Olympic Ex-racehorse

Now here's a great advertisement for ex-racehorses ! Summon Up Theblood, a triple winner on the Flat for trainer Mick Channon in 2008, is now competing as an Olympian three-day-eventer at Rio de Janeiro. How's that for rehabilitation of racehorses?

Rather surprisingly, this good-looking bay by Red Ransom was not a long-distance Nantional Hunt horse (the type that often does so well when retrained for a sport like eventing), but a flat miler, winning at Windsor, Ayr and Thirsk. Clearly, some time after that someone taught him to jump! It just goes to show that 'even ' Flat ex-racehorses can learn to jump – and be somewhat better than average. (In fact, they can progress better in this respect than some highly experienced National Hunt horses. A retraining Flat racer will be learning jumping from scratch, and will only know to do what you teach him. But an old hurdler or chaser will have developed his own way of doing things, to meet obstacles at speed – along with, perhaps, some related physical stresses and injuries – which may not be suitable to the new sporting discipline, and will need to be un-learnt . Not always easy!

Summon Up Theblood, now 11 years old and owned by Louisa Benger, started his eventing career via Rehabilitation of Racehorses (ROR) classes. He obviously showed promise, and Brazilian event rider Carlos Parro – his Olympic Games partner in Rio - started riding SUT in open competitions in 2011.

They qualified for the Brazilian Olympic team at Barbary International Horse Trials in July, where they put in a tremendous last run to confirm their place on the squad.

Understandably thrilled at their Olympic prospects, Parro says: “It is very exciting for me to be representing Brazil at a home Games and it's also an achievement for a former racehorse to be competing at this level, showing how versatile and talented they can be in other disciplines.”

Of course, many ex-racehorses retrain very successfully for eventing, where their speed, stamina, agility and endurance serve them so well. We all remember Bindaree, the Grand National winner who went on to score at eventing too, as well as horses like Squadron Leader, Five Boys, and the wonderfully-named Cecily Parsley. But I don't personally know of any ex-racers who went on to compete in the Olympics. Are there any? Or is Summon Up Theblood starting a happy trend...  

Grand National Ex-racehorse Parade - Winners Twice Over

There is always a parade of ex-racehorses at Aintree for the Grand National meeting, and 2016 was no exception. Usually a string of venerable, portly, and sometimes hairy, old warriors - Grand National-winning heroes all, - is led round in-hand by their proud grooms just before the big race. Each champ sports a paddock sheet with hjs name on it ( they're always he's these days – the last mare to win was Nickel Coin, way back in 1951) and the commentator recounts the details of the victories and maybe a few titbits of what some of the horses are now doing. (Eating, sleeping, and lolling around the field, where some of these old boys are concerned... and well-deserved too!)

Recently, though, the concept has been developed. At last week's Grand National meeting, a parade was organised by Retraining of Racehorses on the first day,Thursday. and while some of the horses in it had actually raced at Aintree, not all of them, by any means, had won the Grand National, or even run in it. So, there was former National winner Comply or Die, and that old favourite and Aintree specialist Monet's Garden, alongside Liverpool who – gorgeous showing champion though he now is – was frankly a fairly terrible racehorse. But the point of this parade was not so much to applaud past victories and wonderful old pensioners, but to showcase and celebrate how brilliantly ex-racehorses can be retrained to do new jobs, and have highly successful second careers.

So, for a start, the ex-racer paraders at Aintree on Thursday were ridden, not led in hand, round the ring. Liverpool, bless him, was ridden sidesaddle, looking for all the world as if he was hacking elegantly down Hyde Park's Rotten Row. Good old boy Denman was there too, looking fabulous and full-of-it, as well as Cinders and Ashes, Danny John Boy, Mad Moose ( who really was, but now enjoys hunting and, of all things, dressage), Midnight Chase, Naunton Brook, and Peddler's Cross.

