Having spent many of my younger years in and around the racing industry in the UK, and then a portion of later life involved with the rehabilitation of thoroughbreds off the track in Nairobi Kenya, for work in competition, safari and polo, I've developed a deep love and respect for the Thoroughbred, whilst at the same time developing an understanding of their specific needs as a breed when it comes to helping them to thrive outside of the environment they were bred for.
Our love affair with thoroughbreds began back in the late 17th and 18th centuries when Arab stallions were brought to the UK and bred with our heavier native types to increase the speed of the racehorses we already had at the time. More can be seen on that here… https://www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/the-racing/all-about-the-thoroughbred/
Horse racing is Britain’s second most popular sport generating over 4 billion pounds each year and at the heart of this multi-billion pound industry are those for which without, the whole thing could not exist… The Athletes, The Beings, The Horses.
As an aside when I was researching statistics for the racing industry and typed in revenue, the economy and such, all the racing bodies came up at the top of Google showing all the info you needed on that. When I Googled death rates and injury they all disappeared and were nowhere near as forthcoming with their stats.
It’s difficult to get an accurate picture of just how many horses die or are retired early through injury or just don’t make the grade. One could spend a lifetime looking into it, but let’s just say it’s a lot. Enough for concern.
It’s not my intention here to churn out stats and indignation but rather to look at what might be useful in the current climate.
With the racehorse industry churning out more and more unwanted or retired thoroughbreds these days, in one sense it seems like a buyer’s market. Although I remember when you could barely give away a failed racehorse, now they can command thousands.
With the public eye very much on the welfare of sports horses in general the racing industry is keen to look as if they are concerned about what happens to the horses they use when they are no longer making money. I’m sure at some level of consciousness, they do care but this very often appears as doing the things that look like caring but when you delve a little deeper...
In truth, if we cared that much we would just stop doing it, but I understand that there are other perceived human needs, which come above the welfare of horses and that’s just life sadly.
One of the ways that currently looks like caring takes the form of setting up programs which re-home unwanted racehorses. Allowing them to go on and have what we might deem a useful life, whilst fulfilling our needs in other ways. This prevents them from having to be euthanised, which lets face it it's not a good look for the racing industry stats, or humankind. We don’t like to imagine we are capable of that.
So what’s going on currently is that we can make ourselves feel better by finding ex-racehorses new homes amongst the wider public. It doesn’t take long to make it into a commodity, with the introduction over recent years of showing classes under RoR and SEIB rules to prove who can do this the best. And there’s nothing wrong with that as long as it’s undertaken mindfully.
The flip side is that it can perpetuate the amount of inappropriate training that goes on, with horses being overfed, and compressed into outlines with the use of gadgets in the name of ‘I’ve got the best RoR’ and so there are in fact, many racehorses for which this rebranding has done no favours at all.
It would be easy from the above to assume that I have a problem with all this and on some level, I could choose to, but does that help? Not at all, so what is my next best option? What is within my gift?
Firstly, acceptance of the way it is. This isn’t going to change any time soon and there is nothing I can do about it.
What I can do is call on my 40 years of experience, hanging out, working with and training these wonderful horses in order to help them carry out new jobs and live as happy and healthy lives as possible, and part of this is in the education of the humans whose care they will be in.
So in this next part we’ll take a look at whats involved in buying an ex-racehorse…
Neither a victim, persecutor nor a rescuer be.
I'd like to begin with a note on rescuing. I cannot emphasise enough how there is no such thing as YOU rescuing a horse and as soon as you imagine that’s what you’re doing you’re already doing the horse a disservice.
If you want to see a beautiful example of this attitude in action look no further than Prince Fluffy Karim. There is no “rescuing” mindset here. Just simply doing what needs to be done.
I know for all the world it looks as if animals need rescuing from whatever torment they are currently enduring but rescuing tends to be an ego-driven mindset that assumes the 'other' is powerless and unable.
So what do we do? Just ignore it and walk on by? Of course not. We help. We remove the animal we offer it shelter, food, and comfort. All the things it needs to thrive but we never rescue because rescuing always starts making it about ‘me’ and that rarely turns out well for horses or humans in the end.
The reason I see this as important to mention is that seeing ourselves as a rescuer tends to prevent us from looking at whether we realistically have what this horse needs in order to thrive. And this begins with simple things like the time, experience, patience, ample space, adequate fencing, enough money for vets fees and tack that fits, bodywork, a regular experienced trainer and the biggy…
The skills to retrain this racing machine, bred with generations of biomechanics and mindset to do the very thing that most people’s nightmares are made of. Running fast away from things in a straight line.
The antithesis of going around in an enclosed arena space with fences tight corners and sharp turns…
The racehorses of today are the ancestors of and therefore the genetic result of thousands of years of breeding. They are the product of the smart vigilant responsive ones who got to stay alive because they didn’t get eaten. Add to this our own breeding programs designed to increase and capitalise on these attributes, is it any wonder that what you get in a thoroughbred is ‘all horse’ And then we come along and start making this a problem.
