That mare belongs in the ‘TRACKY TB MOVEMENT’ thread - the difference in video between her first ride post track and their most recent video is just a testament to how beneficial turnout and time is for these horses.
[QUOTE=gallopthestars;8651424]
As much as I want a young OTTB, I can always look somewhere else and find someone better.[/QUOTE]
Well at least what I am trying to say is NOT to avoid an OTTB…just do not buy one right off the backside of the track. That takes a lot of experience to do well (nothing to do with riding). I’ve ridden rank horses my whole life…and I am a very good rider with green horses (always have been). I LOVE bringing along an OTTB. Most of them are NOT rank at all. There are some things many have in common but really, they can all be very different. I had a few who were difficult to just get on. And I’ve had others who walked right up and stood at a mounting block…and easily w/t/c on the first ride. I had one who I took to his first show after 30 days, and ran BN in less than 60…and others who I didn’t get to their first show for a year. Some I could safely trail ride right away and others…never could.
So while I LOVE OTTBs…you generally just need more information on one before buying than what you can get on the backside of the track. Stack the deck in your favor. Go shopping for one like you would any other green prospect. Find someone reputable (sometimes easier said than done). Go try the horse, sit on them, see if you click. Then get a good PPE. There are many who will still be very affordable.
[QUOTE=gallopthestars;8651424]
But maybe, at the end of the day…after reading all these posts over and over I am entering into something that may be over my head. As much as I want a young OTTB, I can always look somewhere else and find someone better.[/QUOTE]
Good decision, OP!
I was about to be very blunt here & tell you your 6yrs experience is a spit-in-the-wind-eyeblink compared to a lot of posters here. Myself included.
My 1st horse of my own - not a schoolie or shareboard - was track-trained, but he never ran - not enough speed to be competitive as a 2yo. Trainer kept him on as a pony horse (I have a pic of him ponying at The Arlington Million) & I got him as a 6yo very pre-green hunter.
This after I rode for 8yrs as a kid to teen, then took a 15yr hiatus & returned to riding in my early 30s.
I had that horse 20yrs & never regretted a minute.
Was he an easy ride?
Not especially.
And his “track manners” on the ground never quite disappeared - he was a stealth-biter & 1st response was always Run First, Ask Questions Later.
But he was 110% Heart & Try.
If you are set on a TB, do check out programs like CANTER.
I also partnered to buy a CANTER horse - 2.5yo gelding who had raced the week before. He was a sweetheart & partner bought me out a year later.
Sadly this horse ended up lame & had to be put down @ 5yo - my suspicion is he was pushed too hard, too fast to compete as a Jumper.
Hope your search ends well!
I just wanted to add to my earlier post.
You sound like you are a mature teenager and I think in the end you will make the right decision for you. Everyone here has contributed a lot of good information and everyone truely wants the best for you, even though they don’t know you.
OTTB’s are fantastic. Please look into rescues/rehoming, they usually don’t cost that much more and they’ve been let down and had some vet work. turnout and time does wonders for them.
Most of my horses are really sweet on the ground (okay 6.5 out of 10 are really sweet). My easiest, you can do anything to her, not spooky, ride almost flipped over on me yesterday.the colt that I love, that would be an awesome event horse came out of the barn (with me on him) hopping on his hind legs and when he wasn’t doing that he was trying to buck and when he wasn’t doing that he was trying to take off. I have a couple of pyscho fillies that look for the things to spook spin and rear at and they don’t care if there is oncoming traffic. I’ve gotten them better over time, but thats just their nature. I ride one that you couldn’t even get on her without giving her ace until recently because she would ball up and explode bucking and trying to flip over- you couldn’t move your legs, reins, whip, hands without a demon being unleashed and this was all with drugs- we’ve taken our time and been really careful with her, she’s off ace and most days she’s okay but I always wonder if today is the day that she will get me off.
I’m not trying to scare you, but these are all things that I deal with on a daily basis.
