Big changes for Big H - b) R & R

Though Big H became a retired racehorse the day I bought him at Doncaster Bloodstock Sales, neither his mind nor his body realized it. Physically and mentally he was still very much a racehorse in training. And a tired one. He had raced over hurdles just three days before I brought him home. Since then he had travelled for hours in a horsebox to the sales, stood in a stable at the sales complex for 36 hours, ( no doubt feeling baffled and anxious), travelled again to my place, and been put into a strange loosebox in place he’d never seen before. He must have been stiff, aching, and mentally exhausted. He was probably expecting to go out racing any moment, and wondering with increasing apprehension when that might be, because this time all the routine was wrong. My first task, then, was to ease his mind and relax his body, as gently but swiftly as possible.

With ex-racehorses (as with men, I’ve found), food helps a lot. They may be unused to receiving affection and petting, and uncertain how they are supposed to respond, but food is a language they understand. So along with the racehorse mix and hay that he was used to, H was given a bucketful of sweet fresh-picked grass as a ‘welcome’ titbit. Then he was turned out into the sand school to stretch his legs and have a roll, and take a first look around his new home. If he wanted to go mad and have a buck-and-gallop-round session, this was his chance. Many horses in his situation would have taken it, sick of being cooped up, and would have enjoyed a proper giddy half-hour. But not H. We waited for the fireworks but nothing happened. Big H, it seemed, didn’t do giddy. Maybe he was simply too tired and disorientated. He just sauntered round, after rolling a couple of times, gazed about philosophically, and began nibbling bits of grass through the school fence. To catch him again, I only needed to tap a feedbucket, and H came straight over to me, quietly, slowly, head low, and with absolutely no aggression. And so I began my role as his Nice Feed Lady.

From an ease-of-handling point of view this was very promising. Of course, for all I knew, Big H could still have been under some sedation he’d received prior to the sale. It can happen. But not in this case. A couple of days showed H to be naturally docile and kind, truly one of life’s born ‘gentle giants’. It meant that, though H had to stay stabled for another 2 days for worming, I was able to lead him around the farm lanes quite safely, to give him some gentle exercise and in-hand grazing as we started to get to know each other.

I also gave him some simple massages and exercises the chiropractor had shown me, to help loosen up his muscles, legs and back. Physically as well as mentally, it was good ‘bonding time’ for us both and I kept it up even when H was able to go out grazing in the field with the other horses.

People working with retired racehorses have two ways of tackling this immediate, straight-out-of-training phase. Some say, keep the horse going in a full work routine, simply changing the type of work you ask him to do. Other say, turn the ex-racer out into a field and do nothing at all with him, letting him chill out for a few weeks ( or months) and ‘learn to be a horse again’. I say, it all depends on the individual horse. You need to take into account his personality, background, physical and mental fitness. You also need to consider your own time availability, your long-term aims – and even the weather. ( No point turning a newly-retired racehorse out into a cold rain-lashed field where he’ll shiver to death. That’s not the kind of ‘chilling out’ advocated.) It does seem to be generally the case, though, that at some stage in his re-training the ex-racehorse will benefit from – indeed need – a longish period resting and recharging his mental and physical batteries. And a couple of months lolling about in a pasture with a few horsey companions is a great way of achieving this.

Some people fear that, by having this rest phase immediately, the horse will loose its sense of discipline, respect and manners, and will then be more difficult to re-train. In my view, though, if this is going to happen, it will occur at some stage, no matter what you do, because it’s in that horse’s nature. I prefer to have the R & R period first, if at all possible. It can be used to relax and de-stress the horse, both physically and mentally, to get to know each other, and to establish bonding patterns between you. It can heal any slight injuries and can also help to reveal other unsuspected problem areas your new horse may have. By the time you are ready to bring your ex-racer back into work, you will know much more about each other ( for better or worse!) and have a good idea of what needs to be tackled .

( Please note – the list may be endless ! You won’t be spoiled for choice. Your main difficulty will be deciding where to start …. That’s ex-racehorses for you !)

