The Thoroughbred Brain

[HeartsDesireEventing]

My recently retired TB is known as the super pony (no, he’s not actually a pony, but it sounds better than superhorse) - I trust him with pretty much anything. Except miniature horses, especially when they are pulling carts (they all have to have something, right? one of the neighbors trotted a mini across the field while we were riding and let’s just say we could have taught passage that evening). I’ve ridden him with fireworks going off without him blinking though (not intentionally, but random winter evening ride in the dark and the neighbors started setting them off, so…) and we used to take off for 2 hour rides into Hitchcock Woods by ourselves with zero concerns. He’s also very used to being ridden entirely in the dark, by headlamp, etc. as we tried to keep him upper level fit around my work schedule in the winter.

The new baby TB has a brain, but he is more easily overwhelmed at this point in his life. He’s been ridden with construction going on around him though (roofers were initially terrifying), as well as been off property for a bit fitting with 30mph wind gusts and been chill, so I think there’s hope for him with more exposure to life. He’s definitely a social butterfly and wants to know what everyone is doing.

[LilRanger]

For my first horse, an ott appendix, it was concrete blocks. Nothing else bothered him as much as those silent, large, not-quite-dirt-colored concrete blocks of doom.

[Christa_P]

My first OTTB was mostly bombproof, the only thing she regularly spooked at was plastic on the ground. Anything else she might look at, but really didn’t care. She also DID NOT counter canter - she was trained for auto changes either at the track (raced for 3 years) or in the H/J barn before I got her and she would just change leads. But, she did everything I asked - eventing, H/J, she schooled Dressage up to canter half-pass and 1/4 pirouette though we never competed, ADS level pleasure and combined driving and trail riding everywhere. She was also a good broodmare.

Her son got the same great brain.

My current OTTB is not quite as sensible, she has a spook and buck, especially in the spring. I won’t get on her after winter until I have ground driven her for a few days. She is a good trail horse in a group, but doesn’t like going by herself. She would probably be better if I had been able to keep her in more consistent work, but I don’t have the time or facilities to put in the hours.

[risuenaVT]

My guy is 1/4 TB, 1/4 draft, 1/2 QH, so I kinda think of him as an American warmblood…

He is a very steady eddie who usually judges other horses when they spook. A big spook for him is a muscle twitch. That said, all of that goes out the window when the green tractor is nearby and moving. Then he’s got a solid spin and run move. And he’s tried to run me over twice when I was leading him and the green tractor showed up.

The red tractor though? He could not care. It could drive within 6 inches of him and he would not budge an inch.

It made no sense until I realized that the red tractor is the one that delivers round bales in the winter…

Food tractor is cool. Non food tractor is terrifying.

[Larbear]

Eddie (ottb) cantering over a course of poles. They took down a large tree just outside of the ring (branches were initially poking into the ring over the fence). Big backhoe crashing and smashing to break things down (bucket end going up and down), dual chain saws going, loud voices, no problem!

[gradytb]

My OTTB has had a major personality mellowing out with magnesium too. Had him tested and his score was in the basement. Now on it, he hasn’t had the thumps symptoms anymore and he’s almost…sweet. He’s not an affectionate, sweet horse naturally. Now my other OTTB is in my pocket at all times! Loves affection. Super smart, so if something startles him, once he has a chance to figure it out, it’s one and done.

[Hidden_Oak]

My sister’s pony did not like the red blanket. (other colors fine) Guess what her colors were.

[beowulf]

I love Eddie!! He is such a dude.

Everyone should know I had the special privilege of seeing Eddie do one of his first cross country schools with Larbear and he acted like he’s been doing it his whole life.

[spurofthemoment]

My young OTTB is so chill, I worry that people think I drug him at horse shows. I trust him with my life on windy hacks out and I tend to be more spooked by the wind than him.

His track connections told me he was a beast and a handful to break and train. I don’t see it! He can have a buck if he doesn’t get worked and/or turned out regularly, but I feel like that’s pretty normal for any horse.

He’s just the best little guy, and I think everyone who is wary of OTTBs needs to experience one like him.

[ParadoxFarm]

@Aussie_2020

Oh that reminds me of a trail ride where we came upon several backpackers. In unison all our horses spun and bolted. I swear the lead horse screamed “bear” and that was that.

