OK, now you got me thinking… My current love is Indy King very close, and one of my all-time faves I had was Liam’s Map (Unbridled’s Song), so I wholeheartedly agree with your recs too. I adored my Mr. Speaker (Pulpit) gelding, but have heard they can be sensitive. He definitely was but he was just so gosh-darn beautiful to look at.
1 Like
Some other modern lines that tend to trend quieter:
Uncle Mo. More Than Ready. Smart Strike. Street Cry.
3 Likes
My mare with the unbeatable brain is out of Moorhead by More Than Ready, so I agree there. I tend not to care too much about quiet or ammy friendly and look more for jump and athleticism. I love Holy Bull up close for a good jump. Never seen a Macho Uno that doesn’t jump a 10, including my own. But they can be tricky and quirky, as someone noted up thread - and tend to crib! I love anything Halo/Sunday Silence for athleticism, but I don’t think they’re considered ammy friendly. I’m a sucker for anything Dixieland Band/Dixie Union too.
1 Like
I’m biased towards a local TB breeding farm, but the stallion there who I love love love is pensioned now - I had (and lost to colic) his last baby 
What I meant was more generally - once you find breeding that you like, I think that’s what you look for. So when you’re doing that wishful thinking shopping online, pay attention to the breeding and you may find that you like a certain type.
4 Likes
They literally all crib. 
But they usually move and jump good enough to make up for it.
Haha, yep. Mine is one of the great disappointments of my life. By far the best moving and jumping horse in my barn, just hanging out, doing nothing - except cribbing. 
1 Like
Haven’t read all the replies yet
My take is that the intended job matters for this question. If you want a low level eventer, a foxhunter, or an all around horse, take the campaigner. They’ve learned to cope with whatever jewelry they have, and as long as you aren’t going to go about changing their movement or mechanic you aren’t likely to make them go unsound. For dressage, however, that won’t work - because you are almost inherently trying to control and change how the horse does the job, not just that he does it. You’re going to ask him to move straight through his body and to shift where he wants to put his weight. You’re taking away some of the ways that he has learned to compensate for those old injuries. So in that case, I’d take the one without miles.
4 Likes
This is an interesting take.
One would think that dressage would help a horse compensate. I think that lower level dressage (aka The Basics), would help, but can 100% see where higher level expectations might require a different type of horse.
That said, I have no interest in competitive dressage. Personally I’m looking for a jumper, or a hunter, but I crosstrain with good dressage basics and XC schooling (and trails). So an all-arounder that can jump decent sticks I guess 
2 Likes
Two of the more recent horses I’ve seen at shows that have made my jaw drop were sired by More Than Ready. Of course they had dams, but both were really supple, beautiful movers with very little tension.
Seville has been one of my favorites of more recent years - every adult horse of his I’ve seen has been a leggy and wonderful mover.
3 Likes
FWIW, one of the quietest, slowest horses I have ever ridden was an '02 gelding that ran in the Kentucky Derby and made over $500K. He had one of the longest and most beautiful strides and the bounciest trot I have ever felt on a TB. On the contrary, the hottest OTTB I ever rode was a '98 gelding with 0 starts and a spin and a buck that could really get you (mostly the spin). The Kentucky Derby gelding actually ended up to be a fantastic hunter and a super easy keeper, no shoes, never lame, super quiet. Granted, I rode him maybe 4 years after his last start, but the 0 start OTTB had been in an english program for a considerable amount of time before I got on him.
3 Likes
Alright I’m dredging this back up to ask for any advice y’all might give - including “there’s no way to know lady stop asking” lol
How do we feel about ~30 starts, winner, but two DNFs (one vanned off)? Horse came back to race a month or two after both DNFs and won. The record is alllll over the place - win, dead last, win again, mid pack, dead last.
Should I just buy a subscription and watch the videos, if this horse is “my type”? Or are these enough red flags to vet it pretty hard if I decide to go see it? I’m not great at all the details of charts (obviously, since I started this thread) and am just trying to learn. I want to do RRP some year.
1 Like
Vanned off? There are a lot of OTTBs out there that would like to eat your money! He would have to be pretty spectacular…
1 Like
Yes vanned off but came back to race a month or so later. And almost 10 times after that particular DNF, including two wins.
1 Like
That’s a pretty big red flag. Do you know what the injury was? How he was rehabbed? My previous OTTB had one DNF but it was because he clipped the heels of another horse and lost his jockey. He did have an injury that caused his retirement, but I had full documentation on his recovery and it never bothered him again.
My new TB is an 8 year old gelding who raced 4 times and finished last each race. He had no interest in running. Since I first posted on this thread he’s been restarted under saddle after 2+ months of refeeding and long lining. He is the SLOWEST TB I’ve ever ridden. Someone forgot to install a go button! However, I’m old so that may be a benefit. I will say that compared to other OTTBs that I’ve owned he doesn’t have much of a work ethic. Probably why he didn’t make it as a racehorse.
I don’t know if you’ve looked at some of the OTTB rehoming sites but I’ve seen some nice looking horses on sites like Changing Saddles. Those types of places typically have restarted the horse under saddle and/or have a history. I was lucky because the former director of CANTER NE directed me to my new horse and she’d known him since birth.
2 Likes
I keep an eye on them! I am mostly looking locally at the moment, and very casually. I have a “type” that I like so when I see one posted I go digging lol
1 Like
If it’s helpful, I have yet to pay TVG a dollar in exchange for my TB stalking habit.
Agree that being vanned off is a big red flag, and I would 200% be watching the replays of the two DNFs. If the horse isn’t restarted yet and you’re going off walk/jog video from the track, make sure to watch the wins too, since the broadcast should show the canter after the finish line.
4 Likes
I think I’d steer clear of this one. There’s lots of OTTBs that don’t have this questionable of a record.
1 Like
Yeah I am leaning that way - it was just the first one I’ve seen with DNFs and return to racing so fast, which made me wonder. I may spend the $5 to watch the replays for my own education though.
It seems like a good egg and has a fabulous trot, and is my preferred coat color of course!
1 Like
The DNFs, vanned off, and the inconsistency make me think this horse is not actually sound. If he is, then he is a fussy type where it’s the “princess and the pea” type personality which if you’ve ever had one is arguably one of the most infuriating things to own (other than low grade soundness issues that can’t be located).
1 Like
If I saw 2 DNFs, each one followed by a quick return to the races, I would suspect it wasn’t a structural problem–but maybe a breathing or throat issue. The horse might have bled, or maybe flipped its palate.
Depending on how recent those races were, (like this year) there’s also the possibility that the horse simply has a wonky feeling stride and was pulled up by its jockey. With so many eyes currently watching racing, most jockeys are now told ‘if you feel even the slightest bobble’ pull up. Our trainer has had 2 horses pulled up this year, neither of which had anything wrong with them. Both had taken an unsteady step on an uneven turf course. Both came back soon and ran uneventfully.
8 Likes
