Famous Ex-racehorses winning the Retirement Stakes!

It seems a good way to end the year by applauding some famous ex-racehorses who have done well in their retraining. As we know, racehorses that are good enough at racing to become famous 'household names' sometimes find the transition to another job more difficult than racing no-hopers do. A horse that raced a few times unsuccessfully and then left training will not have the mental attitude or physical characteristics (including injuries) that a long-serving campaigner will. The less racing a horse has done, the easier he usually finds it to adapt to a new life. So, it's especially pleasing when some of the famous, battle-hardened ex-racers we've all seen on TV in top-class races learn to adapt and mellow into 'pleasure horses' with comparative ease.

Channel Four's The Morning Line programme, much to its credit, has been running a series of picture reports on ex-racehorses, which so far has included lovely shots of both Denman and Big Buck's out hunting recently, as well as Washed Out eventing, Media Stars showing, and My Way de Solzen carrying his doting new 'mum'.

Horse and Hound magazine – always a staunch champion of retrained racehorses – published a 'Life after Racing' feature on 6^th November, showing some grand old favourites in their new roles.

Blazing Bailey, who won 12 races and £380,968, is now owned by Sarah Welford , who looked after him at Alan Kings training yard from the day he arrived there. He is now enjoying doing hunting, hunter trials and team chasing.

Barber's Shop – owned by The Queen - won 8 National Hunt races and had second at the Cheltenham Festival. He is now a successful show-horse, winning ROR classes at Royal Windsor, Hickstead, and the Royal Welsh Show. Next year, having proved he can do it at home, he'll be showing under side-saddle!

Forpadydeplasterer – a Cheltenham Festival winner who amassed total prizemoney of £471,862 - is now an unbeaten show-horse in ROR classes in Ireland. He paraded side-saddle at the Punchestown Festival this year – and that only a few months after he left training.

Monkerhostin – called 'Monkey' at home – ran 61 times and won 12 races, including the Coral Cup at Cheltenham and the bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown, earning £602,030. Now 17 years old, (18 on January 1^st!) he enjoyed several seasons hunting before winding down further and now acting as a lead horse for youngsters and children's ponies.

Jack The Giant won nearly a quarter of a million pounds in National Hunt racing. He is now a successful show horse in ROR classes, and aims to do working hunter classes in the future.

Comply Or Die won the Grand National, as well as seven other NH races, to gain £798,809 in prizemoney. Now 15 years old, and still owned by the Johnson family, he is enjoying life as a dressage horse and recently qualified for the ROR championships.

Binocular won £797,648 in 13 races – mainly partnered by Champion Jockey A.P. McCoy. Retired in the spring of 2013, Binocular has been showing this summer in ROR classes, and competed at the Dublin Horse Show. (Though apparently, in true ex-racer fashion, Binocular got a bit over- excited at Dublin after the first gallop!)

Big Buck's had a phenomenal career as a hurdler – he was 'simply the best' and won - well, everything, really, until his last race in March 2014, when it was clear that age and effort had caught up with him. Having won £1,309,055, he had certainly earned a quieter life, and his doting owner and trainer retired him immediately. He is now enjoying life hunting in Dorset with Lucy Tucker. It's amazing, and a testament to the horse's ex-trainer and handlers, and his present 'new mum', that this renowned stress-head of a horse, who used to box-walk for Britain and only retired in the spring, has so quickly adapted to 'civilian life' and is now described by Lucy as 'very easy and straightforward.' Horse and Hound did a wonderful piece on Big Buck's and his retraining on 2^nd November. It's heartwarming, and inspiring, to read.

Big Buck's takes to the hunting field - Horse & Hound

Best wishes to all ex-racehorse, and their humans – here's to a happy and successful 2015!

Kauto Star's Christmas Party Piece - Oops!

When I heard Kauto Star was to give a dressage display at the International Horse Show at Olympia, I was preparing to do a cosy-Christmas post along the lines of “How lovely to see Kauto enjoying his new life as a retrained racehorse” - etc. But, oh deary-dear, it all went spoggly, didn't it?

