I’m considering buying an OTTB from a reputable rehab that not only gets horses off the track but puts some work in them to properly evaluate their strengths and weaknesses and thus be better able to make a good match when re homing them. That said some of these horses come with some physical issues. Bone chips (that are said not to interfere with the horse’s ability to work), old bowed tendons, bucked shins, pin firing, etc. I know lots of you out there have both knowledge and experience dealing with OTTB’s so what would and wouldn’t you consider acceptable when looking at an ex-race horse?
My intended purpose for the horse is dressage and low level jumping (3 feet). Oh yes, due to my own advancing age this may well be my last dance partner so I’d like to make it a good one! Also can any of you recommend organizations you’ve had success with in getting an OTTB that’s had a bit of work done with it.
Thanks so much!
Where do you live? Here in KY New Vocations and the Secretariat Center both have good reputations. I’ve known people to get horses from both organizations.
You really need to get a thorough vetting done to find out what issues a horse has and what might cause him trouble down the line. I can live with something like pinfire marks (purely cosmetic) but I pass on a horse with chips. Old bows don’t bother me if they are small and set. Osselets are pretty common; I can live with small ones as long as there is still good mobility in the joint. However, these things can decrease the value of the horse if you should have to sell him down the line.
Bucked shins and pin firing are non issues .
Bowed a Tendons no matter how old an set are worth a current ultraSound usually dirt cheap.
Bone chips an OCD, have the X-rays looked at…if the joint is clean and no signs of arthritic changes beyond normal for age…just fine.
Non displaced sesmoid fracture if supporting ligaments ultrasound again not a biggie
Spurs in hocks usually non issue if joint is clean
Occelots or rounded ankles…if joint X-rays clean and horse has full flexion not a biggie.
Screws, pins, plates, require good orthopedic to evaluate a New current set of X-rays.
Do your home work, get your own independent Vet evaluation Not theirs…
Thank You for rehoming an OTTB an best of luck.
Thanks! Good to know. I’ve never had to deal with the kinds of injuries race horses are prone to having. This information will help a lot!
[QUOTE=Starsnstripes;8126372]
Thanks! Good to know. I’ve never had to deal with the kinds of injuries race horses are prone to having. This information will help a lot![/QUOTE]
I found this information quite helpful when I got my first OTTB.
http://www.goodhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/RetrainingManualCurrent.pdf
Judybigredpony, your post here was worthy of pinning. Great overview, and I know you to be extremely knowledgeable on the subject. Thank you!
http://thehorsesback.com/ex-racehorse-problems/ This is an excellent article about some of the issues that can come with the OTTB. Very useful, and just generally interesting to know.
Judybigredpony’s list is right on, every step of the way.
Temperament and talent is another subject you may need expert advice on as well.
If it hasn’t been made clear enough yet, pay attention to Judy’s post.
That said, I would like to add to the list of reputable “rescues” the one that is my favorite - Final Furlong Racehorse Retirement based in Ocala. I’ve not actually gotten a horse from them, but years ago tried to (before I stumbled across the one that I did buy). I was so impressed with the program though that I became very involved in supporting FF. Our group is different than many, but our method has worked really well over the years. We don’t put extra training onto our horses, but most of them are very well known by the founder of FF as they passed through the racing training program at the start of their career. So, they are definitely known quantities. What you may find interesting though is that we do full rehab and very, very in depth medical workups. You can have your own vet out, no problem, but we don’t just do the basics and then move on. You can benefit from all of the medical we take care of. The part that shocks people is that there is no adoption fee. We only ask that if it is a bad fit, you send the horse back to us or keep us in the loop. The goal is to never, ever have a horse without the safety of returning to FF.
I’ve done a lot of work with non profits and stopped due to burn out. This is the only group I work for now and I do it for free because they are the only 100% legit FOR THE HORSES group I’ve ever dealt with. The positive energy is passed on to all of our adopters. If you are interested, or if anyone else is, check out the page in my signature. Those are only a few of our horses though and many are our “Lifers”… most are adopted before making it to the page because we usually have a 3-6 month waiting list (a huge portion of our adopters are happy returnees looking for a second or third horse). If you are interested, call the number on the page and start the process!
Good luck and thank you so much for choosing an OTTB!
