Guards Polo Club Official Yearbook 2017 Official Yearbook 2017 | Page 114

retraining horses
ROR – THE BRIDGE BETWEEN
R ACING AND POLO
The charity Retraining of Racehorses offers former racers a new lease of life – often on the polo field
P
olo and horseracing have enjoyed
close links throughout each of
their illustrious histories and long
before the establishment of Retraining
of Racehorses (RoR) polo ponies were
regularly sourced from racing. However, the
emergence and growth of RoR has served
to formalise the relationship between the
two sports and to the benefit of both.
Founded in 2000 by Brigadier Andrew
Parker-Bowles, RoR is British Horseracing’s
official charity for the welfare of horses
that have retired from racing. Among its
key roles is to promote the adaptability
and versatility of racehorses to other
equestrian activities. The charity’s
ultimate goal is to maintain a balance
between the number of horses leaving
racing and the number of enthusiastic,
suitable, new homes available to take on
former racehorses.
The RoR has grown significantly
in recent years. This is largely due to
the charity’s strategy of creating and
increasing the opportunities for former
racehorses to participate in other
sports. There are now over 10,000
horses registered with RoR and the
charity organises hundreds of classes,
competitions and events per year
exclusively for former racehorses.
Richard Le Poer, RoR Young Polo Pony Producer
of the Year for 2016, with his winners’ cheque
114
Mark Tomlinson in action
with one of his RoR ponies
This includes, for the first time, an
RoR class in the polo pony classes, in
association with Guards Polo Club, at the
Royal Windsor Horse Show this May.
It is probably not a coincidence that
there has also been an increase in the
number of former racehorses competing
at the top level in equestrian sports.
The last 12 months have seen former
racehorses finish third at Badminton
Horse Trials, shine in Rio in the Olympic
Three-Day-Event, compete internationally
in dressage and para-dressage and at the
top level in polo.
In fact, this charity provides
opportunities from the grass roots up
to the elite and at the end of each year
the RoR Awards recognises the best
former racehorses competing in dressage,
endurance, eventing, polo, showing and
showjumping. Trophies and total prize-
money of £17,500 is shared between the
year’s elite champions.
The 2016 RoR Elite Polo Champion was
Dancing Daisy. She was produced by polo
player Ali Paterson, who started riding the
mare when he was still in Pony Club. Last
year Dancing Daisy moved to Argentina,
where she has played at the top level under
Uruguayan high-goal star David Stirling.
Included among the range of RoR’s
polo activities for 2017 is the young
producer of the year prize, awarded
to the player judged to be the most
successful at retraining racehorses for
polo. Other awards include the popular
RoR Challenge competition and the
valuable elite prize awarded at the end of
the year.
To find out more go to www.ror.org.uk
guards polo club official yearbook 2017