So, things to consider while looking at an ottb whether you are looking straight off the track or elsewhere…If you can help it and can find out the info, avoid a horse that went through the 2 year old sales. They are typically rushed a long a little faster and may have some extra issues then the ones that are just going to the races. Look for the horse that sticks it’s head out its window and looks friendly and curious. Use your own vet for a PPE, not a track vet. See if you can find a race video online so you can see what their gallop looks like. Do an Internet search on the trainer to see what you can find out about that person.
A young horse is always a challenge, it’s never easy, so regardless of what you do end up with, you will learn a lot, be frustrated, and, enjoy the process.
I purchased my first horse when I was 20 (I am almost 24, so not long ago). A BIG dream that became a reality quite fast, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.
I found an OTTB mare who just turned 4 who had been let down for 2 months & had two rides via a Facebook post. I knew of this woman, she purchases horses off the track, lets them down, and has her rider put some miles into them. My trainers had gotten multiple horses here and I just had a gut feeling, so I went for it - sight unseen and no vetting. (Young & dumb but luckily it worked out this time)
I wouldn’t say I was an experienced rider at the time(I definitely wouldn’t say that I am that now). I had grown up taking lessons and being a barn rat - then dabbled in the hunter/jumpers and IHSA in my early college years before landing at the eventing barn I ride at currently. I grew up riding horses that were definitely hard, sometimes crazy. The type of lesson barn that I look back on and was thankful for, but not the start I would truly recommend for anyone. I didn’t ride everyday, but just because we couldn’t really afford much more than summer camp, a lesson a week, and the occasional horse show. I was a good kid that would get on any horse with the obvious dream of wanting my own someday. Between elementary school and high school I probably would’ve answered the questions a poster mentioned earlier in this thread the same way that you did. Bucks, bolts, etc etc we nothing to me at that time. I would have literally rode any horse just to have a horse to ride. Thankfully nothing every happened but I was fortunate and lucky to be a somewhat decent rider who could, at the end of the day, stay on - even if it didn’t look pretty (which it didn’t). Now? I play 20 questions before I even think about saying yes to riding a horse that is new to me. Better safe than sorry. I have learned the hard way in some cases but I definitely was lucky when I was young that I didn’t get hurt.
*I will stop to begin what I’m about to say by saying that the only reason I knew I could do (get an OTTB) was because I knew I would have the time and make the time. I also became a working student that following summer - an invaluable summer that truly ‘upped’ my riding game. Keep in mind that I did all of this while working full time to afford my horse on top of going to college full time.
I did a lot with her the first two years. D4K at HITS Saugerties as a 4 y/o before I aged out and intro level events, even a rated one. We were both new to the eventing world, but I worked my butt off those first two years and my confidence was through the roof. My riding improved because I put the hard work in and it paid off.
Fast forward to our third year - my schedule started to get heavier, I was about to graduate and enter the job world. She also had taken a huge ‘growing up’ step and started to really mature. This year (last year) was HARD. I didn’t have as much time as I used to, couldn’t ride as much as I used to, and I saw that those two things along with a horse I still considered ‘green’ was just not mixing. I fell off a few times - the first one hurt my already damaged back and overall, I took a big blow to my confidence. I did one dressage show and left it at that. I couldn’t even jump one fence - let alone the cross country and stadium courses I was doing the last two years with her. I ended up putting out the money for exercise board at the end of the summer when I finally landed a decent paying job and could afford that (barely). She needed to be ridden at least 5 days a week - if not more and at this point, there were some days when I was afraid to get on her. You know the wind was blowing, it was too cold, etc. etc. I found every excuse in the book. Riding - something I loved and was so passionate about - became a chore.
I had started applying and interviewing for jobs in April, graduated in May and didn’t find a job until November that was full time, salaried, insurance, etc. a “big girl” job. I still had her on exercise board but after a cold winter with no indoor I knew I needed to make a change. I will be the first too admit that although deep inside I knew that I could handle her, all of the above really equates to her being too much horse for me - 100%.
