You did not want any snarky comments, but making them yourself seems to be just fine for you?
You have been getting good, thoughtful advice here from experienced riders and trainers.
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You can 100% tell how green a horse is from that video.
A. The way the horse is carrying herself through the turn
B. Way the rider is using hands to help turn horse with no connection.
Screams green all day long.
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The way in which a horse goes around a corner is usually pretty telling. I would expect a well-educated horse to bend around the rider’s inside leg while accepting and relaxing into contact on the outside rein.
In contrast, this horse appears to be bulging inwards.
Now, the rider also appears to be taking their leg off, which might not be helping, but the first impression to a somewhat experienced eye is that this horse is relatively green.
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Yes to all the above. Once you’ve brought along a horse from greenish to more educated, and seen how educated horses move, gaps in training are very evident both in saddle and from the rail.
That said, many lesson programs run on horses that are more or less broke but very uneducated and basically evergreen. A lesson program has the option to free leases retired kids jumpers if folks really trust the coach, which is fantastic. But otherwise they source cheap horses wherever and will use some quite raw OTTB if that’s all they can get. And an OTTB basically trained in a lesson program is not a happy or correct horse.
All this to say it’s possible mare goes more or less like the horses OP is used to in a low end lesson program. In that case OP would have no criteria for evaluating training. But everyone on here more experienced is saying similar things about this horse.
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“Green” in this case, of course, is meaning lacking skills and proper training, but maybe not saddle time. A horse can be ridden daily for years, even jumped regularly by a slick rider, and still be quite green. A well schooled horse, even with 6 months off, IME would carry itself differently around a corner than seen in the video.
So for OP’s situation, this will be a Project with a capital P. I would not personally suggest a project for anyone’s first horse, except in very specific situations (trainer’s kid who has access to lots of made horses, someone who has been long term leasing nice schoolmasters and training greenies on the side, someone putting horse in full training with a top program, etc).
Disregarding greenness and what looks like a very uncomfortable horse, I’ll say again that the roaring alone would be a pass for me. Tieback surgery isn’t cheap and isn’t a guarantee, and roaring is considered an unsoundness in many disciplines.
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The rider also seems to be giving an EXCEPTIONALLY tactful ride.
By tactful I mean “keeping hand and leg to an absolute minimum to avoid triggering resistance or possible explosion in front of prospective buyer”
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Not even going to look at the video, just going off what OP has shared…
Roaring is generally considered an unsoundness and many judges will not use a horse they can hear puffing around the course. You don’t get to explain or give excuses, judge just hears the noise and may not use it. How much money does OP have to diagnose and treat to correct the issue? IF it is fixable.
Custom fitted saddle can indeed improve the way the horse moves. Or not if there are physical issues. Again, what’s OPs budget for a new saddle and/or diagnostics to identify the problem and possible treatment?
A good PPE costs as well.
One other question, confused, read that mare is recently off the track then it was stated she’d been under saddle for years??? Maybe I read it wrong?
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Sorry if I made this unclear, she’s been off the track since she was 6 she is almost 8 so it’s been almost 2 years off the track. This may sound dumb but I’m wondering since tb’s generally have smaller mouths and the bit is huge maybe that’s impacting her airway and making her breathing sound like that? It’s probably not but just a thought
Not a dumb question! Horses can’t breathe through their mouths, and the airway is farther back than the bit sits. So no, bits themselves won’t contribute to the roaring. Sometimes head/neck position (cranked in and closing off the throatlatch) can make it worse/louder, but the bit itself doesn’t.
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I’m another pass. At your skill level, I’d steer you towards one that isn’t so green (yes you can tell from that video), and one that doesn’t have at least one health issue (roaring). Roaring isn’t caused by a bit. It may be harder to resell because of that too.
I have seen too many cases of the price being the only thing “right” in a new horse for a younger intermediate rider. It usually ends up being a losing and expensive situation for all involved.
