If you’re anything like me then you will probably think that owning a racehorse is a very expensive hobby reserved only for the rich. While this may be true there are lots of ways that you can get involved in racehorse ownership for a lot less money. The most common and affordable is by buying a share of a horse. During the recent Ebor Festival at York Racecourse, Great British Racing inviting me along to go behind the scenes at a big race meeting and also to provide an insight to life as a racehorse owner.
The day started off with a visit to the trainer, Ruth Carrs yard where she showed my round, introduced me to some horses and described the daily routine that the horses go through. Ruth’s approach to training is a little less regimented that a lot of other trainers but she believes that keeping her horses happy is key, so as well as feeding them a strict diet, keeping them fit and prepped for races, they also have a daily allocated ‘playtime’ where the horses are set off to spend time turned out on her expansive yard unsupervised. To date she has trained over 315 winners, so she must be doing something right!
A day at the races is always a great occasion. Whether you’re dressed in your finest and heading to one of the big events or are simply heading down to an evening meeting at your local racecourse, the atmosphere and buzz is fantastic! I’ve been lucky enough to experiences the likes of Royal Ascot and the Cheltenham Gold Cup in the past and always had a fantastic day. Even if you’re not that into horse-racing you can’t help but get sucked in on the day.
As I was being treated as a horse owner for the day I was able to access some parts of the venue that are normally closed to the public included attending the jockey weigh-in, visiting the parade ring and even watching a race get underway from the starting gates. It was a really interesting look at some of what goes on behind the scenes.
I was fascinated to discover that it’s actually possibly to buy a share of a racehorse for as little as £100. Great British Racing have launched a dedicated new website which showcases just how affordable ownership can be and details a whole host of options to buy into horses that race all over the UK. You can find the ideal horse for you by narrowing down your search on inthepaddock.co.uk based on location, cost, payment terms, race type etc.
As well as allowing you to search for a horse, the website also offers lots of practical information on racehorse ownership and some of the key things for you to consider.
If you’re interested in finding out more or joining a syndicate then head over to inthepaddock.co.uk to get started!