Ex-racehorse Showing Tips

'HORSE' magazine ( published by IPC Media) is currently running a short series called 'A Racehorse Transformed'. It details how Fiona Reddick and her ex-racer Whatawizard ( known at home as 'Mick') are helped by show-ring experts to prepare for competing in a qualifier for the SEIB Racehorse to Riding Horse Championship.

Last month's issue ( July 2008, 19th June-16th July) covered a flatwork session with top show producer Jayne Webber, to check out Mick's schooling and manners and work on perfecting techniques. ( There is no point attempting a ridden class if your ex-racehorse still doesn't understand about circles, standing still, or cantering round with other horses without going into training-gallop mode !)

This month (August 2008, 17th July-13th August) looks at turnout for horse and rider: correct and appropriate dress and tack, and some great tips-of-the-trade to get the best effect from trimming, plaiting, quarter marks etc.

It's an excellent article. The only thing I would add is - don't worry too much if you feel you and your ex-racer are not quite up to all this yet. The SEIB Racehorse to Riding Horse championship is a national competition with high standards - and it's wonderful, even inspiring, to see retired racehorses competing and flourishing at that level. But even national champions have to start at the beginning. It may take a season - or several years ! - before your ex-racer can appear at even a small local horse show without blowing a fuse. ( And if this is you and yours - welcome to the club ! It's par for the course. It passes, in time.)

This does not mean that you should just stay skulking quietly at home till you think your horse is 'ready'. He won't ever get 'ready' without lots of practice. You need to get out there and give it a go ! But - gently and gradually. Depending on your horse, you might start off by simply leading him round at a small show and not entering any classes at all. Then, you could try something in-hand. There are quite a few Ex-racehorse In-Hand classes available in UK now, even at local level. They are usually small and friendly affairs, and if a novice horse plays up no-one minds because they've all already been there. If there is no specific class for your ex-racer, try him in 'Handsome Horse', or 'Longest Tail' or 'Prettiest Ears' - anything low-keyed and easy, to get him in the show-ring without pressure.

If all this goes well, next time take his tack with you, and, if he is settled, try riding him about the showground a bit. Only when he is quite happy doing that is he 'ready' to try a ridden class. Even then, he will get excited once in the show-ring - your own competitive adrenalin will inevitably rise, and he will sense it.

Whilst you are doing all this practicing, do not worry too much about having the correct riding boots or bridle. Of course you want to do your best, and be respectful of the judges, so you will not be turning up in your mucky old jeans. But don't let the lack of the correct jacket, browband, plaits or double bridle prevent you giving it a go at local level. In fact, most ex-racehorse classes - unlike traditional showing classes - allow any kind of tack and bit. This is in recognition of the fact that these horses have come from a previous, very different, career, and are more than likely in a transition phase of their retraining. Here, a running martingale may be essential for safety. And any ex-racehorse class judge with a grain of sense would much rather see a horse going forward quietly and happily in a snaffle than one anxious and uncomfortable in a double bridle or pelham. (If you're not sure if your horse is ready for double-rein bitting, try experimenting with a rubber pelham. It's softer than the real thing, though thicker. It might work for you.)

The important thing is for you and your ex-racehorse to ENJOY the occasion. ( What is the point otherwise ?) So try to relax and have fun. Remember that all Thoroughbreds are super-sensitive, and pretty good mind-readers. If you start getting competitive, nervous and hyped-up, so will your horse. And to him, 'competition' means just one thing - racing! He'll flip back mentally to his old life, and neither of you will enjoy it ! So, just relax, have a laugh at whatever comes, and enjoy some special time with your horse.

Miraed - Ex-racehorse to showjumper ?

I’m proud to report some real progress! It looks like moody Miraed has really turned the corner, and finally decided to stop being a racehorse, and a reluctant show horse, and to become an enthusiastic showjumper instead. Yesterday we took her to a small local show and entered her in the jumping classes for real beginners – which is what she is, in showjumping terms. All she has done before in this line is a few goes round the Clear Round course at shows ( where the fences are about 2 inches high, and you can have as many tries as you like till you get round. The first time, I led her round in-hand, because she’d never seen coloured obstacles before. It’s strictly for fun and practice – but for those not lucky enough to have a full set of show jumps at home to practice on, ie most people, it’s a great opportunity.) She really seemed to enjoy this, and is always much more enthusiastic in our schooling at home if our two sets of jumping poles are included somewhere. Clearly flatwork is just not exciting enough for her, and showing , whether in-hand or ridden, is in Miraed’s view totally dull and boring.