The range of new activities these lads were now undertaking, and winning at, was impressive. Most had done well in the showring, some, like Liverpool, Monet's Garden and Midnight Chase, at national level. Many of them were also re-schooled for dressage – who would think a Grand National winner like Comply or Die could win at dressage competitions too? But he does, and at quite a high level. Most of these horses also go hunting – Midnight Chase, a five-time winner round Cheltenham, is now hunted regularly as a Master's horse by his owner's daughter, Sally Hayward, who is Master for the Cheshire Forest Hunt. Naunton Brook carried a field master out hunting, too, in his first post-racing job. Now he does showjumping and working hunter classes, as well as regular hunting. Peddler's Cross is showjumping too, and doing hunter trials. Cinders and Ashes is about to compete in ROR dressage and showing, and the multi-talented Danny John Boy does eventing as well as showing and dressage. Denman, of course, loves his hunting, and is also a great team chaser, as well as being brilliant at – well, being Denman! Each and every one of them is a wonderful example, and advertisement, for what ex-racehorses can achieve after their racing careers are over. I wonder how long it will be before we see ex-racers in the parade who succeed in even more second-career options – polo, le trec, horseball, mounted games...? (I do know of a couple of ex-racers who compete in mounted games – though admittedly one of them is a retired racing pony.)

(For comprehensive details on the parade, and all the horses, there is a great article by Chris Wright in the Liverpool Echo, 31 March 2016.)

It was specially pleasing that the TV Aintree Festival, made a special - if short - feature of it. ( Just a pity that it was not longer, did not show all the horses, and did not give us any of the informative commentary that the racegoers were enjoying. Ah well – at least ex-racehorses got a mention)

As a post-script to the Grand National itself, it has been reported that this year's winner, Rule the World, may now be retired by his owner, Michael O'Leary. In the past, Mr O'Leary has been a little scathing of 'all this ex-racehorse stuff' – so, what plans might he have for his National hero now? Has he had a change of heart? Maybe this year's parade has set him thinking...? Will Rule the World be in next year's Ex-racehorse Parade at Aintree? ( And what a team chaser he would make!)   

Ex-racer Denman shows how it's done

What a joy it was to see that old warrior Denman parading at Newbury races last weekend! And what a great advertisement for ex-racehorses he has proved to be!

He was there to honour the race named after him, the Betfair Denman Chase. As he led out the parade of contenders on the way to the start, several commentators remarked that, even now, at the age of 16 and in happy semi-retirement, he looked as if, given the chance, he could still beat them all.

He certainly looked a picture of health, vitality and happiness as he emerged from the racecourse stables and entered the parade ring, ridden by a proudly-beaming Charlotte Alexander, his keeper since 2012. Denman, who won over £1 million in his racing career, progressed king-like round the ring, applauded and patted by the adoring crowds, including children, who were invited into the ring to meet him. Denman may have been nicknamed 'The Tank' in his racing days, but he was a complete gentleman with his fans - didn't bite or kick any of them!

Meanwhile, the TV cameras showed an interview with his former trainer Paul Nicholls chatting to another much-honoured retiree, (Sir) A P McCoy. Nicholls said how much Denman was enjoying life, going hunting every week through the season and and loving teamchasing too. Nicholls also let slip a snippet of information that was unexpected – and touching. It seems that, when Denman was in training, his owner would go to the Nicholls yard in the evenings to visit him. “He'd go into his box and feed him – and love him.” Now that's not the sort of language you'd expect from supposedly hard-nosed racing folk – but in my experience it reflects a truth: the people who work with racehorses, and many owners who make a point of visiting them as often as possible, really do love them, and want the very best for them, both during and after their racing careers.

It's certainly heartening to see increasing numbers of trainers and owners making provision for the retirement lives of their racing horses by preparing them for 'second careers'. Many trainers now incorporate dressage sessions into their training regimes. It's partly to keep the horses physically supple and mentally engaged, but it's also a useful skill for them to apply in another job, whether that be pure dressage, or eventing, or showing. Many racehorses now do 'other stuff' in their holiday time too. Instead of spending months turned out in a field, they will have a few outings eventing, or showing, or hunting. It all helps them re-integrate into 'civilian life' when their racing days are over. It was good to see a trainer of Paul Nicholls' calibre supporting the cause of ex-racehorses like this.

