Ruth Carr Racing | Where are they now

Retired Racehorses (K - S)

Here at Mowbray we try to find our horses a new home when they have finished racing. It is important to match them up with a compatible rider. Ruth wanted the public to know that contrary to popular belief racehorses can do another job after racing. So it was nice to receive an email from Dan who had followed Sharp Hat through his racing career.

Hi Ruth - just wanted to say you have done a brilliant job with your 'Where Are They Now?' page - it was lovely reading all the stories about some of my old favourites - not enough trainers take the time to update the public on the retired stars of the sport that we follow year in, year out and occasionally we wrongly fear the worst, so I just wanted to express my gratitude! Well done, and keep up the good work! Dan

Here are some of the comments and pictures of horses previously trained at Mowbray, some of them are nearly household names that won a lot of races and others just didn't make the grade!

Kanisorn

We bought Kanisorn, a very tall horse, after he had won 20 races in Italy. He finished 2nd for us 5 times before he went to another trainer. In May 2009 Andi and his wife Lorraine contacted Ruth to let her know they'd aquired Kanisorn. He'd fallen on hard times but Andi and Lorraine soon got him fighting fit and are hoping to hunt him come the Autumn.

24th November 2009 Andi emailed "Hi Ruth, sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you, been really busy at work and with the big fella. Kani has turned out to be the most wonderful, kind and loving horse that anyone could possibly wish for. We have found his niche, he absolutely adores hunting. I have to admit that after a few false starts trying him at local shows in the Race Horse to Riding Horse class, where he stood on his back legs and span round 3 times!!! I was more than a little wary of taking him hunting, no problem, he has taken to it like a duck to water. We have now been out 8 times with The Worcester's and had serious offers for him from several people. He is not for sale and never will be, he is my sole mate. If jumping a hedge he feels you slipping he will throw his shoulder up and pop you back in the saddle. The attached pictures are autumn hunting on my 50th birthday, he was my present from the wife. Please feel free to put them on the where are they now page. I'll try to keep in touch more often and send some more pictures."

24th November Ruth asked Andi about Kanisorns joints as they had shown wear and tear whilst in training.

His joints are fine, he only ever shows a little sensitivity to his right front pastern, with cold water. The back man did query a small amount of arthritis in his left stifle, but that was pre muscle. He is now fine and shows no ill effects from 4-5 hours hunting except let's go again! The boy is magnificent, every body in the yard loves him to bits and he loves them. Lorraine only started to ride in January, she rides Kani regularly and he knows it's my mom and I behave! When dad's on it's time for fun and I love it!

A little story you may enjoy;- On the first cubbing I was in the position to let Kani have his head for the first time, on a bridleway about a mile long. We took off a at a rate of knots and about 250 yards from the end, the exocet missile kicked in! We stopped (just) as we hit the road, to be greeted by Ian Franks, Hunt Master, with the immortal words " are you ok? sh*t that was fast, is he for sale?" after a moment to recover I said "fine thanks, but no".

All of our joint masters now expect to have Kani at their side or to have him on point, he loves either. I am being badgered to 'point' him in the members race at Chaddersley, I think that he would rebel, so no.

20th May 2010:- Andi emailed - We are off to have a go at some cross country this summer, pics and comments to follow, we are also going to do some racehorse to riding horse comps.

15th August 2011:- Andi emailed:- Hi Ruth, sorry long time no speak. Are you ok? Sorry to hear about David, our thoughts are with you. Just a quick update on our boy;- My second youngest niece has just had a new pony, a beautiful 13.2 dark palamino, to replace he now outgrown Shetland. Erin, my niece, is 12 this week and asked me if I would show her the ways of The Worcestershire Hunt. Last Saturday we organised a hound exercise morning open to all, so I took Erin along. I decided that as Erin has only once ever riden on the road, we should stop at the back well out of the lunatic fringe with pointers to qualify, and horses who have not been out of a field since April. The rear guard comprised of Erin, Ali Tate (Joint Master) and myself. We set off from the meet and had travelled about 2 miles when a recognised a familiar lane, I said to Ali 'please tell me we are not going onto the point to point course'. We were at the back of Chaddersley Corbett village, 'Yes we are, Why?'. as the words left her mouth the colour drained and realisation hit. 'Will he be ok.' S*d the horse I thought, what about the jockey. As we entered the lower car park Kani spotted the fences stacked up for the summer, he went up on his toes and danced towards the course, as we reached the course, about half way along the back straight, he clocked the white rails and it was too late to back out. I asked Ali to look after Erin and said I would give him a blast round the course, I was in control (ish) for about 200 yards, then with Ali calling 'Keep him going forward' we launched into what the boy did best, flat out, race mode, gallop! WOW!!!! unbelievable speed still, he is very "well"at the moment. I returned to the field who had only crossed the course as a short cut, to cries of 'Hooligan' and other such light hearted quips, I looked around to see Erin and Ali in hot pursuit of Kani, I had one very exited niece! first time she had galloped at that kind of speed. Suffice to say he had a ball and has been "full of himself" all week, We are having an introduction to hunting tomorrow, Talk on etiquette then a mock hunt around the Worcestershire country side, where the boy will be a shining example of a reabilitated racehorse, maybe! As ever our love and best wishes, Andi & Lorraine

27th August 2011Hi Ruth, I was spot on with the prediction! On the intro to hunting morning the boy was a diamond, I set Erin up with 2 other youngsters, 1 a very experienced hunter, thinking does a 12 year old really want to ride out with her ageing uncle. The field set off after the lecture on etiquette Etc. myself and Kani bringing up the rear to do gates and assist any stragglers. He was unreal!!!! he stopped did the gates, took off, caught up, offered advice and was the shining example I jokingly said he would be. 1 of the masters even commented to Lorraine on the difference in Kani from last season. Off cubbing now. As ever, our love and best wishes, Andi & Lorraine.

10th February 2012Hi Ruth, sorry your e-mail ended up in my spam folder for some odd reason! Kanisorn is ok, we did have a bit of a problem over Christmas, when he got himself cast and had a partial dislocation of his hip! He also managed to stick a road pin into his back leg, right on the front of his cannon bone, but he is fine now. There are lots of pictures of him on my facebook page, some really nice ones of him on Boxing day, all tinselled up. As ever our love and best wishes, Andi & Lorraine

Lady (homebred roan filly)

This homebred roan filly didn't make it to the racecourse through no fault of her own and is now being retrained as a Polo Pony near Reading.

28th December 2009 Update:- She is settling in well and has made good friends with the other horse she travelled with. She will come into work at the end of January, so will give you an update then.

30th March 2010 Update:- Just wanted to give you an update on the filly we purchased from you. She is now playing polo! She is doing everything we'd expect of a horse this far into their training. She is still a little nervous on the ground, but she is lovely and quiet to ride.

Likeable Lad

Known as Billy at home and bred by Mr Chapman. Unfortunately didn't light the racing world up and is now being trained to be a polo pony with Judith in Scotland.

1st April 2011 Judith text: "Travelled well and out in the field looking like he's lived here forever. He bonded stright away with my young mare and amazingly there was no charging around the field. For a youngster he seems to have a very sensible head on him! He's a sweetheart!"

