I’m so excited! I’m an intermediate rider and with the help of a really good friend, we have come up with a way that makes it possible for me to find the perfect horse. On May 14th, her mom and us will be going to Suffolk Downs and choosing an OTTB who will then be trained by her mom until she knows the basics. She then will come up and continue her training with my trainer as well as myself. I’m 5’3.5" and ride eventing, although showing is something I want to do, it is my last priority. So I was wondering if anyone had any tips, stories, or comments on choosing the right OTTB or the first few months. Please share anything you feel might be helpful as I am trying to learn as much as I can. I’m particularly interested in conformation and body language to look for when choosing my new mare.
You are an intermediate rider? Don’t do this. Buy a horse that knows its job. An OTTB directly off the track is a horse for an experienced rider. Preferably one who has experience already with green and young horses. Not a “first horse” type. You are getting bad advice from this friend. It is 99% likely this will not at all be the “perfect horse” for you but will instead hurt your confidence and make it hard for your to develop your riding. don’t do it.
There are a lot of not fancy, plain but good horses around for the price of an OTTB and the training you’d have to invest that are very suitable for someone at your level of riding and that you can go have fun on NOW. Buy one of those.
[QUOTE=fordtraktor;8649726]
You are an intermediate rider? Don’t do this. Buy a horse that knows its job. An OTTB directly off the track is a horse for an experienced rider. Preferably one who has experience already with green and young horses. Not a “first horse” type. You are getting bad advice from this friend.[/QUOTE]
I dont think thats true at all. Depends on the horse. And if she is working with a trainer. If you are a backyard rider and going to bring this horse along alone, I wouldnt do it. But if you are working closely with a trainer, the right horse would be fine.
I wouldn’t do it either. It is EXTREMELY hard to know what the horse on the track will become. You would be much better off buying an OTTB from someone who had already taken the horse off the track. Ridden them and can better evaluate if they will be suitable for you. It might cost a bit more but not that much more.
In the end, you will not save money with this approach. It takes a year or two IME to get rid of soreness from racing and start to see what the horse I have will become. Not all of them want to be event horses. You are far better off saving a bit longer and buying a horse a bit further along who you know you click with and who wants to do the job. Good luck.
This is an incredibly DANGEROUS idea.
- Trainers think that all “show horse” people are rich and are trying to rip them off. The price will be higher than you can get through an OTTB place.
- Are you an expert in lameness? Most trainers will not want their horses vetted by a licensed vet.
- Do you know how to evaluate a horse who lives in his stall or on the track? You usually cannot ride them – do you know how to tell what you are looking at/for if all you can see is the horse being trotted at high speed (with a lip chain on) down a paved road.
Reasons 4. – 100. Do not do it. There are so many pitfalls that make this a really bad thing to do.
I have been in horses for 60 years and I know my way around the backstretch. I have bought horses off the track, but only from trainers I know or have faith in. I would never buy a horse from a trainer I did not know.
You have a 1 in 50 chance of ending up with a horse you want. 49 in 50 of ending up with a lame/crazy/unsuitable horse.
Throwing away your money is your choice. But what do you do with a 4 year old horse that no one wants?
There are great rescues out there who have vetted the horses for soundness and know their temperaments. Those horses need homes. Please get a horse from a reputable rescue.
[QUOTE=fordtraktor;8649726]
You are an intermediate rider? Don’t do this. Buy a horse that knows its job. An OTTB directly off the track is a horse for an experienced rider. Preferably one who has experience already with green and young horses. Not a “first horse” type. You are getting bad advice from this friend. It is 99% likely this will not at all be the “perfect horse” for you but will instead hurt your confidence and make it hard for your to develop your riding. don’t do it.
There are a lot of not fancy, plain but good horses around for the price of an OTTB and the training you’d have to invest that are very suitable for someone at your level of riding and that you can go have fun on NOW. Buy one of those.[/QUOTE]
Count me in as someone who is in close agreement, but not quite. Someone who has a good solid foundation that has a network of support in a good friend and a better trainer, an OTTB can be the perfect way to develop your capabilities as a rider. On the flip side, however, you would be stacking a lot of odds against you – keep in mind that purchasing an OTTB from the track will keep you from being able to show and be competitive for at least a year. This will be a sacrifice in terms of your riding future-term; it’s not uncommon for riders and their (first time) OTTBs to not be able to show for at least the first year and a half. Most riders will find themselves sacrificing their position and compromising their riding to “go with the horse” and this is where the trainer needs to come in. Fordtraktor is right in that the “perfect horse” will be hard to find and it is more likely you will end up with a horse that is out of your pay grade.
