ex racehorse retraining

Question
I have been re training a gelding I bought off the racetrack as a 3 year old.  IO was wondering how they are trained to race because I am trying to break a habit of running past things and getting way to amped when going into a competition and having gate issues.  My gelding is now 6, almost 7, and broke to death, picks up shoulders/hips, stops when I take a deep seat in the saddle however every time we go to a barrel race where there is excitment he runs past the first barrel and takes half of the arena to make his first turn.  Also he becomes very excited and starts to rear.  I have taken the past two years doing slow work and he does well until I add speed.  Are racehorses trained to block out cues while running?  Do you have any suggestions on what to do to help with his excitment?  I currently run him in a tom thumb and use a tie-down.

Answer
Race horses need to be very sensitive to cues, and respond well under pressure.
Back off his grain if you are feeding him grain. Focus on high quality hay. Also, I've seen many barrel horses get excited when they go into a ring, and as long as they are under control, its okay if they jump around. As far as "blowing" the first turn, are you grabbing hold of the rein and just having a pulling match? If this is the case you need to pull and release, as tempting as it is, it can make them lean on the rein that you're pulling with. So by doing a pull and release you are not giving him anything to lean on. Also make sure his teeth are not bothering him. Is he doing this in one direction only? Make sure your tack fits properly and nothings pinching. If you rule out the feed, leaning, teeth,tack and everything is okay, you could try a different bit. A bit he can't lock against, like a fulmer is recommended. If he needs a stronger bit, just to school in, you could also try a charmayne james short shank. I wouldn't try anything with a longer shank because thoroughbreds off the track aren't used to that kind of pressure and when used by someone who doesn't have soft, experienced hands, it can cause the horse to flip over.

Thoroughbreds are bred for speed and endurance, not for their manners and trainability. Genetically they are high strung, spirited animals. The reason he is not racing now is either because he got hurt, was slow or unable to handle the stress of training. This is why you have him and he is not a successful race horse. If he was unable to race then there is a good possibility that he will not be good at anything. Thoroughbreds also have very delicate legs which would not be good at a sport like barrel racing. He may be in pain from an injury which also could make him act the way he does.

I suggest either finding a horse mentally and physically sturdier and better suited for this type of sport, such as a quarter horse. If you want to stick with him, give him a year off to learn how to be a horse again and then start all over with him very slowly. It could take another year to train him for this new job.