Kauto gave a grizzly-grumpy, reluctant display, and then his embarrassed pilot, Laura Collet – apparently unsure how to deal with the situation both during and after – compounded the mess-up by giving some very ill-judged comments to the media.

“Ex-racehorse fluffs big outing” is not exactly headline news. As all ex-racer people know, it happens all the time, almost routinely. But this was the legendary Kauto Star, over whom half the horsey world has protective owner-like instincts. And so, a real brew-ha-has erupted on the social media. Was Kauto Star suffering 'stage fright' – or had he been sedated for the occasion? Was he nervous, or physically uncomfortable? Is he making a slow but steady transformation from racehorse to riding horse, or is he being asked to do something he can't, or shouldn't? Is he being treated with his due respect? Or is he being used 'for publicity purposes? ( And if so – what's wrong with that?) Is he loved and cherished enough? Should he have been placed with Laura Collett at all, or with someone else, doing something entirely different?

By the following evening, Retraining of Racehorses had felt it necessary to issue a statement trying to explain and calm the situation, and national newspapers and TV had run with the story. Poor Laura Collet probably wishes heartily she had not agreed to go to this particular Christmas Party. ( Well, we've all had moments like that!)

But, oh, come on! Kauto Star is fine. Hundreds of ex-racehorses are neglected, abused, put down or turned into dog-meat every year, through lack of knowledgeable people willing to take them on and give them a chance. So, please, don't feel sorry for Kauto Star. He has the best of care, with money-no-object, a caring and responsible owner, a sensitive and talented rider, and a legion of devoted fans to watch over his welfare and progress. His lifestyle will evolve, as it does for any horse, but he'll be ok, whatever he does.

Embarrassing as the episode was – and probably remains – for Kauto's connections (and most ex-racehorse owners know the feeling oh-so-well! ) it has some good lessons to offer.

• Taking your ex-racehorse to an outing, big or small, ( even long after they've left racing) is like watching your child in the school Nativity Play; he could be adorable, and make you flush with pride – or he could do something totally inappropriate ( if hilarious to everyone else) that makes you curl up and cringe. That's the way it is, folks. Get over it.

• Ex-racehorses are like intelligent 5-year-old children ( with whom they have a lot in common!) They are irrationally sensitive, easily get bored, are frightened by silly little things, and can become unco-operative for no discernible reason. Thinking ahead can avoid some of this. Being ready to adapt quickly also helps. Worrying about it rarely does.

• Retraining a racehorse is a bit like getting married – it's a life-long work-in-progress, trying to 'change' your spouse and get rid of all their now-unacceptable habits. But of course, it only ever works up to a point. Habits can be changed, to some extent, with time and (long-suffering) patience. But basic character will always stay the same. You can't expect miracles! (And if you got one, you wouldn't be left with the horse/man/woman you first fell in love with!)

• These days many people have successful serial careers, and so do horses. But expecting serial stellar careers might be asking a bit much. Few people, or horses, can be world-beaters at more than one thing. The characteristics and skills that made Kauto Star such a brilliant racehorse may not be easily transferable to another discipline, so no-one should be expecting him to get an Olympic Gold in dressage. Conversely, a 'failed' racehorse – perhaps too slow, too laid-back – may be just the right type to excel at dressage, or long-distance rides, or whatever. Retraining a racehorse is a journey of discovery, to find what he enjoys and can become good at. Keeping expectations modest, at least to begin with, avoids disappointment and may lead to very pleasing surprises.

• Learn to laugh at yourself, and your horse. It helps – and looks a lot better in public than getting cross. After all, everyone else will be laughing – you might as well join in and enjoy it.

(Count once decked me in the middle of the show-ring, snorting and bucking after a mare. It was at a Riding for the Disabled show – and none of those riders fell off. I felt a total idiot. The name of the class? - “Ideal Partners” Ha-Ha! Funnily enough, we didn't win...)

ROR and World Horse Welfare team up - and a great Job Opportunity!

