It has always been a goal of mine to have an OTTB and train it. I can now financially afford another horse and was wondering how long it would take to train an OTTB for jumping and showing. I would have the help from my trainer of course. I really want to move up with jumping and showing but I also really want an OTTB, kind of in a predicament lol, that’s why I’m asking the length of training one for that stuff. Granted I know it all depends on the horse, training, environment etc. but maybe a rough estimate would be good?
Personally, I think if you’re going in needing a timeline a fresh off the track OTTB probably isn’t best suited to your needs at this time.
If you’re set on an OTTB I’d look for one that has already been restarted and has some show experience, especially if you’re looking to move up and aren’t as experienced yourself.
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I train a lot of ottbs and generally it takes a year to get to showing 2’6". I focus on strong flat work personally and getting a lot of experience both on and off property before thinking of moving up. I currently have a superstar that a client bought and our goal is for her to do the long stirrup with next year with him. She’s had him for about two months and he’s jumping crossrail courses. He’s exceptionally well minded and balanced and had a month of let down time before she purchased him. I’m sure some people could do 3’ in a year but it’s not my average. If you would like to show higher than that very soon, I would recommend finding something that is currently doing atleast 2’6" and able to move up. If you’d still like to pursue the ottb route, make sure the trainer you are working with has experience with them, as they are different than a normal greenie. They are trained a bit differently for racing but the benefit (to me atleast) is they’ve seen quite a bit at the track depending on the amount of starts, and they’ve already been broken which isn’t really my thing. Also, the breed is just very intelligent and willing 
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If you’re getting it straight off the track, I think Fig’s roughly a year is a fair estimate, since they typically take a while physically to get sorted, get used to the change in schedules/ turn out, etc. Unless you are working with someone super experienced, I would look for one that’s had a bit of a break and been at least minimally restarted, that you can try under saddle t least on the flat. Often then it will be ready to do small local shows within a few months. But it may never be suitable for what you want, so that’s something to be prepared for. I have a very nice, hunter-y gelding who is a nice mover and good jumper, very attractive, but gets super wound up in the warmup and hacking in company. I’m not sure any amount of exposure would make him a hunter.
A year is a good estimate for starters. As you say, a lot depends on the horse. There are a lot of resources at this site http://retiredracehorseproject.org/ I know people who are heading to Kentucky this week to compete, and the finale will be livestreamed. If you’re anywhere near KHP (Lexington, KY) this event is a great opportunity for you to learn more.
I also suggest looking at an OTTB that already has a couple years of training on it. That way you get one that is more suited to your immediate jumping/showing needs, and still check off the OTTB requirement. They don’t stop being OTTB just because they already have some training. They also don’t stop needing good homes because they’re not on the track anymore.
Or…if you insist on taking one straight off the track, define what you mean by “trained.” What level do you show at? What are you working on at home? I’ve had my horse for four years, done all the training myself, and jump around 3’6" at home, 3’ at shows, and he’s doing second level dressage movements. He may be pretty broke by some standards, but he is still “in training” and progressing. So by timeline standards, how long it takes to “train” it depends entirely on what level you’re looking for, and what amount of experience you want the horse to have at that specific level.
Personally I hate timelines when it comes to restarting horses, they seem to manage to bite you in the rear or make people do stupid things.
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If you are going in with showing expectations and a time-line, an OTTB is not for you – or really, a green horse is not for you. Best laid plans of mice and men, and all that.
You want to show within XYZ amount of time, you get a horse already showing the level you want.
Sure, eventually you could have an OTTB going the level you want, but it’s not quick or immediately rewarding - and IME, I have seen riders push their green TBs too early because they’ve had show aspirations and did not want to miss out on a season. The other thing is, especially for a rider that is not necessarily experienced when it comes to training horses, is that there is a sharp learning curve and you will spend your time working on the horse rather than you. You may find some of your skills regress while others sharpen. You may find you learn to sit a buck exceptionally well, or diffuse a bolt/rear. I personally think that riders should have some retraining experience before they get an OTTB, as it comes with its own subset of tools in the toolbox you need that you may not have if you’ve only ridden school horses. And what about your trainer? Do they have experience looking at OTTBs? It’s completely different than assessing soundness in sport horses – are they able to tell what might be a major issue vs what might be a small issue? Can they accurately gauge soundness? How about compatibility – are they familiar with OTTBs, the let-down, and how to look at a TB that is race fit and see past any tenseness/anxiety reliably? Track TBs and their management is very different than show or lesson horses – and I have found many trainers genuinely cannot look past a keyed up horse and see if it is that horse actually being hot vs being on high-octane food, in a laborious program, and stalled 22 hrs a day…
I think a year to show 2’6" is optimistic for someone who does not have retraining experience – that’s if all the pieces fall in place – and if the horse does not need any time off after the track, if the horse is sound and you did not pick up a horse with hidden baggage, if the horse fits into the program and IF the horse does not hurt himself in the paddock… I find some horses, you can get them going BN or N within 6 months. Others take 2 years. It really depends on their mileage, their mindset, your mileage, your mindset, and whether or not the pieces fall in place in your favor. I’ve had some TBs that were sidelined with huge injuries immediately after the track – others I’ve been able to take them out for their first XC school within a few months of their off-track transition.
