It’s this mindset that has essentially put the Thoroughbred sporthorse breeders out of business. No support from the buyers for the end product. It’s a shame because a purpose bred horse is exactly that – usually bred from parents that have the pedigree, gaits, conformation and mind that you would want in a sporthorse. Many times those bloodlines are more obscure and not “commercially” available or produced for the track so much. Many of the OTTB’s come from lower end trainers and the “professional” care and training is often not exactly what you would want (I’ve been a licensed trainer and on the backside). They are trained a different way from a sporthorse so there is the reschooling many need. The name of the racing game is the end result and winning money, so the horse’s best interest is not always considered. Alot of their “experiences” may not be positive. There are many OTTB’s that are successful and I hope many more will be. The Thoroughbred sport breeders use them but they are selected with more discrimination most times than the person buying to show or ride because they know more about pedigree as well as what works as far the other components to breed. The OTTB’s have run out their options or failed and are a byproduct and priced as such. Not in any way meant disparagingly to the TB’s – but their price reflects the fact. They are all Thoroughbreds but buying off the track is more of a crapshoot than buying one bred for sport. Unfortunately, they are now quite scarce because of this attitude~!
PennyG
I would expect to pay a premium for a sport- bred horse if the breeding really was that good and the horse manifested that kind of quality.
HOWEVER as between a race-trained TB that never went to the track and one who raced, I would say you really need to find out why the horse didn’t race. You need to look case by case.
Case 1:
I leased one who couldn’t get a gate card because he was claustrophobic. Nice guy but he never cross tied and was sometimes flaky on the ground.
Case 2:
My mare with 36 starts self loads and unloads, picks up her feet in turn when I say 1,2,3,4, is good for vet, farrier, and dentist, and is brave about new situations. And the prepurchase vet said she’d proven she can stay good and sound when in vigorous work.
In these specific cases, the raced TB has an edge IMHO.
So find out your prospect’s story and don’t assume not racing is a plus.
Thanks for the feedback. I am considering a horse for resale that is a sportbred TB. I usually avoid TBs for resale as they don’t command the price that WBs and X-breds do, and usually I have to sit on them longer than the more fashionable breeds. (I personally LOVE Tbs and prefer them for myself). But, this mare is nice and it seems like a good opportunity for resale.
For those that asked - as mentioned, the horse was bred for sport, not racing, and this is exactly why she did not go to the track. She was never intended to go to the track. Bloodlines are basically obscure in US - primarily UK sport blood. She seems to have a great mind and has been started under saddle and clips/loads/bathes and all that jazz 
Current owner is breeder and someone I have known for several years and worked with professionally - no worries about where she is coming from.
This gives me some food for thought - I am rethinking her potential as a resale based on the feedback - seems there is little value in the sport bred TB over the OTTB.
[QUOTE=butiwantedapony;7589314]
Thanks for the feedback. I am considering a horse for resale that is a sportbred TB. I usually avoid TBs for resale as they don’t command the price that WBs and X-breds do, and usually I have to sit on them longer than the more fashionable breeds. (I personally LOVE Tbs and prefer them for myself). But, this mare is nice and it seems like a good opportunity for resale.
For those that asked - as mentioned, the horse was bred for sport, not racing, and this is exactly why she did not go to the track. She was never intended to go to the track. Bloodlines are basically obscure in US - primarily UK sport blood. She seems to have a great mind and has been started under saddle and clips/loads/bathes and all that jazz
Current owner is breeder and someone I have known for several years and worked with professionally - no worries about where she is coming from.
This gives me some food for thought - I am rethinking her potential as a resale based on the feedback - seems there is little value in the sport bred TB over the OTTB.[/QUOTE]
once they are started undersaddle…showing a bit…whether OTTB or not doesn’t matter. I can sell a good moving and jumping TB for as much as I can sell a WB/TB cross. For resale…I’d say her being a MARE is going to be what takes a slight hit to her resale value more than her not being a WB. Once they are doing the job someone wants…the breeding doesn’t matter as much. It is easier to evaluate the horse in front of you.
There will be people who do not want a TB or only want something with a brand on their butt…but honestly, those are buyers that you generally do not want to deal with anyway.
So to me, a sport bred TB that more clearly and more likely do the job that I want to aim them too and for resale most certainly is less of a risk than an OTTB. But once they are off the track…and doing something else…the OTTB can be valued the same as the sport bred (whether WB or TB).
