Horse
Ownership

This is where one person owns the whole horse.  All the decisions will be taken between them and the trainer and all the owner’s prize money will go to the Sole Owner.  The Sole Owner is exclusively responsible for all the costs of the horse’s keep.  The Sole Owner needs to be a registered with Weatherbys as a registered owner.

Hugo and his team attend all major European Horse Sales and will be very happy to find the right horse for you.

This involves a group of up to 20 people owning the horse together.  It is a fantastic way to own horses and split the expense between friends and also to meet new people.  Many lifelong friendships have been made through owning horses in Racing Partnerships. 

We put together partnerships every year and have shares to fit all pockets.

As of 2023, we have set up the Manor House Stables Syndicates with Cheshire Dancer winning three times on the track for the syndicate.

A great opportunity to join a group of likeminded individuals on the journey of racehorse ownership at a fraction of the cost of sole ownership.

For more details please contact us on +44 (0) 1948 820485 or email to info@manorhousestables.com

We hope that any queries you may have can be answered on this page. If there is anything that is not covered here that you would still like to ask, please contact us…

TYPES OF OWNER
3.1 SOLE OWNER: an individual registered with the BHA who is the sole owner, or Lessee, of racehorses (any individual who is to be a Partner in a Partnership or a Syndicator or Club Manager must also first register as a Sole Owner).
3.2 COMPANY: a limited Company registered with the BHA which is either the owner, or lessee, of racehorses (any limited company which is to be a Partner in a Partnership or a Syndicator or Club Manager must also first register as a Company).
3.3 PARTNERSHIP: a form of shared ownership where the Partners (either individuals or entities) own, or lease, a percentage interest in racehorses.
3.4 SYNDICATE: a form of shared ownership where the Syndicate Members own, or lease, an interest in racehorses.
3.5 RACING CLUB: an entertainment associated with racehorses, where the Racing Club Members acquire no ownership rights to, or lease an interest in, any racehorses but may acquire certain benefits such as the sharing of prize money.

WHAT IS FLAT RACING?
Flat racing is a test of speed, stamina, and the skill of the jockey in choosing the right tactics; knowing where to position their horse in the race, when to restrain their horse or to ask it to make an effort. Races are held over a variety of distances from 5F to over 2 miles and under conditions with eligibility based on the sex, age or ability of the horse. The majority of Flat races in the UK are run on grass, but some are run on synthetic or all-weather surfaces. These tracks are called all weather because the materials they are made of have better drainage than turf. In cold weather, these surfaces allow racing to continue when it might otherwise be cancelled due to frost or frozen ground.

HORSE NAME AVAILABILITY
In order for a horse to be eligible to race under Rules or in Point-to-Points they must be registered with a unique name, which will remain with them for life. This is to distinguish each horse from others in a race and allows bloodlines and pedigrees to be more easily traced. A horse will also need to be registered with a unique name if it is to be used for breeding purposes. There are a number of rules surrounding the naming of racehorses which must be adhered to in order to make a successful naming application for your horse.

WHAT INFORMATION DO I RECEIVE ABOUT MY HORSE?
You will receive regular updates from Hugo, as well as images, videos and reports.

CAN I REGISTER OWNERSHIP IN A COMPANY NAME?
Yes, you can. We have even had horses named after an owners business.

WHAT IS A HANDICAP RATING?
In essence a handicap rating is a numeric representation of a horse’s form and, therefore, its perceived level of ability at any given time. Imagine a long staircase in which every step is labelled with a number and ascends by one at a time. The higher the horse on the staircase, the better we think that horse is. We express this difference in ability in terms of weight therefore each step represents one pound (0.45 kilos). If Horse A’s current handicap rating is three steps higher than Horse B’s, we think those two horses would have a theoretically equal chance of winning a handicap race if Horse A carried three pounds more than Horse B e.g. 9 stone and 7lbs and 9 stone and 4lbs. A handicap rating not only indicates the relative merit of any horse compared with another, but also provides some historical context with which to judge active horses against those that have raced in the past.

