It’s not just TB. My QH is 19 and still needs 10 minutes on the lunge line in the winter… The year he was 6, I might have given him away if anyone had asked🤣. Now we are schooling lead changes for western riding! And I wouldn’t trade him for anything.
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I got my TB at 5 and he was a nightmare… Bucked everyone off at the rescue I got him from and became unrideable when taken away from his buddies.
By age 7 he was carting me around baby hunter courses and doing local combined tests at the intro level, but still needed to be lunged before I got on him in the winter. We eventually switched to eventing and he had plenty of “moments” and still needed the occasional lunge but he grew into a wonderful and reliable partner.
Now, at 19, I can get on him after a week off and take him on a trail ride alone. Or put my kid (9) up on him and have him WTC on my voice commands.
TBs do outgrow the “baby brain” but it takes patience and sensitivity and time. And yes, he eats a LOT of grain (and alfalfa, and lots of other things) and would be skin and bones without it!
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None of these stories make me at all excited for the next 4/5 years. I have a coming 2 year old (end of June) and I’m glad that I won’t be the one starting him when the time comes! Fingers crossed he’s one of the easy(easier) ones!
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Here we are, five months to the day (almost) and boy do I have an update for you!
I a am pleased to announce I am re-obsessed with my 6.5 year old OTTB. In the last five months we’ve had two full-weekend shows. Both had their hiccups, and the second, I don’t think we even made eye contact with the possibility of pinning, but my god, the differences!
At our last show, he wasn’t perfect, not by a long shot (please see below for our absolute nightmare round–I should’ve known it would be wild when on our trot in he was giving the Big Scary Corner the side eye (also yes I know my eq is nothing to write home about, I’m working on it 
)), but he tried his heart out and even with one Round From Hell he was overwhelmingly good. Yes, we trotted most of our rounds! But we got over everything! We felt like a team! (this round… not included)
Since that last show ~3 weeks ago, something in his head has clicked and he has been fabulous. I’m not dumb, I’m sure we’ll have more hiccups down the road, but it feels like we trust each other now and I’m actually excited for us to be partners!
So many of you gave such kind words of encouragement that helped loads in feeling like I wasn’t alone. Thank you, all of you – we have a lot to work on still but I’m actually EXCITED to work together!
Now for what you’ve all been excited for – the round that hell spawned 
IMG_2335
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So proud of you, OP! And peep that flying lead change circling around after the first refusal. Boy what a round. He looks like a big horse with a very cute jump, just a little worried. It was good you got him coming back to you at the trot, you can see he was trying hard to stay with you. The video certainly ends on a cliff hanger though! Did you get him back after a good gallop?
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Oh I definitely believe they remember where any food might be
Ahh thank you! Oh yes there was a good, long gallop around the arena (about half way through the announcer going “thank you rider” as if we didn’t know we were disqualified )
Yes I think the more we trust each other the better it’ll be; that corner was worrisome all weekend and he put on a brave face till asked to jump INTO it (“Too much!!”)
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Well done! Trotting the course is never a bad idea if there’s any shadow of a doubt. You’re improving and having fun, and that’s what matters! And you look fab in your rust breeches 
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I think you did a great job. Keep up the hard work and you’ll have an enjoyable partner for years to come.
I didn’t read all of the replies, but something you may want to consider is the distance. You said 45 minutes each way, that’s 1.5 hours of driving. I know you like your trainer but your time and energy are valuable. I boarded my horse 35 minutes away and it was too much. I didn’t ride her as much and couldn’t just pop in to say hi. She became more reactive and my confidence suffered. I moved her 10 minutes away and what a difference! I see her way more often and my riding and her behaviour have much improved. I also found a great part boarder. Just saying the long drive may be part of the problem.
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I don’t disagree! My partner and I most likely moving at the end of the year, across the country, and it is a nonnegotiable that the OTTB be <45 min from wherever we live. I would love for him to be under 30! The drive out there is a LOT right now, it’s a time suck and when you’re already tired, it’s a hard motivator…
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just wanted to say - thanks for posting this.
I often dox myself and post some very average photos and screenshots of my riding. not enough people post the “learning moments” moments on here. at the end of the day we are all mostly ammys (few pros are on this board) and we all have experiences like this video (and many of us would have come off or handled it objectively crappier).
nice sticky seat - he’s having his moments and you stay with him very well and very “unpunishingly”
you’ll get there and good for you for “re-presenting” nice and calmly after the two drive bys - even if you went for a gallop afterwards 
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Thank you! That’s so kind of you! It’s always kind of scary to put yourself out there, especially with something like this where we’re going for a high-speed tour of an arena… it’s certainly not my proudest moment, by any means, but I’m pleased that we were able to go back into the arena later that day and pop over a jump and then have a fantastic eq on the flat class (no galloping!).
If nothing else, he certainly presents the opportunity to get a strong seat lol. Next show will be better, I hope!
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Beautiful ! Thank you for sharing.
Looks like some of my experiences with my OTTB in the show ring and at home. I got him at 7, he’s 18 now. We’ve done hunter, low level eventing, dressage, and fox hunting.
Just a few things.
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Mine absolutely needs extra feed aside from forage and hay. Analysis of your hay by your local purina/Brooks/… dealer can help here. Equine nutrition knowledge has improved so much, these services don’t cost anything. Mine is also on some other products (hoof supplement, minerals, vitamins, and oil). His present nutrition program is giving excellent results. When he’s lacking in this department, everything goes south (weight loss, hoofs break apart, proud flesh from scratches, high worm counts, unhappy, you name it).