So what did I end up doing? Long story short - I have her in training for the next few months with my trainer who is also competing her at horse trials ($$$$) throughout the summer to essentially get her more broke and to my dismay, ‘more sell-able.’ She’s an amazing horse, super athletic. Definitely Prelim and more potential with the right person. BUT that right person is not me, at least not anymore. I actually just purchased a 10 y/o OTTB gelding who came off the track at 7 and has been in a decent program for the last couple of years. He can jump the moon, needs help on the flat, has saddle fit issues (hello brand new prestige $$$), but overall his selling point to me was that he has a good brain and at the end of the day I can say that while he still needs a decent rider, he is safe. I love him and I think he will be the confidence boost I need. He doesn’t need to be ridden everyday, can take a joke, and can be easily leased out.
The moral of my story? This may not all apply as I believe you talked about a possible lease situation but it’s still something to think about. You sound young but I think coming here may bring you the insight you may not get elsewhere - definitely an outsider’s point of view. At the end of the day you need to ask yourself some questions that may not even pertain to your riding, think of it has a 5 year plan if not even a shorter time span.
Are you going to school? Are you working? How much time do you have to ride? Everyday, 5 times, 4 times, what happens if you can only get out there 2 times? How much time can you commit to this horse? Who is paying the bills? What happens when the unexpected comes up? What if you get hurt? If you can’t ride 5 days a week, can you pay someone who can? If it doesn’t work out - will the horse be sell-able and if not do you have the money to get/make it sell-able? Are horses your life or do you have a social life? Will ever be days when you have to decide between going out with your friends or going on vacation instead of going to the barn? OTTBs are a lot of work. Yes, some easier than others but you never know what you get off the track til it’s home and sitting in a paddock or a stall for a few weeks in its true nature. My girl ‘came down’ off the drugs she was on on the track and went from pasture board and barefoot to stall board w/individual turnout and a full set of shoes with pads. ($$$$)
If I could go back after asking myself the above questions, I probably would’ve bought a horse much like my new one. Something broke that still needs a bit of work. I don’t regret anything I’ve done but I definitely am spending a lot of money now because my situation has changed. My mare was a great first horse and I learned a lot, but I’ve also learned that while she was and still is my dream - sometimes things change and we need to do what is best for the both of us (horse and rider).
You do sound like a capable young lady 
Remember that if you do go to the backside of any operating track, you will not be allowed to ride the horse (neither will your trainer).
All your evaluation will have to be from the ground, working on what you see and what you are told. You may not be told the truth, including any possible soundness issues or what medications/drugs the horse is currently on. You will also be looking at a racing fit TB (in most cases) and many are sore so movement may not even be what the horse is capable of after they are let down and off the track.
The advantage with working through an organization like CANTER is they do much of the pre-work for you and have already established relationships with the trainers and are more likely to get reasonable feedback on the individual horses.
I think we all want to see you be successful and part of that is getting that right horse under you to be the team member and competitor you are looking for.
And yes, don’t forget the geldings. I know you love mares (so do I) but the right horse might be the gelding you didn’t look at 
Having had many OTTB’s I can tell you it broadened my riding. Horses I planned on eventing just didn’t have the brain for it, so we did dressage, others had no interest in galloping on but would jump the moon if allowed. None of this is a bad thing for a rider’s education unless you are determined to do one and only one discipline you may be in for a big and expensive disappointment.
Carry on!
You PM jenarby and let her know what you’re looking for.
Since we aren’t going to change your mind, my only advice is to insist on a THOROUGH vet check. If the horse looks sound with clean legs, get X-rays and ultrasound anyway. Please!! Having just went through the most devastating situation of my life, I implore you to be thorough in your vet check. These horses have been working hard, many of them for several years. There is going to be wear and tear. Had I insisted on ultrasound, my situation could have been avoided. Click my profile name and search for recently started threads if you want to read the story. Best of luck OP
MY OTTB challenge
My challenge with the last two OTTB have not been riding issues per say. I had riding issues because one had a health issue and the other had a soundness issue. I spent thousands of dollars in diagnosis and treatment and ended up losing one and retiring the other from jumping. Neither were straight off the track. Neither problem would have been detectable just jogging on the track. The one that is retired from jumping is also very aggressive on the ground so I can not even give him away. He was in a top eventing barn for training for several months with no improvement on ground manners.