Not sure I’m making it clear…but what you are buying with sport bred horse is a greater chance that they WILL be good in sport. ETA: So if you are buying to train and resell…you will take LESS of a gamble with a sport bred horse. OTTBs are great…but they are a risk. Which is why even though I have a pretty experienced eye, I STILL prefer to buy from a re-seller and pay more when buying an OTTB. Because then I can evaluate the horse better than I can watching them just jog on the backside of the track.
[QUOTE=bornfreenowexpensive;7589385]
once they are started undersaddle…showing a bit…whether OTTB or not doesn’t matter. I can sell a good moving and jumping TB for as much as I can sell a WB/TB cross. For resale…I’d say her being a MARE is going to be what takes a slight hit to her resale value more than her not being a WB. Once they are doing the job someone wants…the breeding doesn’t matter as much. It is easier to evaluate the horse in front of you.
There will be people who do not want a TB or only want something with a brand on their butt…but honestly, those are buyers that you generally do not want to deal with anyway.
So to me, a sport bred TB that more clearly and more likely do the job that I want to aim them too and for resale most certainly is less of a risk than an OTTB. But once they are off the track…and doing something else…the OTTB can be valued the same as the sport bred (whether WB or TB).
Not sure I’m making it clear…but what you are buying with sport bred horse is a greater chance that they WILL be good in sport.[/QUOTE]
We must have a very different audience… WBs and wbxs have definitely been easier sells and have brought in more $$ for me… And historically I have had an easier time selling mares! In any event, was just looking for feedback on sport vs race bred. I have a WB resale already in the barn so I’m in no hurry to add another, definitely need to sit on it and think for a bit.
[QUOTE=butiwantedapony;7589429]
We must have a very different audience… WBs and wbxs have definitely been easier sells and have brought in more $$ for me… And historically I have had an easier time selling mares! In any event, was just looking for feedback on sport vs race bred. I have a WB resale already in the barn so I’m in no hurry to add another, definitely need to sit on it and think for a bit.[/QUOTE]
I have an easier time selling the WBs as youngsters and unproven. But once you have them going training level+…the breed doesn’t matter, just the quailty of the individual.
And if I’m selling to someone for UL eventing…they prefer the TBs as long as they have the movement and jump. [ETA: I don’t have a huge sale barn but I often have had one or two horses that I brought along to sell. I currently have several young WBx that I bred and a couple of OTTBs for resale (and a couple that I’m keeping as my personal horses).]
To me it is just an issue of when you are selling. I also don’t have any issue with selling mares…and have sold several over the years…BUT you will find more buyers who are against mares than you will find buyers who are against buying a gelding.
Ahh yes, I agree once you start breaking to higher levels it no longer matters. I primarily focus on lower level/ young horses.
I would have said I preferred OTTB to unraced sport bred TB -
until I finally started riding my own sport bred unraced TB mare this year! She is by Rock Point, out of an OTTB mare I evented to Prelim. For various reasons, she wasn’t backed until 7, so I really didn’t know much about her until recently -
And just WOW. She has the best attitude of any horse I’ve ever sat on, her canter is dreamworthy, and she thinks jumping is just the most fun ever. Is quiet & calm & interested in everything. In hand I thought her just an average plain bay mare, on the small side. Under saddle she is STUNNING. Awesome movement, an elegance I’ve never owned before.
So, now I’m a big fan of the unraced sportbred TB of course Though of course all the pluses I’ve mentioned could just be her breeding, I get comfort thinking, she hasn’t really been touched until I put her in carefully planned out training program. She was bred, and now is being trained, precisely for what I want to do with her. It is getting fun now
But before her, I owned & rode many OTTB’s and am a big fan of those as well. The dam of my current mare came with major track “jewelry” but stayed soundest of any of my show horses to date. The young mare has been 100% sound so far, but obviously I don’t know about her longevity yet.
Anyway with my new experience, I’d be very interested in a sportbred unraced TB but it would come down to the individuals I was looking at as far as which was preferred in a given moment.
(editing to add the reasons my mare wasn’t backed til 7 had nothing to do with soundness, it was all about my financial situation, her having an accidental oops foal, & other personal distress)
[QUOTE=bornfreenowexpensive;7589385]
So to me, a sport bred TB that more clearly and more likely do the job that I want to aim them too and for resale most certainly is less of a risk than an OTTB. But once they are off the track…and doing something else…the OTTB can be valued the same as the sport bred (whether WB or TB).