There's news that Retraining of Racehorses (ROR) and World Horse Welfare are launching a joint pilot scheme to help vulnerable former racehorses. WHW will soon be offering assessment, re-training and home-finding, specifically for ex-racers, from its Hall Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre in Norfolk.

WHW helps all kinds of horses, but it is no stranger to the world of racing, being an independent adviser to the British Horseracing Authority ( as well as to the International Equestrian Federation.) The aim of the new project – which will be fully funded by ROR – is to utilize the long-established rehoming expertise of WHW, and it's national networks, to help retrain ex-racehorses and then find them suitable new homes.

WHW Chief Executive, Roly Ower, says:

“ Racehorses are generally extremely well cared-for, but after they leave racing they can be as susceptible as any other horse to the vagaries of the market or uncertain futures if they cannot find good homes. World Horse Welfare is adept at helping vulnerable horses make the transition to new environments, so it was natural to want to apply this expertise to help former racehorses. We can provide them with the retraining they need , and find them new homes – but as World Horse Welfare will retain ownership of the horses (as we do with all our horses) they will have a safe and secure future with us. We see this as an excellent way to expand the offering of our rehoming scheme - rehome a Thoroughbred to ride and some companion Shetlands at the same time. It is also a demonstration of our support for the responsible use of horses in sport – and we really hope it is a success.”

So, this new project will operate much the same as those offered by the existing main Thoroughbred rehoming centres (apart from the offer of Shetlands as part of the package!) But with over 3000 racehorses leaving training every year in the UK alone, every bit of ethical and well-organised rehoming help must be welcome.

If this pilot project is successful ( which it will be!) it is to be extended across the UK through WHW's other four Rescue and Rehoming Centres, so as to harness all their locally-based rehoming expertise.

ROR's Chief Executive, Di Arbuthnot, explains:

“ What ROR was lacking was an even geographical spread of locations equipped and resourced to deal with former racehorses, and we hope this pilot scheme will in time open the door for ROR to work with all of World Horse Welfare's Rescue and Rehoming Centres.

We are delighted to be working with World Horse Welfare and to be able to use their extensive experience and expertise. The goals of both charities are the same in terms of wanting to ensure that those animals which provide so much pleasure on the racecourse are suitably catered for when their racing career is over.”

It all sounds good to me.

And for anyone who loves ex-racehorses and is looking for a dream job with them – this could be it!

WHW is advertising for a 'Specialst Riding Groom' to join the new project. It's a full-time post, based at the Norfolk Centre, and initially for 12 months ( though is likely to become permanent if all goes well.) Obviously, WHW is looking for someone who has extensive experience of working with TB's, and a real understanding of ex-racers and their 'issues'. The ideal applicant will also be a good and confident rider, and skilled at schooling both on the ground and under saddle.

More details can be found on the WHW website : www.worldhorsewelfare.org

Applicants need to send a CV and covering letter to:

Gillian Larter, Human Resources Officer, Anne Colvin House, Snetterton. Norfolk, NR16 2LR

or email: info@worldhorsewelfare.org ( Must be Word, PDF or RTF format)

Closing date for applications : 7^th December 2014

New ROR rules in classes for 'ordinary' ex-racers

To round off the 2014 ex-racehorse showing season – and just in time for Christmas – there are glad tidings of great joy from Retraining of Racehorses regarding their showing rules. From next year, ex-racehorses with racing-related blemishes will have some special classes they can enter where these 'honourable war wounds' will not count against them.

This is great news, and, to my mind, a long-overdue development.  When show classes for ex-race horses first got going, a dozen or so years ago, (and before ROR had become the over-arching professional body it is now) they were low-key affairs run by small but dedicated groups like TARRA (Thoroughbred and Retired Racehorse Association) and the Ex-Racers Club, who were quite clear about their target group – horses who had served their time in training, and could no longer race, but were trying hard to find themselves a new career.

Some of these horses were youngsters who just hadn't made the grade, physically or mentally. Many, though, had been retired because of injury or old age. And very often, whether young or old, the horses were left with physical reminders of their time in training – splints, bowed tendons, scars from jumping injuries or tendon-firing, and so on. These guys were never going to win any beauty contests! Even if they had started out with perfect conformation, and moved well and had character and 'presence', in any 'normal' showring they would be marked down by the judge because of their blemishes.