(Photo - Horse & Hound)            Denman at Newbury with his owner Paul Barber (left) and Paul Nicholls' father Brian

Of course, brilliant ambassador for retrained racehorses though Denman is, it has to be acknowledged that an ex-racer isn't suitable for everyone. You'd never put a novice or nervous rider on a horse like Denman, any more than you'd give a 10-year-old go-carter a Ferrari to drive. But if a big, battle-hardened, dyed-in-the-wool old racer like Denman, hunting-fit and raring to go, can behave impeccably on a big public occasion for his not-very-large lady rider, it just shows what ex-racehorses can achieve when put in the right hands.

Watching Denman at Newbury on Saturday, there was no doubt at all that he was enjoying and thriving in his new life, and was much-loved by Charlotte Alexander. She looked proud as punch to be associated with him, and to be able to show him off to all his fans. But even with a successfully rehabilitated racehorse like Denman, old racing habits die hard. As he led the contenders out onto the track, Denman clearly knew where he was, and seemed eager to race too – and no doubt show them how it's done! Then, when he was turned to leave them, he jogged and bounced with excitement. Charlotte sat him easily, seemingly knowing his every muscle, bone and response. Then, she let him go – and Denman galloped like the champion he is, back down the track past the grandstand, the crowds applauding and Charlotte grinning from ear to ear.

(Photo Horse & Hound)               Denman and Charlotte Alexander let rip at Newbury!

Ex-racehorse Resolutions - Try Something New in 2016

So here we are in the first working week of 2016, starting a fresh page in diaries and in life. ( Although, as in any good book, there will be some continuity too – otherwise how would long-term projects like re-training ex-racehorses ever make progress?)

Those of you who have ex-racehorses can use the turn of the year to make a new start for them too, whether that's teaching them a new skill, a new discipline, or even inducting them into their whole new ex-racing life.

In the best tradition, here are some New Year Resolutions you might like to try :

Teach your ex-racer something new

It doesn't need to be anything big or dramatic. Standing still to be mounted, perhaps. Or how to do a proper circle. But, sure – if you're already way past that stage, why not try a whole new discipline? Dressage, perhaps, or showjumping, or Le Trec, or maybe try a day's hunting.

Take your ex-racer on an away-day

Ex-racehorses usually thrive on routine, but they are also highly intelligent and new experiences can entertain, enthuse, challenge and reinvigorate them. So why not take them for a day out – for a show, ( probably indoors, if you're aiming to go at this time of year), an ex-racer parade, a charity/pleasure ride, or even a days riding at the beach? It may be sensible to go along with another horse - one of you boy's steady pals, who will reassure him ( and that way you can share travel costs too!). But it will do your ex-racer good to go somewhere that isn't racing – and find he enjoys it. And it will help his confidence, and the bond between you, to come back home together afterwards. You'll find it rewarding for both of you.

Have your ex-racer's back and joints checked out by a good horse physio.

As any retired sportsman will confirm, old sporting injuries can come back to bother you – if you try something new, if the weather's bad, or just for no obvious reason at all. It's a good idea to have your ex-racehorse checked over once a year. Even if there is nothing obviously wrong, there may be hidden strains or tweaks that will benefit hugely from a physio's expert hands and a few remedial exercises. If you do this regularly already, perhaps it might be worth trying another practitioner? They are all different, with their own specialist skills for both diagnosis and treatment. A new new pair of hands, and eyes, may provide the answer to a long-standing issue.

Do something to support racehorse retraining charities

Even if you did not get your own ex-racer from one of the charitable re-homing centres, you will know about the fantastic work they do and how desperate they always are for funds. Why not get in touch with one or two and enquire about ways you could help? It could be simply giving a donation, but you may be able to help in other ways too. If you are geographically near enough, you might be able to offer some time as a volunteer. If you are good with words, or social media, perhaps you could help with publicity and profile-raising? Or you could organise your own fundraising event – a show, perhaps, or a sponsored ride/swim/walk, or baking cakes to sell, or a jumble sale....

And of course, you can enroll your ex-racehorse with ROR, to take part in their competitions throughout the year.