15th May 2011Judith emailed "Chuffed to bits with him so far. What an absolute sweetheart he is to have around the yard (well other than the most bazar noises I've ever heard a horse make waiting for his feed!). He settled in here so calmly and gets on with all the mares....even his stroppy half brother colt has taken a liking to him (see piccie) after a bit of a shaky start. After a few weeks of chilled out hacking, took him down to our polo pitch for the first time last week - given our pitch is in the middle of Perth racetrack I didn't know how he would react. Needless to say, first outing he clocked the rails and got a bit excited (albeit, only to the extent of taking a hold of the bit more than normal). By the third and subsequent outings he had chilled out, didn't seem to notice the rails and so seems to have put his racing career behind him. Have been so impressed with his willingness to do what I ask, that we are galloping on with the polo career. He's taken to polo tack without a complaint, is trying his hardest to master neck reining (and with a little more practice will have it sussed) and was going so sweetly this morning that I thought I would try and swing the stick and hit a ball at a walk - no issues from him so we moved on to hitting the ball at a canter - no issues! Oh bugger it I thought and decided to get him out on the pitch with the other players to umpire a chukka. Balls and sticks flying and horses galloping in all directions - and the little man could not have behaved more impeccably..... you would think he had been doing this for years! I have no doubt we will be playing chukkas far sooner than I ever would have imagined. Such a sensible little fella."

24th January 2012 Judith emailed "Hi Ruth, good to hear from you. Billy is doing great! Haven't progressed as fast on the polo front as hoped as I gave him some time off last summer as he gave me a scare with a colic episode after which he never totally perked up. Soon dawned on me that he was suffering from ulcers. Not sure if you had any problems with him on this front previously? Anyway I found a good herbal remedy that did the trick and (touch wood) we haven't looked back since. He's been in work all winter now and has really started to fill out in his frame and develop a nice topline. Think he might have grown a bit as well. Schooling beautifully in a very nice outline and popping logs when we're out hacking. He's got a lovely jump in him! He is so genuine he is an absolute delight to retrain. He's also taken to the limited amount of polo training we've one without problem and is totally at ease with the ball being hit. Haven't had him in a game yet, but hoping to do so over the course of the next few months. He's settled in really well with the rest of my lot and has developed a strong bond with his half brother. They spend most of the day talking to each other over the fence and pulling headcollars off each other and the rest of the horses. Total partners in crime!!! Haven't taken any recent pictures of him but when I do I'll send you some. Hopefully some in polo action! Would be keen to retrain more ex racers so do keep me posted if you have anything suitable. I do always keep an eye on the website. Hope racing is going well. Kind regards Judith"

Lunar Storm

Louy was expensively bred by the Arabs but unfortunately was never fast enough to make a racehorse and after several tries Ruth ended up taking him hunting and cross country schooling. He is now being schooled to be part of Team Ride Away's Teamchasing team. Louy earns his corn by leading the young horses on the gallops!

28th March 2010:- Team Ride Away competed in their first Team Chase at the Fernie near Market Harborough. We jumped round clear and had wonderful day. Louy was fantastic and cleared all the fences without any problems.

2nd April 2010:- Team Ride Away travelled to the Warwickshire Hunt team chase near Banbury and were delighted to finish 2nd in the Speed Novice Class. Louy again was a star and jumped bravely and quickly - at times leading the team!

11th April 2010:- Team Chases have finished until the Autumn season but Ruth and her Dad, Stephen, took Louy and Coco to a Hunter Trial near Pontefract for some practise. Not as good a day as at Banbury but horses and riders still learnt from the experience!

18th April 2010:- After knocking Coco's confidence the previous week we took Louy and Coco to do a Pairs Class at Epworth Riding Club near Doncaster. Louy led and we manged to win the class

20th May 2010:- Louy is having 6 - 8 weeks off and enjoying living out and having his rug off before coming back into work ready for the Autumn Team Chasing Season.

August 2010:- Louy has been back in work for several weeks and Team Ride Away are busy schooling for the first Autumn Team Chase at Garthorpe mid September.

12th September 2010:- Louy competed in a Hunter Trial in preparation for the first Team Chase but had 2 refusals at a "skinny". Never mind - no skinnies in Team Chases!

19th September 2010:- Team Ride Away were ridicously excited about the Autumn seasons first event and got so competitive we set off like idiots at 2 mile hurdle speed! An eventful round included several refusals and 2 remounted riders but we still manged to finish 11th of 22. We had a great time and nicknamed our selved Team Embarassing! A less ambitous clear round would probably have seen us in the prizes so that's what we'll be going for next time!

27th September 2010:- Team Ride Away decided to go for the safe clear in the TC this weekend at Atherstone near Coventry. It was a "bogey time" novice class in which the time is undisclosed. Ruth and Louy set what they thought was a sensible hunting pace and were 14 seconds slower than the bogey time of 4.53 minutes. Next week the intermediate?

10th October 2010:- Due to the bad weather the previous weeks Team Chase was abandoned as the course was waterlogged so after a week at home Team Ride Away headed South to the Bicester Team Chase to do our first intermediate class. Unfortunately we were down to a team of 3 as Richard had a prior engagement and Louy took a dislike to a large open ditch. However we did get over it evenutally when the other team members jumped back to give him a lead. The rest of the course jumped really well including the three water obstacles which Louy led through.

17th October 2010:- Team Ride Away's second attempt in an Intermediate was at the Pytchley Team Chase. After walking the course it was decided Louy would lead over the first two or three jumps and then New Wish would give him a lead over the bigger hedges further into the course. Coming up to the hedges no sign of a lead for Louy but he was brave and flew the hedges nicely! We were delighted with the round, thought we'd gone really well and finished 7th of 23. We are determined to get in the placings next weekend! Click here to view the "Helmet Camera" footage.

24th October 2010:- Up at 4.30am to be in Northamptonshire by 8.30am! A slightly shorter course then last week and again we thought we'd gone really well but only finished 7th of 25 teams. We were beaten by 11 seconds and we have decided we need to go slower and tighter next week!

31st October 2010:- The Cotswold Team Chase is very popular and the Novice and Intermediate classes were full so we decided we'd have a go at the Open. The clocks went back an hour giving us an extra hour in bed but it was still a pretty early start. Walking the course was a little frightening - massive hedges with even bigger drops, very solid stone walls, huge open ditches and a very tricky looking treble. We had some pale faces and several trips to the loo on the way back to the wagon to tack up. We were first to go and decided to try for a steady(ish) clear which to be honest we thought was unlikley. Louy didn't lead this week as previously he hasn't been brave at very big hedges and we were all going nicely, clearing the walls and treble cleanly, flying the first big hedge, then a step up before a palaslide into the wood and a 90 degree right turn, 3 strides and a massive hedge. Sharp right to another hedge and then a U turn back over the hedge where Louy came into his own. The others over shot the U turn but short striding Louy showed them the way over the hedge, tiger trap and another hedge before we went back into the tented area for the dressing fence (where 3 horses have to be bunched togeather or a time penelty is incurred) and then out into the country again. A massively wide hedge followed an open ditch then a 2 furlong run up hill to the last. Unfortunately Stephen had a stop at the 2nd last but Louy and the other 2 flew over it and finished well to set a time to beat (the time of the third horse home is what counts). We managed to finish 7th of 14 in our first open and qualified for the National Finals next March at Fernie. Even better we got our photo and a paragraph in the Horse and Hound!

