7 Things You Should Know Prior To Purchasing a Racehorse
Check with a trainer of racehorses to find out more about what purchasing and owning such an animal entails. The undertaking can be pleasurable and lucrative or heartbreaking, with not much to show in the way of earnings or a horse that is injured. Horses are living creatures and are just not able to be predictable all the time. However, there are seven things that the potential racehorse buyer should take into account.
Is a Racehorse in the Budget?
Even a jade ridden for pleasure can be expensive to maintain. A racehorse, above and beyond its need for shelter and food, will need a racehorse trainer, a jockey, a farrier and a veterinarian. You have to get and pay for the right permits and adequate insurance. During a season a racehorse will incur travel costs, too, as it needs to go from one race track to another.
A Pedigree
Someone who is looking to own a racehorse needs to know the stock it comes from. Identify the horse’s dam. Who’s the sire? Can they and their ancestors be found in the General Stud Book? What are the names of the horse’s siblings, whether they are full or half? Have they done well on the racecourse?
The Way the Horse is Made
The great champion Seabiscuit was a horse with a strange, eggbeater action when he ran, but he did run despite. Other horses might not compensate for flaws in the same way. If possible, the prospective buyer should be able to look as the horse runs at least a couple of laps.
Which Gender?
Does the owner want to see what a filly can do? There have been, of course, brilliant fillies, and some races, like the Falmouth and Ribblesdale Stakes, race only fillies. Would the owner be interested in a gelding after considering that even champion geldings do not generate stud fees? Owners may return to the gelding’s parents for another, improbable champion, but it’s not the same.
Where Do They Want to Race the Horse?
Some horses do well on flat racing courses like Epsom or Doncaster. Others are good at National Hunt races like Cheltenham, or mixed racecourses like Folkestone or Kempton Park. If a horse owner wants to sign up a horse for a National or mixed hunt after a flat racing career, they need to make certain that a racehorse trainer gets the horse ready for it. Some horses simply don’t like to jump, and won’t.
How Willing Are They to Keep a Horse That Doesn’t Win?
In other words, how long will the owner tolerate a horse that’s costing them lots of money?
What Do They Plan To Do With the Horse After Retirement?
A horse will only race for a few years at best. A champion stallion can bring in stud fees, and a champion mare can be used for breeding, but not all racehorses are going to be allowed to reproduce and a horse can live up to thirty years. Will the owner simply put them out to pasture, sell them to a horse-lover, an abattoir or some other concern, or donate them to a charity?
If you have a passion for horseracing and wish to have further involvement then a racehorse trainer can provide you with the crucial next step towards racehorse ownership.