It doesn’t have to be though, and from a place of honesty, acceptance and understanding, it can be a wonderful thing. But it will be filled with ‘Thoroughbred’ 🙂
So let’s take a closer look at what you are committing to when you take on an ex-racehorse.
Aside from all the wonderful traits of the thoroughbred, you will also be taking on the following…
Often these horses have been worked too hard in immature bodies so you will be inheriting tissue trauma, joint inflammation and all the associated stress responses.
If the horse has been in training they will have development of the locomotor set of muscles and associated mind responses. The ones designed for vigilance and flight.
If the horse has been in training there is a high likelihood of gastric ulcers and metabolic issues associated with such things as behavioural issues, laminitis and weak feet.
If the horse has been in training, you will be inheriting a horse who has been abused in the mouth and will often have bitting issues.
If the horse has been in training it will often be under-socialised, which can show up as turnout and or separation issues.
None of these things are a problem but what is so important to understand is that this is what you are agreeing to take on. Thoroughbreds often come with a complex set of needs that must be recognised accepted and met, to enable them to do what we want them to and this takes time, patience, knowledge, often more money than you wanted to spend, and a lot of love and understanding.
What I so often see is that when presented with all of the above and more, we begin to refer to these things as problems. We make the horse a problem. And then we have a problem.
There is no problem a horse has, which wasn’t imagined by a human.
So if you have heard me so far and are still determined to buy an ex-racehorse then perhaps you are just the person for it, so what kind of things might be useful to know…
Cost
People often choose to go the thoroughbred route for financial reasons. With the extortionate price of horses these days, If you have the time and patience to look, you can bag yourself a great deal of wonderful horse for a very reasonable price in a thoroughbred.
But here’s the thing. If you have no experience in retraining young horses or thoroughbreds then you will need to factor in the cost of the following
A regular experienced trainer to guide you.
Many of these horses come with gastric ulcers, so you will almost certainly need to factor in the cost of scoping and ulcer treatment and how this will affect your insurance.
Good saddle fit is essential as it is for all horses, and sometimes tricky for thoroughbreds, so factor in the going rate for a good quality well-fitting saddle fitted by a knowledgable professional.
Training
If you are lucky, you’ll be receiving a horse who has been taught to walk on a loose rein and then run in straight lines. They will have been taught to carry a rider on a posture, or the set of muscles that are designed for flight and they could be strong or weak depending on age and years in training.
If you are unlucky you might be receiving a horse who has been "retrained" for you already. Why would I describe this as unlucky you might wonder? Well, whereas there are of course some retraining establishments that carry this out really well there are many more who simply don't.
There are far too many people who see this as making a quick buck and imagine themselves as racehorse re-trainers. From these people, you will often be buying a whole extra set of unwanted mental and physical issues.
Either way, as a trainer your job, often after a good period of ‘letting down’ will be to retrain the horse to use his ‘postural’ set of muscles, which are the ones that will enable him to carry a rider well, safely and confidently in confined and outdoor spaces. If you don’t do this you will often begin to experience what appear to be “behavioural” issues quite quickly.
Common mistakes when retraining include…
Attempting to build what looks like a top line by overfeeding.
The use of restrictive training aids or any kind of device, which ‘positions’ the horse’s head and neck. And I mean ANY! In the misguided attempt to gain submission, roundness and top line.
It’s not necessary and if you think it is or have a trainer that thinks it is, then you just haven’t yet understood how to do it another way. Find someone to teach you how. There is another way that will give you a happy healthy horse for life.
Using tie-down or restrictive devices only ever ends up in pain and trouble. I can’t make that any more clear.
Husbandry
Thoroughbreds can arrive with socialisation and metabolic issues due to previous environment and feeding so turnout and feeding should be monitored carefully at the start.
Thoroughbreds are often blamed for having weak feet, but if you look at the breeding you see will no reason for this. What we find in fact is that it’s not the horse who has bad feet but the regime he’s been on that has caused the weakened feet. Often times when we improve the diet and environment, with some patience and a good trimmer, the feet strengthen. I know many thoroughbreds who are happily barefoot now.
Thoroughbreds tend to show up underweight with a great deal of fascial restriction throughout the body. These are all signs of not just having been on a fitness regime, but also enduring high amounts of stress. For these horses to improve their body condition without increased metabolic risk, (Dodgy feet) they need time, and an introduction of high-quality fibre. An independent nutritionist can always be useful here.
So there are a few things to think about regarding the reality of taking on a thoroughbred or an ex-racehorse. There is much more but it's a place to start.
Taking on an ex-racehorse can be wonderfully rewarding and goodness knows they need our help but before you do, please take time to think about it. If you don’t currently have experience with this or even if you do, you are embarking on a long journey that will, as well as being incredibly rewarding, also test you to the max at times.
And not to forget ourselves. As much as we love our horses we must also value ourselves and our own happiness. Life is too short to spend it in the wrong partnership because you deserve to be happy too.
Maxine Kemp is a classical riding trainer and transformative life coach based in East Suffolk UK who is dedicated to simplifying and demystifying the journey to greater peace well-being and empowerment for humans and their horses.
"The joy is in truth and simplicity"
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What a great article, Max! Thanks for riding it!