Dressage Success Stories

I acquired Mister Glum eight years ago. With my previous horse I had lost a lot of my confidence due to a few bad mishaps along the way, so the criteria for the new horse was; safe, sensible and sane- so you can imagine that 13 horses later when I went to see Glum I was very surprised to find myself riding a sane, safe and sensible, ex-racehorse.

At the time there were not a combination of words that I would have used to describe my perceived notion of an ex-racehorse, let alone when Glum turned out to be a chestnut one too! I wanted a horse that I could have fun on, just hack around, do a prelim dressage test…maybe in about five years time I thought.

Glum needed a lot of work, not just with the riding, but with his mental state of being able to trust a new stranger. He was eight and had been out of race training for just over 18 months. He knew how to walk, trot and canter in a straight line and how to trot a bit of an egg shaped circle……Eight years on and we are now competing (successfully may I add) at Medium and Advanced Medium level. Glum has seen me through University, where bless him he was picked up and put down like a rag doll. I would come home every weekend and ride him for two days, and then leave him again for five days. Naturally he took all of this in his stride. Never throwing in a buck or a rear, always trying to please me and do what I was asking to the best of his ability.

We have been Under 21 Champions at Prelim and Novice level. He was the first ex-racehorse to do Talent Spotting, where we reached the finals in 2005 and came 10th. He has been a valued member of our local Riding Club Team, going to the Championships and accumulating a few trophies on the way for best dressage horse within the Club. He has done Under 21 Search for a Star Finals, and is still going and progressing at the age of 16.

He has taken me to Germany, where we have trained for nine months, with a triple gold winning Olympian, who adored Glum. She made me stop using Glum being an ex-racehorse as an excuse, or a reason why I thought he may not be going so well, or looking as ‘powerful’ as the big warmbloods. She actually encouraged me to be proud of the fact that he is an ex-racehorse and could do the work, if not better than some of her highly priced warmbloods. Our aim by the end of the summer is to be under top hat and tails and competing in our first PSG together (that’s if I can count properly to get our flying sequences correct-he tells me off when I ask him too late).

Glum is different in the way that he moves to the warmbloods, but that in my opinion is a very good thing. He is graceful, and elegant and looks powerful for his slender frame. He is so clever and very quick to learn new leg tricks-but also clever enough to learn very quickly how to get out of doing these tricks in the correct manner-his TB nature laughing at me! He can do (with ease) his sequences of changes from four times, to one time changes. He is beginning to learn his piaffe and passage steps…he is so trainable and loveable and a valued member of the family.

I cannot believe that eight years ago I almost wrote him off for being an ex-racehorse. Now I am hooked. His racing career was the beginning of his life, but it was not meant to be his destiny. Believe it or not, racing actually has helped in dressage. He is not phased by crowds, or banners, or speakers, or that silly little flower pot in the corner as he has seen so much and experienced it at a young age. I see warmbloods spin, shy, buck, rear at the small grain of sand which they perceive to be out of place. Glum is beginning to show the warmbloods that they are not the only ones for the dressage arena, and I strongly believe that others racers could be there too!

(Written by Louise Robson, July 2010)

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My ex-flat racehorse Fire Moon, or Trent as he is known is my first horse and we have been together for over five years. What a journey it has been!

The first day I rode him I fell off when he spooked and whipped round. With no school to ride him in it was a case of lots of hacking, however he could nap for England at anything......I needed somewhere safe to ride him. The lady next door allowed me to use her school and it soon became evident just how green and fresh (I had to lunge him before I could get on him everyday) my little horse was, he couldn't trot a circle without nearly falling over and he was unable to canter on his left lead at all! It took weeks of schooling before he began to strengthen up and resemble a normal horse.

While things were going in the right direction schooling, on the ground he was becoming difficult to handle, and would often bolt off. We realised that all this horse needed was more company. I was hacking past another yard where there was a competition being held. The excitement freaked Trent out and he bolted (I can still to this day say I have never galloped so fast). We went up a stubble field....and I could see a massive badger set looming and had no steering and no brakes! Well the inevitable happened, Trent’s legs went down the set and he somersaulted sending me flying headfirst onto the stubble. Thankfully Trent was okay and I escaped with just severe bruising.

