Benchmark Sporthorses?

[fordtraktor]

I will say that back in the day I bought one that failed a previous vetting from Jess. My vet looked at the rads and OKed it. She disclosed everything she had.

That horse went on to be successful like she said he would, for years. He sadly broke a leg in the pasture this winter, but until then he was winning consistently in the hunters with his lease person. He never did have a problem with the initial finding, though he had some other problems that were unrelated.

She was also truthful and accurate about my horse not being for everyone because he had big gaits. Really big, hard to sit gaits. And he did. That isn’t something everyone would even tell you, I had no problem with them though having ridden some even bigger moving WBs.

[Aussie_2020]

@Jleegriffith You are the kind of seller I like dealing with. Basic, clear info and then the buyer can make the decision.

Years ago my farrier called me and told me about a 2yo tb that he knew I would want. She had bowed both fronts but was rehabbing well. I went to see her and fell in love, not only was she big and beautiful, she had the kindest eyes. The barn staff and owner all said she was the barn favorite and that the exercise riders would fight over who got to ride her. My vet took x-rays of her front legs/feet because he thought I should have a reference and he also thought I should focus on dressage rather than jumping. So I switched disciplines for her, and she was worth every moment we had together.

[anonevent]

I’ve looked at many of her horse’s videos over the years and, repeatedly, chose not to reach out about them because I couldn’t get a good read on the horse due to the way he was being ridden. They show the horse’s movement and their capabilities in their sales videos, but I’ve never seen a video that showed temperament and rideability.

[omare]

What would you recommend be included in a video?

[enjoytheride]

What exactly are you wanting in a sales video to show temperament and rideability?

[anonevent]

This is just me, but I look at a lot of sales videos of OTTBs who are recently off the track. There are many flipper who ride horses in that phase of training day-in and day-out, and they can can make pretty much any horse behave under saddle well enough to get a 4 second clip of a walk, trot, canter and a couple jumps.

That’s a great skill. It displays the horse’s gaits. That’s totally important, but it doesn’t usually show me what that horse is like to ride beyond having those W/T/C buttons installed. I think some flippers might get desensitized to what a buyer needs to see because they’re so used to churning out horses with similar training levels.

The written descriptions will say that a horse is light or easy to work with and the videos look like that horse is being strong armed just as much as a horse they say is struggling. Again, this is just me, but especially if there’s a seller who has a reputation of discouraging second rides for prospective buyers, I’d like to see how the horse is on a looser rein in order to see their steerability, transitions. If you look at the Secretariat Center’s video, for example, I can generally get an impression of how rideable that horse is, not just what their gaits look like.

[jump4it]

She has videos of the horses being tacked up and ridden for quite some time (not just a 4 second clip). Why are you not able to test the loose rein or whatever else on the first ride?

[GraceLikeRain]

Riding on a loose rein isn’t a universal skill. I think on the rare fresh off the track baby capable of going around on the buckle, that’s always highlighted in the benchmark description and video. Realistically, I’d assume any 3-5 year old fresh off the track doesn’t really steer in a standard sense or understand how to ride on a loose rein. If I had reservations about my ability or my trainers ability to teach these fundamentals, I don’t think a fresh OTTB is a logical choice. I find the benchmark videos and descriptions to be uniquely comprehensive.

[Texarkana]

@anonevent

If you look at the Secretariat Center’s video, for example, I can generally get an impression of how rideable that horse is, not just what their gaits look like.

I have stayed mum on this thread, but I can’t bite my tongue any longer with statements like this one.

You have to compare apples to apples.

A 501(c ) 3 non-profit that retrains and rehomes thoroughbreds for some of the wealthiest benefactors in the industry is totally different than a reseller sourcing upper level prospects straight off the track as a business.

A horse with 90+ days retraining at the Secretariat Center is not the same as a horse who raced Friday and is being taken over its first fences on Wednesday, which is often the case with Benchmark horses.

[libgrrl]

I can appreciate that – but this isn’t a retrain – and prices reflect that. She has seen bunches and bunches of these guys, and she offers her opinions of what they will probably be like under ideal circumstances. I’d rather have an educated “eye on the ground” that can help me select something that is more likely to be appropriate for my needs than paying a bit more for a substandard “retrain” that I may need to undo.