But TARRA, Ex-Racers Club, and others wanted to give these horses – and their doting owners – a chance to shine, and prove themselves. And if that meant some new showring guidelines, so be it. It was made clear to judges and exhibitors alike that the horses were being judged on how well they had adapted from racehorse to riding horse, and how well they were handling the transition from one job to another. So, it was quite common, and understood by all, for a beautiful-looking horse to be marked down because it was behaving like the hot favourite in the feature race at Ascot, whilst a plainer animal with dodgy-looking legs was placed higher because it went round the ring sensibly, managed to go in something of an outline, and stood still in the judging line-up.

This meant that everyone could succeed, no matter how un-lovely or cheaply-acquired their horse, so long as they put in the time and effort at the re-training. It gave ordinary, small-time owners achievable targets, 'something to do' with their ex-racers through the summer – and tremendous pleasure when they did well.

In recent years, though, things have changed. Smaller, local shows have folded – the on-going effects of the Recession and people feeling the pinch – so there are simply far fewer TARRA and Ex-Racer Club classes around the country that there used to be. At the same time, partly due to the great success of ROR, ex-racehorse showing has become fashionable, and professionalized. Professional show-producers are now involved, scouring the country's training yards for the best horses. Undoubtedly the standard of ex-racehorses in the showring has risen considerably. At the same time, though, the friendly club atmosphere of the classes has to some extent given way to serious competitiveness. Not surprisingly, the judging has been beefed up accordingly as the standard, kudos, and prizes, for winners increased. But somewhere along the line the judging criteria has reverted to that of 'normal' showing; blemishes are no longer overlooked. Beautifully re-schooled ex-racers are put down the line because they have pin-firing scars, or bowed tendons.

Sadly but understandably this has led to some people declining to consider taking on ex-racers with blemishes, because they feel they wouldn't stand a chance in ROR classes. So, fewer possible homes for ex-racehorses. Several trainers have complained bitterly that their efforts to happily re-home their retirees have been thwarted. Existing ex-racer owners have grown increasing frustrated, and angry ( see letters to Horse & Hound and numerous Facebook posts!)

Thankfully, that's all changing! For the 2015 season, ROR is teaming up with TARRA for a series of classes to be judged under TARRA rules whereby racing injuries are ignored - Ta-dahh! What's more, the classes will be open to horses that have been in training but not actually raced, or ones that have only raced abroad ( both categories that have been excluded from ROR classes till now.) There will be a Final held at the ROR Championships at Aintree in August. Significantly, this series will be restricted to amateurs only – so, at last, 'ordinary' owners can compete and succeed with their ordinary, imperfect ( but much-loved) ex-racehorses.

In my view, judges in these new classes should be encouraged to reward the progress an ex-racer has made in its re-training. This would mean taking account of things like how long the horse had been in training, how many times it had raced, and how long it had been retired from the track. So, a veteran of sixty races over nine or ten years would gain more brownie points than a youngster who had bowed out after a couple of sprints as a two-year-old. Where two horses were evenly matched in performance in the ring, the deciding factor could be which horse had been retired the shortest time ie; had made the swiftest progress in its re-schooling. Perhaps now is a good time for anyone with ideas or opinions about it all to let ROR know? – so their new series can start with plenty of grassroots involvement and support.

After all, ROR reports that it currently has over 10,000 ex-racehorses registered for competition throughout all its sections. Clearly, they won't all be show-perfect specimens! But ROR takes the common-sense view that it's not just the high-profile recruits, the Kauto Stars, et al, that matter (great though these are at flying the ex-racer flag). There are ex-racers aplenty out there at 'ordinary' level, happily if quietly following their second careers. They are to be celebrated, and it's great that ROR is exploring ways of helping them to strut their stuff a little.  

