Just got my OTTB home yesterday. He is 3 years old and was raced only 5 times. I know he needs to settle in more before I really see his true self but when I pet near his stomach or flank area he lifts his leg and acts like he is going to kick. He also slightly pins ears. When I went to go see him when he was for sale he was super well behaved but I do remember my boyfriend rubbing his under belly and “Country” had somewhat the same reaction but maybe not quite as intense. My first thought is he has ulcers. Anyone else have any advice? Could it be that he just doesn’t like that area touched?
Think about where predators attack horses? What is the most vulnerable area on a horse? Of course horses will kick out when their belly is touched. Not all do, but it is an instinct, not an indicator. If you are standing quietly, do you want folks coming up and touching your belly? Again, our instinct is to protect the most vulnerable area, our belly. We go fetal. Horses kick out.
I never let anybody do that with my horses. And I am very careful when I do that, e.g. sheath cleaning, grooming.
Track horses have some manners installed but not everything an ammie expects of a dead broke lesson horse.
Your horse is a baby and had a very short stint at the track. Expect to start over on all ground work, handling, manners, training like he is an unbroke but halter broke colt.
Track trainers don’t mind a little stomping restlessness etc.
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I agree with @Scribbler that your horse has not had those manners taught to him yet. Every OTTB I have worked with straight off the track will stomp, pin their ears and sometimes give a warning kick when the belly is touched. I’m a firm believer that all horses should be able to be touched all over, from odd angles and with multiple objects.
The guy I just picked up from the track is getting a ground manner 101 course even though I am pretty sure he has most of those manners already installed. I was warned when I bought him that he was a kicker and he proved to be one on his second day home. I have been working on not stomping or kicking in multiple situations since I brought him home and he has gotten better. I started by finding his “no spots” and “no situations” and have been working on normalizing these. My guy did not like me in his stall while he had hay and grain. I’m now in his stall when he is fed and doing things like grooming, cleaning or just hanging out and petting him. When he tries to kick me, I make that behavior bad. When he allows me to do what I was doing without negative behaviors he gets to eat to his heart’s content. I make me hanging out at his hind end postie with scratches, treats and happy relaxed voice/body language.
I would still treat for ulcers just in case but your horse’s ground manners need to be established.
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I’d treat any horse coming off the track for ulcers. But he’s also going to need a let-down period, and that is the perfect time to start working on manners like this.
You can get a horse over any area he doesn’t like being touched by one of two ways: by either overwhelming his senses, or by doing what’s called “fly-bys”.
Either way, get yourself some kind of extension of your arm. I have one of those retractable back scratcher tools (you can find them in most drug stores) in my tack box for this very purpose. In the former method, you find an area he DOES enjoy being touched. Maybe this horse enjoys a wither scratch or a good neck rub. If you know he has one of these areas, start scritching him there until he demonstrates he’s enjoying the touch. Then, slowly start touching him in the area he doesn’t want to be touched. If he gets irritated, simply calmly retreat from the area and continue to scratch the good area. Then try again. Over time, the horse will stop separating out “good” from “bad”, and starts associating the touch in the spot he didn’t like before with something positive.
For the latter method, go about working with the horse, grooming or doing whatever you’re doing. Every once in a while, take your back scratcher tool and just calmly but quickly run it near the bad area. Then carry on doing whatever you were doing. Then do it again. You incorporate these “fly-bys” into any normal grooming or handling routine instead of making touching that area the focus of what you’re doing, and in doing this you deny the horse the ability to get upset to begin with because you’re in and out before he’s even reacted. Eventually you start making those fly-bys a bit longer until you can actually purposefully touch that area, linger and then move on.
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Thanks everybody for the great advice. This is definitely all new to me. I’m used to riding bombproof 20 year old quarter horses that my aunt owned. I’ve only had my own horses for a year and then decided to add this OTTB to the herd. I know at 3 years old he has a lot of learning to do but that is what will make it such a rewarding experience! The good news is that when I rode him he seemed as chill as a cucumber. So hopefully the kicking is the only quirk we have to conquer. Before he starts any major training I think I will let him just relax and be a horse and bond with my other horses. Also definitely think I will check him for ulcers just Incase that is the issue.
I also recently acquired a 3 year OTTB who raced 6 times. So very similar to yours. He arrived around Thanksgiving and I had a similar situation to you - he did not appreciate my efforts to brush under his belly and flank area. As others have said, ground manners, and time have helped. I have been working on gaining his trust and working on ground manners. It’s already paying off. I have also treated for ulcers, per my vet’s recommendation. Sounds like you are on the right path! Congratulations!
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Yup. The rules are definitely different on the track. A former landlord who didn’t ride had gotten 2 OTTB thinking you could just hop on and go. He was scared of them, though he wouldn’t admit it. He sold them to me for $1 each. They were fine. By the time I took them they’d had a nice, 6 month let-down. I kept them on a routine. They didn’t need to live in but I did anyway so they got used to me handling and leading them a few times a day. By the time I sent the one out to the trainer for his 30 days, he was so easy-going that the working student did most of the rides.
Most of the freshly OTTB I’ve met don’t startle at much (which is great!) but they are definitely big goofballs with some odd quirks. Eventually, they settle. My old gelding that died a few years ago had been an excellent racer on the flat and jumping. I doubt I could’ve ridden him as a 5yo. He was a model citizen when he came to me at 16. We almost got broadsided by a deer on a hack once. He cantered a few steps to the side and then stopped and I swear he looked around to see if anyone had witnessed him being silly. The young horses at the barn glommed onto him due to his steadiness. I used to have to stand by the side of the arena with him to reassure a particular buddy when that horse was starting out.