I’m with Jersey Fresh too - this will take the right horse and the right situation. If I were you OP I’d read every thread you can get your hands on about OTTBs on this forum – everything from what a good OTTB looks like to rehabilitation. OTTB purchasing can be frustrating especially if you don’t have connections, and it is always a gamble even with a full PPE. I’ve seen plenty of ambitious young riders who have wanted to tackle an OTTB only to end up thousands of dollars down the road with nothing but a broken horse and heartbreak. Case in point, you need to have someone who is incredibly experienced with picking out OTTBs off the track.
Is it worth it? You may find it is, you may find it isn’t. I got my first OTTB when I was 12… and nothing since has made me a better rider. But it came with pitfalls and sacrifices along the way. My show career was put on a standstill as I struggled with this new challenge of learning how a track-minded TB works. But now, many many years later, I’m able to recognize the sacrifices I made were short term and I am a better rider for it. And, I got lucky - we found the perfect TB, sound after 75 starts, 10 years old… put me out of my element in a good way. Gave me everything I needed now as an adult to have a broad and resourceful ‘tool box’. But I was not without help - I had an amazing mother there for support during the frustrated lessons (believe me, there were many), when the other kids could jump and do whatever they pleased and I could barely get my guy to trot without galloping off… and a wonderful trainer to help guide me to success. And it took years.
I have to agree that your plan sounds like a disaster in the making. You also sound very young, and write as if you think this is a fairly simple shopping trip. A complicated decision like this should not be undertaken based on internet “tips”, and “the first few months” are more like the first few years because that is what it takes to train a retired race horse.
There are great books about retraining ex-racehorses, and they are full of useful advice. Have you done this homework? I highly recommend Anna Morgan Ford’s book Beyond the Track: Retraining the Racehorse from Racecourse to Riding. Horse.
You need some real knowledge of nutrition, routines, what the horse does and does not know from track life, vetting, soundness, drugs, teeth, on and on. It is not fair to the horse to undertake a purchase in the spirit of picking out a new purse.
[QUOTE=fordtraktor;8649726]
You are an intermediate rider? Don’t do this. Buy a horse that knows its job. An OTTB directly off the track is a horse for an experienced rider. Preferably one who has experience already with green and young horses. Not a “first horse” type. You are getting bad advice from this friend. It is 99% likely this will not at all be the “perfect horse” for you but will instead hurt your confidence and make it hard for your to develop your riding. don’t do it.
There are a lot of not fancy, plain but good horses around for the price of an OTTB and the training you’d have to invest that are very suitable for someone at your level of riding and that you can go have fun on NOW. Buy one of those.[/QUOTE]
Yep. 10 times yep.
[QUOTE=gallopthestars;8649721]
I was wondering if anyone had any tips, stories, or comments on choosing the right OTTB or the first few months. Please share anything you feel might be helpful as I am trying to learn as much as I can. I’m particularly interested in conformation and body language to look for when choosing my new mare.[/QUOTE]
OP has already made the decision to go to the track and choose a mare. I doubt we will change her mind and we really do not know if her friend’s mother has a relationship with trainers already.
OP wants to know what to look for in choosing a mare.
I will bite.
Look for clean, straight legs, matching front feet, quiet temperament, friendly and sweet. They will jog the mare for you so make sure you watch carefully from the side, front and back.
Ignore flashy fancy sorts that catch your eye and… drumroll… do not pick out a horse because it is your favorite color.
Check ahead of time to see if there is a vet available to do flexions and basic vetting.
Make sure the trainers know that you have a limited budget.
Good luck OP. I agree that this isn’t advisable for an intermediate rider but we don’t have all the information, and you weren’t looking for opinions on that “anyways.” 
