Black Horse Hills

“Thoroughbreds Redefined”

Thoroughbred racehorses are highly disciplined athletes. Their careers are intensely focused on competing at the track, but with proper training, retired racehorses can become top medal-winning show horses.

Transitioning to a New Life

These horses are chosen in conjunction with a reputable and knowledgeable source at the track for their suitable temperament, physical condition and personality. When these  athletes arrive at Black Horse Hills, we turn them out and just let them “be horses.”

• They learn to relax in a low-stress environment.
  
• They begin to behave like a “normal” equine.
  
• After this rest period, each horse starts a well-planned and compassionate training program.

First-rate Training

Redefining a horse’s career requires confident, expert training that cannot be rushed. Each horse progresses, step by step, toward a new career that best suits them. The foothills, forests and streams that surround Black Horse Hills provide an ideal, natural setting for this training.

• We begin with low-stress, ground work to introduce the horses to the landscape, wildlife and four-season weather of Chester County.
  
• We progress to dressage sessions in the riding ring to strengthen balance.  The horses are ridden on Hoof Cushion™, a carefully formulated footing that combines synthetic fiber and crumb rubber to closely emulate good turf.
  
• Following a period of dressage, the horses start over ground rails, cavaletti and gridwork, progressing to course work.
  
• After a horse has gained confidence in the ring, we begin basic training on our varied cross-country course.

The Result

This carefully planned and professionally executed training allows us to evaluate the strengths of each horse and to recommend the best horse-human pairings.