RENNETI’S racing career included partnerships with the likes of Thierry Jarnet, Pat Smullen, Declan McDonogh, Paul Townend and Ruby Walsh. Claire Farrell was undaunted even with Renneti’s character reference.

While Renneti was a stakes winner on the flat and won eight times in 41 starts including three times over hurdles, he had also developed a reputation as a “character”. No stranger to the biggest stages, he was in the money at Royal Ascot and a winner at Fairyhouse and Galway. However, his 2018 season featured a return to an old trick – he refused to race on two occasions having done the same at Fairyhouse back in 2014.

A challenge

While Ruby Walsh and Pat Smullen managed multiple wins on Renneti, many other top riders had found him more than a challenge. Sam and Hannah “Sparkles” Watson were called upon to try to keep him sweet. It was during his time in Ballybolger that he entered Claire Farrell’s life, she explains: “Just as Covid hit and we all went into lockdown, I was asked by Sam and Sparkles to take on Renneti as a project. Sam and Sparkles both had him going so well on the flat while a racehorse, he was easy to transition to retraining.”

The previously jet-setting Renneti found himself on Bodal Farm in Gowran, chilling out. “He arrived at Bodal and settled straight in,” says Claire. “Busy farm life and always something happening kept him well entertained for the first few weeks. He got used to the endless amount of horse boxes arriving for bales of hay and soon realised none of them were taking him racing!

“A few easy hacks and some time off up the fields with all the other horses for a quick summer break while I did my college exams, allowed him to really settle and turn inside out.

“This downtime is so important for any horse I feel, especially for ex-racehorses. They need the time for their heads to settle and their bodies to adapt to the new task ahead of them.”

Original plans to concentrate on eventing have gradually shifted as Renneti’s preference for the discipline of dressage was revealed: “I targeted the Stepping Stones to Success League in Wexford Equestrian Centre,” Claire explains. “This is an excellently run event and really supports the development of young horses but also the thoroughbreds, having their own section.

Dressage scores

“My original ambitions centred on eventing. Renneti’s cruising speed made the cross-country section great fun, but we soon found that he struggled with firm ground and his good dressage scores were being dragged down by occasional errors when it came to the show jumping.”

In 2022, Claire decided to focus on dressage and this has led to a string of achievements: “We have had many highlights, especially since joining Dressage Ireland in July last year (2022). In his first two competitions, Renneti gained his qualification for the Dressage Ireland Championship in Barnadown, he also managed to win both his tests in our second-ever dressage competition and score a 72.40%. The results built up from there with a Reserve Champion in the preliminary at the championships and Top Thoroughbred supported by Treo Eile.”

Renneti fulfilled a lifetime ambition for Claire when he qualified for the Racehorse to Riding Horse class at the RDS: “It was a thrill of a lifetime for me but perhaps not Renneti’s finest hour,” admits Claire. “He is definitely happier in the tranquility of the dressage arena than in the bustle of Ring No.2!”

Asked what advice she would give to future retrainers Claire said: “Be open-minded. They are not machines and we are all only human at the end of the day, so try to enjoy it all, even if you’re having a bad day, don’t give up, it will come, but don’t let it affect the next day. It will all pay off in the long run.”