[QUOTE=Jersey Fresh;8649731]
I dont think thats true at all. Depends on the horse. And if she is working with a trainer. If you are a backyard rider and going to bring this horse along alone, I wouldnt do it. But if you are working closely with a trainer, the right horse would be fine.[/QUOTE]
OK, so at lest one person dosent think I’m crazy! I have worked with enexperienced and green horses before, multiple times actually and this will not be my first horse. I dont necessarily want a horse that I can plod around on and “have fun” I instead want a horse I can experience, if you know what I mean. I want a challenge and something thats frustrating and hard. Thats why I ride. I love those days things dont work out, because that makes the days things do so much better. Sure, getting an older and more advanced horse would let allow me to have fun and jump higher and win ribbons at shows, but I dont want that, I want to really ride and I want every ride to test my patience and in the end know that I’m a talented rider and not just a good rider that knows how to get on a horse and tell her what to do.
[QUOTE=Jersey Fresh;8649731]
I dont think thats true at all. Depends on the horse. And if she is working with a trainer. If you are a backyard rider and going to bring this horse along alone, I wouldnt do it. But if you are working closely with a trainer, the right horse would be fine.[/QUOTE]
OK, so at least one person dosent think I’m crazy! I have worked with inexperienced and green horses before, multiple times actually and this will not be my first horse. I dont necessarily want a horse that I can plod around on and “have fun” I instead want a horse I can experience, if you know what I mean. I want a challenge and something thats frustrating and hard. Thats why I ride. I love those days things dont work out, because that makes the days things do so much better. Sure, getting an older and more advanced horse would let allow me to have fun and jump higher and win ribbons at shows, but I dont want that, I want to really ride and I want every ride to test my patience and in the end know that I’m a talented rider and not just a good rider that knows how to get on a horse and tell her what to do. I’ve read through this thread and I have taken the replies to heart. I’m very headstrong but reasonable as well. I have only resorted to this becuase her mom has been doing what I will be for a while and I’m looking for a horse to lease for a while (my friend and her mom will lease the horse to me) and this is the closest I’ve come to a possible solution. I’m still going to go to the track, but I will keep of of this in my mind and really think about whether I really want to take something like this on. Additionally, someone on here mentioned that I think of this as a simple shopping trip, I absolutly do not. I’m taking my trainer and the trianer that will be training the horse (most affordable option). I understand that OTTBs are challenging and that buying from a track is a huge risk. I would never look at any method of buying or looking at horses as a simple shopping trip. I think that it may of come across as this because I’m fairly excited. I have been researching and talking to people who have OTTB experience in addition to asking for tips because I want to hear about just little things that may help, but this forum in not in anyway the only thing I will be doing. I have read multiple books, talked to people, etc and also have been riding for 7 years and have worked with young horses before. Just as a side note as well, I mentioned the first few months because I wanted to know about settling an OTTB into such a new environment. Also, showing is my last priority and personally I care more about the bond and working with them rather than showing. Thanks!
Another thing to think of is if you have the means to keep this horse for the month or six it may need to be “let down”, or the time it may need off to recover from being sore, the chiropractic work it will need post-racing, the saddle it will need to be reflocked, the ulcer treatment (more like full on campaign) it will invariably need…
that $800 TB turns into a $5,000 horse quite fast…
OP, take a look at this thread:
http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?467619-Weekly-Conformation-Study-Critique-(NEW-6-18-TWO-NEW-STUDIES)
I wouldn’t do this.
I see you’ve already decided you want a mare. So you’re already going with an idea of what the “perfect horse” will be and will be matching horses up with your idea of black beauty.
Bad plan.
I tend to connect with mares better but other than that I dont care about color, etc. I just want a bond and a partner.
