Re-Educating Racehorses: A Life After Racing

A new book that does not “sugar coat” the woes and wonders of owning an ex-racehorse has been released.

Re-Educating Racehorses – A Life After Racing, by Fred Cook and Rowena Simmonds, is a guide aimed at helping owners of ex-racehorses get the most from their horse.

Fred and Rowena are consultants for the Retraining of Racehorses charity and run a yard in Cambridgeshire dedicated to retraining, re-schooling and re-educating ex-racehorses. They said the information in the book is based on years of experience.

Fred said: “We are careful not to sugar coat anything in this book, as we wanted it to be a useful, practical, no-nonsense guide, not something that gets bought and doesn’t get read.

There are 13 chapters starting from pre-purchase right through to jump training.

Rowena said: “We are well aware that insome quarters there is still a degree of stigma attached to ex-racehorses and we see this book as a way to redress the balance. “We are not suggesting the ex-racehorse is right for everybody, but we do believe and have evidence that in the correct hands, ex-racehorses can make exceptional riding horses that can go on to achieve great things in numerous different equestrian sports.

“Through the correct management and training, ex-racehorses can make great riding horses, but they aren’t cheap options and there is no quick fix.”

Re-Educating Racehorses is available at a cost of £18.99.