7th November 2010:- After our fantastic day at the Cotswold we headed off to the Essex and Suffolk near Ipswich for the final TC of the Autumn season. Having done our entry before we ran in the Open the previous week we were back in the Intermediate. A fantastic and varied course with some tight corners into big hedges which we managed to ride slower and tighter. We pulled up thinking we'd ridden a quick round but as on several other occasions we'd thought the same we didn't get our hopes up. When the results were announced we'd been round in the fastest time and we'd won our first Team Chase! Lunar and his team mates are having a month or so rest before training begins for the Spring season in February.

January 2011:- Louy has had a nice rest over the winter which fitted in well with the bad weather and had a days hunting with the Middleton mid January. Louy's good looks earned him a place on the back cover of the www.rideaway.co.uk catologue as he modelled a lovely new range of bridlework.

27th February 2011:- An early start for Team Ride Away as we set off at 4.45am to a very muddy Worcestershire Team Chase. We have got two teams togeather for this season (see Newgate) and after getting very wet and muddy on the novices we set off with high hopes of a good run with our more experienced horses. Louy came into his own on the tight bends and led the team through a very tricky "quarry" and over a good sized brush fence at the top. As we walked back to the box park we heard the commentator announce that we were leading by one second! After spending sometime trying to clean ourselves and the horses up we got our wellies back on and traipsed through the mud to get a bacon buttie each just in time to hear the winners announced - Team Ride Away! What a fantastic start to the Spring Season.

6th March 2011:- A lie in this week - didn't need to set off until 6.45pm! The going was fantastic and the course was varied including walls, hedges, timber and a water jump. Louy set off in second but soon had to lead around the tight corners of the first part of the course before being caught short of toe for the galloping stretches. Pulling up we were delighted with our round and were delighted to hear the commentator announce the unofficial results as Team Ride Away in first! After doing the horses up we headed to the tents for a tasty pork sandwich and checked the results to see we'd won by 17 seconds!

27th March:- A couple of weeks on the sidelines for Louy as Ruth had a fall on the gallop and injured her collarbone. Team Ride Away had to miss the first week but managed to get a spare rider and get 4th the next week. We walked the intermediate course at the new Heythrop event which was quite twisty with some very big hedges! A sticky moment at the water for Ruth and Rachel which we were slow through but it was a good round and we finshed 3rd.

Ruth and Rach were delighted to get their photo in the Horse and Hound!

3rd March:- The Championship Event at the Fernie is a big day for Team Chasing. We were early to go and jumped a nice round with a few untidy, slow parts especially in the pen which we went at far too fast and Spud and Rachel over shot but Louy, with his short legs, managed to get round and lead the team into the next hedge. We finished 6th of 41 so not a bad day. Louy has his rugs off now and is having a summer rest, eating lots of grass.

July 2011:- Louy was brought in from his Summerr break to be a travel companion for Lucky Art to Newmarket.

August 2011:- Fit and ready to go Team Chasing early September

Maiwand

We bought Maiwand from Sir Mark Prescott in Newmarket but unfortunately she wasn't a very fast racehorse! Geoff from near Glasgow bought her to retrain her as a Polo Pony.

20th January 2010 Update:- just a quick email to say Mai has settled in very well, very bright little filly, well handled and a real pleasure to work with.

19th February 2010 Geoff emailed "Mazie is just about to get scalped (clipped), and become an argentinian polo pony look a like! Really sweet filly, very giving and quick to learn. Training going well, will send you pictures in few weeks."

Mont Cervin

Monty didn't make a racehorse but showed a willing attitude to do another job and found a home with Berenice.

12th November 2009 Berenice emailed "Just thought I would give you an update on Monty. he is doing fantastic. I let him down slowly and turned him out for most of the summer so he could get used to his stable mates and gain some condition after racing. Brought him in and into work, road work and flat work with a little jumping. I cubbed him only 3 times and yesterday he did his 1st days full hunting and I am delighted to say jumped out of his skin. Everybody was remarding on what a beautiful horse he was and couldnt believe he was only 4 and only a few months out of racing. His manners were mostly impecable he as was expected did get a little excited but was very managable. I was on a total high when I got off him and feel with more work on flat work and grid work in the school he will hunter trial and 1 day events no problem. He is a darling in and out of the stable and I hope to have him for many a year. I will forward you some photos whenever I get a chance. Thanks once again for giving a racehorse a 2nd chance and I am so delighted that I own him."

24th January 2012 Berenice emailed "Hi Ruth, Thanks for asking after Monty. Delighted to say that Monty is doing really well. He is a pleasure to handle in the stable and absolutely bomb proof on the roads. I love riding him as he is keen. However, his schooling was disrupted as we had twin daughters a year ago Jan 21st!!! Therefore he had a bit of time off during my pregnancy. Saying that we did work on him a few months after the birth and had him out and about schooling sessions and getting to see more as he does get himself a bit over excited at times. A friend of mine competed him at Malton Show last year in the ROR class and he came 3rd and we competed him in a few hunter trials which he loved and dressage classes which he will do but needs more work at. He has the most amazing jump and loves cross country so I feel if I can work on his flat work that is where his future will be. I decided not to hunt him this season as he has really settled and just gets a bit worked up out on the field when others pass him by. With 3 children at home I can enjoy hunting more on my old veteran horse and keep working on Monty for eventing. This Spring/Summer lots more schooling and I hope to have him at a few of our local shows. Now that the twins are a year old and the hunting season nearly over I will have a bit more time to put into him which I am looking forward to. Kind regards, Berenice"

Natural Rhythm

Norman won 5 races in all and retired from racing completely sound after finding it hard to be competitive in all age races. Tamsin and her Mum, Nicky, from Stokesley are going to retrain him as a Junior Event horse. Go to ex racehorses for sale page to see pictures of Norman whilst still at Mowbray House.

22nd February 2010:- Tamsin text:- "Norman arrived safely and travelled well, he's looking around his new stable and refusing to eat a late lunch. He seems reasonably settled."

20th November 2010:- Tamsin and Nicky emailed "Hi Ruth, just thought we'd let you know how Norman has been getting on since we bought him from you in February. He really is the most fantastic horse and such a lovely person to have around the yard! He learns incredibly quickly and is improving all the time. Just under a month after we bought him we took him to a british eventing schooling day where he impressed everyone with how talented and brave he was! Everywhere he goes, people comment on what a smart looking horse he is. He settled in from the very beginning, although he definitely likes his routine. I've been concentrating on establishing his flatwork, and am hoping to start getting him out to some competitions soon in preparation for the 2011 eventing season! He is just such a fun horse, and we're so pleased with him! if you could send a link to your email address some photos will follow soon. thank you so much again, Tasmin & Nicky"

23rd November 2010:- Tamsin emailed "So sorry for having taken so long to let you know how he's been getting on! We honestly couldn't be more pleased with him, he's great! These are mainly just ones of him at home, will send some more when we start getting him out! Thanks again! :)"

Newgate

Newgate (Neville) was a 50-1 winner on the flat and won two races over hurdles. He is now trying his hand at Team Chasing in the Team Ride Away B team.

January 2011:- Neville has had a couple of days hunting and has taken to it really well. We have had several Team Chase schooling sessions at various places and he proved very willing if a little chancy!

