Cross Breeds

retired racing horse...?

I may be getting a retired racing horse. just wondering about the pros and cons to this situation.

Public Comments

1. invest in a winged primate with steel talons
2. To answer this question, it would be beneficial if we had a bit more information about your experience and just how "retired" this racehorse is. If you're not very experienced, getting a racehorse fresh off the track is a disasterous idea! You'd really need someone else to train the horse for you and you would probably not be ready to ride it yet. If you're not very experienced, but you're getting a racehorse who is now 15 and has been of the track for 10 years and is very broke and is well behaved for beginners, then it would be a great combination! If we're talking thoroughbred racehorse, they're very spirited horses, very willing to serve you, very quick learners. For cons, even the older ones are very spirited... and it could be a little too much so. Also, retired racers usually ha ve some soundess issues from their racing days... horses are rarely retired completely sound and healthy, so you may have to deal with an old injury that prevents your horse from doing some things... like he might not be able to jump or something like that. To get an inexperienced racehorse off the track, you'd need a lot of experience to be able to take that horse and safely make him into a show horse. The pros there would be that you'd be able to take the horse, make a connection with him, then have the satisfaction of seeing the progress in the training. Cons would be the same as before and also that converting a racehorse into a show horse can be frustrating if you don't know how to do it... racehorses respond to different cues than show horses, so if you're giving him the cue as you've learned it, that cue might very well mean something else to a racer. Do you have an instructor who could look at this horse with you to tell you if this horse will make a good match for you or if you should keep looking? It's important to know your riding limits and understand what the horse you're looking at needs from a rider.
3. great pet special talents enjoy
4. To kmnmiamisax' excellent answer, I would add a couple of things: There are a number of non-profit groups that have made a specialty of rehabilitating former racehorses and placing them in "new careers." Here are websites for a couple of the better-known organizations: http://www.rerun.org/ http://www.unitedpegasus.com/ This page lists some additional organizations: http://horseracing.about.com/od/equinecharities/l/bleqchar.htm If you are not getting your retired racehorse directly from an organization that specializes in rehabilitation, I would suggest you contact these organizations and ask them if they can suggest someone to work with you on your horse. Generally, the people who work in these organizations are very experienced in the pitfalls that go with rehabbing racehorses, and their primary interest is in making sure that ex-racehorses do not end up in the kill pen at the local horse auction if it is at all possible to save them. Thing two, and I realize that I am unpopular on the Horseracing and Pets/Horses categories for saying this, is that the worst accidents you'll ever see with horses involve the combination of too much horse with not enough rider. One of my friends, who had years of experience riding and who had been showing hunters for several years, decided to take on a racehorse just off the track. This horse proved to be too much horse for her, and she ended up in the hospital with cracked/broken ribs, a broken collarbone, and a broken arm. You cannot lie to your horse about your capabilities. He will know when you are not in charge, are afraid, are unable to maintain control. Do not let your ego write checks that your ability and experience can't cash. End of sermon. Also, just to mention: in addition to Thoroughbred racehorses needing rehabilitation, Standardbred (trotter and pacer) racehorses off the track need homes. My best friend trained "harnies" for 20 years, and she placed a number of them with good homes. While Standardbreds are not generally as nice looking as Thoroughbreds, they are a lot less high-strung. They make nice riding horses for trail riding and just hacking around, and there's the additional bonus that they are broke to drive so you have another option in using them. Every retired "harnie" I have ever met was a sweetheart, easy to get along with and affectionate, and I haven't known anyone who adopted one who didn't love the horse. If you get one that's a natural pacer, you have a really smooth-riding horse (riding the pace you sway from side to side, rather than move up and down). And retired Standardbreds need homes every bit as badly as retired Thoroughbreds.