Direct from a racing yard

When homing a horse directly from a racing yard, bear in mind the horse may or may not have had a let-down period.

He may still be racing fit and so have a lean appearance due to toned muscle as opposed to carrying body fat (and he may still be on a high carbohydrate diet), the horse may be recovering from an injury or still require a further rest period or need specific rehabilitation. The horse is unlikely to have undergone any retraining and there may or may not be a fee applied to the horse.

Just because the horse is in a trainer’s yard do not be afraid to ask questions of both the trainer and those responsible for the horse’s daily care and exercise. Most trainers will be more than happy to tell you if the horse has had any injuries or other problems.

You can find out about the horse’s racing career via one of the racing websites or by getting in touch with Weatherbys. You can also find out quite a lot from looking at the horse’s passport such as, where it was bred and when it first ran.

Be prepared to sign a form called a Non Racing Agreement which will be sent to Weatherbys together with the horse’s passport where it will be stamped and will mean that the horse can never race again. Many owners now insist on this paperwork being completed prior to parting with the horse.