27th February 2011:- Neville ran in his first TC in the Novice class at the Worcestershire. It was a bogey time class and although we tried to go as steady as we could on the new horses we were still 10 seconds too fast. The inexperienced horses coped with the very soft underfoot conditions well and we were delighted with their run.

7th March 2011:- Neville had his second run in the VWH novice class. Much better ground this week saw Neville taking a much firmer hold of the bridle and as it was a bogey time Ruth struggling to make him go slow enough. A nice clear round but far too fast. Neville looks like he'll be needing a bigger challange before much longer!

August 2011:- Was supposed to be selling Neville as I don't really have time to do two Team Chaser but had no interest so he's now fit and ready to run at the beginning or September!

November 2011:- Neville has been a fantasic teamchaser and has stepped up to intermediates no problem at all. He has been on a winning novice team and been placed in Intermidates both times he has run in them.

Newsround

Newsround had to retire from racing due to a knee injury but he was sound enough for hacking and was sold to Sarah from Rothwell near Leeds. He has been reschooled and is now doing very well in the Ex Racer classes. Sarah said " He is absolutely fab! He got two 4th in in-hand classes and his first ridden class was ex racers which he won hands down." Well done to Sarah and Newsround. See horses for sale page for pictures of him before he left Mowbray House.

23rd October Sarah emailed "This is Trevor (formerly Newsround). He's looking fantastic now, taking him to his first hunter trail on Sunday so fingers crossed I may have some more pic's for you then."

11th November Sarah emailed "Hi Ruth, Just to let you know Trev was fab at the hunter trail, only one stop at some scary barrels which was a double! I'm very happy with him, don't think i have ever known such a genuine, well mannnered horse. He truely is one of a kind!
Unfortunately he has a bit of an infection in his back leg at the moment but had the vet and should be cleared up soon enough. He's such a sweetheart to have around! Thanks again."

26th May 2009 Sarah email " I sold Newsround at the beginning of this year to a lovely family who are absolutely in love with him and I'm sure he has a home for life with them now. She uses him mainly for hacking but does the odd jumping competition which I am been told he is doing fantastic in and getting clears. She has two young children which he is fantastic with as he has such a sweet temperament and they can trust him even with their youngest. They also have changed his name again, he is now called Red."

18th June 2009 Rebecca emailed " Hi, I am the new owner of Trevor but I had to change his name he is named Red. He is just the best, we are just hacking, he has done a jumping class and was clear. He has a long way to go yet but we are getting there. He had a problem with his feet as they were so flat and he could not keep his shoes on for long but now he has gel feet and they are fab. Many thanks. Rebecca"

August 2010:- It would seem that Newsround has passed through several yards since he left us in 2008 but Ruth had a phone call from a lady called Flo in Wales to let her know that he'd found a home for life and the promise of some pictures!

Nidamar

Nidamar, also known as Lucy is a sweet little filly out of a mare Mr Chapman trained by a stallion he also trained. We'd had her since she was a foal and her name came from an anagram of the lady who owned Lucy's dam, NIna, DAvid (Mr Chapman and MARion (Mrs Chapman). Unfortunately Lucy didn't show much on the race track and we found her a new home with Vicki from South Lincolnshire. See horses for sale page 2010 for pictures of her before she left Mowbray House.

26th September Vicki text "Hi Ruth. Just to let you know that Lucy arrived safely this afternoon and seems to have settled in well. She has already made good firends with her new field companion and is now happily eating grass. Will keep you updated with her progress. Thank you, Vicki.

Paddywack

Paddy is now in the care of Laura Lucas in West Yorkshire. Paddy was stable star and raced for us for nearly 10 years. He was a real favourite with the girls in the yard. He won 21 races and £127,036 in prize money. It was very important that we found a good home for Paddy and we were delighted when by word of mouth we matched him with Laura who is one of the founding members of the Ex Racers Club. Click here to find out more about the Ex Racers Club.

Photos from left to right show Paddy while he was still in training. With Ruth and Mel in the winners enclosure on a wet Autumn afternoon at Redcar after winning his 21st race! Enjoying a paddle. Searching for the grass under the snow!

Laura text "Paddywack is a star, he came 2nd in his first dressage competition. He is such a lovely lad, big personality makes up for little body! He will never leave here - he has melted my heart." Ruth is delighted Paddy has found such an excellent home for the rest of his life as he one one of her favourites.

Pictures show Paddy being ridden by Katie who helps Laura with her three retired racehorses.

11th May 2009 Laura text "Paddy is going fantastic. Em is competing him as she gets a better tune out of him. He loves all the attention and is a right little show off. He has qualified for the championships in October. We love him dearly - definately a golden boy!"

19th May 2009 Hi Ruth, I really like that part of your website (Where are the now) - its nice to see what the horses are doing after their racing careers. Paddy is just a amazing little horse, really coming along nicely and is willing to try anything. He's a cheeky little thing that likes to get his own way but i love him to bits. Will keep you updated on his progress. Thank you. Emma

23rd october 2009 Emma emailed "Thought I'd send you a update on Paddy as I haven't in awhile. He's doing great, still very much the golden boy and getting away with murder. We've been doing abit of jumping with him and he's doing great. He wants to learn to jump his own way though and doesn't take much notice of me but that's Pad all over. He's such a brave little horse and does try anything you ask of him, he can throw a buck when he finds stuff difficult but to be fair its funny more than anything. Not that we'd let him know that!!!! I've found as long as we have a sense of humour with him you cant go wrong. I cant fault him if im honest he's a amazing little horse and I wouldn't swap him for the world. He's picked up this riding horse life so well its hard to believe he ever ran a race never mind won any. We are doing some dressage at middleton park in November, which im really looking forward too. I'll let you know how that goes. We are also going to arena UK in December so got that to look forward to as well. I've attached a couple of photos. The white pony in the photos is my other boy Dillon. They don't share a field but are stabled next to each other and get on well, though they get jealous of each other sometimes. They are both attention seekers!"

27th January 2011 Emma emailed "Hi Ruth sorry I’ve not been in touch for so long. Pads had a splint and really bad mud fever last winter and the weather was so bad we didn’t get a right lot done. We made up for it in the summer though as he’s been on holiday for a week to Derbyshire and he loved every minute of it. There’s some pictures attached showing him having some fun. Also started to teach him how to jump which he is starting to get the hang of. Though he still thinks he knows better than me in everything we do and does it in his own style. He’s not enjoying this really cold weather at the minute and after a few hours can be found stood at the gate with his headcollar in his mouth. I don’t think his hints could be anymore subtle. His schooling is coming along lovely too and he’s showing signs of been fab but his argumentative side sometimes gets the better of him and me. I don’t think I could have asked for a better little horse. I’ve been in touch with Keith from Fotosport and he’s sent me 2 pictures of him racing. I will send you these when I finally scan them onto the computer, I’ve got one put onto canvus for my dad as a Christmas present which he loved. Hope you had a lovely Christmas Emma. xx"

