Line is Only the Beginning."

Ex-racehorse blues

That was two years ago. And we are still no nearer solving Dara's puzzle. The cycle goes on and on. Dara is good, sweet, obliging, only occasionally stroppy, and (sometimes) even interested in doing something like work. We have enjoyable hacks out, and short schooling sessions where we seem to be making real progress. We can walk, trot, and canter very nicely, and without arguments. We can even pop over a low cross-pole jump, which Dara seems to enjoy. And just as I'm thinking the Bad Times are finally over - he does it again. The full, explosive bucking bronco bit - out of the blue and for no apparent reason.

The last time he did it ( back in the school again, fortunately) I'd only just that second sat on him. He'd been gentle as a lamb to tack up, and lead round - almost dozy, in fact. He was in no way stressed, or excited. Nor was I - he'd schooled beautifully the day before, and I was expecting only another short-but-sweet little session. The day was warm, calm and windless. There was nothing at all to spook him.

I led him to the mounting block , got aboard cleanly, and said 'Walk on.' As he took his first step, Dara wobbled a little, and his left leg brushed against the mounting block....

Six gigantic gazelle-leaps later, I was on the floor, being gently scraped up by a hansome but shocked workman who had been plastering a nearby wall and had run to help this maiden-in-distress. So, we were back to Square One, it seemed - and the manly arms so caringly around me did absolutely nothing to cheer me up !

I have tried every kind of check and therapy I can muster. Dara has always had his teeth and shoes tended regularly, and his saddle checked for fit countless times. There have been a whole variety of consultations with vets, back specialists, chiropractors, McTimoney practitioners - even a reading with a psychic horse- whisperer. ( Why not try everything ?) Most of the time there is nothing, or very little, to see. So we do the recommended exercises, and all seems well - till next time. The consensus thinking at present is that the root of the trouble could be a nerve that occasionally gets trapped somehwere. The next stage, then, would be to have scans done, and possibly surgery - all very expensive! And meanwhile Dara grazes and grows fat, vastly enjoying being purely a pet, without a care in the world. ( He should have my vet bills !)


With hindsight, would I have done anything differently ? Hmmm.... I could have been sensible, of course, taken the vet's advice and not bought Dara at all. But like I said, it seems I don't do sensible, where horses and money are concerned.


Perhaps I should have done more diagnostic tests earlier on, and at last saved some time. With an older horse this would have made a lot of sense. But everyone thought Dara, being young and immature, would simply grow out of it; after all, he had never had a fall racing, or any other injury. Maybe I should have worked him harder, sooner, and brought the problem to a head early on ? So many maybe's....


Ah well, we are where we are. Dara is fat, idle, and happy as a little piggy, and I'm saving up to fund the next round of investigations. Maybe I need my head straightening out... ?

Ups, downs, and puzzles

A week later my bruises had (almost) gone, and I had convinced myself the whole episode was all my own fault. After all, Dara was sweet-natured and obedient, basically. Well, apart from the occasional bits of stroppiness when having his rug put on, or being led back into the stable.....But, he was, in any case, now in the throes of his 'awkward teenager' phase, both physically and mentally. I had to make allowances.... More than anything, I should have reminded myself that Dara was a young ex-racehorse. All his training had been to go-like-hell on the racecourse - nothing about dainty, well-mannered hacking round country villages. Gingerly I continued our daily rides. Dara was good. No more bucking. leaping and plunging. I - perhaps both of us - forgot about the bit of unpleasantness, and we regained our confidence in each other.

Dara blossomed physically when turned out to summer grazing. And mentally, too, he matured and relaxed. Every day I caught him up, and lunged him for fifteen minutes, and then climbed aboard for half an hour's ridden work. Sometimes we schooled in the field, and Dara finally got it with circles ( even though he was still a little stiff on the right rein, and seemed rather bored by the whole thing.) Other times we doodled around the village lanes, enjoying an outing in the sunshine. Nothing ever went wrong. I was mighty pleased.