Flaygray wins at Horse of the Year Show

So the British horse show season drew to its climax with the Horse of the Year Show, and ex-racehorses took their place amongst the ribbons with the SEIB Racehorse to Riding Horse Championship. Who would have thought, ten years ago, that ex-racers would ever get a look-in at the HOYS arena? – except perhaps in disguise as something else!

But now retrained racehorses are mixing it with the show-pros, and doing brilliantly. This year’s winner was the gorgeous grey, Flaygray, a 10-year-old gelding by Terimon. Owned and ridden by 28-year-old Faye Hesketh, from Preston in Lancashire, Flaygray went beautifully, looked fantastic, and was a worthy winner. 

Indeed, the pair have had a marvellous first season together, winning their first two outings and coming 5^th ( out of  47) at the Great Yorkshire Show. They took the Supreme Championship at the Area NPS Show as a show hack, and won the Racehorse to Riding Horse classes at Aintree, Windsor, and the North of England Show . And then claimed the HOYS title – not bad for starters!

Flaygray has become a superb show-horse now, but in his former career he was a pretty decent racehorse too. He was bred by Alison Lee, a vet from Carnforth, Lancashire, and was trained by former National Hunt jockey Chris Grant in County Durham. Flaygray ran twelve times, mostly over hurdles on the northern tracks, and claimed two wins, three thirds, and some £10,000 prize money. He last ran at Wetherby in May 2012 (and came an ignominious tenth of ten! Ah well, he was no doubt trying to explain that he was ready for a change of lifestyle….) A good thing his people listened, because he was about to embark on an even more successful, second, career.

Initially, after his retirement from racing, Flaygray was kept quietly at home by Miss  Lee, spending some twelve months as a much-loved ‘field-ornament’. But then his farrier, Richard Helliwell, persuaded Miss Lee that letting Flaygray loll about much longer was a waste of a good horse. The lad was ready for another job! (Anyone involved with retraining retired racehorses will say that, after a period of rest-and- chill-out time, the horse will ‘tell you’ when he’s ready to start doing something else.)

And as it happened, Richard was the partner of Faye, who was thinking about looking for an ex-racehorse to show….  Richard showed Faye a photo of Flaygray, Faye fell in love, and the rest, as they say, has become fairy-tale-like history.

Flaygray has made a fantastic, and remarkably speedy, transition from racehorse to riding horse. ( Probably that twelve months chilling out helped – it usually does.) He and Faye had only been together three months when they started winning in the showring. Clearly they have gelled extremely well together. Faye says, “Grazie is such a nice person, easy and very good to do, he is such a good boy.”

Of their HOYS triumph Faye said : “It means a lot to win at HOYS, when you work week in, week out. Ever since I was a little girl I've dreamed of a day like today, but you never think it’s going to happen.”

Well – it has! Who says dreams can’t come true?

Having gone straight to the top in their first year of ROR classes, Flaygray and Faye have little to prove in that area. Next year, Faye says, she hopes to show Flaygray in Hack or Novice Riding Horse classes.

On present form, Flaygray’s second career will be even more successful that his first!

Full results of the HOYS  SEIB Racehorse to Riding Horse class were:

1st - Flaygray - Faye Hesketh
2nd - Chouxdamour - Claire Oliver
3rd - Buckingham Boys - Clare Poole
4th - Jack the Giant -  Allistair Hood
5th - Astrobrava - Rebecca Lowe
6th - Valentine Jak - Donna Bamonte
7th - Decimate - Lynn Russell
8th - Ingleby Hill - Shelley Heywood
9th - Midnight Chase - Sally Hayward

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Superstar Ex-Racers - Coolmore on TV

I saw an amazing broadcast from Channel 4’s ‘Morning Line’ at the weekend, coming live from Coolmore Stud in County Tipperary, Ireland.  And it had ex-racehorses aplenty – Big Time!

To open, we were allowed a peep over the stable door of the mighty Galileo -  one of the best TB stallions  in the world, and sire of some of the best racehorses – as he contentedly munched his breakfast hay. And then, through the Irish morning mist,  came a parade of some of the world’s best, most beautiful, and successful stallions. One by one they were brought from their individual turnout paddocks (each gate with the horse’s brass nameplate attached) and stood before us by their personal handlers. Nick Luck, the programme presenter, and some of the Coolmore staff, introduced each horse, outlining its racing triumphs, personality, breeding characteristics, and successful progeny.