28th January 2011 Emma emailed "It was lovely where we went on holiday we had our own little cabin and they were in the field just behind it. He loved the gallop I think it was nice for him to let off abit of steam and stretch his legs coz where we are at home there's no fields long enough to let him go. Its safe to say none of the other horses could catch him!!!! His power is just amazing and his movement is so fluent, I felt like we never touched the floor. I cant imagine what he was like when he was younger and at the height of fitness. I think its our fields that are causing the mud fever, they get sectioned off into little winter paddocks with a big hay bale in the middle and it just turns into a swamp. Hopefully they will be back out in the summer fields before long. I'll defiantly keep in touch and update you over the summer as we hope to be out and about more :) Emma"

June 2011 Emma emailed "Hi Ruth, Just wanted to send an email to thank you for the pictures of Paddy from his racing days. It’s like looking at a different horse J he’s looking very well at the minute but in a different way to on the photos. He’s very round now LOL my friends have nicknamed him Throughcob. He’s starting to really enjoy his jumping and is getting the hang of it now and making a good shape over the jumps. He can get a bit silly when he enjoys himself but we just laugh at him. I'm still having lesson's with Laura Lucas every week and she's helped us come on so much in our schooling. He's still a cheeky little g*t though and seems to like bucking at the minute when he finds things hard or is in a silly mood. It’s safe to say you need to have a sense of humour to ride him coz he’s never the same from one day to the next The warmer weather and going out to grass seem to have perked him up, he seemed to get abit down and grumpy in winter. Definatly a summer horse!!! I have attached a few photos from one of our very first jump lessons. I have a jump lesson with Laura next week so im going to try and rope someone into taking some more photos. Theres also a photo of him with his new girlfriend Poppy another exracer and one where i dont think he wants me ruining his photo. Thanks again Emma"

January 2012 Emma emailed "Hi Ruth, Soooo sorry for not emailing you sooner been useless at keeping you updated. Pads is doing great, really loving his jumping and hacking out. Getting some nice work out of him in the school and getting some good dressage scores, well when he's in the right mood because he's still got alot of attitude!!!! We did a working hunter class last year which he was really good in so hopefully going to try afew more of them if we get to some shows this year. We also have some dressage coming up and going to some jumping in the next few weeks, he loves going out places always tries to jump the ramp in one. He's still very cheeky and likes to cause havoc but he's loved very much. I have attached some photos of pads and afew of us jumping. Will keep you posted on how the jumping and dressage goes, Emma xx"

Raccoon

Raccy had been a stable favourite for both Ruth and her Grandfather before her. He was fitted with a breathing tube and was the stamp of a proper sprinter. He always had quite a following at the races and the public are still asking about him. He found a home with Alison from Aberdeen. Raccy got a lift to Hamilton races where he had a rest in the stable yard and then Alison picked him up and continued the rest of his journey.

21st September Alsion emailed "Hi Ruth, Quick update. Raccy is settling in well and eating up. He is friends with Stampy now and they seem happy grazing together. I have taken lots of photos some of which I will send to you once we have the internet working at home. (Waiting for a new router, fingers crossed that will resolve the problem). I am very happy with him. Thank you ~ thank you! Alison x"

29th September Alsion emailed " Attached a couple of pics from his arrival....Raccy's first time in the field, after being stabled next to Stampy. I took Raccy a hack (alone) on Sunday and he was good although very nervous and spooky! He was rather afraid of the piggies which just moved in a couple of fields away and tried to bolt. (Stampy hates them too!) However I got him back and today we repeated same hack meeting combines to no avail! He went past the pigs but was trembling ... poor soul!"

"Stampy (Stamford Street) and Raccoon....
Fab hacking on Maitland Mackie's (the famous ice cream) farm next door....windmills and all! Raccy not worried at all about windmills and has gone underneath one turning quite happily! Straw bales very scary though!"

18th April 2011 Alison emailed: "Hello Ruth, Just wanted to give you a quick update on Raccoon. He is very well and seems to be happy in his new life and loves attention and being fussed over ! ( Of which he gets plenty!! ) Unfortunately my health has not been good , and I had an operation in January so the horses have been roughed off over the winter. This perhaps was good for Raccoon as he chilled out. I have just begun bringing Raccoon and Stampy back into work, and used the pessoa on Rueben who after a couple of bucks, more excitement than disgust, settled down into a good shape. I have hacked him out over Macki e ’ s hills and we have had a few good canters. He has a lovely attitude , seems keen to work and has happily popped a couple of XC jumps on our hacks. His Tracheotomy has still not completely healed over but is closing slowly. It doesn’t give him any trouble though and it causes no concern. I have dragged out my show jumps this weekend so that will be on the cards eventually. His summer coat is finally coming in and he has a gorgeous soft coat. M y friends all love him to bits as do I. Thank you for such a lovely horse. He is a pleasure to have around. With love, Alison Raccoon and Stampy"

January 2012 Alison emailed " Hi Ruth Photos are prior to his injury, and a naughty moment ! (I don't want to stand still Mum in this mega field!) and his injury. The last pic was a few weeks later but will send pics of his leg now for you to compare. It's incredible and no proud flesh! Raccoon is still in recovery mode. He is doing really well considering extent of the injury he sustained, poor lad. Will never know how he managed it, field very clean no obstacles etc so goodness knows what happened that day. Attached pics which show how bad it was (these are after him being stitched) and we are very lucky it missed all tendons ligaments etc.. The leg now looks amazing considering, took months of bandaging and the magical ingredient I reckon was the intrasite gel ~ amazing stuff! You would never know how bad it was. I hope to get him up and out in the spring. Meantime I am climbing walls desperate to ride!"

Reason

Reason is now with Bev Duncan and her daughters pony. He is beautifully bred and went throught Tattersalls Newmarket sales for 1.2 million guineas as a yearling! Bev says " We have been trying to school him, but this awful summer weather has made it difficult. He hacks out brilliantly. He is still very sweet and is very intelligent and really tries hard for me. He is still like a puppy following me around the field and he certainly likes his food but isn't over weight!!".

Bev was kind enough to send me these photos after Reason's first day at the beach. She said " Reason is such a trusting horse - I remember when I first got him I was off him more than on him, leading him through puddles and streams, through hedges, under bridges and over ditches, now however he takes everything in his stride. He is also such a good trusting horse, so much so, that my 8 year old daughter has ridden him and works well with him. He has also been ridden by a 14 year old - he's brill. He wasn't sure (about his fist visit to the beach), but did really well - we took it slowly, walking and trotting." Reason's friend is called Smarty!

15th March 2010 Bev emailed:- Reason is now being schooled and is coming on great. He even jumped a couple of crosses which is excellent progress!

30th January 2012 Bev emailed "Hi Ruth - lovely to hear from you. Reason is getting on great - we schooled him until we could get him forward going and his head up. I must say he didn't like it and got very bored very easily so I've decided he isn't for schooling (or jumping for that matter). He is such a sweety still and he makes everyone laugh. We have put both him and Smarty on a local yard now and he mixed with the other horses very well and they are now not so attached to each other which is a good thing. We are looking after a little shetland at the moment and I had the shetland tied in front of Reason's stable with the door open and the next thing I knew they were in the stable together without any hassle! I consider myself very lucky for finding such a lovely horse, he is a pleasure to own. I fell off him at end of June and pulled my groin area, we were on the beach slowing down from a well controlled gallop and he spooked. He didn't run off and came straight back to me. I got on him although I was in pain as I couldn't have walked the length of the beach. He was so good, walked very slowly passed tents, footballs, frizbies and scary signs without a flicker. I was on crutches for 6 weeks and even when I got back to riding he was as good as gold. Thanks so much. Bev"

Red China Blues

Red didn't make the grade as a racehorse but found a home with the Spencer family from near Derby who are intending to showjump him.