We decided the time had come to move to a bigger yard. What a difference!! Trent settled down to his work really well. We took him to a little local unaffiliated dressage competition, at which he scored 61% and was placed 7th....I was delighted!

However the journey home was something I wish I could forget. He started throwing himself around in the trailer, so much that he managed to break the breast bar! This caused him to panic and he got severely stuck. After 3 fire engines, 2 vets, 4 marked, 2 unmarked police cars, a friend with a lorry and the A1 dual carriageway being shut by the police, Trent was heavily sedated, cut free, and on his way home. Again he had escaped with minor superficial injuries.

What a traumatic first year we had together, but since then he has turned into the most fantastic horse. We qualified for the Trailblazers Dressage Finals in 2007 where we took 2nd place in both our prelim and novice classes on the final day. I then registered him with BD in 2008, and he has qualified for the BYRDS champs both seasons, the novice area festivals in 2008, and in 2009 we went to the novice summer regionals (a day I will never forget, I cried when we had finished our test....what an achievement to get him there)! He is now competing at Elementary level and at BD competitions we have never been out of the top 3 (except at Championships). Fire Moon also came 7th in the RoR Elite SEIB Dressage Performance Award in 2009.

Trent (Fire Moon) really is a horse of a lifetime. He gives his all in everything he does and despite a traumatic first year in our relationship, we are the best of friends and I don't know what I would do without him.

(Written by Leah Craven, January 2010)

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I took Kali (aka Kalambari) on loan last November. I had very limited experience with ex-racehorses but had always been interested. He had undergone some retraining such as basic flatwork and had schooled over some jumps, so I didn't think it would be too much of a problem as he had such a good temperament.

I quickly fell in love with him and when the owner emailed in March to ask for him back I was devastated. Luckily she offered to let me buy him, and I got him vetted before I said yes. Well the vetting couldn't have been worse. Although he was immaculately behaved, various problems came up such as injuries to both eyes, asymmetrical pelvis, thickening of left fore tendon, deep scar tissue on left fore knee, intermittently lame, grade 1 heart murmur etc.

It was concluded that his left leg was an old injury that he's learnt to compensate for. He would need very careful riding to build up his top line without damaging his pelvis and his future was unclear if he continued doing what I wanted to do (low level RC). He was generally fit for light hack and schooling.

I was heart broken and asked everybody what I should do. Not surprisingly, everybody said send him back. However, I contacted Fred and Rowena Cook who couldn't have been more helpful. They went through everything and supported me when I said I still really wanted him.

Since then, I haven't regretted a second of it. I even feel guilty that for one moment I gave up on him. His pelvis is now corrected, he has come sound with a bit of rest and gentle riding, has corrective shoeing and is competing successfully in prelim dressage. He's got an amazing movement and every test we do comments on how much potential he has. I'm sure that he'll go far but we're in no rush, right now I just feel so lucky to have him.

The message I want to get out is don't give up! When taking on an ex-racehorse I think its likely that they have the odd injury but I think they all deserve a second chance in life- injured or not. It’s incredible what can happen with a bit of TLC.

(Written by Tara Jones, October 2009)

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Emma Ayling and her ex-racehorse Lady Charlemagne won the Baileys sponsored dressage league at Hickstead this year, which is also supported by RoR.

Hickstead holds unaffilated dressage from April till September, for which competitors have a score card which is signed by the organiser after every event. Each competitor scores points according to what percentage is attained: under 56% 1 point, 56% 2 Points, 58% 4 points,60% 6 points etc. Then at the end of the league the points are added up.

Here’s Emma’s success story:

“I have always liked thoroughbreds and enjoyed schooling horses so the fact I can put both of those things together and also give the 'ex-racehorse' another purpose in life gives me alot of pleasure.

Lady Charlemagne (known as Charley at home) is my four-year-old mare that won the dressage league at Hickstead. I purchased her from Ascot race sales only at the end of February 2009. She had flat raced up to sale and was just too slow.

