New mare coming, I'm so excited!- Angry update

[Real_Rush]

Couldn’t decide whether to post this here or in the horse care category. I’m just super excited! I’m making plans to bring home this beautiful mare: https://www.pedigreequery.com/cest+parti

A friend will be picking her up at the track this coming weekend. She just raced this past Saturday, and I’ve never gotten one so fresh before. What is the best way to let her down and learn how to be a real horse? Stall her for a while? Throw her to the “wolves” (my guys in the pasture)? Or some mixture of stall and turnout? She won’t be bred until next year, so no rush trying to get her ready for that. Thanks in advance!

[LaurieB]

With a TB mare just coming off the track, we usually start with (solo) turnout in a round pen or a small paddock, perhaps with ace on the first day (maybe two days, see how it goes.) Often, what happens is they see grass, go “yippee!” and you never get any fireworks at all.

Once they settle in a paddock (maybe a week or two) they can be turned out in a big field with other mares. If you can help it, you don’t want to start with a big field because racehorses will run so you’re better off limiting the possibility until she’s had a chance to get used to her new surroundings.

We’ve never had a problem with them making the transition. Best of luck with her!

[beowulf]

Ohh, what a nice pedigree. I’m with LaurieB, that’s a good regime and is about what I follow. Quarantine for 2 weeks in their own separate pasture, then once quarantine period is over, start to introduce them to herd mates one at a time.

She has likely had lots of turnout before - many TBs are raised in group turnout and aren’t green to the concept. Once mine are over their quarantine period they go out 24/7 with no issues.

As far as let down - keep as much hay in front of her, preferably in a hay bag, at all times. Alfalfa pellets and a good high fat/high fiber grain will go a long way to keep her condition up as she adjusts to a less work-intense life.

[Real_Rush]

Thanks LaurieB and beowulf! 2 of my mares already get Triple Crown Sr. Gold, supplemented with soaked alfalfa cubes, so that will be a perfect transition. My only (small) problem is that my drylot shares a fence line with the pasture. It’s got a top strand hotwire, but they can still touch noses if they’re motivated enough. This set-up worked well for the mare I got a little over a year ago, so hopefully will work this time. knock wood

[Real_Rush]

So, evidently, after getting everything lined up, the asshole owner sold the mare out from under me. We had a written text agreement on price. I had a ride for her from Ocala, she just needed to get to Ocala from Tampa. Current owner said he found someone that would drop her off tomorrow and I arranged for payment to be made at that time. I texted him this morning to make sure all was still on schedule, and no reply. I knew something was up because up until this point, he has been very quick to respond to texts. Finally texted to ask if she was still available, just to see if he would at least reply. Finally answered and said he’d “let me know by end of day”. I contacted a friend of mine who suggested I call the track office to leave a message for the trainer (different person). Just got a call back from him, saying that as far as he knows, the mare was sold today and had already been shipped off.

I am so friggin pissed to be screwed over like this. I’m going to pass on his name to my connections down there, so they’ll know not to do business with this person. And for anyone on here, the owner’s name is Najeem Bartley.

[CuriosoJorge]

Um, was this your first experience buying off the racetrack? Because until money changes hands, it isn’t your horse. There is no way I would ship a horse from Tampa to Ocala without payment and a signed bill of sale!!!

I understand that it’s easy to get excited about one, but these days if you’re serious it’s easy to Venmo or Zelle or CashApp or whatever the kids are using right now, and then arrange the shipping. Calling people names and using bad language doesn’t exactly paint you in a great light.

And for future reference, no, letting your quarantined animal touch noses over a hot wire with your resident herd does NOT count as quarantine, and sounds like a great way to inoculate infectious disease into your existing population.

[Real_Rush]

Um, no, this was not my first time buying a horse off the track. However, nowadays an agreement via text message is considered a legally binding document. Google it. All of the details of payment, shipping to Ocala, etc were discussed and are documented via text.

And I’m sorry, I’m not sending hundreds or thousands of dollars to someone I’ve never met out of state without some assurance of the transaction being completed- such as a shipper being on-site to verify the horse is being loaded. What if I had already sent payment and he still screwed me over? Then I’d be out money AND no horse.

There is also the issue of common decency. If you make an agreement to sell a horse to someone, and agree to meet the following day at noon to exchange funds, sign a bill of sale and load up the horse, but a second buyer shows up at 10 and offers you money on the spot, so you sell the horse to the second buyer, that makes you a very poor and untrustworthy horseperson in my book.

[FjordBCRF]

@Real_Rush

And I’m sorry, I’m not sending hundreds or thousands of dollars to someone I’ve never met out of state without some assurance of the transaction being completed- such as a shipper being on-site to verify the horse is being loaded. What if I had already sent payment and he still screwed me over? Then I’d be out money AND no horse.

Not a racehorse, but when I bought my gelding, I put a percentage of his price tag down to secure him and paid have his owner haul him to me from a state over to meet and have a PPE done by my vet. If the PPE showed issues or I decided we weren’t a good fit, owner would still keep that money and take him home. Everything ended up working out, but meeting in the middle worked for us both quite well. I don’t know how common that is or not and I didn’t like that I stood to lose a decent chunk of money but it protected us both. I didn’t expect him to hold my horse until some sort of money exchanged hands.

[clanter]

@Real_Rush

Um, no, this was not my first time buying a horse off the track. However, nowadays an agreement via text message is considered a legally binding document

actually the legality of an electronic contract agreement goes back into the 1800 with the introduction of the telegraph which kind of predates the cell phone’s texting ability

[CuriosoJorge]

@Real_Rush

that makes you a very poor and untrustworthy horseperson in my book

In my book it makes the owner a smart businessman. I don’t believe you had an executed agreement until funds were exchanged (either a deposit as mentioned or the full purchase price). Keeping a horse in training is expensive, and this mare wasn’t paying her way. Someone else showed up with cash and a trailer. It is not customary to expect a racehorse person to hold a horse for you. I hope you learn from this and are able to have a smoother transaction next time.