3rd October 2010 Kath text "Hi, just to let you know Red has settled in well and is enjoying all the attention. Dan has ridden him and he looks like just the horse we were looking for. All the best Kath."

1st February 2012 Kath emailed "Hi Ruth, lovely to hear from you, we still have Red and we love him to bits. Dan has a new job as a rider on a yard in Peterborough and in the next few days Red is going to join him. We haven't done a lot with him but we are planning to do so in the future so we will keep you informed. All the best, Kath."

Redoubtable

Redoubtable was know as Herbie or Herbert around the yard. He was an absolute gent who raced and covered mares at the same time. He is one of only two horse post war (I think!) to win on the flat at the age of 14. In total he won 21 races and nearly £150,000 in prize money. He is now in the care of Trudy at End House Stud near Clitheroe in his new job as a stallion. He is also doing very well in the show ring. Qualifying for Olympia and winning numerous hack classes and Championships. To find out more about Redoubtable's showing and stud carreer click here.

Redwater River

Red retired from racing in Autumn 2010 after winning a race at Catterick for us. He found a home with Lauren and her family from near Peterborough.

9th October 2010 Laurens Mum Helen text:- We've had a good journey back with Red, he was so lovely and calm when we unloaded him - a really good boy and much easier to handle than Max (our previous horse) was!

19th October 2010 Lauren emailed " Hello Ruth, hope all's well with you. Just wanted to let you know how Red's been since we got him home. He travelled well and settled fairly quickly; everyone at the yard loves him :)and he's befriended Merlin, the pony I'm looking after. It's nice for Merlz to have someone who doesn't bully him for a change! We're slowly working to standing nicely while tied up, after breaking a headcollar, leadrope and jumping into the side of the barn within 5 minutes! He was an absolute angel for the farrier and dentist, especially as the gag wouldn't stay put due to his wonky teeth (He held his mouth open for the vet instead!) I've only ridden him a few times (he's been very good; just a slight spook at an idiot next door with a huge blue sheet)because he does seem a bit lame. The vet checked him today and although she couldn't see anything wrong, she gave me some bute for him in case he has pulled something etc. Fingers crossed it helps; I'll let you know how things go. Ending on a better note! The past week and a half with Red have been an absolute joy, thankyou for selling me such a sweet natured boy; can't imagine being without him :) Lauren

25th January 2011 Lauren emailed "Hello again, just thought I'd let you know how Red's getting on.

He's still being an absolute joy to have around; everyone at the yard loves him and even my mum's admitted to feeling totally safe around him! We were looking at photos the other day and I still can't believe he's mine :)

After all the setbacks we've had (lameness, snow, and Red cutting near his mouth open) riding's finally become a regular thing. Although it might not seem a lot to some people, I'm so proud of what he's now able to do; He'll stand while I mount, turn off my leg aids and (mostly!) walk and trot when I ask without taking the speed into his own hooves. I've been using draw-reins on him which, at first, he wasn't impressed with and had a little paddy. But he's now accepted them and instead of fighting to keep him in a nice shape, he softens easily, meaning the whole experience is more relaxing for both of us. We went on out first mini-hack today; 5-10 minutes down the lane near our yard. It's just a long grass track between farmer's fields (maybe not the best place to go first!) but he was lovely walking out. After turning back he thought it was a good idea to trot sideways home, although he did listen when I pulled him back from the most poncy collected canter, so it was quite successful (and amusing) in my opinion!

Also, standing on the yard is no longer a problem at all (apart from when annoying children spook him; which I wasn't impressed about) and he's been lovely for the vet, who also thinks he's gorgeous :) The night he had his jabs he escaped from his stable and munched his way through another horses feed and lots of hay. The next morning he looked like the spoilt child at a party who'd eaten all the sweets! Although, thankfully, he was absolutely fine.

The lameness he had seems to be gone, so I'm taking things slowly and taking each day as it comes. He still makes me worry as he's tearing around with his friends though! He's taken charge of the group, although the older 'boss' Monty still tries to put him in his place. We're hoping they'll settle down when they're turned out properly in the summer.

Here are some links to the photos/videos that my dad took on Sunday(23rd);

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GizF1jvvM8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLINfAMRBGc

(his best friend Merlin's in there too :) )

Hope all's well with you, and thankyou again for such a lovely boy :) Lauren and Red x

30th April 2011 Lauren emailed " Hello Ruth, hope all's well with you. Just wanted to give you an update on Red. He was lame again from mid-February, and after 2 visits from the vet she said she suspected he'd pulled his suspensory ligament where it branches off near the fetlock. So he's been bandaged up and on box-rest from then. We had a few set backs, where his bandages rubbed and he was being silly causing his legs to swell again. But finally things are going well again. I've been walking him in hand and he's not lame/swollen so we'll be doing more from now. He's not enjoying it; all he wants to do is run and roll! Wish he understood how bad that would be for him. I went away for a few days at the start of April, and I'm told he was an angel for those looking after him, which is how he is most of the time for me. He's not naughty, just full of energy/spooky sometimes, which I know will change when he's back in work. Sadly, on 4th Feb, we lost our little old pony Dougal. Thankfully Red wasn't affected, and having him's helped me cope a lot better than I would've. I've attached a photo that I took today. He looks a little skinny but don't want to change that until he's doing more work! Lauren and Red xx "

21st July 2011 Lauren emailed " Hello again, Ruth.

I believe Red to be the most accident-prone horse I've ever known! On May 1st I arrived to a sight that would've fitted a horror movie. http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150176842441566.300219.514426565&l=92262c4128&type=1 Poor Red was stood with his swollen, bloody head near the floor. We think he'd rolled and hit his head during the night, as he had a fairly deep cut to his poll. The emergency vets cleaned him up and tried to stitch it, with no success, but after the swelling went down and a second visit from our usual vet the cut healed nicely. He's now sporting half a mohican as his mane's growing, but thankfully he's no longer sensitive with his bridle/headcollar etc. As he was healing, we did a lot of work in hand, so I planned to ride after the farrier came on 23rd May. But, Red being his usual self, ended up lame on his front leg (maybe due to leaping around in the wind while his shoes were done). I actually wanted to cry as his limped out of his stable that night! So box-rest was resumed, as well as bandaging, which thanks to the heat, rubbed again. Gradually things are improving again,however. (although I fear I'm tempting fate by writing that....)

Thanks to the groundwork, his lunging has improved so much. Our first attempts involved Red running around not listening at all, but now he will walk and trot as I say 99% of the time. I rode once last week, but as he's still very stiff on the right rein i think lunging is the best option for now. It has been a much longer process than I'd planned, but I won't be giving up on him, and at least this way we've bonded incredibly well :)
The farrier came again on 19th July, and for the first time Red was the best of the 4 boys. I was so proud of him and Brendon very much liked the new chilled out boy :)

Sadly, although he's been able to go loose in the school twice a day, I haven't been able to turn Red out properly yet, as going to the field involves walking on the road and over a footbridge. But if nothing else goes wrong, I'm hoping he'll be out asap.
Aside from our bad luck, he is still the most wonderful boy to have around. My friend's 1 year old daughter is terrified of the other horses but loves Red as he's so calm(and because he's so pretty, according to her mum!)Dad mucked out etc. (for the first time ever)last week when I was away for a night, and everything went great, despite my constant worrying!