[QUOTE=gallopthestars;8649784]
OK, so at least one person dosent think I’m crazy! I have worked with inexperienced and green horses before, multiple times actually and this will not be my first horse. I dont necessarily want a horse that I can plod around on and “have fun” I instead want a horse I can experience, if you know what I mean. I want a challenge and something thats frustrating and hard. Thats why I ride. I love those days things dont work out, because that makes the days things do so much better. Sure, getting an older and more advanced horse would let allow me to have fun and jump higher and win ribbons at shows, but I dont want that, I want to really ride and I want every ride to test my patience and in the end know that I’m a talented rider and not just a good rider that knows how to get on a horse and tell her what to do. I’ve read through this thread and I have taken the replies to heart. I’m very headstrong but reasonable as well. I have only resorted to this becuase her mom has been doing what I will be for a while and I’m looking for a horse to lease for a while (my friend and her mom will lease the horse to me) and this is the closest I’ve come to a possible solution. I’m still going to go to the track, but I will keep of of this in my mind and really think about whether I really want to take something like this on. Additionally, someone on here mentioned that I think of this as a simple shopping trip, I absolutly do not. I’m taking my trainer and the trianer that will be training the horse (most affordable option). I understand that OTTBs are challenging and that buying from a track is a huge risk. I would never look at any method of buying or looking at horses as a simple shopping trip. I think that it may of come across as this because I’m fairly excited. I have been researching and talking to people who have OTTB experience in addition to asking for tips because I want to hear about just little things that may help, but this forum in not in anyway the only thing I will be doing. I have read multiple books, talked to people, etc and also have been riding for 7 years and have worked with young horses before. Just as a side note as well, I mentioned the first few months because I wanted to know about settling an OTTB into such a new environment. Also, showing is my last priority and personally I care more about the bond and working with them rather than showing. Thanks![/QUOTE]
My mom, the experienced horsewoman, bought me a OTTB when I was 11. The struggle was REAL. I got thrown off over, and over and over… And I was considered an intermediate rider. My first OTTB turned out to be a fantastic, lovely soul but honestly, if that horse had been anything OTHER than such a good gelding then it probably would have gotten dangerous. He bucked me off when I was 13 and I got two compression fractures in my back. I currently own my 3rd OTTB and she is my most athletic of the 3 I’ve owned. However, even with her laid back personality and my experience with OTTB’s, she still is a major challange.
I suggest you look through OTTB sellers before going directly to the track. I feel like people think there’s this magical hidden barn when all the future Rolex and Grand Prix horses are hidden… Not so. I see horses on The OTTB connect page on Facebook who are full of potential. Three plain bays also is great at finding excellent prospects. I am not against you getting an OTTB but unless you have track connections that you can trust, maybe let someone else do the legwork and you purchase off an well trusted OTTB seller.
You sound teenaged, talking about “bond” and “partner” and “challenge” and “frustrating and hard” when I really don’t think you have any idea what the meaning of those last three really can mean when talking about a young thoroughbred.
There’s not ambling around and ‘having fun’ and there’s having a horse hurt you because it is young, strong, and exercising its free will to say “NO, and F-YOU”
A challenge is really great until you’re paying for a horse that you don’t want to get on ever again. You don’t feel like a good rider when you can’t even get the horse to walk calmly, or canter without launching you into the rafters, or jump a crossrail without tossing you over the head. Meanwhile you’re paying for bodywork, expensive shoes to rehab those racing feet, and going through bags of expensive food and alfalfa hay because they don’t keep weight on.
Working with young horses that a trainer has already chosen, tried out, and decided won’t kill a teenager rider is not the same thing as getting on something that is race trained and doesn’t know anything else. AT ALL.
Reading further that friend and friend’s mother are going to buy a horse that you chose and own it and just lease it to you? This is a bad idea. Don’t do it. At worst you’ll end up hurt and quitting riding, at best you’ll end up down a friend. Don’t mix business with friendship.
I’m a VERY experienced rider…and I still prefer NOT to by directly off the track. It is just plain VERY difficult to truly judge the horses and figure out their potential on the backside of the track. You may also miss out on a great horse by going to the track as they are often Very different once home.
It is also tough to judge soundness. I’d go look at the many who have already taken them off. They do not have to have had a ton of work put into them, but you can do more with them away from the track to see if they are what you want.
There are many who have been off the track and let down. I’ve bought them out of the field of their trainers or breeders when they took them home. I can still tell a lot more about that horse than one that is on the backside of the track. For event horses…some of the best prospects train off the farm (not the track) or are at a Training center like Fair Hill. Often the best prospects get sent right to a re-trainer who has connections. To pick one off the back side is just such a HUGE gamble to someone like you even if your friend’s mother has a ton of experience.
