Sponsored by The Jockey Club, the four-day RoR National Championships extravaganza is the biggest event in the UK for showcasing the versatility of the thoroughbred and is the pinnacle of the showing calendar for former racehorses.
BTRC rehome retired racehorses to a variety of homes, some enjoying a quieter life of hacking and others more competitive homes. A few of those in competitive homes, attended the 2023 RoR National Championships and had a fantastic time! Read on to hear how they got on:
BTRC Don’t Touch & Lauren
“When I received the email to say we had qualified for the RoR Champs I was over the moon and so proud of Donald. We have worked our socks off this year with it being our first season getting out regularly competing. Aintree has always been a favourite venue of mine and luckily is very local so to be able to ride in the middle of the track was surreal, it was also a very good experience for us both having never ridden a dressage test on grass before and I was beyond pleased with his behaviour and him keeping his cool with a lot going on and being back on racecourse since his race days. However, the proudest moment was being invited to take part in the Always A Star Parade in the evening performance Saturday night as I got to show him off for everyone to see whilst the commentator read out his racing achievements, very proud and hoping to return next year.”
BTRC Ideal Recruit & Becca
“We had an amazing but exhausting few days at Aintree for the National Champs. We let the occasion get to us in the arena and only managed 60% in our intro test but then upped our game out on the grass and got a really solid 63.4% in the prelim. He then had a bit of a party in the in-hand class but still came 5th. Most importantly we’ve all had a great time, Rio was an absolute saint with the kids and they’ve had so much fun and are already planning next year’s trip!”
BTRC Hailing Park & Rachael
“She won national hunt veteran on Friday and amateur produced national hunt horse (only mare in both classes) and then took overall in hand champion on the Friday. She went through the first round for preliminary judging in the open in hand on the Saturday (class of 42) and finished in the top 10 narrowly missing out on the evening performance. She was the only mare to be placed and every other horse was at least 3 years her junior . She has also qualified for STARS champion of champions in November for the veterans and the ex racehorses. What a horse she is!”
Well done to all of our loaners for their achievements, it is not all about results but having a great trip out and a positive experience.
You must be logged in to post a comment.