CANTER Mid-Atlantic.
I found my wonderful, amazing OTTBs through the Finger Lakes Finest listings.
Kijiji! He had raced once and then sat around for years. Bought him off a lady who had gotten him out of a field but found him too much horse for her.
My racing warrior was found dumped in lay-up by a horse broker, my other OTTB was donated to my daughter’s polo club. Too big for polo and didn’t neck rein…and had a huge buck! Turned out he was an ex chaser.
My current TB at the time was retired from high levels or work and was happily being a low level lesson pony. So I threw an ad on our local equestrian site just asking for what I was looking for in my next project horse. I actually at the time wasn’t looking at just an OTTB but the woman, who we are now close friends, who responded sent me one picture of the horse she had (saved from slaughter by buying him straight from the meat man) and I just knew. That was back in March 2009! He’s now my jumper and we’ve come a long way and currently competing between a 1.0m and 1.10m.
Always figured how funny it was how things worked out. I will say on a funny note that when I went to meet Forrest in person he was pretty curious about me as well and grabbed the string on my zipper of a fleece jacket and pulled it down and opened my jacket! That’s one way to meet someone 
I got my OTTB, River Mountain Rd, from his trainer while he was at Finger Lakes Racetrack.
I found him on the good old Finger Lakes Thoroughbreds Trainers Listings forum on proboards.
TB #1: Owned and raced at Mountaineer by a former boss of mine. He bowed a tendon at 3 and the boss offered him to me (free). Paid $225 to have Peter shipped from the farm to PA.
TB #2: I inquired online about a retiring racehorse, who turned out to be taken already. Then a few weeks later I get an email from a track vet at Bowie looking for a free home for one of her client’s 4-y-o fillies. Exchanged 2-3 emails about her soundness and suitability, and agreed to take Bo sight-unseen (and PPE-less). Paid $300 to have her shipped to PA.
TB #3: Got another email a year-and-a-half later about another retiring 4-y-o TB mare who needed a free home (this one at Laurel). Saw one picture, talked once to the trainer, and brought her home. Paid $300 to have her shipped to PA.
All of them got time off in the field, and none have ever had health or soundness issues since. Peter wanted to be an only horse and is on a permanent free lease with a lovely family. Cat and Bo, along with “sister” Rosie (APHA), are still with me, running the place with their boss mare/diva personalities. (I don’t think anyone else would want them! They’re like the horsey version of “Heathers”.)
I got mine from the training farm. The owner had a different horse listed on Dreamhorse, when I called her she mentioned they had a few horses for sale. I didn’t receive any info on the other horses, but they were brought one by one into a round pen so we can watch them move. We saw 4 TB geldings, and asked to ride Cupid. It was 2 weeks after his last race; we put an english saddle and double jointed snaffle on and he was great. I fell in love immediately!
I got mine from South Jersey Thoroughbred Rescue!
Word of mouth - fellow eventer bought him, wasn’t working out for her and he got tossed out to pasture.
I happened upon a trainer on Facebook who had started a page specifically for rehoming their retiring horses. We just got our second from them. Each horse is no more than 3 degrees of separation from their breeder, and came with a no slaughter/no auction contract. We got one for me, mentioned what we were looking for as a horse for my husband, and they called when they had one that fit the bill!
Rico (JC - Red Wrecker) came as the result of a friend referring me to a trainer at Philadelphia Park. I was there to see a CANTER PA horse. He was not listed anywhere for sale, it was just on the backside grapevine that he wan’t cutting it as a racehorse. He was one of 5 horses I was shown that day, all belonging to different trainers, and only one of which was listed with CANTER. He made it clear immediately that I would be his person. He wouldn’t load for the 3 pro’s at the track. I sent them all out of sight, and he walked right on for me. 
Inky (JC - Inky Dinky) was a Finger LakeS trainer listing I had publicly admired. He was purchased by a fellow COTHER, who generously rehomed him to me when we suddenly lost our beloved Trav to a pasture accident.
I honestly do think that the right horses really do find us somehow.
My other 2 TB’s were unraced. Trav (JC-Trevelyan) came from a local rescue as a 2 year old owner surrender. He wan’t officially named through the JC until he was 11 years old - the JC finally relented. Annie (Annie Mactagish) was an unraced ‘divorce statistic’ that bounced around quite a bit and purchased from a reseller.
Obviously, I love TB’s.
I find them everywhere and anywhere.
Currently I have one from CANTER Mid Atlantic (Delaware Park). Bought sight unseen. Had a track vet perform a basic PPE.
One from a local OTTB trainer. Visited him twice and did a full PPE (he was to be my main riding horse so this was important).
One from Facebook OTTB Connect - sight unseen no PPE (bought her as a broodie so wasn’t concerned with soundness, more pedigree and type).
I also frequent Craigslist and have bought horses off of there. I don’t mind buying long distance/sight unseen (well, off a video) especially if it’s from an OTTB seller with a good rep (there are a few “known” ones out there).
First one (Bold McKinnon, a 1985 model) was through a h/j trainer we went to when my parents decided to get me a horse and were looking for a more “English” trainer than the barn I started at. Trainer’s son galloped at Ladbrooke DRC and she picked up a lot of horses that way. My current horse, Lucky To Cope (2002) I bought via the Finger Lakes Finest listings which I found through COTH–called his trainer, talked a couple times, and overnighted the money and (after drama documented elsewhere on COTH) found a hauler who drove him out to Michigan. Tice (another 2002, and yes, that Tice) is leased for basically life as Lucky’s buddy via another COTHer. I’ve had ponies, but I’ve only had OTTBs as far as horses go. Can’t see changing that up any time soon.
Bought Basque from a track vet in Denver…ad in local newspaper. Second one (Cash) was word of mouth…friend of a friend, etc.
Friends who are breeders and trainers. They call me when they have horses they think I’d be interested in. I much prefer it that way. I don’t like any “go betweens” in the equation.
