Mills Stables Retraining Racehorses

28/10/2025

We have some extremely sad news about the lovely Richhill who joined us at the beginning of August and quickly found his best home with an amazing lady who adored him!
Unfortunately in the early hours of Saturday 25th October Richhill suffered a severe case of colic after having had surgery to remove a lump that had suddenly appeared on his face. Under the vets advice, he was put to sleep 😭
There are no words to describe how devastated we all are and how utterly heartbroken his owner is.
Life is so cruel and colic is the absolute worst thing for horses and takes far too many of them.
Richhill, you so deserved the long happy new life that we had found for you and your new owner didn't deserve to lose you like this after only just finding you 💔
The perfect gentleman who we all fell in love with 🏇

27/10/2025

Should Racehorses be given some retraining before rehoming?🏇

Not sure where to start or where I am going with this so bear with me a little!
Firstly, we absolutely love what we do, if we didn't then we certainly wouldn't do it because we don't really earn any money from rehoming the horses that we take in ourselves and we work 7 days a week all year round with very little family time for holidays and days out.
Now we worked in Racing and loved our time working with the Racehorses and I believe that is part of what gives us the special understanding we have with these horses when they retire from Racing.
I completely believe that all Racehorses should be assessed and given even some basic retraining before they are rehomed. So why do I feel that this is so important?
What these horses can be like when in Racing does not mean that they will necessarily be the same when they leave Racing!
We have had quiet horses in training become the most anxious to retrain and then some of the most anxious horses when Racing turn into the quietest, you cannot ever guarantee what they will be like until you have given them that time to adjust to their new lives and started their retraining with them. Some need time out, some prefer to keep busy, the horses dictate to us what they need and we work with them at the pace that suits them.
Why are retraining centres like ours so important?!
To give these horses that time to find themselves before they are thrown into the big wide world and to make sure that us, as professionals can try our very best to match them to the most suitable homes.
So how do we do that?
Once the horses are ready both mentally and physically to start their retraining, we allow the horses to find out what they enjoy doing. That may be hacking, schooling, jumping or even just eating in a field! We don't push them to do things they don't enjoy, we give them a choice and this means that we can then match them to people who want to enjoy then same things with a horse.
What happens when we rehome a horse?
We aren't a charity, we see ourselves as the retrainers that give the Racehorses that come to us the very best possible start in the next stages of their lives. We can't give horses away or loan because each horse that comes to us, funds the next one and the next one and what would we do if all the loan horses suddenly got sent back to us because owners decided that they didn't want them anymore!
We do however continue to be part of the horses lives for as much as the new owners want us to be and we have gone on to rehome some again for owners when their circumstances have changed.
So what do we believe should happen to Racehorses when they retire from Racing?
We believe that Racehorses should be sent to retraining yards and be assessed and given that time to make sure they are found the most suitable homes. Then there should ultimately be far less welfare cases when Racehorses are ending up in charities because the owner has over horsed themselves, does not have the right experience or knowledge to start their retraining and they end up under veterinary care for all sorts of issues that could have probably been avoided with the right start and with the right new owners.
Why aren't Racehorses getting this when they retire?
Retraining centres like ours aren't supported by the Racing Industry or RoR, although we have tried to put ourselves out there, we get shut down everytime we ask if the plans are moving forward for having more approved retraining centres for Racehorses to go to after leaving Racing. More money is getting put into the charities to support the horses that end up in the wrong homes but surely the most important thing to do is make sure that these horses get the best start and don't end up in the wrong hands in the first place!!!
To me, preventing welfare issues should be what we are looking at doing.
Racehorses shouldn't be getting advertised as straight off the track to make a nice eventer / allrounder without any retraining or having been allowed to be assessed to see if they will suit a busy yard, a quiet yard, can be ridden by a 12 year old because parents can't afford to buy their child anything else, or as a happy hacker but the horse has never hacked out alone before, the list goes on!!!
Surely we can sort something to get retraining centres like ours, around the country to support these Racehorses taking the next step into their new lives?
There have been talks about Racehorses coming out of training and having some financial support to give them the next stages that we offer, but where is that and if there is anything, where does it go because it isn't coming with the horses retiring to give them that support.
We work with a few trainers and Racehorse owners who do provide for their horses when they leave Racing so that they are given the best possible starts but this should be happening for all Racehorses!
Come on Racing Industry, why do we get told things are going to happen but years are passing and nothing is. Just more money getting thrown into trying to fix the Racehorses that are getting ruined by ending up in the wrong homes!
The start of a Racehorses new life is the most important and that is where they need our support so that they don't end up suffering in the wrong hands!!!!

I am prepared to annoy a lot of people with this and of course we will get the 'why should we be supported by the racing industry when we are rehoming Racehorses for money', well if we didn't rehome for money we couldn't help them because the industry that is supposed to support them doesn't want to help us help them!

There are loads of trainers and owners trying to do right by them but there are far too many welfare cases and Racehorses getting passed around and around.
We also have the issue of all the retired Racehorses coming into this country from all the other countries when we can't even support the ones we have here!

Please comment and share away because these horses deserve more!