RACING COLOURS
For many owners, selecting their racing colours is one of the most exciting parts of the ownership experience. One of the privileges of racehorse ownership is designing the racing colours, sometimes known as silks, and then seeing them worn by the jockey on your horse. However, you don’t need to be a registered owner under the Rules of Racing in order to register colours. Under the British Horseracing Authority regulations there are only 18 set of colours to choose from – which are all available in our custom silk designer. No two sets of colours can be exactly the same and must be based on a choice of patterns and shades laid down by the BHA. All new colour registrations must include a unique body and sleeve combination, conforming to these designs.

FLAT RACING TERMINOLOGY
Horse racing has plenty of terms that may be unfamiliar to some viewers, so here are a few Flat racing-specific ones.
Break – Used to describe horses exiting the stalls to begin the race; if a horse ‘missed the break’ they have had a poor start.
Classic races – Classic races are a group of historic major contests for three-year-olds. There are five ‘Classic’ races in the Flat racing calendar – the 2000 Guineas, the 1000 Guineas, the Oaks, the Derby, and the St Leger.
Foal – A horse from birth, usually in the earlier parts of the year, to January 1st of the following year. After that, they become a yearling for a full year.
Furlong – 220 yards or 201 metres.
Gates – This is the front section of the starting stalls which open to commence a Flat race.
Group races -– They are the upper band of races that are split into Group 3, Group 2, and Group 1 contests – all of the Classic races are Group 1s.
Green – Horses that are described as green are often inexperienced and quite keen.
Handicap – A race where horses of varying ratings are allocated weight according to their ability in order to equalise every horses’ chance of winning.
Headquarters or HQ – People will refer to Newmarket as the HQ of Flat racing.
Off the pace – When a horse is ridden some distance behind the leaders in a race.
Sprint races – Contests that occur over five and six furlongs.
Stakes race – A race where some, or all, of the prize money, was contributed by owners of the horses involved.
Staying races – Contests that occur over two miles or above.

CAN I TAKE FRIENDS AND FAMILY ALONG TO THE RACES?
Yes. At the majority of meetings, you have the opportunity to buy additional badges to the number your share size allocation entitles you to, providing you have let us know beforehand. This is not always possible at the bigger racing festivals, such as Royal Ascot, The Epsom Derby meeting, the Qatar Goodwood Festival etc. as the racecourses strictly limit certain enclosure badge numbers (as mentioned above).

UNDERSTANDING THE FLAT RACING CALENDAR
The Flat racing calendar on the turf runs from the end of March to the end of October with the major meetings including the York Dante Festival, Epsom Derby Weekend, Royal Ascot, the Newmarket July Festival, the York Ebor Meeting, Glorious Goodwood, and the St Leger Festival. There are three races that form the British Triple Crown of Classics: the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket, the Epsom Derby, and the St Leger at Doncaster. These are the most prestigious races for breeding purposes, though the King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Ebor, and Cesarewitch are also high-value contests.

DO I RECEIVE AN OWNER’S BADGE WHEN MY HORSE RACES?
Yes. When your horse is declared to run, (48 hours beforehand), you will receive an email/message asking you if you would like to attend. There is an important deadline to this request and we also ask for the full name/s of those who would like to apply for a badge.

CAN I INSURE MY SHARE?
When you purchase a share, the horse is not insured. However, you may choose to insure your share and this can be done independently or alternatively we can assist you with that. We would require written confirmation stating that you would like us to look into insuring your share.

DO I HAVE INPUT IN MY HORSE’S CAREER?
We do welcome opinion from each owner regarding your horses’ racing plans.

CAN I VISIT MY HORSE AT THE STABLES?
You can visit MHS as often as you like, please contact the team and arrange a visit.

HOW OFTEN WILL MY HORSE RUN?
The wellbeing of the Horse will be of paramount importance and the strategy for the management and racing of the Horse shall always be subject to the advice of the trainer and if necessary, at any time, the vets. We pride ourselves on treating each horse as an individual, not just a number within our whole string, therefore the amount of starts during a season can vary from horse to horse. Some horses thrive on racing, some appreciate a bit of time between starts; therefore, each horse is different.

RETIREMENT FROM RACING PROTOCOLS
If a horse sustains a career ending injury, there is a duty of care attached to the horse by the owners. After the horse has received the treatment and recuperation it requires, we will then endeavour to find the horse, a happy home to spend its retirement from racing, as soon as possible. It’s anticipated that owners should remain.