Retraining a race horse

Question
I have a thoroughbred gelding who is 7 and he has been laid off 9 months now.  He is stalled but we turn him out daily.  We have just started his retraining.  He is going fine at the walk and that is about it.  He is very flighty at the trot, a complete nervous wreck actually. he will canter but he crow hops for the first 20 seconds or so.  I have retrained 2 other thoroughbreds and never had this "nervous" problem before.  He is on alfalpha hay - no grain- and a mineral block.  He never seemed nervous until we started working with him.  We are very quiet riders and know better than to push too much do you think this horse has maybe just been pushed too hard at the track and is very sensitive?  Any advice would be greatly appreciated.  I would like to go on and have him atleast doing training level this time next year.  Thank you.

Answer
Hi Rayna,
It's good that you don't want to push too hard or progress too fast.  In my experience it's better to be pleased at the progress made than expect too much, too soon.
I'd say, back off even more.  Even without seeing the horse, I have a hunch that he would show signs of discomfort of any kind, mental or physical, at a walk... or even during groundwork.  

I might spend more time each session with doing lots of transitions during groundwork, at liberty or on the longe, in particular at the walk.  Then mounted, it might benefit him to do every exercise, every transition you can think of at the walk: serpentines, circles, few steps of lateral work, walk-stop, slow walk-medium walk - fast and or extendended walk, lots of bending and also start looking for straightness.

At first,  I would not even try to get the horse on the bit, I'd just looks for softness, and trying to get him to understand seat aids, with the majority of the work at tha walk.

When you ask for a faster walk, if he trots, bend him to a stop after only 3-5 strides at the trot.  

When you decide you are ready to trot, ride a nice circle and try to have no contact, in fact, fairly long reins ... but circle back to a walk after 5-7 strides.  

When you think he's is concentrating enough on you to trot, don''t trot straight... not at all!...go circles, snakelines, anything but boring and predictable straight down the rail.  And again, do not even ask for anything like collection, just do lots of transitions.

Work all that again, at the trot, including many slow-medium -faster trot...
and when he might just pick up the canter, ALLOW him to go on a large circle with fairly loose reins (which granted, can be a bit rattling on the rider if the horse hasn't setteled).. but bend him into a smaller circle after only a few strides and ease him back down without using more refined rein aids.

Have you considered having a diet of half alfalfa and half grass or oat hay?

Rena