I firstly did lots of local dressage with her, scoring between 58% and 62% and improving up to a few 69%'s !!. More recently I’ve taught her to jump at which she has showed huge potential with her attitude and brain. We went cross country schooling for the first time in September and she jumped ditches, logs, barrels, steps up and down, water, first time and without even a lead. She is now having a well deserved holiday. I will bring her back next season with the plan to complete a couple of BE intros and maybe finishing the season on pre novice. I will wait and see and will be very careful not to rush her.

I also have a few other ex-racehorses. Star of Wonder (aka Star) I’ve had since she was four, now 11 she is in foal. We have completed a few seasons BE eventing, and have a wonderful partnership together. Recently I bought a four-year-old gelding, King of Pentacles (aka Vinny) from Normandie Stud, who is is already showing a lovely willing attitude to learn and is an athletic mover, so I’m hoping in time he will make a nice event horse."

(Written by Emma Ayling, October 2009)

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Having ridden out for several well known trainers, I was keen to offer a home to an ex- racehorse. My first project was Senna who had raced on the flat with little success. He came to me in October 2004 aged four through word of mouth, and came straight from a field next to the M5 motorway looking rather poor and covered in bites and kicks from his "companion".

Senna took a long time to build up condition and muscle but once he started to find work a little easier he proved to be a super all-rounder with a talent for dressage. We won our riding club novice dressage championships and progressed to affiliated dressage amassing over 120 points. He qualified for the summer open novice regional championships, the winter open novice and elementary winter championships and the Pet Plan elementary championships winning the prize for the best former racehorse.

We also had a crack at eventing, qualifying for the Intro regional championships and completing several Pre-Novice events. We represented our riding club in all disciplines and latterly took part in some team chases.

(Written by Donna Mallon, March 2009. See below for a story on her next successful ex-racehorse)

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“Bruzella is by Hernanado and out of Hills Presidium and was in training briefly with John Gosden and then with Alistair Lidderdale. She raced twice but was always weak and so her owner decided to retire her and that’s where I came in.

Bruzella came to me at Easter in 2004.  I’m no expert and had never brought a horse on before but luckily I’ve got lots of help and support and so began one big adventure.  It’s been a mixture of hard work, a bit of heartache, some frustration and a big challenge but most importantly it’s always been rewarding and we’ve had a huge amount of fun. 

It’s taken a while to get from our first dressage test (when getting on was still a bit problematical, we cleared the warm up area with wild behaviour and just staying in the arena was good enough) to where we are now (dipping a toe into some affiliated dressage competitions) but we seem to have an understanding.  This is based on me understanding that she is intelligent and must never be bored, that she has an opinion on everything (which may not always agree with mine), that she is absolutely the boss in the field, and finally and perhaps most importantly, that no one has ever told her she is anything other than a big horse (at just over 15.1……).   In return I get a horse who is never boring and who is loads of fun, who has taken me to places I didn’t even realise I wanted to go, and who has taught me an enormous amount.

I’m looking forward to the future, we’ve still got lots of work to do and fun to have.  And a big thank you to those who have helped us along the way and continue to do so.”

Jo Hawkins 

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Light The Fuse or "Bombie" as he is affectionately known to his friends has successfully made the transition from racehorse to riding horse.

During his racing career Bombie incurred several nasty injuries but bounced back from them all.  He has had bone chips removed from both knees, severed a tendon and has fractured a knee. However in December 2002 the decision to retire him was made as it was evident that recurring back problems were causing him far too much discomfort.  What started as an extremely promising racing career was plaqued by injury but his owners acted responsibly and put the welfare of their horse first.  After several months of rest the rehabilitation process began.

By the summer of 2004 Bombie made his first appearance in the dressage arena, albeit at unaffiliated level.  Since then he has thrived and this is our story during the last year. 

Bombie's last outing in April 2007 gained him a super first place and good tests during June secured his place at the Summer Regionals, all tests attaining 65% and over. However the remainder of the year did not pan out as we had hoped. Bombie's last outing in April gained him a super first place and good tests during June secured his place at the Summer Regionals, all tests attaining 65% and over. However the remainder of the year did not pan out as we had hoped.
                                                                           
The sense of occasion was all too much for Bombie at the College for the Regionals.  Although he behaved himself, he was quite tense so his test was not the best he had ever done.  However, 2 of the judges (one of which was "The Master" himself, John Lassetter) scored us quite reasonably but the third judge was incredibly harsh which pulled our score right down!  All we could do was put the day down to experience!