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My OTTB gelding is insanely ticklish on his flanks. He hates any sort of touch there. Body clipping his flanks is beyond difficult. His skin is seizing, twitching violently and he will think about kicking but tries to bear it. He hates grooming in general.
My OTTB mare has a much better temperament but thin skinned and also dislikes grooming. My paint mare would like you to fawn over her, groom her, rub indefinitely and she is not sensitive anywhere.
My first Marchador had been “eared down,” badly, by someone in her breeder’s employ. I found that out after I bought her and was routinely grooming her. When it got to the time for and ear check I moved toward her left ear and she went STRAIGHT UP!!! I stepped back and talked to her and she settled down but watched me VERY carefully. I didn’t go anywhere near that ear that day. But, over the next six months, worked with her until I could touch and examine the ear. She was five at that time; today she is 24, semi-retired, and when it comes time for ear grooming she will drop her head, pin her ears back, and give you world’s sourest “mare face,” but that’s it. She tolerates the practice, but no more.
When I’ve encountered a horse with a “tender flank” issue I’ve done the same thing I did with the mare. Put them in the normal place for routine grooming so that they are not under any stress and the carefully approach the “danger” zone, carefully watching for any “resistance” signs. As soon as I see one, I back off and do something else that is pleasant. Over time I’ve learned that each succeeding attempt will get me a inch, or maybe just part of an inch, towards the sensitive area. Once the horse gets the idea I’m not a predator and don’t mean them harm I’ll get the “sour” face, but no kick or other resistance. This process can take several months of patient work. It works best if you are also doing other things with the horse and establishing that you are Great Alpha, but you are a benevolent Great Alpha not a threatening Great Alpha. The mantra of Alois Podhajsky from the Spanish Riding School is fundamental in all of this: I Have Time.
I would guess there might be other approaches but I’ve found this one works best with my temperament and those of my current horses.
G.
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I just got my nexium in the mail so will be giving him a dose this evening with his grain. This way I can rule out ulcers as the problem. I have read that horses with ulcers won’t eat much and he eats like crazy. So I really don’t know if ulcers are the culprit or not. When I posted this the first time he had only been home one day. Now it’s been just shy of a week and he is way more comfortable with me. I’ve never had a horse enjoy neck scratches so much. I haven’t attempted to touch his belly again but he was totally fine when I put his winter blanket on and I had to reach under his stomach to grab and fasten the straps.
On a side note, his registered name is “whata country day” so the people I bought him from just called him “country” but I didn’t think that name fit him so I named him “moose”. I just had to share that because it fits him so well since he is leggy and just reminds me of the way a moose moves. He is such a cutie, I think he is going to turn out to be an amazing horse
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Have two OTTBs that raced until they were 7 and when I brought them home, they both didn’t like grooming and had issues picking up their hind feet without sort of kicking back. They also didn’t like their bellies or flanks brushed. My 18-YO OTTB still doesn’t like his flanks brushed but he tolerates it now. My 2 younger guys both came from the same trainer and have really good manners otherwise. The first guy, Roo, is super-chill in general. He adapted to grooming in a few months, but I had to do it slowly and with a real light touch with a soft rubber curry. Brushes were OK. Doesn’t like his ears messed with much UNLESS you are there to rub them in JUST the right way. He’s not horrible at all. He’s just 16.3 and I’m 5’1" so we have to work together on that 
Guy 2, Pacer, HATED being groomed at first. Chews, turns his head sideways and kicks straight out behind with the leg on the opposite side where you’re grooming. Occasionally cow-kicks on either side, but the “NO SIR” and a tap makes him stop. He also seemed to not know how to pick up and hold his hind feet and kicks back although not hard. That’s improving.
Roo now falls asleep being groomed, especially if I toss a cooler over him so he’s cozy. He likes being warm. I’ve had Pacer 10 months now and he’s much better but still gets anxious. He’s a totally different personality than Roo.
I’d definitely put your new guy on an ulcer supplement for a couple months and just be soft and slow until he finally lets down and gets the new routine. Slow and quiet wins out in the end. I find that it takes at least 6 months for a new guy’s true personality to start to emerge so give him the time it takes. Im in TX, and so many people here w/ QHs smack one in a heartbeat if they so much as lift a hind leg being groomed. That’s not a good idea with an OTTB—especially a new one. They react back 10 times to whatever you input and it makes EVERYTHING worse.
I love your explanation of “fly-bys.” That is the method I used on my horses who did not like their ears touched. Your way of explaining it is much more concise and less cumbersome than the description I was using. Love it.
Oh, and now my horses put their heads down and love it when I clean and scratch their ears.
Update:
oh boy…so moose seems to be going backwards in progress. He doesn’t seem to enjoy being pet or touched what so ever anymore. A couple times I have walked up to him and tried petting his neck and he pins his ears and gives me a death look and raises his hind leg like he wants to kick. Honestly I’m scared. I’m nervous even to go put on his blanket. I’m going to start a new thread to ask about this. I need to hear some positive success stories right now. Oh and also I was going to try to lunge him so we can get started on ground work and he pinned his ears at me when I walked up with the whip. I knew an OTTB would be challenging but didn’t except this. Now I’m really wondering what I got myself into
What steps have you actively taken to improve his ground manners in hand?
what do you do when he bites? What do you do when he pins his ears? what kind of intelligent adult help do you have access to?