[Amberley]

@Texarkana

a reseller sourcing upper level prospects straight off the track as a business.

With all due respect, resellers are not sourcing “upper level” prospects in any true sense of the word. They are nice TBs who can most likely do lower to mid level stuff assuming they stay sound. The odd one might make it to national level and once in a blue moon one might do better than that but sourcing true upper level prospects is a whole other kettle of fish. I know people who do that for a living and they show at those levels, or did, or have riders who do, and they find maybe 5-6 true UL prospects a year, tops, and they aren’t buying them sight unseen at the track.

[anonevent]

Sure. I’m not criticizing her pricing at all.

[LuvMyTB]

I think I get what you’re saying–light contact vs. being chased into the bridle. I don’t think anyone expects a freshly off-track TB to be loping around on the buckle, but my own OTTBs were re-started on a much lighter contact. I think it’s just a matter of training philosophy.

[Texarkana]

@Amberley

With all due respect, resellers are not sourcing “upper level” prospects in any true sense of the word.

I agree “upper level prospects” wasn’t the best choice of words. I didn’t mean it literally that it’s upper level prospects all the time.

What I meant she is sourcing horses that will be monetarily valuable to buyers, usually because of competition potential. Or at least that is the goal. This is a different goal than a nonprofit that is trying out to place horses into long term homes. Even somewhere like the Secretatiat Center who is more selective for a nonprofit isn’t sourcing the same type of horses.

[foursocks]

This sort of struck me, too. I do not know what Benchmark’s definition of upper level is–the only thing that makes sense to me given how often horses are listed as being UL prospects is if it’s Training. I don’t think of Training as UL (maybe Prelim? more probably I and A), but I know some people do. If that is the case, then sure, most decently sound and trained horses can get around that level. After that, things get more exacting and the field begins to narrow. I don’t think the majority of her clientele want to do/will end up doing UL stuff, either, even if they also think of that as Training.

[foursocks]

Oh, that makes sense. But she does list many of her horses as UL prospects, so it’s her meaning I was thinking about.

ETA: I would add that she has a great eye and knows what the market is interested in. I think her videos are good at showing horses working positively and doing various things within her particular program, and that has a lot of value. There are plenty of other resellers out there, so if her sales structure and approach doesn’t work for someone, it’s not like there are no other options! I’m not sure why this is a problem- people can present themselves and their horses however they wish, and if a buyer doesn’t like it, they can buy from someone else.

[Texarkana]

@foursocks

Oh, that makes sense. But she does list many of her horses as UL prospects, so it’s her meaning I was thinking about.

Oh, I wasn’t critiquing your use of the word. I agree. I was replying to @Amberley saying she isn’t sourcing all upper level prospects. Fair enough. When I used the phrase, I wasn’t thinking anyone would interpret it literally to imply she has a barn full of upper level prospects. I think most people understand how it works.

[anonevent]

I mentioned the content of SC videos because I thought they’d be a familiar reference. I didn’t mean to suggest that these are identical business models. I understand that it is different population of horses than what a flipper can typically access, but they’re in the same phase of training. SC shows first rides, second rides etc. if the horse sticks around for 3 months, they might get a 90 day video update. I’ve seen Benchmark videos of rides 90 days in too.

[Xctrygirl]

oooo I have a video sortof like what @anonevent was talking about.

We made this before he became the “Not fit for resale due to increased liability” when we saw he was symptomatic to KS and had broken a previous owner’s tailbone.

However… handling with my hubby, FABULOUS. And he’s pretty to look at and LOVES to be fed treats.

But yea…NOT safe for me to sell.

Sale Horse Theatre - Husband Safe - field retrieval edition

Em

[Aussie_2020]

@Xctrygirl. The face your husband gave you when you asked if he could bring the horse in was priceless. When my hubby would help me I always had him catch-up my big gelding. However wrong the halter was put on or whatever way he was led in that horse would take it all in stride. He never took advantage or reacted badly. A total saint of a horse.