Waiting to Gallop

Glorious misty conditions first thing. This was fortuitous as I walked past Mark Prescott’s racing yard where the lead rider was patiently waiting for the allotted time to join the gallops. At this time of year the mist burns back quickly as the sun rises, so I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time.

We spent much of the day at the National Horse Racing Museum, with a varied choice of things to see. They offer places for retired racehorses to be retrained for other uses. A flat racehorse may well have finished its racing life by 5 years old (a National hunt horse by 10) so about 3,000 racehorses are retired each year. They are totally unprepared for alternative uses and if not retrained their future is bleak. The charity Retraining of Racehorses seeks to support opportunities for this conversion to other equine pursuits including show jumpers, eventers, etc as well as happy hackers. If not retrained they would be totally unsuited to these other uses as they have been trained to run and not to stop or be responsive to a normal rider’s commands.

We’re now getting ready for a birthday dinner; don’t ask how old!