Just be very, very careful. I know other types of horses can have health and soundness issues, but in many cases other types of horses have competition records or trusted people that know them, that can give you more information.
Or if you have a desire to own a dead honest, lovely moving, quiet to ride, mean as a snake on the ground, lame OTTB, I can cut you a real deal.
[QUOTE=gallopthestars;8651424]
I can do WAY more than just riding in a lesson program. I have trained an abused mare to jump 3’9" been riding for 6 years, trained a 5 year old, working with many horses, mostly young ones. I have sat bucks, bolts, rears, and even been taken off with on a trail once or twice. I have jumped up to 4’0" on a young horse and have ridden W/T/C/G on fields, bareback, in the arena, etc. I have been thrown miultiple times and no matter how much my body hurts I get back on to make sure that the horse does not learn bad habits. I only take private lessons with my own trainer and horse because I feel its more beneficial. She can help me with everything you mentioned and I have experience in it myslef as well. On the ground, I usually have dealt with my past mare who was an absolute demon on ground, but after 2 years of working with her she hardly had an issues. I dont give up easy. If I start feeling like a bad rider or horse person it makes me want to work harder to prove to myself that I am. I try for as long as it takes and I cant remeber one time I ever gave up. Luckily, with the help of a trainer I have some assistance and someone to tell me when to stop and take a break if I’m over my head. I am in high school (all-girls) and drama and rumors are everywhere. I could care less what other people say. If they say that I can’t do it or am a danger I’ll make sure that when I finally do get it right they are there to see it. I’m not a whiner or a quitter. When something gets hard, I just get motivated. But maybe, at the end of the day…after reading all these posts over and over I am entering into something that may be over my head. As much as I want a young OTTB, I can always look somewhere else and find someone better.[/QUOTE]
OK, now I am confused. If you have this much experience, why are you starting your post out asking such as basic question as “what should I look for in an OTTB?”
Your original post said you were an intermediate rider, working with a trainer who would start the horse for you and guide you through the process. Now you are presenting yourself as a super-tough colt breaker. Also, in the first post you say you are working with a friend’s mom, which sounds like a new connection for you. Now you say you take private lessons with a trainer. Is this the one who is helping you pick out the OTTB? If not, what does your regular trainer think of the deal?
No-one here can give you useful advice if your self-descriptions are not accurate, or if they are contradictory.
It also makes other people on this thread think our time is being wasted by someone who is just inventing a story to string us along.
All of the regular posters on this site are honest about the problems they ask for help about, because they know that the advice won’t be worth anything if they are dishonest or even just unclear or selective about the facts.
I’m also worried about the number of times you say you come off and get back on. Yes, the courage to get back on is a good quality. But it is not, IME, as valuable as the velcro seat that means you never come off in the first place, or even better, the tact and timing that means your horse never explodes, because you see the problem coming and make it go away.
In terms of “what to look for,” keep in mind that some OTTBs have superb conformation for a riding sport horse, others not so much. You want a horse with a substantial, sloped shoulder; a long humerous that is fairly upright; a good strong hindquarters; a low stifle; good big hard healthy knee, hock, and pastern joints; short cannon bones; and a neck where the neck bone ties on fairly high up the shoulder (the bone itself, not the crest or the throat).
You do not want a horse that is “downhill” or has a structurally ewe neck.
Can you see the bone structure in a young horse that is perhaps not well muscled? Many OTTB aren’t full grown yet, certainly don’t have full adult muscling developed, and are a bit thinner than the average riding horse (a 4/10 Henneke, perfectly healthy, but a hint of ribs). They can look weedy, they can look like they are tucked up or ewe-necked even when they aren’t. Can you or your trainer tell the difference?
You might find this site of interest in thinking about points of conformation: https://hoovesblog.com/
I too am puzzled as to why your trainer is taking you to a track where there is no regular racing schedule.
