RoR Midlands- The Racehorse: Then, Now and The Future. Demo with Louise Robson and Sophie Spiteri , Gloucestershire GL50

The Racehorse: Then, Now and the Future

An interactive demo looking into all aspects of the retraining process will be discussed in an open, honest and pragmatic way. We know that they’re bred for speed, but what does this mean and what can it look like/what problems can we encounter along our retraining journey

The Then:

Owners will often arrive at lessons saying: ‘What have I Done?’   -  ‘this seemed like a good idea’ 

What did their first career look like?

How were they managed in their first career?

What to expect when you get your ex racehorse home

How to manage any injuries picked up from racing

How to manage the transition well

The Now:

Better known as: The giraffe stage - ‘how do we improve' 'what am I doing wrong?’ 'is this too much for me? - I need some help here'

From the Floor:

Groundwork: Lunging/long reining 

Getting On safely

From the saddle: Flatwork

Picking up the correct Canter lead

Developing the balance of the Canter 

Taking them to a new environment 

First few rides

From the saddle: Jumping

Polework

Introduction of jumping 

How to develop the jumping 

The Future:

Better known as: ‘There a light at the end of the tunnel;’  ‘you can actually do this?’ 'there is help for you'

How do we develop these horses forward?

Looking at common concerns: feet/shoeing, feeding, riding, care, development of posture 

Why do we do what we do and when?

Q&A 

Sophie Spiteri Bio

Spiteri Retraining has been offering a retraining service to racing yards and owners across the UK and Ireland for over 15 years. References available from some of the UK’s top trainers such as Neil Mulholland, Clive Cox, Peter Bowen and Tim Vaughan.

"I have been lucky enough to work alongside former racehorses for the last 15 years. I have retrained many horses over the years for a number of national and international yards. I pride myself on forming long term relationships with trainers and new owners alike. Acting as a 'middleman' between horses exiting the racing industry and the private home and competition scene, all horses undergo assessment and some degree of retraining before they are matched up with suitable long term homes."

Louise Robson Bio

Louise Robson is a dressage rider, who specialises in retraining of racehorses. She competes at ALL levels abroad her ex racehorses and warmbloods. Louise has won both Regional and National titles and her top OTTB, Quadrille (bred and formerly owned by HM The Queen now HM The King) is currently competing at Inter II level, with Grand Prix on the horizon. Quadrille was crowned RoR Elite Dressage horse and then RoR Horse of the Year in 2019. 

Louise and has three of HM’s ex racehorses in her stable; Quadrille, Princes Trust and Forthbridge. Louise trains all levels of rider and horses and helps them work towards their goals feeling safe and confident, whilst being able to understand their horse and how to best develop them according to their personality, history and training habits. 

Louise wants to help to provide the ‘Bridge the gap’ between the racing world and the retraining world, so we can provide the best; life, training strategy and possibly competing strategy to help the OTTB the best we can post their days at the track.

Follow Louise on Facebook by searching 'Thoroghbred Dressage'