It was wonderful to see them all, no longer sleek and hard racecourse warriors, but  fat, relaxed and contented, being still ‘on holiday’ from the covering season. Galileo was walked out first for us – such a pretty horse, and looking quite chubby! – strolling meekly  beside his handler like the perfect child’s pony.

Then we met one of my old favourites, the gorgeous, dark-and-handsome Yeats – who raced so long and so successfully. He’s thirteen years old now, but still looked full of beans. MV Magnier, son of the owner, told us that Yeats ‘means more to Mum and Dad than us kids’!

Next came Dylan Thomas – a giant of a horse ( Coolmore’s biggest stallion, apparently.) Both he and Yeats are now proving good dual purpose sires, getting  jumping winners under National Hunt rules as well as on the Flat. Rock of Gibraltar, who was introduced next, looked small compared to Dylan Thomas, but we were told he is nevertheless ‘energetic’, just as he was on the track.

In the adjoining paddock, looking with interest at the camera, was 21-year-old Danehill Dancer. He is retired from stud duties now, it was explained, having covered an estimated 5000 mares. (So he’s certainly earned his rest!) He sired some great winners, including recent champions Kingston Hill and The Grey Gatsby. As with the other Coolmore stallions. Danehill Dancer will live out the rest of his days in his personal paddock at the stud, cared for by the people he knows and who clearly think the world of him.

Next we saw the newest recruit to the Coolmore’s ranks – War Command – who we saw being walked sedately round the empty yard. He had only arrived two days before, having just retired from racing, and was being kept quietly on his own in order to settle in to his new home.

Derby winner Pour Moi was paraded next, one of Coolmore’s  more recent stallions. His first crop of yearlings has been well-received at Newmarket’s Yearling Sales this week, one fetching over 200,000 guineas.

There was breaking news on the programme, too, that the fantastic horse Australia, winner this year of both the English and Irish Derbys, as well as much more, was retiring early from racing due to a foot infection. He would be arriving at Coolmore within days, to prepare for a no doubt spectacular stud career. Australia is by the legendary Sadlers Wells out of the brilliant mare Ouija Board, and the world’s biggest – and richest! – TB breeders are desperate to send their mares to him.

Australia and War Command are entering a fabulous life. The Coolmore stallions are treated like royalty (as indeed they are, of the equine kind), with their personal stables, paddocks, and loyal attendants, and with the world’s best vets, farriers and other horse care experts to guide their management. Moreover, they have the enduring care, respect, and love of their own dedicated handlers. And, of course, a rather pleasant lifestyle with the ladies….

As life-after-racing second careers for ex-racehorses go, it doesn't come much more successful – and glamorous! – than this.  To borrow a phrase from soccer – that other sport full of expensive and spectacular male stars – “ The boys done good !”

I recommend trying to catch this programme on Channel 4 On Demand.  The horses are wonderful to see – and the glimpse we were given into Coolmore’s private museum – never filmed before – is amazing! Look out for Sadlers Wells…!

Retrained Racehorses on TV

Some great publicity for retraining of racehorses on TV today! At The Races did ex-racehorses proud by giving us not one, but two, separate features on them during the channel’s lunchtime programme.

First, the opening slot on the coverage of racing from Plumpton was Mick Fitzgerald introducing the demonstration of ex-racehorses given there today by Moorcroft, the racehorse rehabilitation centre based in West Sussex. There was an interview with the Manager, Mary Henley-Smith, about Moorcroft’s work, and the on-going need to fundraise. (That’s one of the reasons why displays such as this one are so important, to show people just what can be achieved.) Then the horses were introduced and shown being ridden (one more calmly than the other, admittedly!) round the parade ring. They looked well and, as was pointed out, now that they were almost fully retrained, they had acquired a very different shape to in-training racehorses. Not only were they both flexing their necks  well and coming down nicely on the bit, but they had considerably more flesh on their necks, bellies and quarters! They looked like proper riding horses – exactly as they should.

