Ex-racehorses enjoy winter!

It's been a long, hard winter in the UK. As well as some serious blasts of Siberian cold, we've had never-ending rain that's making all the fields waterlogged and the farmers despair. Not that the ex-racehorses at the farm have been in the slightest bit bothered!

While we have all fought and sloshed our way through floods and mire and snowdrifts to tend to them every day, the horses have all been very happy and have never looked in any way troubled by the weather that was such a trial to us two-leggeds.

Even though they are former racehorses, used to a pampered existence, here at the farm our retirees are 're-trained' to tough it out a bit and live like normal horses again – which means a lot of being outdoors! It's becoming fashionable now for trainers to turn their horses-in-training out in the paddock after their work sessions, if only for an hour or two a day. And many racehorses are turned away to grazing for a few weeks in their holidays between race seasons. Even so, not many horses during their racing careers are asked to live out 24-7, unless they have some health or personality issue which means that is the only option. Once out in the 'civilian' horse world, though, ex-racers have to learn to rough it a bit and fit in with the lifestyle on normal livery yards, stud farms and private paddocks. So, after some phased roughing-off and acclimatizing, we like our ex-racers to live as naturally as possible, with the bulk of their time being spent out in the fields.

As usual, our boys and girls have spent most of their time this winter out in the fields, with constant big-bale hay as well as their bucket feeds to supplement the winter grass. They've been double-rugged (with a third on top during the very cold spells) and they've all kept dry and warm as toast the whole while. They had a whale of a time playing in the snow – the aim of the game seemingly to be to get as much snow as possible in your own and everyone else's mane and ears. They love rolling in the mud, too – the deeper and sloppier the better, with mud-holes of choice being dotted around the fields. Whether the rugs will ever be cleanable remains to be seen. The field shelters so thoughtfully (and expensively!) provided have mostly been shunned. Even when we put haylage inside, the horses prefer to eat with their back-ends standing outside in the rain.... I guess it's a horse thing. And when they are brought in to the stables in the yard – because we feel sorry for them out in the severe elements – they quickly eat their feed and then boot the stable doors indignantly until they are let out again. Yes, they're trying to tell us something! “We may be ex-racehorses and used to a gilded, luxurious lifestyle – but, hey! We're just regular kinda neds and we love being out and getting dirty.”

Great for them, but it's meant a lot of extra work for their humans. Keeping the water supply going has been a big headache, especially during the times when all the water pipes to the troughs were frozen up. Then it was a case of ferrying drums of tapwater from home, and lugging them across the snow to the troughs. And in the milder times, the mud and waterlogging has been a constant worry, especially regarding protecting the horses' legs and feet. Some people tried mud-boots, but they were a mixed blessing and came off eventually (some in the field, never to be seen again.) The same applied to shoes – even one newly-shod lad, who classes as an 'ex' but not a 'retired' racer, only kept his new shoes on for a fortnight. Some future metal-detector will find them no doubt.... Everyone has been fretting about mud-fever, and copious amounts of Vaseline and mud-guard creams have been applied, and so far all horses seem to have escaped that particular problem.

The other big worry has been how to let the boys and girls have the exercise they need, and enjoy, without them hurting themselves in the tricky underfoot conditions. Simple answer; whatever you do, however careful you try to be, it doesn't seem to make much difference. Three of the old boys – retired chasers, who spent ten years each in training in big yards and now throw a complete strop and nervous breakdown if asked to stay in overnight - spent many happy hours playfully galloping over the frozen mud and nothing ever went amiss. On the other hand Sal – a flat-bred mare with a doting Mum – was kept stabled during the worst of the weather. When she was later turned out, well duveted and booted-up, she rolled, raced round the paddock giddily for ten minutes, slipped on the mud and lamed herself. Back to the stable and box-rest....

The lesson seems to be, ex-racehorses may come to you as pampered TB wimps, but basically they are simply horses and soon come to happily enjoy simple horse pleasures – like rolling in mud and playing in snow and causing their humans anxiety-nightmares!

