Over the past few years there has been a raising of awareness of "life after racing", for racehorses. Some horses may prove to be too slow to race, some may not have the appetite for it and some may have health reasons that exclude them from racing but does not exclude them from other aspects of equestrian activities. It is very much in the news with a headline in today’s features on First Post, the online daily magazine, "What happens to….unwanted horses", followed by an article written by John Hind, which was first posted in July 2006. It is a fairly shocking, thought provoking and scathing article about the fact that "the industry only provides £200,000 a year for the care of retired horses, enough to cover about 50" and provides statistics for the fates of many horses who have worked very hard in their careers.
The ROR, (The Retraining of Racehorses), is British Horseacing’s official charity for the welfare of horses who have retired from racing. Amalgamation with the Racehorse Owners Association charity, Emergency Relief for Thoroughbreds had broadened its remit to take responsibility for former racehorses that are found in a sick, neglected or ill-treated state. It has and is approving a range of centers that can take in racehorses as described above. In 2007 its funds were boosted and it states that this has enabled the charity to "widen its horizons". For anyone interested in their work it is worth a visit to their website as they run education clinics throughout the year across the country.
One of the most interesting sites I have found on the internet in relation to retired racehorses is the work of Greatwood which cares for retired racehorse and children with special needs. This shows so clearly how the needs of both the horses and the children are met often allowing a child to develop a relationship where they have been unable to do so in the past.
In former years I was involved with a Horse Programme, based on the work of a veterinary surgeon who ran a project at Colorado State Penitentary. The main criteria was that the participants had never ridden a horse, would be rejected if they used any illegal substance whilst on the programme, and who were willing to learn the basics of horse care and riding and then accompany and care for the horse for a 5 day trek. It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. People who were aggressive, withdrawn, with no belief in themselves shone! To see them stroke a horse; talk to it; build up confidence and actually ride it brought such positive results.
Of latter years my involvement with horses has been as a means of therapy. I have taken in rescue horses, but not thoroughbreds. A few years ago I received a great deal of help, from a local lady who has had a life time’s experience in racing chasers, with an elderly arab rescue horse I had taken on. If there was ever proof that there was a life after racing for thoroughbreds she has proven that fact. Currently taking their place in her fields are Merrymaster, (nickname Basil), now 23 who only this year has taken part in two pleasure rides and loving every minute of them as well as hacking out in the local countryside. His long term companion, Life Companion, (nickname Dopey), has raced but had problems and operations in relation to his palate and breathing. Post racing he has competed in dressage competitions, charity rides spread over a few days, pleasure rides, and has been a great schoolmaster to many aunts and uncles, myself included. He has been a Master of Hounds horse and is currently being brought back to fitness for that role again. Before I rode Dopey I, along with many others, often saw the thoroughbred as something apart from other horses. This view often being compounded on TV racing where a horse can be described as "a nutter at home". Through Dopey and Basil I regained my confidence to ride and showed I had the ability to handle and care for them when they came to stay with me for a holiday. The only exception Dopey took was to the peacock that lives in the village insisting that he did a full display of his tail feathers in the field with them. Dopey was definitely spooked by this growing to twice his size and snorting a lot whenever the peacock appeared, which was a very funny scene to watch! Both horses were Christians obviously being sensitive enough to know that I was a novice with thoroughbreds!
Last season I had the pleasure of being an observer and recorder of the horses and the individuals who work together at Wynbury. It made me ask the question of what happens to those horses who have "done their job" and in payment for that are retired. I had come across one horse that had retired from racing at Wynbury, Christianstead or Teds as he is more commonly known. Some years ago a colleague of mine took Teds on despite the fact that she had only just started to ride again after many years break from it. Teds was certainly a challenge to her in that they had to learn to know each other and get along. Teds had a passport that showed he had traveled the world. An "old hand". Their first year was hard due to changes of livery yards but daily visits and a lot of affection and trust paid off. He is now happily residing near Barnard Castle with two arab mares and a mum who studied and practices Equine Touch and natural horsemandship. Teds is now an expert at "join up", has taken part in pleasure rides, barrel racing and is now ridden barefoot. My recent visit to him saw him letting off steam in the ménage with one of his arab girlfriends. A truly spectacular gymnastic display for ten minutes before coming to seek out carrots from pockets!
In discussion with Ferdy about horses retired from Wynbury he pointed me in the direction of two horses. Haut de Gamme (Top of the Game), owned by the David Parry Racing Partnership, now affectionately known as "Ginge" and Luzcadou, now "Scoobydo". Both these horses have French origins. They have both had an illustrious racing careers winning substantial amounts of money, particularly in light of the fact that most chasing prize money is relatively small, and both have faced the Aintree fences and successfully gone around that formidable course.
