A Passion for Racehorses

by Aimee Cayless

with the way he's going at Elementary having won at his first BD outing since September in front of a List 1 judge no less! He has now got the scores he needs to go to the championships and Biscuit won't be far behind him.

We also had two new additions to the yard before Christmas. Two ex-racehorses that have joined us to continue rehabilitation and to start the retraining process. Firstly Rita, a 7 year old who last ran in 2023; she is a sweet mare and the focus with her is to gain condition and strength, whilst continuing her education from racehorse to riding horse. Since her arrival in December we have been pleased with her progress; she has gained weight and is starting to develop a topline. She moves well and we think that in future she may well be a ROR dressage prospect. She had a visit from her physio a few weeks ago and they fed back that she has improved since their last visit, which is always great to hear

The Second new arrival was Teddy. He is an 8 year old 16.2 ex-racer and we have been tasked with his rehabilitation over the winter months. Myself and Mieke, who has taken on the role of riding this lovely boy, embarked on a methodical journey to re-establish Teddy into a disciplined work routine following a hind limb injury sustained during the previous spring. We started with groundwork and lunging, we have progressed to flatwork and hacking. We have also made some adjustments to Teddy's tack, featuring a change in saddle, bit and noseband, which were implemented to ensure optimal support and comfort during our sessions. Our sessions expanded to encompass entertaining hacks, methodical trot, and canter work within the confines of the school. We focussed on strengthening his left rein through dedicated trotting exercises and worked on increasing his balance, while keeping training fun and varied. Over time we have begun to introduce exercises such as trot poles, lateral work and now even some jumping. We are very pleased with his progress as he is now looking much stronger and happier in his work and we look forward to getting him out this spring.

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