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No. She is a roarer. Bits dont do that
Almost 2 years is nothing in OTTB time. Many OTTB are put out to pasture or on the back burner for up to a year to decompress then restarted. And if they have soundness issues that will impact sale price like roaring they are definitely on the back burner.
Because OTTB are used to being ridden by jockeys they can be an easier restart than a colt but because this horse had 6 years using her body like a race horse she has more to unlearn physically.
I would not be at all surprised to find out mare has been in a field for most of the past 2 years and only has about 3 months restart on her. I’ve watched people do this from the trainer side.
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Roaring is tricky.
In my experience, vets would prefer not to do a tie back until the larynx is fully paralyzed, because it can work loose otherwise (this is a bit of a simplification but gives you the idea.) The problem is, in the meantime, you have a horse that can’t get a full breath, which can make some horses understandably panicky and definately makes them inverted, so they really do need a very tactful ride. I’ve had one. Even after the surgery he was tricky to put on the bit as he would get worried about his breathing.
The surgery isn’t minor (full, lay down anesthetic), was quite expensive, and the aftercare was not fun, either.
If this were a fabulous creature who was a total packer with a long record and had everything else going in her favor it would be one thing, but in reality, I’m sorry, but you are not setting yourself up for success here as a first horse.
Take the time to find yourself a nice user-friendly first horse. Looking at the video, this is not that horse, in my “old-lady, 55 years in horses” opinion.
It doesn’t have to be a superstar–in fact, probably shouldn’t be, just something you feel safe and comfortable on that is serviceably sound and you are able to have fun with (sounds like pretty much what we all need.)
Good luck!
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So I messaged the seller asking about her breathing and she said she in fact does have roaring. Will not be going ahead with this mare. They never mentioned that when I went to view her. She also said most tbs have a roar, do they? I have ridden quite a few tbs and none of them had a roar.
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Ummmm….no, most TBs do not roar.
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No way. That’s a very shady seller, TBH, for a list of reasons. I would not be looking at any other horses from them.
Roaring is literally a paralyzed flap in the airway, that prevents them from taking a full breath. Breathing issues are about the worst thing you can have on a racehorse. You often see very nicely bred TB mares with a roar offered to pleasure sport homes, since no sane person would breed them for racing.
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This. There are several OTTBs at my barn and none of them are roarers as far as I know.
Definitely take the time to find something without so many upfront concerns. Even setting the roaring aside, it seems this mare would have other issues that could easily run into thousands of dollars and lots of time to address. Better to save a bit more if necessary to get something that is more ready to be enjoyed as a first horse right off the bat.
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Nope. Not a real thing. I’ve known several OTTBs (I own one, in fact) and none of them have had roaring issues.
You’re making a smart decision by walking away. If the seller “forgot” to disclose the roaring, and actually told you it’s nothing to worry about, what else are they “forgetting” to tell you?
I feel sorry for this poor mare, though. She’s not trained well enough to just bebop around the pasture on, probably not quiet enough for trails, but not sound enough for the ring. Maybe with a better rider who can actually give her a foundation, she’d stand a chance, but if what I see in that video is any indication . . .
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Sometimes, roarers are surprisingly quiet…the ones I’ve known have all been pretty quiet. I always thought it might be because they couldn’t get enough air for mischief.
Edited to add quiet in temperament. You can hear them very well.
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Definitely keep looking, and try to stay objective. I think when you’re looking for a first horse, it’s very easy to fall in love with everything you see. You start imagining it in your barn, yourself riding and showing it… try not to do that dreaming until the contract is signed and the money handed over. From the posts about your experience level, you need something that is more trained and has fewer issues. And that is okay! You want to have fun and be able to learn and build a partnership with your first horse, not be frustrated by a project with expensive medical needs. Take your time and wait for the right fit.
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Ha! Brb, going to go Botox my horse’s larynx. We’ll make it an annual thing every January 
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