But this showjumping, now – that’s a bit more like it ! A proper job for a horse like me ! This seemed to be Miraed’s opinion of yesterday’s activities. In the Clear Round she had a refusal at one fence – a type she’d never seen before – but cleared it at the second attempt. Then Miraed’s motor started firing on all cylinders, and in the next Training Class she did a perfect clear round. Not only that, but she was obviously thinking about what she was doing, and enjoying it. My instructions to rider Becky were to not ‘interfere’, but let Miraed sort herself out as far as stride and take-off were concerned. It was wonderful to see Miraed doing this, adjusting her stride, putting some bounce into her canter, and starting to get a bit of rhythm going. And she can certainly jump !

Then came the jump-off, against the clock. I told Becky to forget the timing and just take it steady. (There is no point in pulling young horses off their feet and getting them flustered and confused. Far better to give them a quiet, confidence-boosting experience.) Even so, Miraed covered the ground well, and the time was not that slow. She was unlucky in clipping the top rail of the very last fence. (It fell for Miraed, but not for the next horse, a big cob who really booted it ! Ah well, that’s showjumping .) So Miraed ended with four faults in a respectable time. And came second ! Thus much rejoicing for me and many more polo mints and horse cubes for Miraed.

The day was already a great success for us. But, on a last-minute whim, we decided to enter Miraed in the late-running Ridden Ex-Racehorse showing class as well. After some hasty polishing, oiling and tail-plaiting ( no time to plait her mane), Miraed went back into the show ring. She must have still been in a happy and obliging mood; she went beautifully, and won !

Big Changes for Big H - a) diet

When Big H came to live with me he was very much a racehorse, and had run a 2-mile hurdle race at Towcester only 3 days before ( He came sixth; according to Racing Post, he was ‘prominent till weakened 2 out’.) He did not know he had retired. Neither did his body, or his digestive system. They all needed to be introduced to the new situation gradually. ( Is there any other way of doing anything successfully with horses ?)

Before I left Doncaster sales ground, I made sure I asked H’s trainer about his current feeding regime. As expected, he was on high-performance, high-energy rations – lots of racehorse mix, comparatively little hay, loads of protein, little bulk. My ultimate aim was to have things exactly the opposite way round – masses of bulky forage, and just a little supplementary nutrition. I wanted him to relax and gain weight – to become as fat and lazy as a thoroughbred can be - without upsetting his digestive system, getting colic, loosing vital vitamins and minerals, or becoming fizzy and giddy. Luckily it was early summer, and I had access to good grazing, which would help him both physically and mentally. But it all had to be tackled slowly, in easy stages.

For the first few days H was not allowed out in the fields with the other horses. He was wormed, and closely observed for signs of anything unwelcome, and fed on racehorse mix and a little hay exactly as he was used to. He was turned out in the school for short periods, to stretch his legs, roll and relax, and ease off any post-race, post transit stiffness he may have had. And he was led around the farm in-hand, getting his bearings and picking at bits of grass beside the lanes.

Then he was introduced to his three new field-mates, but from across the fence and still in-hand. There were the expected snorts and squeals, but nothing worrying. The day after – wearing a light turn-out rug because he was still used to being fully rugged-up – H was let loose in the field . It was a great moment. After the initial snorts, all four horses set off galloping, round and round the field, bucking and squealing as they went. There were two other ex-racers in with him, but H was definitely the fastest ! We watched for half an hour, but long before that they had all settled down to grazing. All was going to be well. Big H was, as the newcomer, bottom of the pecking order, but seemed content with that, and his new herd – and the grass! – for now.

He was only allowed to graze for a couple of hours the first day. Gradually that became half-days at a time, then whole days but stabled at night, and, after five weeks and with some good dry weather, out 24/7 without a rug.