Photo of our own 3 lovely Racehorses who started this all off for us 🏇

26/10/2025

🥰

24/10/2025

Looks like we are having a quiet weekend and no one wants to view any nice horses on Sunday!
A little update on Duque who is loving his new home 🥰🏇
It is a big new journey for both him and his owner and we will support them as much as they want our help and advice along the way.
We don't just send our horses off to their new homes we love keeping in touch and helping support them.
It is lovely to see and know that they take our advice to help Duque settle in and to give him the best possible start in his new home.
From wearing the mask, to keeping him on the gut supplements that we recommend, these things are so important helping these horses settle in sometimes.
We give them the best possible starts in their new lives out of racing and then we want to help their new owners to continue to do that.
As much as I enjoy having a quiet sunday sometimes, I do want to find our other horses their new homes very soon! Please do get in touch if you are genuinely looking for nice retrained Racehorses.
If you are the right person for our horses then you will get yourself a fabulous horse!

Photos of Duque in his new home and so lovely to see him chilling in his paddock because that tells me so much ❤️

For more info about other horses available or our retraining, call or message us on WhatsApp 07815 740052

24/10/2025

Two beautiful boys available for viewings on Sunday or next week!
Really need to find them their new person asap.

Enemy ~ 16.1hh, 12 year old gelding
Really easy to do in all ways
Competed in Dressage and Showing
Has been jumping
Hacks alone and in company

Shaman ~ 16hh, 12 year old gelding
Really easy to do ina in all ways
Schooling nicely
Started his retraining this summer.
Hacks alone and in company

Both lovely chunky boys who would certainly do well showing or dressage.
If you are looking for a very nice horse to carry on producing over the winter and bond with then do give these boys a thought and come and meet them!

Worcester, call or message me on WhatsApp 07815 740052
Please share 🙏

23/10/2025

Love seeing the horses so chilled 🥰
This is how they are meant to be. Not galloping around stressing or fence walking. If your horse is doing that they aren't happy!
It is lovely to see them go for a fun gallop now and then but this is what all our horses look like in our fields. Happy and relaxed 😴

Spaces available from November for retraining 🏇

22/10/2025

We are heading into winter but some of the horses think we have spring grass because we haven't seen any of this thick lush green stuff since last winter😂
I keep seeing loads of posts about crazy ex Racehorses and what the issues could be, alot of people are saying it must be pain related and probably kissing spine and ulcers and it could well be, but I would recommend ruling out the obvious first!
Don't panic if your lovely quiet ex Racehorse has suddenly started bouncing about like a spring lamb and feeling as if the slightest little touch when you ride and they could be setting off early fireworks and sending you into orbit, most of us are going through the same with some of them!
A lot of horses are having their routines changed and are starting to get stabled overnight so turnout time is getting reduced and for those that were coming out of summer a little light this year, because we had no spring or summer grass, which is usually what happens coming out of winter, the horses have been getting more hard feed and then bang the grass finally shot through!
So what have we done?
Luckily we have plenty of turnout so our horses are still staying out overnight and we haven't had to change any routines. The ones who were a bit light are all now looking and feeling fabulous on their SPILLERS senior mash and Spillers Gro n Win Balancer so we have reduced some of the hard feed and the ones that need that bit extra to get their guts settled again are having the Gastro Premier from Premier Performance
I completely admit that with a couple of horses, even we have done what I tell people not to do! I increased their feed a bit too much and got caught out by the grass growing.
We do try to always stay one step ahead so our horses don't experience these sudden bursts but even I was really worried that the grass was not going to come and then it did.
We are all going to have change the way we feed if the weather keeps changing the way it is. Spring grass doesn't seem to come like it used to at the moment but we enter winter with plenty again 🤷‍♀️
For now, I am enjoying the horses getting porky on the grass and will save the hard feed for when we need it!
If you do have any issues with the change in you ex Racehorse's behaviour don't under estimate how important what we feed them is. Healthy guts and the right amount of feed to suit the individual horse is so important and both SPILLERS and Premier Performance can advise what will suit your horse so ask the experts.
NOT the person in the next door stable feeding their cob or the yard owner who has told you it needs conditioning and then in the next breath is cursing that you have a dangerous horse!
Remember what your horse is and always will be, a Racehorse and learn to understand and listen to their needs 🥰🏇

21/10/2025

Another lovely horse found his new home at the weekend and has settled in great!
This means that we have spaces for retraining and rehab from next month so do get in touch if you have a former Racehorse and are feeling like you may need some help.
Wishing Nezar all the best!
We still have plenty of horses looking for their new homes 🏇

20/10/2025

The mud has arrived!
Sleepy pony after his mud bath party last night 🏇

17/10/2025

⭐️⭐️⭐️We have some amazing news!!!!⭐️⭐️⭐️
Duque is in his new home ❤️🏇
My gorgeous boy finally found someone who fell in love with him like we did and she is perfect for him!
We are so excited to follow their journey together and will always be here to support them along the way.
It may have taken all summer to find Duque his person but we wouldn't have let him go anywhere unless it was right for him and them.
Some lovely photos of him today before leaving us and settled in his new paddock 🥰

15/10/2025

We love this supplement!
Just put a couple on it this week to support their guts as the weather and grass change again! 🏇

Autumn… 🍂 🔥

Dropping temperatures and flushes of grass, are changes in routine and weather making your horse look like this 🐉 before you go to mount?

Eyes on stalks, visible heart beat… growing 2 hands 🫣 we’ve all been there!

There are ways you can support your horse this 👻 spooky season and providing your management is good and the horse is healthy, our recommendations to help calm the dragon 🐉 would be our Gut Ease Powder and Premier Calm.

These two products are helping 1000s of horses to feel more confident and settled this season and you have until Friday to use code: GUTBRAIN25 for 25% off both our gut and calming ranges.

Get in touch if you ever need help and advice, we are all horse owners here and our door is open in solidarity!