Hopefully my next email will be full of good news! But at least things are going well enough at the moment.
We were very sorry to hear about your grandad, and hope everyone's coping well and things are good for you.
Lauren and Red xx

(The attatched photos are of his first turn out since March on June 24th; which was incredibly chilled! and lunging on 22nd July)

Rescent

Rescent retired from racing in October 2010 and was sold to Lily who was originally from Belgium and is a pilot! She rode eventing as a child and wants to get back into regular riding again.

28th October Lily emailed "Rescent has arrived at her new yard safe and sound. She has been a really good during transport, very quiet, she sweated a bit but that's all. She seems happy in her stable, she has made herself at home immediately, had a wee and rolled in it. The other horses have welcomed her noisily but she seems to have fitted in quickly. She was really well mannered when we gave her her dinner and ate the lot. I'll email you some pictures when I find the charger for my camera."

2nd January Lily emailed "Here is a little update about Rescent. She is doing really well, I have moved her to a new yard 3 weeks ago, it is closer to home and she seems to be really happy there. She has made new friends and she has even got a boyfriend, his name is Monty and he is a taller, more muscular version of Rescent, we have to turn them out together or they keep calling each other over the fence.
Everyone loves her at the stables, they all marvel at how well-behaved she is... I haven't been able to ride her as much as I want to, I haven't been lucky with the weather so far but she is coming on nicely which is great as we have only worked a little bit, she is slowly coming in a shape and looks a bit less like a racehorse. She has learnt to stand outside to be groomed, she starts being a little more patient when I mount or dismount and she dislikes the farrier a bit less. You will find some photos in attachment. The three first ones were taken mid november at the old yard and on the last you can see her today, very muddy with her friends, her bf Monty is on the left."

July 2011 I was going to email you about Rescent, she is currently recovering from surgery in Leahurst equine hospital. She had a 350° colon torsion. She started showing all the typical signs of colic when I fetched her from the field on sat 2/7, I did everything I could before the vet arrived, he injected her with the usual cocktail but she definately was surgical so I took her to Leahurst, I'm glad we were this quick as there is no damage to her blood supply and bowels. She could have come home on Friday but I chose to leave her at Leahurst until tomorrow as I am working this week.
I don't know what could have possibly caused her colic, she has been on the same food for 6 months, eats plenty of hay and grass, she is bright and healthy, the only thing she has recently started eating is apples but she hadn't eaten any on that day??? It's one of those things, I guess.
I wouldn't have considered selling my beloved horse before her episode of colic but the surgeons told me that being on a very fixed regular exercise routine would benefit her. She gets plenty of exercise when I am home and she is turned out every day for 9-10 hours but as you know, she also gets her lazy weeks when I am away, then she is turned out as usual and exercised twice only by the livery yard owner. I am thinking that being trained as a polopony could be good for her. So if the person is still interested in buying her knowing her medical history and knowing I wouldn't let her go before she is fit to travel, you can give my email address.
Before surgery Rescent was doing well, she isn't sharp anymore and has become cuddly but she has gone back to being a pain to shoe, she loves jumping and cantering but doesn't really enjoy being schooled, she is quite willing though but dressage is definitely not our thing.
You will find photos in attachment, I only have a few and they were taken a while ago as my other half doesn't come often to the stables and hates taking photos. I took some myself as I was lungeing her.

5th September 2011 Lily emailed " Dear Ruth, I thought you might be interested in hearing about Rescent. She is half way through recovery and is doing really well. She is now turned out daily and enjoys her regained freedom. Her scar has healed really well and is barely noticeable. I will start lungeing her again in a couple of weeks to slowly build her condition back up and strengthen her core muscles. It is still 7 more weeks before she can be ridden again though. You will find a few pictures of Missy when she still had to be grazed in hand and cuddling her friend filly (who looks like her). I hope you are well. Kind regards. Lily"

24th January 2012 Lily emailed " Hi Ruth, There is no bad news to tell you. Rescent is doing well, no sign of colic so far. I have kept her, I love her too much and I didn't really trust the potential buyer. She is back in work and was doing fine under the saddle, she is now doing most of her work on the lunge and in hand at the moment. She has grown a little bit and put back on all the weight she had lost after surgery, she really is the picture of health now. I am even pleased with her feet, I have had her shoes taken off to allow a more natural growth and with a little bit of TLC, she has grown fantastic hooves, not bad for a thouroughbred! I am away at the moment so I don't have any new photo to show you but I will try to remember when I get home. I hope you are well and to see you again in Chester soon.
Kind regards, Lily "

Star Prize

Star was a gentle horse who found a home with Tracy. Unfortunately he hasn't done much yet due to a bad infection in his leg and a stay at the vets. Tracie says "He's sound and receovering well. Will be sure to update you and send some pics soon." See horses for sale page for pictures of him before he left Mowbray House.

19th December Tracy emailed: "Hi Ruth. Sorry it's been so long since I was last in touch! Just thought I'd send a little update on Star. What can I say, Star by name, Star by nature! He's such a gent and will do absolutely anything asked of him (apart from walk over drain covers!) He recovered brilliantly from his tendon sheath infection, and has been totally sound ever since. He loves his work, and especialy loves hacking out, he thinks it's all a great adventure! He's schooling really well and starting to work in a fab outline, I'm considering trying some dressage with him but as I've not done dressage before we'll be learning together. He really does have the kindest nature and is an absolute gentleman. Although he does have a cheeky streak and loves to try and push me over if it's muddy! He's lived out all winter so far and has kept his condition so well, I can hardly believe it for a TB... he's so woolly it's ridiculous! He certainly likes his food and can be relied on to tell you when it's tea time! I'll send some photos soon when he's less of a muddy mess (how do they get it under their rugs??!!) Thanks again for a fantastic horse Tracy"

5th August 2010:- Tracy emailed " Hi Ruth Just realised it's been a very long time since I last emailed you about Star, so thought I'd send you a little update. Star is still a total star! I love him to bits - the other half says I'm completely obsessed. He makes me smile every day, whether it's him enjoying a hack out or mugging me for treats! I moved him to a new yard just a mile up the road from me in January, where he is absolutely living the high life and being spoilt rotten. After 2 years of mostly hacking around and fun rides, I've decided to take the plunge and enter him in a couple of ex-racehorse classes in September. We'll see how he behaves (as he gets very excited when he's around lots of other horses and wants to meet them all, he's such a friendly man!) and perhaps enter a few more? We're off cross country schooling on Sunday at a course local to us, he absolutley LOVES jumping, so I thought he could have a little treat. Hopefully I'll live to tell the tale, lol, and will send you some pics of his adventure. It'll be the first time I've done XC with him and am thoroughly looking forward to it! We're also planning on having a yard trip to the beach later in the month so hopefully he'll enjoy that too, a chance to have a good long gallop as the beach we're going to is 7 miles long! What was his distance racing??!! Do I have a chance of stopping before Scotland??! I've attached a couple of pics of him, apologies they're not the best quality as they're off my phone camera. My friend has offered to come and do a photo shoot of him for me (as he's such a handsome fella) so hopefully will have some professional pics to send you soon too. Hope all is well with you, and thank you again for a fantastic horse. I could gush for hours about how much I love him but wouldn't want to bore you! Tracy xx"

14th August 2010:- Tracy emailed;- " Hi Ruth Well, we went cross country schooling and survived! He was absolutley in his element, he really came into himself. At first he was very, very excited and took me and a friend 3 laps round a rather large field to calm him down! He just wanted to run everywhere and jump everything all at once, which was a bit unnerving for me as I'm not the bravest jumper! However one of the girls from the yard asked if she could take him round a few jumps, and wow did he fly!! I've attached some pics for you (the big jumps are Emily riding, the little ones me!haha) as you can see he LOVES it. We're off to the beach on Sunday, weather permitting, so I'll have another update and more pics to send you soon. Tracy xx"

Strong Approach

Strong Approach, or Sid, was in training with Ruth's Dad at Ride Away and was sold to Eddie to hunt with the Sinnington. To see pictures of Sid before he was sold go to Ex racehorses for sale.