Later on in August Bombie performed 2 dreadful tests at one of his usual venues - somewhere where he felt "at home".  He did not feel right at all and in the arena he was four-tracking; it was clear all was not well and Bombie was not a happy bunny.

A thorough check from Bombie's chiropractor, Georgina Sim, revealed he had managed to rotate his pelvis so his one hip was not only dropped but pushed forward.  No wonder he didn't perform well!  With treatment from Georgina and some massage sessions from Phillippa Coles (Massage4Horses International) after about 3 weeks Bombie was back on the road.

By this time we had had a change of trainer to Natalie Bushell.  Our time business wise was
at a absolute premium and we were finding it difficult to travel to training clinics; Natalie was
prepared to come to us so we were able to take great advantage of this and train with
"Oscar", our warmblood for competing with in 2008.

We took Bombie to Laughton Manor where, as far as we were concerned, he went beautifully but he only scored 62.50% which was very disappointing especially after several people had approached us and declared us to be the winners!! C'est la vie.  We were pleased with our
performance on the day - and that is what matters most.

Bombie felt fabulous and looked it too.  His back was clearly ok so off we went to Vale View.

Bombie was incredible.  He couldn't have behaved or gone better if we'd paid him!  He was so
responsive; he just sang!

Whatever I felt, the judge clearly saw it too as Bombie achieved a superb 70%!  We couldn't have cared less about the placing - it was the score and comments which meant so much.  But in most situations a 70% if not the winning score, is a damn good second; it was only
enough for a 4th place that day; so what!

Naturally we were very fired up and thoughts turned to elementary but once again fate dealt us a blow.  We had taken Bombie to the College early in November and most unusually for him, he was backing off the leg.  Normally at a competition Bombie is so forward, it’s a case of slowing him down but this day he seemed more like hard work!  The first test didn't go that well and the second was a walking disaster with Bombie virtually giving up the ghost going up the centre line.  The little horse just was not himself.  Nonetheless the first test earned him a very creditable 65.4% so we were happy about that, but not happy that Bombie was not as he should be.

We put Bombie on the easy list for a few days but far from perking him up, he actually went off his food.  Blood tests did not reveal anything so we decided to give Bombie a complete week off with all-day turnout.  He loved playing with his little friend Thomas but for a few days his appetite did not improve.  However, with gradual tempting with tasty morsals and Bombie's absolute favourite food of all - soaked oats - we gradually got him eating again. 

This brought us to December by which time Bombie was most definitely firing on all cyclinders once again.  On a hideously wet and windy day we set off to the College.  What possessed us, goodness only knows but as we pulled into the entrance the rain stopped and the skies brightened; it's just a pity the wind didn't stop - the arena boards were everywhere!

Unperturbed we set about our test with dogged determination, Bombie bracing himself against the wind!  ¾ of the way through a huge gust shook all the bushes at the end of the arena - all too much for Bombie and off he shot!!!  It took 2 movements to regain our control and compose.  What a pity as the test had felt pretty good.  At the end the judge called us back!  Oh no, what had we done (or not done)!  We need not have been concerned as a lovely conversation ensued which was full of encouragement.  What a huge shame about our display, as the score came through of 64% (4th place) - with the missed movements scoring 2 and 0 points.  We can only speculate what might have been!

3 days later we were fortunate enough to attend a Paul Hayler clinic.  We had our work cut out and Mr. Hayer was firm, demanding but fair.  A replay of the video verified that we also received some "well done"s" and "well ridden". 

We were all set for our postponed elementary debut on 6th January 2008 but this time flu struck - me!! I could hardly stand let alone ride a horse. I was pretty rough for a few days but Bombie didn't mind as he had fun anyway!  Never mind, we have another Paul Hayler clinic to look forward to on 14th January and the elementary debut is now scheduled for 23rd!    

Written by RoR consultant Rowena Cook, Equine Management & Training

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