From breaking-in to training, racehorses follow a daily exercise regime and are required to develop very specific aptitudes which correspond to the nature of the sport: speed and acceleration, balance centred towards the forehand, reactivity and endurance.
Versatile and docile, racehorses can adapt well to a second life after racing. Thoroughbreds are very intelligent, sensitive and kind and make ideal partners for sport or leisure riding.
Retraining is an essential stage for a racehorse to make the transition from racing to another discipline, and this is carried out by experienced professionals. The duration of the retraining phase is variable depending upon the age, temperament and past experience of each horse, and enables the horse to develop calmer behaviour and learn the basics of his “new job”. For example, a horse will learn to work in a school in a collected manner on the flat and to jump small obstacles.
Once a horse has adapted to the new style of exercise, its future rider can safely develop his or her skills in a wide range of disciplines such as show jumping, dressage, eventing, polo, horse-ball, vaulting, etc.
Au-Delà des Pistes : France’s quality retraining network
The association works daily to develop a national reference network to enable racing professionals to find suitable placement solutions for their horses.
Au-Delà des Pistes fulfils the role of facilitator, acting as intermediary to establish rapid and efficient relations between racing stables and retraining centres.
A reference network, supported by France Galop
Au-Delà des Pistes has a network of retraining stables which are selected for their quality and reliability. Each of them, with their own specific characteristics, receives horses in optimal conditions to train them in their new disciplines.
As an official partner of France Galop, Au-Delà des Pistes supports retraining stables in the administrative and financial management of their horses: it arranges change of ownership, places restrictions with the racing authority to prevent horses from returning to the racetrack in France, and pays out financial aid to meet the needs of injured horses requiring a period of convalescence before they can begin their conversion.