Meanwhile his feed rations had been changing. I needed to wean him off the racehorse mix, via increasingly high fibre fodder, onto grass. I started by adding chopped un-molassed fibre mix, like Hi-Fi and Alpha-A Oil, to his food, a little at a time. Then I introduced soaked Alfa-beet. I was wanting to put flesh on him if I could, but without increasing the carbohydrate/sugar content that would make him fizzy. Alfa-beet and Speedybeet are both low in sugar (unlike ordinary sugar beet,) while Alfa-beet, as the name suggests, has added alfalfa. (This makes it look, and smell, like cow-slurry when soaked – but horses love it !)
As these ingredients increased, the amount of racehorse-mix in each feed decreased. After a week I started substituting a handful of the racehorse mix with a handful of cool mix. Over the next couple of weeks the proportions gradually reversed, until the racehorse mix was out altogether with the cool mix replacing it. The amounts of this hard feed element were also gradually reduced, whilst the number of bucket feeds per day were cut from four to three, and then two. Meanwhile, he was given increasingly large quantities of forage – hay, and haylage - to get him used to eating more bulk, for longer periods of his day. I also gave him weekly old-fashioned bran mashes, to help ‘clear out’ his system.

It was important, though, to ensure he didn’t loose out on any vitamins and minerals whilst this dietary change was taking place, so I gave him Red Cell as a feed supplement to add iron and vitamins. Pink Powder is also very good for this, and lot of people swear by it as a nutrition balancer. Milk pellets are also excellent, though not on a long-term basis (you can have too much of a good thing !)

By the end of the summer, H was out in the field full-time, and putting on weight from the constant supply of grass . He still had one bucket feed a day though, to maintain his supply of vitamins and minerals. Apart from anything else, this routine was good for ‘bonding’. I was the nice Food Lady who provided goodies each day in return for simply being polite when caught and handled; a good deal all round !

I am not, of course, saying that this is the only – or the ‘best’ – way of changing an ex-racehorse’s feeding regime. It’s what I did with Big H, and with other horses who have come to me straight from a high-performance life and diet, to start a much more relaxed lifestyle. It has always worked well for me. But every horse is different, and will need it’s own individually-designed programme, depending on the horse’s health and temperament, and your own plans for him; what do you aim to do together, and to what timescale ? I wanted to hack H quietly through the winter, and then do some showing the following summer. If, though, you intend to be hunting or show-jumping your ex-racehorse in six months time, you would devise a somewhat different feeding and exercise plan.

The important thing, it seems to me, is – whatever you do, make the changes gradual. And always bear in mind that your newly-retired racehorse is having to cope with all your changes both physically and mentally. Be patient, and understanding.

Heatherlea Squire - racehorse, ( retired)

There is nothing quite like the thrill of taking your new horse home from the sale. He’s wearing his new headcollar ( provided by the vendor, in theory), and possibly a new leadrope and stable rug. (Provided by you) You lead him out of the stable in the sales yard feeling proud as punch. If you’re a sentimentalist like me you pose for some photographs. You wonder, warily, if your new baby will load and travel well, and you glance round for likely helpers should there be any difficulties. If your horse loads easily, as Big H did, you are elated, and relieved. You know there should be no problems whilst actually on the road; travelling round the country for different race meetings is, after all, what your newly-retired racehorse used to do for a living. You can sit back and enjoy the journey home. Unless, that is, the friend who has volunteered to drive you in her horse transporter confesses, in passing, that this is the first time she has actually driven it…..

Despite this disturbing revelation, and the fact that we hit rush-hour traffic, and strong winds that buffeted us on the motorway, we eventually made it safely home to the stables. Big H unloaded easily enough, even though he had to exit backwards. ( He is so big – 17.2 hands – that normal procedures had to be re-jigged.) He looked around and sighed a little. He was understandably tired, and seemed to accept the fact that he was landing in yet another unfamiliar yard, instead of his own home stable, with a philosophical resignation. He was a racehorse; like a rock star, he understood all about life on the road, as well as cheering crowds in the audience.

