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!  

Ex-racehorse champions at Greatwood Open Day

Some celebrity ex-racehorses will be strutting their stuff at Greatwood's Open Day on Sunday, 14th June. Bindaree ( former Grand National winner turned dressage star!), New Seeker, Cool Dawn and Edredon Bleu are just a few of the former champions who will be parading to delight the crowds. Also there, of course, will be Greatwood favourites Deano's Beano, Montendre, and Potentate, as well as all the current ex-racer 'guests' in the various stages of their rehabilitation.

As you'll no doubt already know, Greatwood Retired Racehorse Centre, ( on the A345 just outside Marlborough in Wiltshire) is a charity that relies on donations to fund its tremendous work rehabilitating and rehoming ( where possible) ex-racehorses that have fallen on hard times. ( And there are an enormous number of them these days!) Not only that, but Greatwood has now expanded its activities so that children with special needs can visit and interact with the horses. Two 'Special Needs' groups helping each other ! - the way the world ought to be.

So, the annual Open Day is an important opportunity for Greatwood to show what it does, and hopefully attract those much-needed funds and sponsorships. This year's event is sponsored by William Hill, and will be a fun-packed occasion. Apart from all the horses, there will be a display of working sheepdogs ( and ducks and geese!) by Bob Hogg,as well as various family entertainments, trade stands, refreshments, and a picnic area.

Tickets cost just £5, and children under 12 get in free. Dogs are welcome on a lead.
Sunday 14th June 12.00noon - 4.00pm
For more info tel: 01672 514535

Royal Predica - Veteran Champion

Ange and Perds have done it again ! Royal Predica won the Veteran Section in his TB/ex-racehorse class at Devon County Show , and came 5th overall. Not a bad achievement for this ex-Grand National steeplechaser who had never even seen a showring when Ange got him just over two years ago. Ange is thrilled. "He was an absolute star," she says. "He was sooo chilled, and went the best he's ever gone."

Perds' preparation for the show had been delayed due to him having a cough, so schooling and getting fit had only really been possible in the two weeks prior to the big day. Just proves, you can't keep a great champ down ! Well done, Ange and Perds.

ROR Showing classes rule change

Some of the extra funding given to ROR by ROA is to go to supporting development of the ex-racehorse showing classes sponsored by ROR and Tattersalls. This is great news, as these classes are a wonderful opportunity for ex-racers to prove how well they can rehabilitate and strut their stuff successfully in the showring, once allowances are made for their history and any blemishes they may have acquired during their racing careers.

So often, otherwise beautiful and well-schooled ex-racers have been marked down because their legs carry the honourable battlescars of their racing days. In other cases, recently re-schooled ex-racehorses new to showing have lost out due to typical new-ex-racer behaviour letting them down compared to their less-lovely, but better-behaved, competitors. So, showing classes just for ex-racehorses are a much-needed development.

Precise judging criteria varies, depending on which organisation is sponsoring the classes, but generally allowances are made for racing-acquired blemishes , the length of time the horse has been out of racing, and the amount of rehabilitation progress made. In the ROR classes, judging is as for normal Riding Horse classes. Each horse is ridden by the judge, and marked separately for conformation and action.

This year, ROR has amended the entry rules so that every horse must have actually raced. In the past, any Thoroughbred that has 'been in training' was eligible to enter. This meant that some horses - perhaps already singled out for a showing career - have merely spent a few weeks in a race-trainer's yard to qualify for ROR and other ex-racer classes. They then left the yard as physically ( and psychologically) perfect as they went in, ready to trounce more genuine ex-racers in the showring. The rule-change will put an end to this, and leave the true battle-hardened ex-racehorses a level playing field to compete on. It will also make it easier for the amateur owner/riders, with their less-than-perfect ex-racers, to compete against the better-resourced professional producers.

The ROR/Tattersalls showing series is now in its fifth year with qualifiers’ nationwide going forward to the final at Hickstead's Show Jumping Derby meeting from 25th to 28th June (exact date to be confirmed). Those who qualify after the South of England Show in June, compete in the final in 2010. Judges will be from the RoR panel.

