I have a very nice OTTB that I plan to make a nice solid all around horse out of. He has a great mind, everyone thinks he is a QH. He has been rehabbed from a bowed tendon he got last Jan, and is now ready to start back up. I ride English, but am slowly switching to western. Anyone have stories about owning a TB and re-training? I have a friend who said he might make a good barrel racer, possibly try cow work with too.
I never rode my OTTB western, just wasn’t riding much western at the time. But he was terrified of cows, and while he had decent speed, he was not built or bred for the tight turns, so barrel racing wouldn’t have been his cup of tea.
I did show a quarter horse stud in western pleasure in the 60s, who was in fact 7/8 tb, going back to Man O’War through War Admiral three different ways. I don’t know if his owner ever did any cow work with him.
Generally though, I would say retraining a mellow tb is not different than retraining a horse of any other breed. If it were mine I’d just go with the basics and let the horse tell me where his niche is.
We retrained plenty of our TBs into ranch horses when thru running and they did fine.
Decades ago, when cutting first started, it was part of the rodeo events, not by itself like NCHA today is.
There was one top cutting mare in AZ that was full TB.
Now, if you go to compete at the top in many western events today, those horses have been bred so finely for some of those events, they are hard to beat with any but another such bred horse.
For all arounder or the lower levels, as long as it is not a breed show, it won’t matter what registration papers your horse has, only how it preforms.
Even at the lower levels I have found TB’s not to be suitable for western events. Their way of going is not desirable for western pleasure. In barrel racing they don’t seem to have the brains to get through the gate safely and to pay attention enough to turn the barrels properly. Just my experience though, there are always exceptions.
Ummm, perhaps you should check out this program: Gate To Great
Yes, terrible Western horses, LOL… A horse hasn’t read the book on what he’s not “supposed” to do. QH/Appys/Saddlebreds aren’t supposed to do FEI three day events either…but they do; they are individuals, just like us.
Contrary to urban myth, the OTTB, just like any other horse, is the product of his training AND retraining. He is certainly no stranger to excitement behind gates, haha (I can’t even count how many flat-out dangerous, burnt-out QH I’ve seen lose it at the entry gate – not QH-hating, have one, love them as well!).
He has experience in loud, busy environments, and often, with proper letdown & retraining, an intelligent, versatile mind & unbeatable work ethic.
I’ve owned mine for a little over 3 years now (he’s a CANTER Mid-Atlantic wunderkind) & know MANY in all disciplines (leadline, trails, reining, therapy, even, gasp, WP). Mine events because I ask him to, but he also climbs mountains & if he had his way, his job would be full-time, hard-core trail horse, he is so happy hitting the trail! Quiet, sensible, phenomenal brain, very quick to learn – the key is understanding the breed & where they’ve come from.
I confess, he’s kind of ruined me; he raced for 3 years, retired sound, was bred for turf, so has 1/4 European blood & heaps of bone…I knew what I was looking for (I don’t do “hot” horses & won’t even sit on a bolter) & I just kept looking until I found it.
A horse is a horse, to a great extent. There are more than a few catty little OTTB’s at 15.1 who have automatic lead changes (they are usually taught to break on their right lead & swap in the first turn, lovely pre-installed feature) & plenty of power to hunker down in a gate/turn & blast off…or anything else you have in mind.
Another phenomenal resource: http://www.retiredracehorseproject.org/
Their “Advice” tab has lots of info & the TB Makeover material is great!
I’ve spent a lifetime learning about horses, but there’s still so much out there & I confess, I’ve had a blast learning about the OTTB hands-on & having all my pre-conceived notions pretty much chucked out the window!
If you want some inspiration, here is 2009 Kentucky Derby winner Mine that Bird:
Great! Maybe look into what is available in your area that looks like fun, and see how your horse handles those activities. You can always start with activities that your horse will adapt to easily, and then move into something that might be a little harder on him mentally. I’ve recently started doing judged trail rides and obstacle courses, and I also show locally.
And if you can do lessons, that will help you with some of the different nuances of riding western and with one hand, vs. english. Good luck!!!
I’ve helped turn a couple OTTBs into nice western general pleasure-type horses. I really, really like them and often think about getting another one. I find them sane, sensible and really don’t understand the nutty TB stereotype.
For local competitions and just having fun with your horse there’s no reason you can’t explore all your options and see what your horse likes.
No experience with OTTBs, but I did have a running App mare, who was half TB, and had been on the track.
I did ride her western, on trails, but she never forgot her race training, and if a horse passed her, esp at speed, she was back in starting gate mode
Having said that, horses are all individuals , and can do many events, at some level,other then that they were do bred to do, with exceptional horses being outstanding.