Check out ROR's Events Calendar, & Others

Put in your diary every ex-racehorse event you even vaguely fancy attending, with or without your horse. Then you can plan ahead, school and practice, sort out tack and clothes, and organise transport and holiday time, so that you and your ex-racer can make the best of experiences new and old in 2016.

Have a great year!

New Year, New Fun for Ex-racehorses

Happy New Year!

And happy new lives for all ex-racehorses starting new post-racing jobs.

One of the rural New Year 's Day traditions, here in the UK, is for the local hunt to meet at some sociable pub (with a big carpark or field attached!) and have a convivial stirrup cup or three before trotting off down the lane to follow hounds and get plastered in mud riding over nearby farmland. These days all British hunting is drag hunting – ie; they follow a pre-planned scent trail laid earlier on, - so the guys in charge make allowances for all the tinsel-bedecked tots on tiny ponies and slightly hung-over grown-ups who always turn out to ride on this festive occasion - no difficult jumps or mad galloping sprees expected! There are usually crowds of onlookers to cheer them on – people who enjoy the traditional spectacle and fancy a bit of fresh air between New Year's Eve and New Year's Dinner. And – perhaps surprisingly to some, there is usually a fair sprinkling of ex-racehorses plaited up and ready to follow hounds with the rest of them.(They're easy to spot – they're the sleek and handsome ones!)

Of course, it will have taken much patient preparation to get the ex-racer fit – physically and mentally – for a hunting outing. For one thing, they will have to be able to keep going for hours, so will have needed training for far more stamina than they ever required to race. Some ex-racers will have smart red ribbons plaited into their tails, – not this season's must-have fashion statement, but a warning to other riders (and foot-followers) that these horses may just kick out or buck when excited. A green ribbon signifies that the horse is a novice in the hunting field, so may behave … er... unpredictably. Also, hunting involves a lot of standing around in groups waiting for something to happen. Ex-racehorses don't do standing around and waiting. Their new keepers will have practiced for months trying to teach this new skill of switched-off motionless, but in the excitement of a hunting day it's likely to be forgotten. So, if you spot an athletically gorgeous horse quietly walking in circles a little way from the rest of the riders, chances are it's an ex-racer doing what they are used to do in racing before any action, to keep them calm and listening. It usually works well.

The hunting field doesn't suit all ex-racehorses. Some of them get over-excited and flip into racing mode, careering over hounds and hunt staff and generally causing trouble. But many ex-racers take to it like ducks to water and love it. And those that do make superb hunters, being fast, athletic, often good jumpers, and, when correctly fittened up, full of stamina. They also look fabulously elegant!

Many famous retired racehorses have become brilliant hunters in their new after-racing jobs. Denman and Big Buck's are but two of the more recent ones, whilst a horse called Bai Zhu became so good at hunting that he carried a Master of Foxhounds for many grand days following hounds.

Tally-ho !

Big Buck's ready to go hunting

Ex-racehorses do tinsel too !

So Christmas is upon us, and the ex-racers at the farm are not happy. For their humans it's a time of frantic activity, trying to make get all prepared for the festivities, as well as fitting in work and all the rest of their busy lives. It means that sometimes the horses are fed a little later than usual, or are brought in from the paddocks earlier (and since the grass is still growing in this unusually mild December, the horses want to stay out eating it!) And, sensitive souls that they are, the ex-racehorses quickly pick up on their stressed-out carers' irritability and tiredness, and respond by being as awkward as possible.

I always think that November and December are the hardest months for anyone involved in keeping livestock – in the UK, at least.. The weather may not be quite as severe as in January, but the ever-shortening days mean there is never enough daylight to do all that needs to be done. Add in days of persistent rain and occasional fog, and horses can end up spending too long standing in stables and not nearly enough doing exercise. So – especially if they are ex-racehorses used to regular hard work and discipline – they can easily end up bored, unfit – and naughty! Their 'Whoopee, playtime!' mindset quickly kicks in.

