Sunday Stories Shared - @jkp.equestrian talks retraining an ex-racer
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The world of retraining ex-racers is expanding more and more, especially with the introduction of the ROR (retraining of racehorses) competitions.
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Let me take you back to September 2014 when I started shopping for my first horse age 15 with the grand budget of £1500. I viewed a variety of different horses; from horses that wouldn’t move, to horses that had a mental breakdown at the sight of a coloured pole. It felt like we were never going to find my perfect horse, especially with my not so perfect budget!
The world of retraining ex-racers is expanding more and more, especially with the introduction of the ROR (retraining of racehorses) competitions.
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Let me take you back to September 2014 when I started shopping for my first horse age 15 with the grand budget of £1500. I viewed a variety of different horses; from horses that wouldn’t move, to horses that had a mental breakdown at the sight of a coloured pole. It felt like we were never going to find my perfect horse, especially with my not so perfect budget!
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However, all of this changed after my mum spotted a tiny advert in our local news paper and whisked me off to a national hunt yard. When we arrived, out of the stable came a 16.3, glossy bay ex-racer name Billy, with 2 white socks that would in-fact go forward and were more than happy to go over a coloured pole.
1.20 courses here we come! (I thought)...not quite!
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Once we got him home, we were quick to learn that the ‘race horse mode’ was still firmly switched on and what followed was a year of (quite literally) blood, sweat and tears.
Once we got him home, we were quick to learn that the ‘race horse mode’ was still firmly switched on and what followed was a year of (quite literally) blood, sweat and tears.
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Anyone that has ridden an off the track thoroughbred will know that everything they do comes with the aim of doing it as quickly as possible.
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As a result of this, Billy liked to go across and through a jump as opposed to up and over it. It was this time that really taught me the importance of grid work, which I would highly recommend for anyone looking to improve their horses jump technique.
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As the months passed, Billy and I learned to channel his energy into productive work and the progress started to appear.
As the months passed, Billy and I learned to channel his energy into productive work and the progress started to appear.
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Although he was never born to be the 1.20 horse I dreamed of, completing our first 85cm showjumping course and going clear felt better than winning a 1.20 ever would.
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Retraining a horse really makes you appreciate the small improvements, such as managing to ride 3 full laps of the arena without them running off with their heads in the air, and the end result makes it feel so worth while.
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Shown above are 2 photos, the first is Billy and I when he first arrived struggling to look elegant over 2ft. The 2nd photo is just before he left, souring over a 4ft triple bar with room to spare!
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