Try her, and see how it goes
[QUOTE=KIloBright;7953308]
No experience with OTTBs, but I did have a running App mare, who was half TB, and had been on the track.
I did ride her western, on trails, but she never forgot her race training, and if a horse passed her, esp at speed, she was back in starting gate mode
Having said that, horses are all individuals , and can do many events, at some level,other then that they were do bred to do, with exceptional horses being outstanding.
Try her, and see how it goes[/QUOTE]
I don’t think a race horse, once retrained, is going to “not forget her race training and if a horse passed her especially at speed, she was back in starting gate mode”.
Many horses, of all kinds of breeds, do just that and never were at the track at all.
If she did that, it is because she was not trained well enough not to act up when another horse went by her.
After starting and retraining many, many TBs and quarter horses, for the track and for other disciplines, I can say that is not so.
Any horse will perform as trained.
If the OP has a TB that was at the track, once retrained and if it was not, once trained, for whatever western event it wants, it should be as mannerly as it’s training will have taught it to be.
I’ve seen it done many times. As a general rule, the TB will be somewhat less quick and agile than the QH, but as many have pointed out, horses are individuals. Anecdotally, I have seen several people train OTTBs for barrel racing but the results I have seen have been lukewarm. The QH is built for turning, lunging, and acceleration over a short course whereas the TB is built more for running a straight course. That said, they do often compete successfully at lower levels in a number of Western events including barrel racing and cutting. The QH “way of going” is generally preferred in Western pleasure competitions, but there’s a huge overlap among the two breeds in terms of how they move. I say if you don’t plan to compete at high levels, there are probably at least some Western events in which your horse can do well.
[QUOTE=Bombproof;7953668]
I’ve seen it done many times. As a general rule, the TB will be somewhat less quick and agile than the QH, but as many have pointed out, horses are individuals. Anecdotally, I have seen several people train OTTBs for barrel racing but the results I have seen have been lukewarm. The QH is built for turning, lunging, and acceleration over a short course whereas the TB is built more for running a straight course. That said, they do often compete successfully at lower levels in a number of Western events including barrel racing and cutting. The QH “way of going” is generally preferred in Western pleasure competitions, but there’s a huge overlap among the two breeds in terms of how they move. I say if you don’t plan to compete at high levels, there are probably at least some Western events in which your horse can do well.[/QUOTE]
Lets not forget roping.
Plenty of TBs have made very nice arena roping horses.
I retrained one of ours and sold him to a local roper that regularly qualified for the big roping events and he did very well with him.
When I first started riding him right off the track, we were branding and, as we were gathering off the canyons, I was about third back on the flank and so in the brush, while the cattle were traveling on the road by a fence.
The one rider in front of me told me, as we had the cattle penned, “I looked back when we started up the fence and your horse was waving at me, how nice of him”.
Yep, that horse had not realized we were moving the cattle and wanted to go.
He half reared a time or two, pawing at the air, until he caught on and settled to the drive.
Normally, I would have been able to back off and get in the drag and keep him busy there, but we were missing two riders, that got lost in the canyons.
I was needed in the flank, to keep the wilier cows from slipping back up a draw here or there.
Learned my lesson, don’t go where you have to get stuff done on an untrained horse, because you may have to over-face it at times and that is better avoided.
Nice of the horse, he never again reared, it was just the circumstances that provoked him that one time.
My point with that story, it was not that the horse “remembered the gate and wanted to race” or any other such.
He was acting up because he was in a spot that pushed him past what he was comfortable with, totally my fault.
I was not making a generalization, based one one ex-race horse, and certainly bow to those that have r e-trained many OTTBs successfully
Also, when I bought that horse, I was relatively new to training horses, some 35 years ago, and this particular mare obviously had some negative track experience, far as training. Besides being very spooky, she also pulled back, and it was also obvious she was never taught to give to pressure correctly, as she would rear and go over backwards, just leading her, when she felt that lead rope tighten
Could I have re -trained better, some 5 years later-sure, still, even today, I doubt she would ever have been a good show horse, most likely due to the way she was handled as a race horse, but she did go on to produce some foals that were very easy to train and show. One of her colts was our first stallion that we stood. He was a bit hot, but very athletic. I had bought Annie as a broodmare, thus did not ride her more than a year or so, and then raised, trained and rode her offspring instead
Another colt that I raised out of her,was by the running AQHA horse, Dee Bar Bright. Even as an intact colt he was extremely easy to start. I sold him to someone wanting a well bred Appaloosa stallion, and he had his small kids riding this stud, as he was the most broke horse on his place, although I only had about 6 months of riding on him!