Coming dates are here:

MAY 3rd & 4th May* - LEICESTERSHIRE COUNTY SHOW, Leicestershire10th May - NEWARK & NOTTINGHAMSHIRE SHOW, Nottinghamshire Results: 1st TROPPI GUAI - Rebecca Peace; 2nd DOUBLE SPEY - SALLY Beeden; 3rd RUSTY PLUMBER - Miss D. ParkerVeteran - TROPPI GUAI15th May - ROYAL WINDSOR HORSE SHOW, Berkshire 23rd May – DEVON COUNTY SHOW, Somerset 23rd May - HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY SHOW, Hertfordshire23rd May* - HEATHFIELD & DISTRICT AGRICULTURAL SHOW, East Sussex24th May* - HAMBLETON SHOW , Yorkshire27th May - SUFFOLK SHOW, Suffolk 28th May - ROYAL BATH & WEST SHOW, SomersetJUNE 6th June - MIDLAND COUNTIES SHOW , Staffordshire 11th June - SOUTH OF ENGLAND, West Sussex QUALIFICATION FOR HICKSTEAD 2010 17th June* - YORKSHIRE SPORTS HORSE SHOW, Yorkshire 20th June* - EAST OF ENGLAND, Cambridgeshire23rd June - CHESHIRE COUNTY SHOW, Cheshire24th June* - LINCOLNSHIRE COUNTY SHOW, Lincolnshire27th June* - POTENTIAL COMPETITION HORSE SHOW, Merseyside28th June* - DERBYSHIRE COUNTY SHOW, Derby25th to 28th June - FINAL 2009, Hickstead Derby Meeting (exact date to be confirmed) JULY 7th to 10th July - THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SHOW, Stoneleigh 19th July - KENT COUNTY SHOW, Kent 24th to 26th July - TATTERSALLS IRELAND/WARD UNION SHOW, Ireland25th July* - BORDER UNION SHOW, Roxburghshire28th July* - RYEDALE SHOW, Yorkshire 28th to 30th July* - NEW FOREST & HAMPSHIRE COUNTY SHOW, Hampshire AUGUST 1st August* - BICESTER & FINMERE SHOW, Oxfordshire13th August* - WALES & WEST HUNTER SHOW, Monmouthshire23rd August* - NOTTS DERBY CHARITY HORSE SHOW, Derbyshire 31st August* - EDENBRIDGE & OXTED SHOW, SurreySEPTEMBER 5th September* - DORSET COUNTY SHOW, Dorset9th September* - NATIONAL HUNTER SUPREME CHAMPIONSHIP SHOW, Buckinghamshire12th September - THE BRITISH ELITE HORSE SHOW, Lincolnshire12th September - ROMSEY SHOW, Hampshire19th to 20th September* - ROYAL COUNTY OF BERKSHIRE, Berkshire

ROA gives more to ROR

In other words - the Racehorse Owners Association is boosting its annual donation to the Retraining of Racehorses organisation - which is great news, especially in the present economic climate, when all horse owners and carers are feeling the pinch. This is from the ROR website:

Racehorse owners, mindful of welfare concerns, have taken steps to bolster the funds they give to Retraining of Racehorses (RoR), as racing's central charity involved with promoting the welfare of the industry's retired racehorses.
The Racehorse Owners Association (ROA) has approved that the surcharge paid by racehorse owners on entry fees will be increased from 50p to £1 as from 1st May 2009.
Michael Harris, Chief Executive of the ROA, said: "The increase is a response to the ROA's concern about the welfare of retired racehorses and the need to ensure that there is an effective structure in place to monitor and respond to their needs. We hope it will enable RoR to continue its excellent work in promoting the options available to retired racehorses."
Peter Deal, Chairman of RoR, said: "This is terrific news. Unsurprisingly, RoR's funding is under pressure this year and, at the same time, we are expecting greater demand on our services. It is really very reassuring that the owners are prepared to increase their support, and the ROA Council agreed so readily, particularly in this current climate. This demonstrates again the responsible attitude of owners towards the welfare of their racehorses."

So well done, ROA and ROR - carry on the great work you both do.