Ok, I’ll bite
Because like you, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, it was “all I could afford”. I was a crash test dummy for a wonderful woman who took failed racehorses and turned them into Really Nice Horses. I ate a lot of dirt, got bit, kicked, drug, thrown and had some of the most talented horses around to ride as a teenager. Continued as a young adult. Since you didn’t ask what kind of shape my joints and bones are in now, we’ll get to your question.
Look for a kind eye. Big, brown, liquid and the horse should respond to it’s people, and other people in a positive way. If it doesn’t, walk away. TB mares are, among the most marish of mares, so if you can put that little wish away, do so.
If they bring the horse out of it’s stall with a chain over it’s nose or a lip chain, walk away.
Ask what it’s barn name is… usually a tell. Look in it’s stall to see if it stall walks (many do). If there is a circle in his stall, walk away.
Start then with the legs. Make sure they all face the same direction. Many will be a bit “run down” at the heels, look at the condition of the foot and if it looks like it can keep a shoe on. Look for a well placed neck, the longer the better, and a nice sloping shoulder. Make sure the horse isn’t over at the knees, a little is okay, a lot is not. If it’s back at the knees, walk away. Look at the horse from behind, look for hocks that look straight from behind, many TBs “rope walk”, but stay away from one that travels wide behind. It should trot like it’s jogging at Rolex, all these horses learn to trot online very early, lol. Many TB are a little down hill, and some of the muscles change with retraining, some do not. If you can see it ridden, even better. Have them put a bridle on the horse, see how it responds. Touch it everywhere, but have a care, many are thin skinned and touchy, not bad, just what they are. Look at the coat condition, many an OTTB has a major personality change when they get proper nutrition. Things it will know: almost all of them load and haul wonderfully, they’ve BTDT. Almost all of them are decent for the blacksmith, as they get shod much more often. They are accustomed to being “done up” aka bandages, likely blankets, etc., almost all get baths daily, so no big deal there. They’ve all seen scary stuff, starting gates, loud noises, track equipment, so they’ve been around. They will not know: How to cross tie (they just don’t do that) how to stand at a mounting block. And they do not understand contact or leg pressure. It is counter intuitive. “Taking a hold” of a race horse means “something big and important is going to happen, speed up” and a loose rein means “nothing to see here”. A whip is a scary thing oftentimes. Ask lots of questions, and most of all, remember this. There are, tens of thousands of nice race horses who are not successful at their jobs for one reason or another. The best one is the one that has raced for several years and is just slowing down. This will likely be a gelding (a sound mare with money on her card can have another job if she’s bred well) who stayed sound and the owners don’t want to watch him get dropped in class, claimed and run to the ground. Many trainers, in fact most, don’t have a farm, they go from track to track and when the horses stop being profitable, they do try to place them where they can have a second career. A month to learn to be a horse, is a minimum let down time, sometimes takes several months. My suggestion to you is that you facebook stalk Denny Emerson, who is a God of retraining OTTBs to be event horses, you get Jimmy Woffords book on riding (which includes an entire section on how to pick out a prospect) and you do the hardest, most mature thing I’m going to tell you…
You wait. You wait until you’ve looked at a hundred of them, you haunt the track in the morning, and get to know a trainer that everyone says is a good guy, and you tell him what you are looking for and give him/her your number.
I worked the backside for decades, I galloped, I trained, and have spent a lifetime going to bloodhorse sales and studying conformation and restarting OTTBs. I am, about as much as an expert as you can get. Your first one will likely not take you to Rolex or anywhere close. But it can teach you that TBs are one of God’s finest creations, for all their quirks and talents and you will either learn that you love them in spite of all that (I do) or you’ll go find a nice QH or WB that won’t kill you and others. There is more, way more than you can learn in a paragraph, a week a month, and if you ask someone like Laurierace, a lifetime. If, like you say, it’s about the journey, not the destination, and you are leasing it, with supervision, and your mother has good medical insurance for you, then good luck, and have fun. But be mature enough, to walk away. BTW, chrome on a TB is not your friend. Every single one I’ve had with white feet has had weak hooves.