I had made him up a deep, clean straw bed, and put ready a bucket of water and a pile of fresh sweet hay. He walked round the loosebox a couple of times, sniffing the straw. He grabbed a mouthful of the hay in passing, and paused to look out over the stable door. He called out (as best he could, being hobdayed; he can only actually manage a soft rasping noise) to attempt contact with other horses. One called back from the paddock, but it was distant: Big H was in quarantine isolation for a couple of days, for observation and worming. He sighed again, took another mouthful of hay, and then stretched his hind legs to stale. Then he felt better. The new quarters were adequate, the grub was satisfactory, the situation tolerable. He took a long dink of water, and then tucked in to the hay.

He did not object to the procession of visitors who came to ogle him. Indeed (perfect gentleman that he is) he would leave his hay to come up to the door to say hello; to check us out. But when I eventually brought him his bucket-feed (racehorse mix bought in specially for him) he did his rasping whinny as if to say, ‘Thank goodness for that ! I thought it was never coming!’ The excitements and upheavals of his past few days had not upset his appetite; I left him in peace to enjoy his supper.

For Heatherlea Squire – now my Big H – this was all just more of the same old same old. He’d been doing it most of his life. He was born in New Zealand in 1998. He raced there on the flat 24 times, winning twice and being placed 10 times. Then he was sold for a high-hatful of money and imported to Britain. Here he raced for two years over hurdles and, a couple of times, over steeplechase fences. But he never showed his earlier winning ways. And so, he was consigned to Doncaster Sales… and me. His racing days were over. Only he didn’t know it yet. In H’s mind, he was still very much a racehorse, merely resting in transit between races. As with most ex-racers, it took him a long time to realise he’d been retired from all that, and now a whole new – and often puzzling – life was about to begin.

Buyer Beware! - Gambler's Luck

Following on my last post, I feel I ought to add : Don't try this at home, folks ! This is not a sensible way to buy horses. Or anything, come to that.

It was a gamble. I was lucky; as it turned out, H quickly proved himself to be the kindest, gentlest, brightest horse imaginable, and though he has had some soundness problems, he is now fine and we are having lots of fun together. He is, as his old groom Katie said, 'a very special horse', and even if he wasn't sound I wouldn't part with him for the world.

But then, I'm at a stage of life where my horses are pets. They do not have to earn their keep. I simply enjoy their company. If we can go to a show, or a charity ride, or a hunter trial, and enjoy a good day out, I am more than happy, regardless of whether we come first or last. I am not trying to improve them to add value or sell on for profit. All the reschooling and retraining we do is so that the horse can have an interesting and healthy new life, which we can enjoy together. That's why a horse's temperament is so important to me. Obviously, though, different people want different things. Someone wanting an ex-racehorse to retrain as a show-jumper, or team-chaser, or hunter, would be much more concerned with issues of ability and soundness.

Getting Big H could have turned out badly. Critically, from my point of view, I could have misjudged his temperament ( or been fooled by a tired and disorientated horse into thinking he was quieter than he was.) True enough, I tried to cut the odds as much as possible. I handled the horse in his stable, felt him all over, picked up his feet, jumped up and down and clapped my hands.... I quizzed his connections when there was nothing for them to gain by hoodwinking me ( since they had already sold H to someone else.) Crucially, I paid very little for him, so I knew that, if the worst came to the worst and H proved totally wrong for me in some way, I could easily recoup my money by selling him on, even as he stood. But it was a gamble. And as with all gambles, you have to be prepared to loose.

There - my conscience feels clearer now, having fessed up about the risks I took. I would hate for someone to go along to a sale with my cavalier attitude and end up buying a heap of expensive disappointment and trouble! But, it's true to say that great finds can be made at sales, and lots of people are keen to give it a try. So, by popular demand ( er-hem - well, a couple of folks suggested it) I am going to set to and write up a 'Beginners' Guide to Bloodstock Sales'. Watch this space !

And then there were Three - Big H arrives

As with all my best moves, it was totally unplanned. I had no intention whatsoever of buying another horse. I simply agreed to go along with my friend Becky for a day out at Doncaster Bloodstock Sales, because she’d never been before and wondered what it was like.