At the same time, I have seen TBs, even at open shows, more successful in English rail disciplines than western
My husbands old trail horse, was a race bred Appaloosa, and we got him as a colt, from someone that raced Appaloosas, for free, on the condition that the horse had to run in three races as a three year old, or be re -turned (owners way of promoting his running App son of Scooter Bug G, that he brought up from the States)
My son started him as a two year old, and he showed every promise of being an excellent trail horse, but we had that race commitment.
Thus, we sent him for race training, gate approval, etc. In a few months he was ready to go
No more Appaloosa races were written for Alberta that fall, with the one in Lethbridge and Grande Prairie cancelled that fall
Took him home and went BigHorn sheep hunting with him. Over the years , Frankie went on many hunting and trail riding trips in the mountains, was the horse that we put in experienced visitors on, plus he packed out several elk
Oh, and we got out of the commitment of returning him, since he never ran, by hubby doing some construction on that owner’s arena instead.
So yes, certainly the ability is there, with both the correct start and re-training in many running bred horses
[QUOTE=Beverley;7952622]
If you want some inspiration, here is 2009 Kentucky Derby winner Mine that Bird:
Nice to see such a high profile racehorse having a second career! So many of the geldings just sit around for the rest of their lives, and the stallions and mares are just baby making machines.
oTTBs have a good program to try and re home ex race horses for secondary careers, something Standardreds lack, far as funds
What else are you going to do with an ex race gelding?
Good to see that horse have a second career, but two things about that trail riding picture really bug me-that martingale and that back cinch. That back cinch is totally useless, loose like that and in fact a hazard.
If you are going to leave your back cinch dangling like that, take it off, as it is doing nothing
I guess martingale is not as bad as a tie down for trail riding, still, I believe in riding with just a bridle, and with loose reins, esp on trails
For Pete’s sake, KiloBright, why do you think you need to critique that photo? I suggest you start your own thread where you can post whatever photos you like and critique them if you have a compelling need to show your expertise. This thread is about OTTB’s and western disciplines, not about what tack should be used on a former Derby winner.
Why so touchy?
There was a post here also, on cinches, and is that not an example of a dangerous practice, having a back cinch that loose,esp trail riding?
I in no way was negative at that ex race horse having a second lease on life,esp since he is a gelding, thus does not have a breeding option
No need to jump on me for every little comment, that just might help someone trail riding
Ever see a wreak, where a horse got a branch jammed between that back cinch?
I have. Happened on a group trail ride that I was on. The woman was lucky to escape with just a broken arm, after being piled on some rocks
I applaud the horse having a second chance at life, doing well, esp as a gelding, having no breeding options, but should not a safety tip added, without it becoming politically incorrect???. Not a tack critique, as I don’t care if the horse was riding in pink from head to tail, but , what I consider a prime safety tip, esp on trial rides
Not touchy at all. And yes I know all about rear cinches and the pitfalls thereof. Just wondering why you see a need to blather on about it, when no one posed the question here.
To answer your question, no, there was no need for a safety tip in context. You are simply lecturing when no one asked for the lecture, and that’s a bit tiresome IMO.
Well, you have your opinion and I have mine
I see it as irresponsible not to point that un safe issue out
I have seen many posts , where someone might have posted a proud picture of their child, not wearing a helmet, when he should be, with someone remarking on that, and without anyone thinking it to be a lecture, or un called for. Post had nothing to do with wearing a helmet
I won;t apologize for commenting on that back cinch, as I was in no way being negative or bashing re training OTTBs
I must then assume your comment arose out of maybe personal connections, or just our past history, where you look for anything that I might say and you can pounce on
This is a horse board, where it should be okay to point out something that is not safe, based on not my opinion, but general knowledge of other horse people, and that info just might help someone that might not know this hazard.
God knows, I have to remind my own husband to tighten his back cinch, after we have ridden many miles, and it is dangling.
He also did not ask me to notice, and his common reply is 'well, it was tight when we left"!
LOL, I don’t have a need to ‘single you out’ or ‘pounce’ on what you see. Funny that you thought I was being ‘touchy,’ maybe you should ask yourself that question. I respond to posts on an equal opportunity basis, but of course when there are more posts by one poster that increases the odds of reading and responding, doesn’t it.
End of discussion as far as I’m concerned. One does notice in these parts, posters who like to dominate threads and especially, feel like they have ‘won’ by having the last word, so here’s your opportunity to go for it.