But – hey! - it's Christmas! It only lasts a few days, and soon enough the festive decorations will come down for another year and life will return to normal. If you are struggling to tend your ex-racehorse as devotedly as you would like, my advice is to cut yourself some slack, relax, stop struggling to be the perfect horse-keeper, and just enjoy the holiday. The horses, ex-racers or not, will come to no harm for having a bit of down-time themselves whilst humans over-indulge in food and drink for a few days. They will enjoy having longer turnout on Christmas Day – or even for the whole holiday. You will soon catch up with exercise, and discipline, afterwards. As long as the horses have good shelter, or rugs, to keep they warm and dry, and plenty of grass or hay to keep they occupied, they'll be happy as larry. Christmas carrots and polo mints optional, but always welcome.

Happy Christmas!

Ex-racehorses on Trainers' Websites

,I've been helping a friend research the history of her ex-racehorse - ( Racing Post is always a good place to start!) - and ended up spending lots of time delving through the websites of various racehorse trainers. A couple of things struck me.

First – considering that horseracing is a mega-million pound industry with a lot of high-flying high-achievers involved in it, one way or another – it 's amazing how disappointing, and sometimes downright wonky, many trainers' websites are. Sometimes they are creaky, DIY freebie versions with lots of typos. Even more professional ones are often difficult to navigate, and frequently do not provide the information you would really like. (A bit of consumer feedback might be helpful there!)

And so often the sites are badly out-of-date, with the last 'News' or Blog Post being months, sometimes years, earlier. Some trainers – even some very high-profile ones – do not have a website at all. (Perhaps they feel they do not need to bother with on-line marketing and publicity? ) Probably much of this is down to racehorse trainers, and their staff, being racehorse-trainers and horse-handlers, not techies. Ah well...

The other thing I noticed was that some trainers, often the smaller ones, clearly take a keen interest in the lives of their horses after they leave racing. These trainers will have a specific page of their site, sometimes a very extensive one, detailing the activities of their former charges. In sections with titles like 'Where are they now?' or 'Old Friends', there will be photos of ex-racers lolling about in fields, canoodling with kids and dogs and bunnies, and doing lots of good stuff in their new careers – showing, hunting, showjumping, teamchasing, polo, even sidesaddle demonstrations in fancy-dress. It's heartwarming to see, and it certainly shows just how versatile and adaptable ex-racehorses can be, given the opportunity.

It also shows that trainers do have a heart! Some of the ones I came across were obviously very proud of how their ex-inmates had succeeded in their new lives. And, these trainers seemed to think it was important to let people know that they took considerable care to re-home their retired racehorses appropriately. After all, as British racing likes to say, “It's all about the horses”. And these days, when many more people are concerned about caring for animals than perhaps used to be the case, it surprises me that more trainers don't publicize their achievements in successfully re-homing their ex-racers. Apart from anything else, it would be great PR for the industry. Also, if a trainer is proud of his re-homing record, it seems fair to assume he takes care to get it right and do the best for the horse, by choosing the 'right' new home. Therefore, he would probably be a good trainer to approach if you are seeking an ex-racehorse and want to know the full truth about it - including whether you could handle and ride it safely.

Of course, a regularly up-dated 'Where Are They Now?' section on a website would take a certain amount of office-time to keep up to – but surely not that much? No doubt for the really big trainers, who keep two hundred horses at a time and often have a high turn-over rate, it might be almost impossible to keep track of all the retirees. But then, these Big Boys have dedicated administrative staff – and techies – who surely could give it a bit of input?

And, obviously, the updates would rely upon the new non-racing owners feeding back to the trainers on how the horses were progressing. In my experience, this has a feel-good factor at both ends. Many trainers are delighted to receive the occasional update on a horse they once trained. ( I'm talking perhaps once a year, or occasionally when the horse has achieved something outstanding. Start sending weekly chitchat and you will soon be heavily de-Friended!) And for an ex-racehorse owner to see a picture of their happily-retrained Boy or Girl on the website of a racing trainer can be quite a thrill.

I think it's something all ex-racehorse owners should support, and encourage!

Here are some of the sites I found with lovely pages where trainers proudly show their re-homed horses.

Ruth Carr                 www.ruthcarrracing.co.uk

Robin Dickin            www.robindickinracing.org.uk

Micky Hammond      www.mickyhammondracing.co.uk

Alan King                 www.alankingracing.co.uk

Philip Kirby              www.philipkirbyracing.co.uk