Her experience is riding, not judging. This is not confusing to me at all.
The below is just the best. I can so SO relate! But I also think we generally have less tolerance of kids falling off these days than we used to. Heck, I was brought up in the days that I wore a velvet helmet and but the elastic under my chin if a horse started bucking!
[QUOTE=2ndyrgal;8653125]Because like you, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, it was “all I could afford”. I was a crash test dummy for a wonderful woman who took failed racehorses and turned them into Really Nice Horses. I ate a lot of dirt, got bit, kicked, drug, thrown and had some of the most talented horses around to ride as a teenager. Continued as a young adult. Since you didn’t ask what kind of shape my joints and bones are in now, we’ll get to your question.
Look for a kind eye. Big, brown, liquid and the horse should respond to it’s people, and other people in a positive way. If it doesn’t, walk away. TB mares are, among the most marish of mares, so if you can put that little wish away, do so.
If they bring the horse out of it’s stall with a chain over it’s nose or a lip chain, walk away.
Ask what it’s barn name is… usually a tell. Look in it’s stall to see if it stall walks (many do). If there is a circle in his stall, walk away.
Start then with the legs. Make sure they all face the same direction. Many will be a bit “run down” at the heels, look at the condition of the foot and if it looks like it can keep a shoe on. Look for a well placed neck, the longer the better, and a nice sloping shoulder. Make sure the horse isn’t over at the knees, a little is okay, a lot is not. If it’s back at the knees, walk away. Look at the horse from behind, look for hocks that look straight from behind, many TBs “rope walk”, but stay away from one that travels wide behind. It should trot like it’s jogging at Rolex, all these horses learn to trot online very early, lol. Many TB are a little down hill, and some of the muscles change with retraining, some do not. If you can see it ridden, even better. Have them put a bridle on the horse, see how it responds. Touch it everywhere, but have a care, many are thin skinned and touchy, not bad, just what they are. Look at the coat condition, many an OTTB has a major personality change when they get proper nutrition. Things it will know: almost all of them load and haul wonderfully, they’ve BTDT. Almost all of them are decent for the blacksmith, as they get shod much more often. They are accustomed to being “done up” aka bandages, likely blankets, etc., almost all get baths daily, so no big deal there. They’ve all seen scary stuff, starting gates, loud noises, track equipment, so they’ve been around. They will not know: How to cross tie (they just don’t do that) how to stand at a mounting block. And they do not understand contact or leg pressure. It is counter intuitive. “Taking a hold” of a race horse means “something big and important is going to happen, speed up” and a loose rein means “nothing to see here”. A whip is a scary thing oftentimes. Ask lots of questions, and most of all, remember this. There are, tens of thousands of nice race horses who are not successful at their jobs for one reason or another. The best one is the one that has raced for several years and is just slowing down. This will likely be a gelding (a sound mare with money on her card can have another job if she’s bred well) who stayed sound and the owners don’t want to watch him get dropped in class, claimed and run to the ground. Many trainers, in fact most, don’t have a farm, they go from track to track and when the horses stop being profitable, they do try to place them where they can have a second career. A month to learn to be a horse, is a minimum let down time, sometimes takes several months. My suggestion to you is that you facebook stalk Denny Emerson, who is a God of retraining OTTBs to be event horses, you get Jimmy Woffords book on riding (which includes an entire section on how to pick out a prospect) and you do the hardest, most mature thing I’m going to tell you…
You wait. You wait until you’ve looked at a hundred of them, you haunt the track in the morning, and get to know a trainer that everyone says is a good guy, and you tell him what you are looking for and give him/her your number.