15th March 2010:- Hi Ruth. Just a note to let you know how Sid is doing. My friend Eddie bought him from Rachel shortly after I bought "Monty". However, Eddie felt a bit over horsed at the time so loaned Sid to me to see how he would do as a hunter. Well, I am delighted to say that he went brilliantly all season with the Sinnington. Jumps anything asked of him with room to spare and very well mannered, a total joy to do both in and out of the stable. Totally laid back. He did so well that Eddie finally took him hunting the last 2 weeks and has had an absolute blast on him. Sid is a total confidence giver and I am so thrilled that his new owner has found a true gent of a horse in Sid. Photos attached for you. Regards, Berenice

Sundried Tomato

Tomato is now in the care of Julie Houghton. Now better known as Tom he won 8 races and over £60,000 in prize money. Julie said via email "He's doing great, I have started doing Parelli with him, which he is getting a bit clever at some bits, I ride him round in a Parelli halter which has no bit and just one rein, who would think i could be doing that with him! I must be mad or what! He's great fun and we do have some fun together, I never thought I could find a horse like Tom, my goal is to ride him bareback and no bridle on, hoping to do something with him next year. Still working on his schooling and jumping but I've got loads of time so I'm not rushing him. Thanks for letting me have such a wonderful boy." We look forward to seeing the photos of Julie riding Tom with no bridle!

19th May 2009 Julie emailed, Tomato is great -a very very mummies boy! He has to know where I am if I'm on the yard, and likes to be next to me. He stands and watches me as I go down the road and hates it if i go on yard but don't put him away for the night. Iwent to Florida and he was grumpy while I was away. I.m still working on his Parelli, Ii ride him in his halter but still working on my no bridle.. one day. He's so cheeky and so much fun...............love him to death.

14th June 2009 Julie emailed " Hi Ruth, thought you would like to see this, its Tom and me doing our Official Audition Level 1 for Parelli. It's on you tube. Click here to see them in action. Just waiting to hear our results. Julie x"

16th August 2010:- Julie emailed photos and links to videos of herself and Tom bridleless and doing their freestyle audtions for Pirelli.

Click here for bridleless video.

Click here for auditions video.

8th September 2010:- Julie emailed "Tom and me are good, have had a busy year doing both our parts for our level 2, thank goodness we passed them both, so he's been a little grumpy as instead of been in the school with have been hacking out on a loose rein, which is good for him, still strong in canter as he loves to run!"

Sun Of Spring

Ruth was delighted to hear from Louise about a horse called Sun of Spring that Mr Chapman and then her Dad, Stephen Clark, used to train in the 1990's. Mr Chapman bought him in May 1997 for £2200 at Doncaster Sales for my Dad. We ran him 9 times on the flat where he won two races and Ruth rode him in Amatuer Riders races on the flat being placed 4th four times! He then swapped stables and went to be trained by Stephen and Ruth rode him over hurdles where he was 2nd twice, 3rd once and 4th twice. He last raced for us in August 1999 and Stephen found him a home locally. The photo is of Sunny winning at Musselburgh.

12th February 2010: - Louise emailed "Your Dad sold Sunny to a friend of my Aunt's for her daughter, they did love him very much but he proved to be a little too cheeky for them to cope with. I had always had a soft spot for him so offered, if ever they needed, a home for him I would be glad to have him. It wasn't long before they got in touch and I picked him up and brought him home. That was back in 2001. I live near Leicester. He was not quite sound when I got him and he does have a bursar on one of his fetlocks. We had him scanned and xrayed and luckily it was just a strain and he was sound within 6 weeks. I was concerned he might not come sound but we did everything we could and it payed off. Touch wood he has never been lame since!! He had a bit of a sore back so he had treatment for that but nothing serious. He has regular check ups much to his disgust! He is not a fan of being massaged!!!

I did lots of research on Sunnys racing days. I got in touch with his breeder and he was thrilled to hear he was still going strong and invited us to his stud in Newmarket for the day. I met Sunny's elderly mother and his 3 half sisters. He gave me a couple of pictures of him racing as a youngster and a few as a foal which was wonderful.

I did manage to get a copy of one of his races at Nad Al Sheba which is fantastic to see him as a 4 year old. I got all his racing past from Weatherbys which is great. I also have quite a few races with you riding!!! Great to watch.

He is still full of life, I did try to retire him at the end of 2009 but he was having none of it! He turned into a beast and was not a happy boy! So I bought him back into work and he loves it. I keep him on a small yard where the owner trains event horses. It is a lovely place and Sunny is so happy there. He is nanny to the youngsters on the gallops and has taught lots of babies just how to gallop!! It is still his favorite pass time and he still gets so excited every time the lorry starts up! I reschooled him when I first got him and with time and patience (lots of it!) we ended up competing in dressage. He has never been keen on SJ but he does try his little heart out, he just thinks that fillers are monsters that might bite him! With lots of practice (and much to everyones shock) we ended up eventing. As you can imagine, xc was his best phase, we always had to be careful we didn't got too fast and get told off!! We did quite a few of the ex racehorse classes and he did brilliantly although we were asked to leave the ring once when he spent the whole class on his back legs!!! We have slowed things down now, we do a little bit of dressage to keep him happy and he loves being nanny to the babies. We still go cross country schooling with the babies, we just miss out most of the jumps apart from the water.....I think he was a fish in a previous life!!

Anyway, sorry for babbling on but as you can tell he is my best boy and very much loved."

13th April 2011 :- Louise emailed "Just an update on Sun of Spring. He celebrated his 21st birthday in March and hasn't really enjoyed having the winter off work (he finds it boring). He gets most upset when the others go to the gallops without him. He is very well in himself and looks amazing for an older gentleman!

He is still obsessed with going on the horse walker with the others and causes a lot of fuss if he thinks we might have forgotten to put him on. He finds it very amusing to jump around on the walker and upset all the others!

He had a little accident about a month ago caused by galloping round the field like a 2 year old! He managed to fall over in the mud and made his back sore. He has been treated by his Chiropractor (much to his disgust, he hates it!) and is on the mend and I hope to have him hacking out in the next week or two. After a winter off work that should be interesting!!

I am not sure what we will do this year, definatley hacking and if I can keep all four feet on the floor maybe some dressage. We will just wait and see what the old lad wants to do."