I like the RRP, but so much quality training just takes time – making a deadline for having a horse show-broke IME makes for gaps in the horse’s training. Sometimes the gaps are simple, such as the horse is great in the ring but has very little mileage outside of the ring – other times the gaps are significant, such as being pushed too quickly through the levels and having major confidence issues O/F that require serious retraining because of it.
I almost exclusively take TBs in directly off the track. I prefer to get them at the end of the meet in the fall, which is where I’ve found the best prices as many of them run out of conditions but are not competitive enough to justify the expenses of shipping south. I find a good bit of them need time to rest from microinjuries and soreness – they get the winter off and spend the spring hacking and usually by the end of the summer they’re W/T/C, have gone to hunter-paces, gone XC schooling, and have a lot of trail-riding miles. Whether or not they are show ready depends on the individual. Some of mine just get it right away (like my current project) while others need more time, more mileage, more wet saddle pads before I consider them show ready.
Take for instance one of my projects, who I picked up in the fall of 2013. I call him my Sisyphus Project. He has been the easiest OTTB I have ever gotten as far as retraining, and we still have not made it to a recognized competition. Why? He keeps hurting himself. He is my Thread Of Unraveling – he has had maybe, at this point, a year and a half’s worth of riding time with a year of that being made up of rehabilitation/reconditioning rides (walk/hacking) - he has gone to a few unrecognized dressage shows and events but every time we are ready to fill out a recognized event form something catastrophic happens requiring six months to a year of time off to heal…
So it’s not for everyone – and I’d make sure you have a back-up plan in case the horse gets hurt, or is unsound – or forbid, you two are not a good match or you find yourself over-horsed.
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Like you said, it really depends on the horse. Some horses are eager to get into work, some need time to just be a horse. Age can also be a factor as some still need time to grow and be ready mentally for a big change. Every OTTB is going to be different. It is better to take the time to really train your horse than to rush it and have even more issues down the road. Injuries and unknowns can also affect your timeline. Like others have pointed out, I would prepare for at least a year under a knowledgeable trainer and be flexible. I also agree with many others who have suggested looking for an OTTB that is already restarted and has a foundation and is doing some low jumping already if you’re really wanting to get into showing quickly.
Ahhh, OTTBs are already trained, they need to be untrained then retrained and that’s very different from getting a still green horse already well started in your desired discipline.
Depends on your abilities as a rider, your trainer’s abilities and experience in retraining race horses, the horses mental abilitiy to accept retraining and possible physical souvenirs of track mileage that many need to be dealt with.
The other you absolutely need to have is the ability to keep the horse on a regular schedule of at least 5 day a week handling with everybody who works with him on the same page-too many teachers spoil the lesson as cooks do the broth to use that old cliche. Horse needs same thing every day from everybody or they get confused and that creates misbehavior and slows down training.
You have to be able to get to the barn almost every day or afford a regular training program. Generous amount of turn out helps too. If memory serves,you might not be able to swing that at either your current barn you want to leave or the new ones you are looking at right now. Think it would best to put the OTTB idea on a back burner for now. Work at gaining the skills you will need first, a barn with more suitable facilities and getting personal transportation so you can get there every day and look further out for that suitable barn.
Its a good goal to work towards, just not the right time to take it on.
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I have always said simply that it takes a year to turn them around and another year to make them.
The turn around period includes letting them learn to be a horse - herd manners, turn out weather conditioning, let down time for body soreness and mental clarity. What can be called some good old Dr Time. Nutrition, especially with hoof growth, getting a good hoof wall to grow in completely can take a yr, and to get a nice rebalanced foot - there’s nothing like nailing into shredded wheat. Or trying to train to jump a thin walled, thin soled, cracked footed horse that is foot sore. Sometimes that takes letting them go barefoot for awhile also. You should allow for a period of time to get some ground manners doing some inhand work and establish a trusting relationship. We do a lot of trail riding, letting the horse relax and enjoy their new life. It teaches them to balance with the rider, esp going up and down terrain; to look where they are going, to place their feet. To also turn their head and neck carriage around and develop the top line that can carry a seated rider. I had one OTTB that had a gorgeous Rolex gallop, but he couldn’t hold a canter. It took 9 months of lunging, but it was worth it he turned around and was the epitome of hunter hack eloquence a yr later. This all builds slowly. Or some horse will get really sore and soured.
I agree with others that injuries and unknowns will crop up later. Time frames and issues will vary. Be very realistic with what resources you have to work with, and your bank account. It’s not always the cheapest way to go.
