From: Brian
Dear Jessica, I was very impressed with your answer a few weeks ago about how to deal with an ex-racehorse. I'd like to ask you for more suggestions. My wife and I have recently purchased an ex-racehorse that has already been turned out for five months, and is ready to come to our barn and start his new career as a hunter. My wife is very small, and I am much newer to horses than she is, so I was hoping that you could offer both of us some more tips about handling our new horse. He is a four-year-old gelding, if that helps. We thought that we would spend several months just taking him out on the trails with our other horse, to keep him calm, since he wouldn't associate the trailriding with racing. Thank you for all of your good advice. Brian
Your idea of taking him on trails is a good one. Take him with several other horses if you possibly can, but choose your company carefully. You'll want the other horses to be quiet and well-behaved, not excitable and nervous. Your horse probably won't associate the trails with racing - you're right about that - but he may be surprisingly timid in a completely unfamiliar environment. If you can find a large, sedate horse that your horse can follow on the trail, he'll feel much more secure (and so will you). You'll also want to be sure that all of the other riders understand what kind of trail-riding you will be doing with your new horse, so that they will NOT ride with you if they plan to canter and gallop. You'll want to ride at a walk and trot, calmly. If other horses begin to go fast, your horse will instantly think that he's supposed to be racing - and he'll shift into racing mode, which isn't what you want.
Other tips for handling horses off the track:
On the trail and elsewhere, remember that the kind of footing that the other horses take for granted may be a complete surprise to your ex-racehorse. Uneven ground, deep mud, lumpy, dried mud, rocks, and water may all be new to him. If he worries, let him follow another horse over - or through - the terrain at a walk.
When you're riding on the trail or elsewhere, and you want to pat and praise your horse, ESPECIALLY while he is in motion, talk to him and pat him slowly and gently on the neck or the withers. You may be in the habit of reaching back and patting your other horses behind your leg or on top of their rumps - don't do this with your ex-racehorse until you know each other better. In a race, those are the areas where the jockey would use the whip, so your reaching back behind your body at a walk, trot, or canter to pat your horse may be interpreted by the horse as "full speed ahead!"
Be extremely careful, soft, and slow when you are handling his head and especially his ears. Many racehorses are head-shy because they have been "eared down" by handlers - someone grabbed and twisted one of the horse's ears to keep him under control. If your horse seems extraordinarily nervous about having his ears handled, this is probably the reason.
In contrast to this, you may find that your horse doesn't seem to lead very well. At the track, most grooms use a lead shank with a chain attached. The chain runs from the upper right halter ring, through the lower right halter ring, across the nose, and through the left side halter ring. If your horse leads well, you won't need to use a chain. If he doesn't, you'll want to teach him to lead well without the chain, but you may have to wean him away from it gradually. Even if you have no intention of using this chain, you may want to use two leads at first, one attached in the way you are used to (to the ring under the halter's chinstrap) and the other, with chain, attached in the way the horse understands. You can then use the "normal" lead unless you need reinforcement - and then you'll have the chain in place. Remember, the idea is to do without the chain, eventually if not immediately.
Depending on how much handling this horse has had since he left the track, he may or may not know about having his feet picked out the "normal" way. With your other horses, you are probably used to walking around them picking up each foot in turn and cleaning it out. At the track, horses get their feet cleaned, but in a different way: The groom stands on the near side and cleans the near forefoot, then reaches across, under the horse, and lifts and cleans the off forefoot. Next, he cleans the near hindfoot, and then reaches across and cleans the off hindfoot. You don't have to do this - you would probably feel very awkward doing it - but you should be aware that this is what your horse is used to, and he may be very surprised when you walk around him and stand on his off-side to clean those two feet.
Your farrier will almost certainly want to change your new horse's angles. Racehorses are traditionally (and foolishly) trimmed and shod so that their hooves slope much more than is healthy. It may take several shoeings (or trimmings, if your horse has good feet and doesn't need shoes) before your horse's angles have been corrected. Your horse will be much happier with less toe, more heel, and a more natural angle, but remember that any change, even a positive one, will have an effect on his musculature and movement. Ask any woman about the effect of changing into flat shoes or sneakers on the weekend, after a week wearing city shoes with heels. It always takes a little time to get used to the change.
As long as you keep your horse's past experiences in mind, and make it your business to help him relax, feel at home, and trust you, you should do very well with your ex-racehorse.
Jessica
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