Straight after this feature came another, this time a report from Luke Harvey on the work of Greatwood – another of the big racehorse rehabilitation centres in the UK. Helen Yeadon was shown explaining how racehorses are re-schooled  - with some good clips of the work in progress - and then rehomed into hand-picked loan-homes. Importantly, the feature also showed the brilliant work Greatwood has developed with equine-assisted learning at its base in Wiltshire. Greatwood uses some of their ex-racehorses in specially devised programmes to help both children and adults overcome various learning issues. ATR showed some tantalizing glimpses of this work in action. For a more in-depth look, though, go to Greatwood’s website to see videos of this fantastic horses-helping-humans education – it really is amazing and heartwarming. Who said ex-racers can’t do other jobs? How does racehorse-to-special-needs-teacher grab you?

Well done At The Races, and thank you, for giving rehabilitated racehorses a good chance to show off before a wider public. And for anyone who missed it – it’s well worth seeking out on catch-up TV.

Moorcroft  -  www.mrwc.org.uk

Greatwood – www.greatwoodcharity.org

Ex-Racers OK! - At Last!

It’s amazing, and heartening, to see how popular ex-racehorses have become over the past five years. A decade ago nobody ( or hardly anyone!) wanted a retired racehorse. Too many ‘issues’, people thought. Ex-racers were crocked in the body and crazed in the head.

Also, and pretty crucially, the competitive showing and jumping community felt there was no place in their disciplines for Thoroughbreds, and especially not ex-racing ones. The favoured breeds for jumpers were hulking Hanoverians and Warmbloods.

Tb’s are speedy and nippy, but their natural athleticism was downplayed by many, who said they did not have the ‘power’ for the big courses. (Have any of those detractors actually seen  the Grand National fences?)

In showing, there were just no suitable classes for TB’s. A smaller, very pretty one could sometimes do fairly well in hack classes, if it moved elegantly too. But hack classes are few and far between, especially at local level.  And so are ex-racers with a beautiful ‘daisy-cutting’ action! TB’s have evolved to cover ground at speed – not dance daintily though the park with an elegant lady aboard.

A big brawny ex-chaser type might just about have scraped a place in a local hunter class – if there were no half-decent ‘proper’ hunters in it.  But many judges were very sniffy about it.

Finding any event ex-racehorses could excel in was difficult, however well re-trained they were. And there was a definite prejudice against them, amongst riders and judges.

Fast-forward a few years, and what a difference!  Thanks to the brilliant work of the Retraining of Racehorses organisation, and the lower-key constant plugging-away by dedicated smaller groups and individuals, retrained racehorses have hit the big time! Racing heroes strutting their stuff in new, life-after-racing careers keep hitting the popular headlines. Kauto Star  is doing dressage, as is Grand National winner Neptune Collanges. Kauto’s old rival Denman is enjoying life teamchasing. And that beautiful  grey steeplechase warrior, Monet’s Garden, having suffered a life-threatening illness, is now delighting the crowds again, this time in showing classes.

Indeed, these days showing retired racehorses – thanks to a whole series of Ex-Racehorse showing classes offered at local and national level,  is a booming sphere, with professional show-producers getting involved.

At the recent Great Yorkshire Show, there were 47 entries in the ROR class. (Pity the poor judges, having to sort through that lot!) What’s more, since ROR changed their rules, these were all genuine ex-racehorses, who had actually raced. No protected un-raced TB’s allowed these days!

(Until recently, the rules allowed ‘racehorses’ to be shown if they had simply ‘been in training’. This meant that ‘show quality’ youngsters could be cherry-picked by sharp-eyed producers, sent to the yard of a licensed trainer for a few weeks, then returned home, unraced and therefore totally unscathed and blemish-free, ready for a prize-scooping showing career.)