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There are a lot of great off the track Thoroughbreds who are educated and out there competing. Yes it would be nice to get one straight off the track and do all the training yourself but on the other hand, if you buy a horse who is already educated and already competing, you help contribute to providing a market for these horses. By providing a market for these horses, you are giving greater incentive to experienced, capable trainers to take off the track Thoroughbreds for the purpose of re-schooling and on-selling to the competition market. So you see, you can buy the horse that you need now and still be helping off the track Thoroughbreds. I can produce horses from the very beginning and my next off the track Thoroughbred will be an educated horse with competition experience. That’s because although I can start horses under saddle, I have no competition experience. I think that one of us needs to know what we are doing.
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How deep is the ocean. How high is the sky?
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Everyone has touched on a lot of important points, but also you don’t mention if your goals are in a specific sport - getting an OTTB directly from the track often means you won’t know what ring you’ll be headed for. At the baby green level it doesn’t matter so much, but if your heart is set on the AA hunters or such, you will be better off with a more known quantity that has already been shown it has aptitude for the job.
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My OTTB is currently five and has been off the track for a year. I picked him up in August, he’d been in retraining since mid June but had time off for a stone bruise. Currently we are going very slow because he has an amazing mind and a lot of natural talent, so I don’t want to rush him or ruin him. He has a lead change off the right, canters nicely, but all I’ve done so far while I’ve owned him is walk and very, very little trot. The amount of work that we have done in the walk has made an amazing difference- he’s developing a lovely topline, his natural balance and rhythm is even better, and he’s really learning to bend and respond to the leg. I can do most things without touching my reins, and he’s been in retraining for four months with probably less than 30 rides. He’s gone off the farm, he’s been doing groundwork, I’ve been doing all the things I’d normally do with a baby without a single end goal in mind. Right now he’s definitely looking like a hunter, probably with serious upper level potential, but if he decides that he doesn’t want to be a hunter, we’ll go try dressage or jumpers or eventing. It’s a process. You have to listen to the horse, you have to put down the groundwork, and honestly, I like to see OTTBs with at least six months off before retraining happens. He putzed around in a field, learned some herd manners, got used to life again. So you have to be willing to take it as it comes. Thoroughbreds are a type you have to go with the flow with.
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I’m a huge advocate for OTTBs. I currently have my 2nd one I took straight off the track - 4th one total. The two who already had some H/J training done were the known quantities. I could get on and jump around to get a feel of their style and way of going. If you pluck an OTTB straight from the track, you never know what you’re going to get. My first guy straight off the track had a 10/10 jump and was an 8/10 mover, but would never (even when he was 19) be quiet enough to do the hunters. He’s now living the life of leisure as a little girl’s short stirrup horse and is still a fire pants.
My second OTTB is my equitation/medal horse. It’s taken 5 years in full training to get all the bells and whistles and jump 3’6 courses. He’s got lead changes, lateral work, counter canter, can do all the tight roll backs, hand gallop, etc. It was a risk. He might not have ever gotten to that point - and at the end of the day I paid as much for my eq horse as some of the other ladies I ride with who imported something. They paid up front, and I paid over time in training bills. He was doing the baby greens at one year off the track, but he was also fell quite naturally into his new job.
Ask yourself what is most most important and how will you feel if your OTTB isn’t capable or doesn’t want to do the job you want him/her to do. I am all for “recycling” but maybe pick one up that’s already started for a year in your chosen discipline? OTTBs aren’t en vogue right now, so you can pick up a nice one going around small courses for pretty cheap.
Congrats on your choice to “recycle”!!
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How long is a piece of string? My mare who is 12months OTT has just started her show jumping and is waiting for her first eventing start - both at approximately 2’ 6"?? (80cm). My gelding is two months OTT and has begun his dressage career and will soon be starting a show jumping career at. 2’ 2" - 2’ 6". However one of my previous OTTBs took a year to get off the property yet alone to a show!
It takes as long as it takes.
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If you don’t have retraining experience and you are working with a decent trainer, I would say a year is reasonable for 2’6 shows.
I mean, obviously some horses take longer than others or have difficulty with x thing, or conversely, really fly through learning y, but if your trainer does not have a program that can generally speakingput a passable 2’6 course on most horses in a year, you’re probably within reason to have higher expectations.
(Obviously this means working several times per week with the trainer, not checking in twice a month and then asking why isn’t it going to Capital Challenge)
Whether it a Thoroughbred, WB, Draft horse, or Shetland pony, the answer is AS LONG AS IT TAKES and remember: TRAINING NEVER STOPS
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Go to Facebook and follow Tamarack Farm. Denny has a lot of extremely smart things to say about training and retraining. Scroll back and read a lot of his thoughts on the horse he got for the TB Makeover project.
Do not look for signs of progress…
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