I worked the backside for decades, I galloped, I trained, and have spent a lifetime going to bloodhorse sales and studying conformation and restarting OTTBs. I am, about as much as an expert as you can get. Your first one will likely not take you to Rolex or anywhere close. But it can teach you that TBs are one of God’s finest creations, for all their quirks and talents and you will either learn that you love them in spite of all that (I do) or you’ll go find a nice QH or WB that won’t kill you and others. There is more, way more than you can learn in a paragraph, a week a month, and if you ask someone like Laurierace, a lifetime. If, like you say, it’s about the journey, not the destination, and you are leasing it, with supervision, and your mother has good medical insurance for you, then good luck, and have fun. But be mature enough, to walk away. BTW, chrome on a TB is not your friend. Every single one I’ve had with white feet has had weak hooves.[/QUOTE]
If you have to ask…then you are already in trouble.
As BFNE and several,others have said…If you have your heart set on an OTTB…then you are better served to save your $$$ and buy from a re seller…where you will,have an opportunity to truly see the real personality and demeanor away from the track. The horse should have been properly re shod to let you see,the correct feet angles and look,at the legs and joints that have no longer been bandaged, sweated, iced, hosed, poulticed shrink wrap tight. You will be able to see the horse move loose n free, lunged or ridden…None of which you can at track. Without an experianced eye with a ton of years of looking thru the noise you stand a good chance of being disappointed…Plus vetting off the track allows for having a Vet who is potentially Not connected to horse owner or trainer…Best of luck, no,one here is trying to squash your dreams…or discourage you, just save you $$$ and disappointment…
[QUOTE=gallopthestars;8649721]
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.[/QUOTE]
Gallop, I haven’t read all the posts, so my apologies if I repeat what has already been said. Your idea of working with an OTTB is great, but your method of finding one needs work.
First of all, trying to go to the track and pick one in one day is a mistake. I am constantly looking at TBs, but only rarely do I take one. First, you put out feelers and make connections. Let trainers know what you are looking for. Get online and look at the groups in your area that are re-homing TBs and make some connections and inquire about horses, again, letting people know what you are looking for.
Then, start going to look at horses. If you feel you have an experienced enough person backing you up, then you can shop both at the track and with people/places that re-home TBs. You’ve got to be picky. Soundness issues=pass. Not gelded yet=pass. ANY temperament or personality issues=pass. Breathing problems=pass. Feet problems=pass. This is why it’s better to start your shopping online or through some phone calls–there are a lot of horses that aren’t going to meet your criteria, and you don’t want to waste people’s time.
And yes, Lord Helpus is right. People at the track have a LOT of preconceived notions about “show horse” people that will make your shopping more difficult. They might think that all show horse people have a lot of money. Some trainers are sure that their losing racehorse is going to be a six-figure show horse (maybe after six figures of training and show mileage) and will ask ridiculous prices. Some trainers have no idea of the importance of soundness for an event or show horse and think that their horse that can’t hold up to racing will somehow be fine as a hunter, jumper or event horse (having no idea what that entails).
[QUOTE=2ndyrgal;8653125]
BTW, chrome on a TB is not your friend. Every single one I’ve had with white feet has had weak hooves.[/QUOTE]
I still find this to be an old wive’s tale. I’ve had numerous horses with white feet and never had a problem until my current horse.
He’s got poor foot structure on his RF…which is the only black foot he has. The white feet have never been a problem.
Some terrific advice in this thread for ANYONE thinking of getting an OTTB or any horse for that matter. Gold stars for the OP for reading, rereading and most of all respecting what is being written.
I very much understand where the OP is coming from. I am a dyed in the wool mare person and have a history of going to sufferin’ Suffolk to find mares. Too old to do it now, but my heart horse is an OTTB mare I got one year hours before every horse had to be off the grounds (she had previously been vetted by someone else, and they generously shared the results with CANTER for any interested party). But she was terrified of people and had exceedingly weak stifles. It took me years to work through it all. Was it worth it? Absolutely. That mare trusts me now in a way that makes my heart sing, and she presented me with a lovely colt last month. She’s a great mom! But please understand that I have my own farm, space, time and resources to put into this. And there have been plenty of others that haven’t worked out as well.