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Similar to your recent experience, I’ve had my fair share of trainers who really had limited knowledge of TBs. Issues associated with poor control were not addressed, and so we both developed some really bad habits.
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For almost 2 years now, I’ve been at a barn with owner/ trainer who is extremely knowledgable and experienced. In our first lesson, my boy decided it was time to check out. Nothing unusual about that. For the gallop, I mentally prepared, but she talked me through how to take control of the situation. I forced him into a small circle. This completely disengaged him, and I was able to stop him pronto. I was relieved and he was surprised. He’s never tried it again. All I have to do is begin to apply these aids when he gets “ in the mood”, and he doesn’t proceed with the Kentucky derby gallop. I actually haven’t even needed to think about doing this in a long time. My point here, is that a really good knowledgeable horse person is a must. Ideally, someone that can hop on from time to time.
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Because of 1. and 2., we are now finally able to train properly, and I can ask him to do things without the melt down. I guess similar to a child, he knows the boundaries.
I think I always thought that he might be in pain, and he honestly scared me. As a result, he became really good at avoiding things, or just acting up. I guess with OTTBs, there is always the possibility of an old injury. That’s why I think it’s a good idea to get best help available from someone who knows this breed well.
If you are moving, you might be able to do a bit of research on trainers.
Kudos to you for posting this video. Im glad to read that things went better at shows that followed. That’s fantastic, you must be thrilled with that.
I think too many people think that they just need to be brave, and they really take on too much with OTTBs. Asking (and paying) for the right help is imho the best way to succeed with these horses. They are very different from other breeds and mixes. Not surprising because they are bred for a specific task, with no thought to anything but winning races. I was at a horse trial recently watching stadium jumping. All of the TBs (order of go listed breeding) were pretty much out of control and dangerous at all levels. They were hard to watch. They are lovely horses, but I really believe that there are a lot of training gaps going on. Unfortunately.
From the video, it seems that when he’s at the rail, he gets distracted and anxious from seeing people, horses, or whatever. Mine never did this (he had other triggers). Makes me wonder about a previous comment about blinkers at the track. May be something there. I’m also curious what your trainer’s thoughts were on this and what her ideas were about mitigating this. I think what we see at shows are things that are happening at home, but on a smaller scale I realize that there’s a ton of distraction there….but the reaction from an OTTB to anything outside their comfort zone can be pronounced.
I’ve only had one OTTB, my knowledge is limited. However, he doesn’t seem unusual for his breed and background at the track. Although I see similar behaviour in TBs bred for polo who have never raced or played the game.
Beautiful horse. Lovely moments in this video. Looking forward to updates.
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Hello friends! I considered not posting at all but then realized how scary it was for my own self to find adult ammys going through a Tough Time and figured someone might find solace here, too, like I did.
Here we are in October. The gelding and I have continued to have some ups and downs, but it all kind of slid downhill after my honeymoon in September. He had a few weeks off, then a few more after pulling a shoe and abscessing, and then came back with the bolting issue renewed once more.
I’ve decided to move forward with Kissing Spine surgery. I’m located in Texas and here it’s much more accessible and affordable than elsewhere, so much so that it makes far more sense to get the surgery and go from there than to just send him to a trainer and cross my fingers that the issue will disappear. He will be going under the knife of one of the foremost experts on Kissing Spines, and getting rehab from some individuals I would trust with my own life. So fingers crossed that six-ish months from now, when we’re doing two feet again, he’ll be the world’s calmest cucumber.
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Best of luck!! I have a horse that’s recently diagnosed with kissing spine. I hope you have great outcome but the surgery and I do hope you update us.
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Here I return, months later with a brand new update. My OTTB came out of his KS surgery rehab stronger than ever. This horse is 18 kinds of gorgeous and STRONG – he looks ready to take on the world! Unfortunately, I’m coming to terms with the fact that that probably doesn’t include me.
In his first few rides back, my OTTB was fabulous. And although there was no reason, I felt my whole body be tense from my head to my heels. When we went over a raised pole for the second or third time and he actually jumped it (big, of course) and cantered away, I couldn’t cancel out my brain – afraid this was another bolt.
So I’ve made the decision to send my OTTB to a very talented trainer a ways away for 60 days. On the test ride, he pulled the same shit with her… but never bolted. He would’ve bolted with me. So he’s going for 60 days, will be listed for sale after the first 30 and listed again when training is complete. Maybe he’ll be quiet enough for an ammy who isn’t me, maybe he needs a pro rider, I’m not sure.
I’m trying not to think of this as throwing in the towel. I’d like to think that, even though we seem to not be a match under saddle, I still did right by him. He’s barefoot now! (“Best feet I’ve ever seen on an OTTB” says our farrier) He’s muscled and shiny and happy. He’s gotten everything from bodywork to acupuncture to, well, Kissing Spine surgery.
This was never the update I wanted to share, but I think he and I have a little too much “baggage” to overcome and I don’t want my riding-related emotions to be led by fear. Anyway, that’s my update. Onwards and upwards…
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Definitely not throwing in the towel – sounds like you made the right choice for the both of you!! You did right by him, and that’s what matters <3
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