Reminds me of a time when my DH and I were trail riding horses who never had been on trails before. My young mare did REALLY well. We were coming down a hill to cross a creek and from the opposite end four mountain bikers came racing down their side of the hill to the creek and splashed through it. My mare just looked at them and continued down to the creek. It freaked ME out, but not her. Then later in the day she saw a big leafed plant at ground level and spooked big time. Silly ponies.

[Vyce]

We had a barn horse OTTB. I rode him a few times along with my younger sibling. We liked him. After retaining from track life he became an unflappable trail horse. Loved going out and seeing all the things. He was a sod in the arena, mostly because he was easily bored. And he could run!

There are a few OTTB boarder horses and they’re spooktastic ninconpoops along with a couple of Arabians. My first lease horse was an Arab mare who had an opinion on everything and was not shy about trying to dump you if you pissed her off. Best trail horse I ever rode. Nothing fazed her. I would’ve bought her if I had the money. One of the ladies I rode with a lot when I had her on lease ended up buying her when her quarter horse passed. And this was a lady who was very vocal about her dislike of mares and Arabs. She still doesn’t like Arabs or mares, but “that mare, she’s not so bad”

[beowulf]

Eddie Holden

Excavators are no problem This was a few years ago, I was cold-hosing that awful spider bite on Holden’s leg while some pasture clearing and tree cutting was going on.

IMG_5528 (1)

[ParadoxFarm]

During COVID I did a lot of virtual-type “shows” with my TB. He was game to try anything. I was doing a virtual trail obstacle event. One obstacle we had to do was a ground-tie. I had no idea how he would do, but he was such a good boy. (The requirements were to leave the reins over the neck – which is probably not the best thing to do, but I did it.)

Ground Tie - VCTR February 2021, Denise Gonzalez riding Resourceful

I think the more you work with your ottb, the more he/she does and sees, the better he/she will become. I have one that’s a little quirky on the ground (different than horse in video), but the rest of been great.

[beowulf]

I love how intently his listening ears are working! He was watching you the whole time. What a good boy.

[Aussie_2020]

And the noise made by the dry leaves and twigs would have set many horses off.

I think trail horses aren’t given the respect they deserve. My first ottb was a star around human noise. Tractors, hammering, bells ringing etc, but when I started him on trails it was a whole new world. After learning to ignore the wet branches scraping his side, crossing a creek with slippery moss, and marching through many miles of crunching, crackling debris I think only an actual bomb would have startled him.

[findeight]

Understand this was a virtual competition and reins left over the head the was required, not the OPs idea.

Normally, if you are not sure your horse will “grow roots” when you ground tie and want to work on it, unbuckle the reins and let them see you drop the ends accompanied by your whoa command. Leaving them over the head buckled can result in a foot through the reins and/or a harder to catch situation if they wander off.

If you are working in Western tack, if you have split reins you leave one over the saddle and drop the other in front of the horse. If you have romel reins, unsnap/unfasten one side and drop the rest in front of the horse. Showed Trail Open and breed show for 20 years back when and still watch highlights, do not see anything different. Needless to say have also chased a few who failed the ground tie attempt, none at show…thank heavens.

Not a nit picker at all but do not want somebody to see this internet video of a lovely, well trained horse and think leaving the closed reins over the head and stepping away is any kind of mandatory goal or a very good idea if trying to DIY train for competition or just for the convenience of being able to ground tie. Goes double if you are by yourself outside a fenced area.

When I switched to Hunters, always trained mine to ground tie, even the leased ones (you can step off and adjust poles, reset a fence or retrieve a dropped stick). With the reins unbuckled and dropped. Mine always stopped when you said whoa too.

[ParadoxFarm]

@beowulf

I love how intently his listening ears are working! He was watching you the whole time. What a good boy.

I love his ears. They are bouncy when we do dressage.

@Aussie_2020

And the noise made by the dry leaves and twigs would have set many horses off.

I was stomping on the leaves to make extra noise to get bonus points, haha. Same with “exiting” on the off side. I think we actually won this class. What fun, though, learning new things with him.

[Larbear]

Aww thanks! Love my guy

[Larbear]

Aww what a good boy!

[Aussie_2020]

I was wondering how you were going to get back on I think the only issues I had with riding big horses on trails was getting back on if there wasn’t a log, fence, big rock, etc around and catching all the cobwebs. I could remount from the ground but always worried about harm to my horses shoulders and back.