EN does the weekly OTTB wishlist and I noticed a gelding that had gone through one of the TB challenges (I think). I can’t figure out why no one wants him. There may be something substantial to gong him, but he’s one I would look at. Other than that, I’d contact Judybigredpony, jenarby or one of the other well known OTTB trainers.
Good luck, OP.
I have a few TBs. OP, your list of your experience – let me just tell you. I have a really nice TB, a super fellow. he’s going to make up into a kid’s horse. He’s kick along quiet. He’s done ALL OF THE THINGS on your list and MORE. and he’s one of the good ones.
Most of them have not really been his fault. He reared and bucked – he stepped on a bell boot and fell, and reared and bucked HUGELY coming out of it.
He gets turned out individually because he plays so hard. He had too much energy this spring and started just exploding on me. (I.e. bucking like he’s in the NFR). So I taught him to longe. This is a horse I got the first time, in the snow, and WTC. He’s a good fellow. He just lost his mind because he’s fat and happy and boom, NFR bucks.
Last year he got kicked in the head and fractured his skull. He deserved that – he was a pest in turnout, always bothering the other horses and getting in their space. (so the individual turnout now…) But he had a couple of stitches that bothered him and he did a few EPIC bolts when they were working out. I’d be riding, and he’s just lose his mind throwing his head around, spitting the bit out and BLINDLY BOLTING. it was pain-induced, I found the stitches and took them out, he’s never done it again…but it takes guts to just sit there in the middle, throw him the reins and wait it out. You can get pretty badly messed up ditching off a bolting horse.
And like I said, this horse is AWESOME. on an average day I have to wear spurs to keep him moving, he’s downright lazy. He’s also a great, round jumper with tons of talent. He’s a real keeper and super fun. He tries so hard to please. But TBs, even the good ones, are not for the faint of heart.
I do not look at my horses as if we have some sort of magical bond. That’s a way to get yourself hurt. They are wonderful creatures and I love my horses, but you need to approach them with a Training Program and without Emotion messing it all up. When you let Emotion in to your riding, you are already Off Topic.
Plus, when they act out, if you are all emotionally wrapped up in your relationship you are likely to take it personally, as if the horse is violating some pact with you or doing it to you because your bond is not strong enough, or whatever. That is SO FAR from where you need to be to have one of these horses. They are just being horses. You have to take the emotion OUT OF IT and think LOGICALLY. “How do I respond so the horse will understand what I want?” not “why did my horse spook, I am so good to him, I thought he loved me.”
FWIW, he has some white feet and on good nutrition, they are great. I pull his shoes every winter and he does very well with that. My TBs all have very good feet once the track foot grew out.
Considering how much people are paying for OTTBs these days Id go with something thats already off the track and going. I buy all my horses off the track and Ive never paid more that 1k but Im hearing of people paying 3k for an OTTB and looking at Canter prices it just isnt worth it. I get about 5 horses off a year and the last one I got was one from Fingerlakrs last year for $400. He needed time off and hes become something nice after time off and some hacking. I can spot a decent horse in a fuzzy coat who is underweight or race fit. I just got an offer on him for a decent amount and he will be going pending vet.
Bring someone with you who can see things like that and who does this for a living. Still can have heartbreak. Id personally say go with something that already has a job and get a good vetting. Good luck
[QUOTE=judybigredpony;8653807]
If you have to ask…then you are already in trouble.
As BFNE and several,others have said…If you have your heart set on an OTTB…then you are better served to save your $$$ and buy from a re seller…where you will,have an opportunity to truly see the real personality and demeanor away from the track. …[/QUOTE]
JBRP, I so agree with this. And OP, you are likely NOT saving money in purchase price in buying from a reseller. Often the latter have ways of getting horses off the track much cheaper than you would, by virtue of their long standing relationship with trainers, package deals (buying more than one horse) and the like.
My farrier has always gotten horses OTT for free - he knows people who just say, “Take him if you like him, but I need him gone today.” I know others people like this as well. i issue there are many others like him and so if they are resellers, then can offer an OTTB for less money than you might pay at the track.