But you should never count on progress being permanent, with ex-racehorses. Winter approached, and Dara came back home to the stableyard. And within a month he's done it again. The full buckaroo thing. This time I stuck on for six bucks and he landed me in the school shavings - so at least he didn't go runabout down Main Street again. And this time I put it down to naughtiness.

There had been no cold wind, no standing about. We were just walking a large circle, as so often, in the home schooling area. Dara was fresh - being stabled, now, and corn-fed. And I no longer had the large paddock space to turn him out every day for the giddy gallop-round he so enjoyed. But that was no excuse ! Was it ?

Even so, I reviewed everything, looking for a possible cause. ( Even daft young racehorses are usually only naughty for a reason.) Firstly, I altered Dara's feeding, cutting out the corn, reducing the sugar beet, and adding more fibre. I had his teeth checked again, to see if there was any discomfort there that might trigger his 'episodes'. I had his saddle checked too, to make sure it still fitted and hadn't started to pinch anywhere as he gained weight and muscle. But all was well in all these areas. He was not in any way unsound, or unwell. So what on earth was causing these sudden wild outbursts ?

Dara blows it

With hindsight, I know it was bound to happen. Dara had had a very long vacation doing nothing much at all. I had wanted to give him time to mature and muscle-up physically, so had not pushed him with work. And, he had come from a very structured, disciplined environment, as most racehorses do, to one that was relaxed, quiet, unpressured. I've often noticed that horses who move from a hard-working life to a cushy one go through a giddy phase a few months later. It's as if they suddenly realise what fun not doing much can be, and they decide to retire from work altogether. Cue naughtiness, stubborness, sudden phobias for dogs or bicycles or bridles.....

And of course, I was expecting it - or at least, something , though thus far Dara had been amazingly good. One Saturday afternoon in February I was hacking him round the village, as usual. It was cold and windy, but despite this and the fact that we were on our own, Dara was reasonably settled; the worst he did was try to jog a bit, but he responded obediently when I told him to 'walk steady'. We went up a lane beside a stubble field, and I decided I'd try a few circles with him there ( we were allowed to ride on the stubble), and then go home and get warm.

At the top of the lane I discovered my friend Glynnis, filling up her ponies' water trough in the paddock opposite. I drew rein and made Dara 'stand' whilst I chatted - good training for him, in obedient patience if nothing else ! But the wind was cold, and we didn't linger too long. I walked Dara over onto the stubble, and started the large sweep of a right-rein circle.

I don't know exactly what happened next ... I remember Dara resisting the rein-pressure, and then suddenly, he wheeled, and reared ( I think), and then I was up in the air and Dara was taking huge leaps, like a gazelle....(Afterwards Glynnis said she'd never seen anyhing like it !). I think I stayed on for four, maybe five, of these almighty bucks, and then I hit the stubble and Dara hit the bolt-for-home button.

I remember crouching on my hands and knees in the mud ( thank goodness it was mud ! Hard ground would have fractured something for me) and watching Dara disappear at full gallop into the distance. Glynnis came running over, but though I was badly winded, and couldn't move or speak, we both realised I was going to survive. Gynnis left me there to regain my wind whilst she drove off to find Dara, who was now clattering along the road headed for the village.

Eventually I managed to stand, and very sorely limped back down the lane, making mental notes to upgrade all my insurances. I hobbled half a mile back into the village, and eventually found Glynnis and Dara partway down Main Street, where a neighbour had shooed and cornered him into a garden. He was looking rather pleased with himself and his little adventure. Don't you just love a Thoroughbred ! Nobly, and against all my better judgement, I insisted on remounting and riding Dara home. Dara seemed quite taken aback, and swished his tail a lot, but I knew I had to do it, right now - or maybe I never would.

Back home at last, with Dara bedded down and happily munching hay in his stable, I soaked my aching body in a hot bath, and tried to figure it all out. What on earth had triggered that outburst ? It was so out of character for him. It had to me my fault, somehow. What had I done wrong ?