SUE WALLIS, who works with Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) on its marketing and PR, along with Vicky Smart and Charlotte Wilson, of Snainton Riding Centre, are organising a musical ride to promote talent and to showcase the adaptability of the ex-racehorse.

Six former racehorses and local riders will be performing a choreographed 12-minute musical routine at Bishop Burton during the FEI Junior European Championships on Saturday.

The routine has been edited by Yorkshire-based musician Karry Gardiner. She has a degree in music from the Royal Academy and has worked with many well-known artists during her own career as a flautist. Karry has put together a five-track music sequence, using special computer software to either speed up or slow down tracks so that the music is without distortion to the original track, starting with Queen’s We are the Champions and ending with Tina Turner’s Simply the Best.

Karry has spent many hours watching the horse’s to digitally mix the music tracks and rhythms and that she has told the story of the racehorse to transition to riding horse story with the choice of tracks.

Charlotte has successfully retrained racehorses for dressage, jumping and hunting and has put together the team of horses and local riders and choreographed this routine.

The routine takes discipline for both horse and rider.

“It’s challenging for horses to work together, passing closely head to head, working in pairs and as a group,” she said.

“It requires a whole new skill set for horse and rider to achieve great discipline to perform as individuals and as part of a team.”

Charlotte’s 14-year-old daughter, Ellen, will lead out the routine at Bishop Burton, riding RoR show champion Roger’s Revenge, owned and bred by Vicky and Bryan Smart. Also taking part is the former winner of the prestigious York Ebor Heritage Handicap race, Moyenne Corniche. This nine-year-old gelding won the Ebor at York in 2011 and amassed nearly £200,000 in prize money during his time as a racehorse.

The full list of six RoR horses/riders include: Roger’s Revenge, ridden by Ellen Wilson from Scarborough; Attacca, ridden by Sylvia Robinson from York; Middlebrook, ridden by Kathy Boothman from Nawton; Shaydreambeliever, ridden by Julie Brierley from Scarborough; Moyenne Corniche, ridden by Anne Allett from Malton; and Markestino, ridden by Victoria Lockey from Scarborough.

All riders have said that working with music has a massive impact on the horse’s way of behaving.

Julie Brierley, who has only owned her ex-racehorse Shaydreambeliever for two years, said: “It’s really helped build my confidence, helped me understand my horse’s behaviour and we have learnt how to be patient together and about how to be well behaved around other horses. My horse loves the music.”

RoR is Britain’s official charity for the welfare of horses who have retired from racing. Since it was established in 2002, the charity now has 9,500 registered horses and it runs an established programme of competitions, RoR Series, across a range of equestrian disciplines including eventing, showing, show jumping, dressage, endurance, polo. In addition, the charity offers clinics and demonstrations through its network of regional co-ordinators to help with retraining and to show the adaptability of former racehorses.