Not any more! In that GYS class, the 47 horses had, between them, won a total of £603,551  in racecourse prize money. Three of them had won over £70,000 each.   The biggest prize-earner was Fortunate Isle, a 12-year-old chestnut gelding who had won £80,332 running under both Flat and National Hunt Rules. ( He wasn’t quite as good in this particular arena, sadly, not being placed on this occasion.)  Conversely, the winner of this huge class, the 12-year-old gelding Liverpool, had no racing winnings at all! The third-placed horse, though, a 9-year-old bay gelding called Irish Mayhem, was the second-highest racing earner, having won £70,358 on the Flat running in the Godolphin blue colours of Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum.  For the results record, the horse placed second in the class was Sister Gee, a 12-year-od bay mare who had racing winnings of over £3000.

Number-crunching also showed – in this particular class anyway – that successfully retrained racehorses come from all types of racing, both sexes and all ages. At Harrogate there were 24 entries from Flat racers, 22 from National Hunt, and 11 from the point-to-pointing field. Several horses had tackled all three!  There were 35 geldings and 12 mares (perhaps reflecting that many ex-racing mares go on to breeding careers.)  There were three 5-year-olds in the class, while the oldest contestant was the 20-years-young bay gelding Feel A Line. This grand old lad wasn’t placed on this occasion – but since he had already won almost £21,000 on the racetrack he didn’t owe anyone anything!

It was a pleasure to see them all looking so well, successfully re-trained and happily doing ‘another job’ – and proving the old detractors so wrong!

Re-training the Blog!

It’s a long while since this blog posted anything. Life, work, family, and, of course, ex-racehorses, so often take up more time than you expect, and the pure fun-stuff, like blogging, slips off the to-do list for another day…. Suddenly years have gone by! Some people said not to resurrect ‘Ex-racehorse Life’, just start a whole new blog. But why? The subject would be the same. And new readers might be interested in some of the earlier posts here, old though they are. So – here we go again.

For older readers, here’s an update on some old friends. Most of the horses, over time, went out into the big wide world to do other, non-racing jobs, just as planned. And, thankfully, I’ve been able to keep in touch with all of them and they have all been successful. As the saying goes, ‘Horses leave hoofprints on your heart’ – and sometimes they even come back to retrace their steps!

Beautiful Miraed went to a new home to do showjumping and hunting, as well as showing. Now aged fourteen, and still full of beans, she has recently found a new, less busy ‘happy hacking’ home, and is cosily settled in a livery yard just round the corner! Small world.

Dara finally got his back issues sorted – apparently it all stemmed from an old injury no-one had known about. He is now enjoying life with his new ‘Mum’ winning showing classes and doing Le Trec.

Magic went to a horse-ology college, to help train students. Four days after arrival he threw a wobbly and dislodged the instructor riding him, who broke a wrist. Magic got expelled, as ‘unsafe for students’ – which is ironic because he was always the kindest, gentlest horse who just loved people. (Except for that instructor, obviously!) Magic is now teaching novices to ride and doing wonderful RDA work with youngsters who have various disabilities. The kids all adore him, and he loves all the fuss they give him. Just goes to show…

Count finally got the hang of circles, and grasped the concept of self-carriage. ( Well, almost, some of the time.) He has successfully taken part in several lengthy Charity and Fun Rides, and is now also doing well showing at local shows. Although, at one show last year he threw an almighty buck and deposited his rider  onto the deck. The class, incidentally, was called ‘Ideal Partners’ – LOL!  Which all proves that retraining racehorses is more of an art than a science, and in some cases - eg Count! – is always a Work In Progress.

Big H is sixteen now, and doesn’t do much at all except keep an eye on young horses that come to the farm. He takes his Herd Leader duties very seriously, and gives each newcomer to the field a pep-talk on the house rules before allowing them to graze and, eventually, to try a bit of respectful mutual grooming. H is also very protective of people. If any of the youngsters start getting too boisterous or bargie, H will place himself between them and the humans – and the young four-leggeds know to keep their distance! Ex-racehorses can be re-trained for many things, and most of them can happily do more than one new job -  but becoming a Knight In Shining Armour  surely takes a VERY special ex-racer indeed!