From the Race Track to the Show Ring: Your first ride

Long before you get on your horse's back, you need to take a minute and consider how he is used to things being done when it comes to being ridden. As mentioned last time, taking a lot of time teaching them how to be handled in a "non-racing manner" will only help you when it comes time to ride. However, by making some small changes, you can start to "deprogram" the race out of the race horse. One way I like to do this is by not following the track convention of putting the bridle on before the saddle. Put the saddle on the horse, but don't tighten the girth too much right away. If the horse appears anxious or upset, take as much time as needed to calm and encourage him. If he is dancing around or getting worked up, take him for a small walk, let him graze, or otherwise combine movement and relaxation until he settles, then go back to tacking him up. Remember, in general a Thoroughbred gains comfort from movement, so better to go for a little walk, than try to force them to hold still.

It is strongly recommended that for your first ride (ideally, first several rides) you have a ground person, who has some horse knowledge, available. This is both for the basic safety aspect of having someone to help out in an emergency, and for the few things which a ground person can be used for when beginning to retrain the race horse.

First and foremost, is the fact that race horses by and large have never been mounted by someone putting a foot in the stirrup. The odd weight, twisting of the saddle, and general motion can be alarming to a horse whose riders have only ever been legged up onto their back. Therefore, having someone to give you a leg up into the saddle is strongly suggested. Over the next several days you can work on getting them used to the feeling of being mounted by the stirrup, but for the first time, we want to alarm the horse as little as possible.

Second, remember that most race horses are not asked to stand stillÑespecially when nervous. Be prepared for your first several rides to allow the horse to walk off while you are mountingÑthis is what they are used to, and this will make them comfortable. Trying to force the horse to stand still at this juncture will only cause anxiety at best, and a violent explosion at worst. Here too your ground person can be a helpÑas they lift you into the tack, they can take up a position near the horse's head and help lead and guide them off to keep them moving while you find your bearings on their back. Again, standing still for mounting is an important skill, but one to be taught later when the horse is more comfortable and experienced.

So you are on the horse's back, now what? Keep in mind that while race track horses are "broke," in many ways they are as green and untrained as a just-backed three-year-old. They will have no idea what your leg aids meanÑneither as "go" aids, nor as lateral, yielding aids.

They also will not have conventional brakes. On the track the horses are taught that someone pulling or leaning on the reins means "go." This is in part because it is impossible for jockeys and exercise riders to use their legs (stirrups are too short), and in part because it allows the jockeys and exercise rider to have something to lean against, making it easier to hold that wicked jockey crouch.

So, what if you get on your horse and he starts jigging, trotting or moving around at an improper pace? In this instance you can use to your advantage two other things the race horse is unused toÑweight on his back and small, sharp turns. If the horse is jigging, take a deep breath, and let it out slowly. As the breath leaves your body, visualize relaxing all your thigh, stomach, back, and seat muscles and pushing your seat bones down into the horses back Think about being a "sack of potatoes" whose very weight in the center of the horse's back will slow him down. However, be sure you aren't slouching or sitting crookedÑkeep your eyes up and a straight line from the ear to shoulder to hip to ankle.

When holding your reins, the looser contact you can have the better. Obviously if the horse is running off or messing around, do what you need to do to be safe, but don't just pull on the reins. Instead, steer the horse onto a small circle, using a give and take contact on the reins. Short, sharp yanks will serve you better than long, gentle pulls however, the strength involved should decrease as the horse's behavior improves.

Keep in mind that of all the gaits, the one the race horse knows the least about is the walk. Therefore, your riding goal for the first several weeks should be achieving a long, slow, relaxed walk, both with contact on the reins, and on a loose rein/contact. Spend the time now to solidify the walk, and you will be rewarded later.

Now, if you are fortunate to have one of those ex-racers who is so grateful to be off the track that they don't turn a hair when you get on them, and walk around quiet and flat-footed from day one, you can begin to introduce the other gaits. At this stage of the game, work on getting them to understand the leg aids (squeezing mean go), and don't worry about what their head and neck are doing. If you've been doing ground work, use your voice to ask for the trot. Be aware that your sitting, or even your posting, may feel heavy and out of balanced compared to what they are used to, and they may balk or try to stop out of confusion. Continue to encourage them forward, praising when they get it right. Most initial race horse trots will be overly quick, very unbalanced, and with the horse's head either straight up in your face, or tucked down between his front legs. As best as you can, ignore the front end, and concentrate on supporting them with your leg, and creating a slow quiet rhythm with your posting. Keep your balance back off their forehand, in order to help them lift their front end. In time, their head carriage will need to be worked on, but nothing can be done until the horse understands and responds to the seat and leg.

When you proceed to the canter, be prepared to take a two-point position, or stand up in your stirrups off their back as they will lack the strength and understanding to canter with weight on their back. One of the biggest challenges in retraining racehorses is teaching them their canter leads. This is such a big issue in fact, that it is going to be a column all its own next month, along with other exercises for improving the ex-race horses way of going.

Our horse Lion had been very relaxed with everything we had done with him, but since I was recovering from an injury, I enlisted my husband to sit on him the first time. I gave him a leg up, and walked one loop of the ring at his head. Lion was clearly confused and out of sorts, but the worst thing he did was jig. After about 15 minutes, he settled down into a walk, and we patted and praised him. He kept looking back at my husband as if to say, "When do we run?"

For the second ride I sat on him, and he settled in to the walk a lot faster. We started walking rudimentary figures like circles and figure-eights, and I started to feel his mouth a bit. Not surprisingly, his reaction to feeling my hands was to curl up his neck, with his head down, so we practiced pushing him forward, and pushing his neck out. He took to my leg aids pretty well, right away understanding he was to move away from them, though I had to be very clear to apply both legs evenly for "go", or else we'd go more sideways than forward. We walked for nearly two weeks, before adding a trot, which was surprisingly well-balanced, even if the horse's neck was over-curled.

On one final note, you should always remember that what you are doing with your horse is going to be extremely physically and mentally taxing to the horse. No matter how fit they are from the track, you will be asking them to use their body in a totally different way and use muscles they never have. In addition, on the track they didn't have to think for more than a few minutes at a time, so their attention span and ability to focus is often not ideal. The key is to remain kind and patient, and take your time. Your rewards will be measured in years, not days or weeks.