Just prior to meeting Ginge I met Keith Mercer in a local tack shop. His eyes lit up when I mentioned that I was going to visit Haut de Gamme. He had forged a great partnership with this horse with no less than 13 rides on him winning at Ayr, being placed twice at Aintree coming second in the 2005 Topham Chase and 4th in Beecher Chase in 2006. He spoke so well of the horse saying what a brave and intelligent animal he is. Ginge first raced in France in January 1999, coming third. He came to Ferdy’s in 2004 and had his last race in March 2007. I had also read various articles about Ginge. One written in April 2006 stood out. Ferdy described, in the article, about his first sighting of the horse. "I was at Pau and saw Haut de Gamme slip up in a cross country race, he ran loose and must have galloped for about ten miles before they finally caught him just before the next race was due off. I made enquiries and he later came up at the Saint-Cloud sales where I bought him for £6,000. He was cheap because of problems, but we’ve sorted them out and he’s been a great servant to his syndicate, run by David Parry." Without doubt a shrewd buy and with patience and care what can be produced from a horse others may have written off. In his lifetime Haute de Gamme has had 65 starts, 11 wins 9 seconds and 7 thirds and won almost a quarter of a million in prize money.
To look at him now? Well, what a gorgeous horse with so much presence; plus a dad and mum who love him to bits. Not in any soft way, but with a genuine respect and interest in the horse. When he arrived to come to live with Paul, Helen (then secretary at the Wynbury yard), summed the horse up as being like a "grumpy old man so you two should get on well together!"
The picture shows how right she was. But far from grumpy what a sociable, affectionate and delightful old man Ginge is! Have to say his dad is a character too!
Paul had ridden a lot when he was younger with a job that took him all over the world so he had ridden horse in some exotic places. A hernia operation led to the belief that his riding days were over when they were tested to the full in Tunisia riding an arab stallion in the desert. He got the bug back again and decided to take on a horse at home. He is firmly of the view that he did not want to "retrain" Ginge but rehomed him so that they could enjoy life together. He spent the first three months talking to and handling Ginge so that they became very familiar with each other. At the end of that time he could do anything with him on the ground and a mutual trust had been built up. Like the TV stories he had been warned that racehorses were mad to ride and could be "nutters". He admits this led to a delay in him getting on and riding the horse. However, those three months were well spent. His first ride on Ginge proved that and Paul has the strong belief that if you show affection and trust it will be, with patience, reciprocated. Since then they have had many happy times hacking out together and with friends.
Ginge certainly has his quirks which add to his character. He, in common with many horses, is not a great lover of confined spaces and on one occasion, certainly gave some pedestrians something to think about as he shot past them! On mounting him from a box in the field he turned round and picked up Paul by the belt! Either that was to help him on or in the hope of finding those carrots in his back pocket. He is a "water freak" and will seek out any puddles in the field to jump into; he does not like drains on the road and despite seeing many of them still likes to be talked round them; he plays constantly with Zippy one of his companions and has a girlfriend called Bella. He likes children and Paul’s young niece has sat on him and to Paul’s wife, who had never ridden before, he has been a great teacher and built up her confidence to the extent that she is now taking riding lessons. Paul and his wife, despite busy working lives, keep up the routine of seeing the horse twice a day. He is Paul’s "destressor". Ginge is there for life; a life which he deserves and really appreciates. It was a visit that lifted spirits. I loved the fact that his mane was left long and not pulled and it made him look quite majestic.
A few days later I was off to see Luzcadou. In his lifetime he has had 61 starts, eight wins, three seconds and 4 thirds winning near on £200.000 in his racing career. Like Ginge, Scoobydo has come to rest in the right place. With Jean, we walked to the gate to meet him coming up the field. A big strong horse with surprisingly quiet eyes. Once the head collar was on and he was out of the field he did some very handsome poses for us!
Jean, like Paul, is also very committed to anything that she chooses to do. For a number of years she has had cared for and ridden a big horse that has not been easy to ride. She has never given up on him but it is assessed that he would enjoy more work than she can give him so there is the possibility that he may go hunting this season. Again, like Paul, Jean finds being around horses a total relaxation where the cares of the world go away. As we did when I met her, she can sit on a seat outside the stables in the evening sun and look at the horses in the fields and drink it up. We both thought it was an unashamed luxury at being able to have the chance to do that.
Jean and Scoobydo are in the early stages of getting to know each other. He is beginning to come back to some fitness and they have had some interesting rides out together. Shortening up his reins reminded him of racing so that they had a pretty rapid return to the field! Now riding on the buckle end Scoobydo goes down the main road past anything and is not phased by the often very heavy traffic. The warmth in Jean’s eyes and voice as she talks about him and strokes him says that this is where he is going to be staying.
John Hinds article refers to the horror stories about retired racehorses going to the wrong homes and depressingly ending up at the sales, going to who knows where? I have to say that the meetings with these retired horses from Wynbury and their new dads and mums has been very interesting and reinforcing to me all the positives that can come from matching the right horse to the right person to care for it by carefully assessing and meeting their needs. The horse does not have to compete or win things in its new life. It can chill out and have fun. It reinforces that the trainers and the owners have a responsibility to the animals in their care or ownership. It says a great deal about Ferdy, and his staff knowing the horses in their care, and the type of people who would be suited to take them on for their latter years. It is a major commitment but one which, from meeting these horses, and seeing the evidence of the benefits of Greatwood that certainly proves it can be very successful.