( A day at the sales can be great fun without buying anything more expensive than a cup of coffee. There is no entry fee, and these days they even give the catalogues away free at DBS ! You can while away many happy hours watching hundreds of horses – good, bad, and plug-ugly – and trying to guess what they will fetch in the auction ring. You can people-watch too, spotting celebrity buyers, owners and trainers. And you can marvel at bidding duels, and the vast amounts of money some people are prepared to invest in a living creature. You can even, if you work at it, get yourself a date with one of the attendant stable staff – though I grew out of that aspect some time ago. And if you really cannot resist spending money, you can usually find some bargain headcollars and rugs in the tack shop.)

So, there was absolutely no need for me to buy a horse. As we arrived at the salesground, ( later than planned, as usual) we could hear the auctioneer over the microphone, struggling to get anyone to bid on the lot he was handling. Eventually, he managed the minimum bid of 500 guineas ( £525 – about $760), and there it stopped. As the hammer came down I said, ‘Let’s go see what a five-hundred-guinea horse looks like these days.’

A large bright bay walked out of the sales ring into the holding pen , led by his girl groom. He looked alert and interested, looking round him to see what was going on. He also looked very thin, even for a horse in training. Out of sheer idle curiosity, we followed him back to his stable and began chatting with the girl.

And so I met and fell in love with Big H – or, to give him his proper name, Heatherlea Squire. ( You can see why I soon shortened it ! I don’t believe in changing horses’ names – superstition , I know – but that really was too much of a mouthful !) It turned out he had raced over hurdles just 36 hours before, then travelled 150 miles from his training yard in Cheltenham to the sales in Doncaster. No wonder he had run up a bit light ! But what was clear from the start was how intelligent and very kind this horse was. ( Don’t ask me how, but you can tell.) His groom Katie told me he was ‘a very special horse’ – and how she had cried when told he was going to be sold. I sought out her boss, the trainer. He had only good to speak of the horse too.

There was no reason not to believe them, because the horse was already sold – to someone else. I wondered who the buyer was ? Certainly not one of the big-timers, who were already spending thousands in the ring. So, either a small trainer looking for a cheap runner, or a dealer, or a private individual like myself. I enquired at the sales office , and eventually discovered that Heatherlea Squire had been bought by a dealer, one of their regular customers.

I’ve nothing against genuine horsedealers – I just didn’t want this particular horse to go to one, especially so soon after racing. I feared he might be quickly sold on to someone who didn’t know his background, and would feed him wrongly and ride him wrongly and cause all sorts of problems. And besides – Big H was blowing soft warm breaths into my hair over the stable door. What else could I do…. ?

With the help of the senior auctioneer, I located the dealer and did a deal. I didn’t offer him much profit, but the horse had not as yet cost him a penny in expenses and – as he very wisely said – ‘’When you start turning away a small profit you end up loosing it all’
He was actually a very nice guy and , by pure coincidence, turned out to know an old friend of mine from Wales. Small world !. I’ve met him a few times since at the sales, and keep him updated on H’s progress.

Of course, I didn’t have any money on me. But, with the help of my new dealer-friend, my bank card, and a bemused but obliging cashier from the sales office, we managed to make the transaction. Big H was mine.

I asked Katie to bring a headcollar for him and I bought him a rug ( bargain basement, but serviceable.) I left her alone in the stable with him to say goodbye – I knew she was crying. ( Which, from my position, was a good sign . A much-loved horse is unlikely to be a rogue.) It must be very hard, working in a trainer’s yard where you often have to bid farewell to creatures you have come to know and love. I made sure I sent Katie updates and photos of H, which maybe helped a bit.

I had no transport to get Big H home. I asked around to seek a lift or part-load, but couldn’t find anything both practical and affordable. So, I left Big H in the stable overnight ( it was a 3-day sale), rustled him up some hay, and put the transport question off till tomorrow. Then I phoned the owner of my livery yard and asked – very sweetly- if there was any chance he could fit in another horse….? As I listened to the stunned silence at the other end of the phone and awaited his answer, I mulled over possible Plan B’s if he said ‘No’. Like I said, I hadn’t planned this….