It's been a long, hard winter in the UK. As well as some serious blasts of Siberian cold, we've had never-ending rain that's making all the fields waterlogged and the farmers despair. Not that the ex-racehorses at the farm have been in the slightest bit bothered!

While we have all fought and sloshed our way through floods and mire and snowdrifts to tend to them every day, the horses have all been very happy and have never looked in any way troubled by the weather that was such a trial to us two-leggeds.

Even though they are former racehorses, used to a pampered existence, here at the farm our retirees are 're-trained' to tough it out a bit and live like normal horses again – which means a lot of being outdoors! It's becoming fashionable now for trainers to turn their horses-in-training out in the paddock after their work sessions, if only for an hour or two a day. And many racehorses are turned away to grazing for a few weeks in their holidays between race seasons. Even so, not many horses during their racing careers are asked to live out 24-7, unless they have some health or personality issue which means that is the only option. Once out in the 'civilian' horse world, though, ex-racers have to learn to rough it a bit and fit in with the lifestyle on normal livery yards, stud farms and private paddocks. So, after some phased roughing-off and acclimatizing, we like our ex-racers to live as naturally as possible, with the bulk of their time being spent out in the fields.

As usual, our boys and girls have spent most of their time this winter out in the fields, with constant big-bale hay as well as their bucket feeds to supplement the winter grass. They've been double-rugged (with a third on top during the very cold spells) and they've all kept dry and warm as toast the whole while. They had a whale of a time playing in the snow – the aim of the game seemingly to be to get as much snow as possible in your own and everyone else's mane and ears. They love rolling in the mud, too – the deeper and sloppier the better, with mud-holes of choice being dotted around the fields. Whether the rugs will ever be cleanable remains to be seen. The field shelters so thoughtfully (and expensively!) provided have mostly been shunned. Even when we put haylage inside, the horses prefer to eat with their back-ends standing outside in the rain.... I guess it's a horse thing. And when they are brought in to the stables in the yard – because we feel sorry for them out in the severe elements – they quickly eat their feed and then boot the stable doors indignantly until they are let out again. Yes, they're trying to tell us something! “We may be ex-racehorses and used to a gilded, luxurious lifestyle – but, hey! We're just regular kinda neds and we love being out and getting dirty.”

Great for them, but it's meant a lot of extra work for their humans. Keeping the water supply going has been a big headache, especially during the times when all the water pipes to the troughs were frozen up. Then it was a case of ferrying drums of tapwater from home, and lugging them across the snow to the troughs. And in the milder times, the mud and waterlogging has been a constant worry, especially regarding protecting the horses' legs and feet. Some people tried mud-boots, but they were a mixed blessing and came off eventually (some in the field, never to be seen again.) The same applied to shoes – even one newly-shod lad, who classes as an 'ex' but not a 'retired' racer, only kept his new shoes on for a fortnight. Some future metal-detector will find them no doubt.... Everyone has been fretting about mud-fever, and copious amounts of Vaseline and mud-guard creams have been applied, and so far all horses seem to have escaped that particular problem.

The other big worry has been how to let the boys and girls have the exercise they need, and enjoy, without them hurting themselves in the tricky underfoot conditions. Simple answer; whatever you do, however careful you try to be, it doesn't seem to make much difference. Three of the old boys – retired chasers, who spent ten years each in training in big yards and now throw a complete strop and nervous breakdown if asked to stay in overnight - spent many happy hours playfully galloping over the frozen mud and nothing ever went amiss. On the other hand Sal – a flat-bred mare with a doting Mum – was kept stabled during the worst of the weather. When she was later turned out, well duveted and booted-up, she rolled, raced round the paddock giddily for ten minutes, slipped on the mud and lamed herself. Back to the stable and box-rest....

The lesson seems to be, ex-racehorses may come to you as pampered TB wimps, but basically they are simply horses and soon come to happily enjoy simple horse pleasures – like rolling in mud and playing in snow and causing their humans anxiety-nightmares!

A brisk snow-roll before lunch...






Then hay-glacee for dessert....