ETA: You can go to a reseller like Jen here and find an affordable prospect that you can judge better than just going to the back side. Here is a nice looking mare for example. https://www.facebook.com/jen.ruberto/media_set?set=a.10153574757478201.1073742217.546573200&type=3&pnref=story.unseen-section
Hmm if you set on getting an OTTB buy the eye before the gender absolutely get a vet check talk to the trainer, shoer and groom of horses you like. Know thtaa shiny bouncy horse at the track will most likely loose a lot of condition off the track and may very well have the worst stable manners. Really best idea iis to get an OTTB another person has already begun the re-training.
I’ll bite too. Because if no one ever took that leap to try their first horse from the track, we wouldn’t have all these amazing TBs to ride.
Watch how they handle the horse. Watch how it is in its environment. If the horse is look-y and startles in it’s own shedrow, it isn’t going to be a calm, cool citizen.
When I bought straight off the track last time, I spend a LOT of time talking with the heads of the local CANTER chapter. They helped me understand a lot of what I was seeing in terms of attitude and soundness, and steered me towards great trainers to work with. I went in wanting a smaller mare, but BRAIN was of utmost importance because I am and ammy. I ended up with a gigantic gelding, and he is perfect.
My vet is also experienced with OTTBs and is an eventer. She was an invaluable resource. You will need to have your vet will need to be involved from day one. They will help you to evaluate everything including: feet, condition, and let you know what to expect during any letdown/rehab. Horses that come off the track have a reason they aren’t running, and that needs to be fully addressed before the horse enters a training program. This could be 2 weeks, this could be 6-9 months. Be prepared.
Now sit down and look at what all that will cost you, the vet visits, the board while rehabbing, all the time while you are waiting to start work with this horse and ask yourself: Am I better served buying from someone who has already done this with this horse? Or is this something I want to do, and am fully prepared to do?
For example: my guy was $500 from his trainer. WOOHOO you think! What a DEAL! Well kind of. He had a small bow that needed taking care of- So add to that monthly vet calls and ultrasounds for 4 months to check the healing progress, board for 6 months while he was healing and I couldn’t ride, frequent farrier visits to adjust his feet, all around shoes because he was ouchie on hard summer ground… This adds up to a significant amount of time and money, and I’ve only scratched the surface.
[QUOTE=gallopthestars;8649784]
OK, so at least one person dosent think I’m crazy! I have worked with inexperienced and green horses before, multiple times actually and this will not be my first horse. I dont necessarily want a horse that I can plod around on and “have fun” I instead want a horse I can experience, if you know what I mean. I want a challenge and something thats frustrating and hard. Thats why I ride. I love those days things dont work out, because that makes the days things do so much better. Sure, getting an older and more advanced horse would let allow me to have fun and jump higher and win ribbons at shows, but I dont want that, I want to really ride and I want every ride to test my patience and in the end know that I’m a talented rider and not just a good rider that knows how to get on a horse and tell her what to do. I’ve read through this thread and I have taken the replies to heart. I’m very headstrong but reasonable as well. I have only resorted to this becuase her mom has been doing what I will be for a while and I’m looking for a horse to lease for a while (my friend and her mom will lease the horse to me) and this is the closest I’ve come to a possible solution. I’m still going to go to the track, but I will keep of of this in my mind and really think about whether I really want to take something like this on. Additionally, someone on here mentioned that I think of this as a simple shopping trip, I absolutly do not. I’m taking my trainer and the trianer that will be training the horse (most affordable option). I understand that OTTBs are challenging and that buying from a track is a huge risk. I would never look at any method of buying or looking at horses as a simple shopping trip. I think that it may of come across as this because I’m fairly excited. I have been researching and talking to people who have OTTB experience in addition to asking for tips because I want to hear about just little things that may help, but this forum in not in anyway the only thing I will be doing. I have read multiple books, talked to people, etc and also have been riding for 7 years and have worked with young horses before. Just as a side note as well, I mentioned the first few months because I wanted to know about settling an OTTB into such a new environment. Also, showing is my last priority and personally I care more about the bond and working with them rather than showing. Thanks![/QUOTE]
This is truly a terrible idea.
If you don’t want an older broke horse, fine. There are plenty of OTTB’s sitting in rescues that have been let down, restarted, and are still fantastically cheap. You will get a better idea of what you will be dealing with.
Buying right off the track is for people with a LOT of experience, not a teenager with a Black Stallion complex.
