Recycled and ready to perform
Thoroughbred horse racing dates back to about the third century in England, and came to New Zealand with the early European settlers.
The New Zealand thoroughbred goes back to the royal stud at Hampton Court which was reestablished about 1855 by Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort.
From Hampton Court came the brood mare Mersey, the dam of Carbine, who gave New Zealand a strain of blood that wa sto prove the most significant in the world of the thoroughbred.
Carbine’s sire was Musket, who arrived in New Zealand in 1866, and influenced the bloodstock of half the world.
Today there are more than 200 thoroughbreds ires and more than 5000 brood mares in New Zealand, producing an average of about 3000 yearlings annually.
Manyof these horses go on to have a career in racing.
But where do the slow horses go? And what happens to a retired racehorse?
Youmay not realise it but manyof the horses you see out competing in the show jumping and showing arenas are recycled racehorses.
One event that has been specifically created to show off these equine athletes is the Royal A&P Society (RAS) Livamol Thoroughbred series.
This year, for the first time, one of these classes will be held at the CHB A&P Show.
The Ridden TB Show Horse event is for registered thoroughbreds, and points are accumulated that will result in an overall series winner, to be announced at the conclusion of a feature class at the Horse of the Year Showin 2021.
The horses will be judged on their “true TB qualities” andwill be assessed on their conformation (how correct their physique and limbs are), their paces (how well and correctly they move) and their manners (obedience and how well they behave when ridden).
The conformation marks are 80 per cent of the horse’s score, with the paces and manners 20 per cent.
The horses will first be judged ridden, with the rider putting the horse through all paces from a walk to a trot, canter and if there’s enough rooma gallop.
Secondly the judge will assess the horse’s physique, spotting any faults.
The RAS Livamol TB series Ridden TBShowHorse eventwill be held at the hack ring (towards the stopbank) at the CHB A&P Showgrounds on Saturday, November14.