Not sure I’m making it clear…but what you are buying with sport bred horse is a greater chance that they WILL be good in sport. ETA: So if you are buying to train and resell…you will take LESS of a gamble with a sport bred horse. OTTBs are great…but they are a risk. Which is why even though I have a pretty experienced eye, I STILL prefer to buy from a re-seller and pay more when buying an OTTB. Because then I can evaluate the horse better than I can watching them just jog on the backside of the track.[/QUOTE]
I have to agree here - over the years I’ve evented mostly OTTB’s, some worked out great and others not so much. I have my first sport bred TB now and can’t say enough about his aptitude for eventing. He seems to understand and pick up the concepts much faster, which could be a coincidence 
or could be a product of the breeding program he came from. Seems to be a safer bet in a re-sale situation. Good luck!
[QUOTE=bornfreenowexpensive;7589385]
OTTBs are great…but they are a risk. Which is why even though I have a pretty experienced eye, I STILL prefer to buy from a re-seller and pay more when buying an OTTB. Because then I can evaluate the horse better than I can watching them just jog on the backside of the track.[/QUOTE]
This times 100.
[QUOTE=TKR;7589285]
It’s this mindset that has essentially put the Thoroughbred sporthorse breeders out of business. No support from the buyers for the end product.
PennyG[/QUOTE]
I agree with you.
But I don’t think it’s that eventers prefer warmbloods, just that they tend to be cheap about unproven prospects. Who wants to spend a lot on a baby and then learn it isn’t an event horse?
For those willing/able to pay more, warmbloods provide a better exit strategy in that they can often be sold for H/J or dressage (who pay more for young horses anyway).
[QUOTE=bornfreenowexpensive;7589232]
I do think people mis-interpret those studies. Progressive loading is one thing…but race training is generally much more extreme than what is suggested to be beneficial.
While I’ve certainly had many sound OTTBs…I’ve also had 4 year olds who I had to put down because their joints were so thrashed that they were not even pasture sound and others with life long soundness issues that came from racing.
I do think though that if a horse has been stressed by racing…and is sound…they are likely going to hold up to what I ask of them. BUT there are a whole lot who do not hold up and that would have been fine as sport horses if they had not been stressed as much as youngsters racing.
The difficulty is in finding the the ones not over stressed…or the ones where the damage is fixable and will not cause long term issues.
All that said…I’ve known many young horses to get hurt in their stall or in the field…sometimes, just get them to live past the age of 5 is a big deal!!![/QUOTE]
Absolutely agree - the studies can easily be misinterpreted. I meant, as a whole, appropriate and thoughtfully calculated loading. Not every OTTB gets the luxury of having owners who consider this a factor, but some do and it can make the world of a difference. :yes:
I will say, however, that the OTTBs at our farm have proven thus far to be very hardy and reliable. I don’t think I could say the same if they had not had an early backing and training regime.
I will buy to re sell either…It’s not whether the horse hasn t race but the WHY and the individual.
Yes if a horse has X amounts of consistent starts and still has clean cold tight joints and is a good mover there is validation he most likely has a good set of lungs a strong heart and will remain sound…But just because he is say 3 and un started does NOT mean he has an issue. Today’s economic climate sees plenty of broke unraced horses who get dumped for board bill when owner bails or horse shows no speed and it’s agreed to dump before loosing a ton more money. Does not always mean injured…and more frequently unpaid stud fees hold up final registration process. So just because it hasn’t got a tattoo or never started does not mean it’s damaged goods. Buy the horse for the horse …
[QUOTE=Angelico;7588839]
And there are just as many warmbloods and sport bred horses mismanaged as there are OTTB’s. It goes without saying that a well started horse will have less quirks than a mismanaged one.
I don’t think the imported warmblood crowd will make much difference when discussing the value of a project horse aimed at the market focused on usable and safe. However if we want to compare fruit, think about this: Why do people pass over home-breds for imports? Because the imports are already well trained and competitive. There are plenty of breeders here in the US and on this board that produce NICE horses, but very very few of them are available already trained and competing over 3’. Most of the (very nice) young horses for sale here are unstarted.[/QUOTE]
Actually most of the breeders I know have young horses for sale from weanling to 3-4 year. The babies were all worked with and the older horses going under saddle. Most went to local schooling shows where they placed well under an Advanced rider who had started and re-worked many horses.
Even then - prospective buyers seemed to prefer “others”.
