Good grief. Don’t believe a word this flake says to you about ANYTHING. Including any information about this horse. She will lie to you like you know she has to others, you are not special or exempt. She will hose you on this deal.
Leave. Just tell her you’re taking a break and then don’t return her calls or texts.
Find a reputable barn with an indoor. I guarantee you that the right horse will come your way. You need to dodge this bullet.
If this is the mare’s name she’s 6 (will be 7 in March), not 4 and she didn’t race 5 times, she had 34 starts… the last one of which was less than a month ago on October 26th. How long has this horse been at your trainer’s?
No that’s my nickname for her 
She is a very pretty mare! Do you know what name she did race under?
Dialing Valentine
I am in NJ at a lovely barn with a wonderful indoor and a trainer with a knack for bringing along solid, ammy-friendly OTTBs (and I do so myself) if that is where your heart should lead you.
Having said that, and apologies if this sounds insensitive, but attractive TB mares are a dime a dozen, and based on what you’ve said about this trainer, there are ZERO reasons to be attached to this horse. She might be sweet as pie, but given the trainwreck of a barn she’s in, I wouldn’t touch her with a ten-foot pole.
There are online databases where you can look up results!
http://www.equineline.com/ReportsPedigrees/LearnMore.cfm?icn=ReportsPedigrees&ici=HomeCarousel
But I’m sure others on the board also know some.
But I echo @Tha_Ridge–the order of priorities if you’re looking at a green horse is to get in a good program, with a good trainer that has experience with them, and has the facilities to give the horse and you positive experiences, then get the horse. It doesn’t have to be the fanciest place, but even though I don’t know the trainer you’re with now, everything about what you’ve described suggests she doesn’t have her clients’ best interests at heart.
This never happened.
She left the gate and ran in all 5 of her races, albeit ran slowly/poorly. You can read the charts from the races.
This is very, very alarming that the trainer (and possibly rescue?) are telling fairytale stories about this horse. OP, that is a huge red flag.
I agree. OP, take everything anyone told you about this mare and throw it out your mental window. Judge the horse in front of you. If you (and a new trainer) like her, get her and run.
Can anyone remember who the fairly recent poster was with the warmblood horse she’d been missold and the issues she was having with him? I think those threads would be a good thing to read for the OP here as to what can go wrong and how you can be in over your head and really not having fun with the new horse you love and want to do right by, but is beyond your skillset. Not everyone who takes on a horse that’s not suitable on paper ends up a trainwreck, but why increase the chances of it happening?
I thought many times about responding to this thread, but second guessed myself. But here goes.
My barn is full of a number of women that purchased green OTTBs, with stars in their eyes, thinking they would make it work. My barn is now full of these women that are afraid of their horses and barely (if at all) ride. At some point, confidence and trust, once shaken, is really, really hard to regain.
A green horse, for someone on the low end of experience and confidence, is a terrible idea. You (the primary rider and owner) need the skill, confidence and timing to work through situations in which the horse has limited skill or confidence, whatever that might be. You don’t know ahead of time when those situations might arise, or what they might be.
A horse that is already trained and has life experience in a number of situations is a gift. One that allows you to work on yourself, and learn in a safer environment, one in which the horse already understands its job and had the self-confidence needed to allow you to learn.
Also, please understand that a young horse will go through changes and periods of its life that, for whatever reason, it might not be as quiet and easy. My young gelding was an absolute SAINT at 3 and 4 years old. At 5, we have had a number of challenges and set backs. Don’t think there aren’t times (a lot of them) where I wish I had bought a mature, experienced horse. I’d be out showing and having fun, instead of at home, working on training problems and developing my young green horse.
OP, don’t do it. There are many better choices out there. Don’t get emotionally attached to this mare and sign up to go down a road that you never intended to go down.
When I first came to this trainer, the horse she was teaching on was a 4 year old paint gelding. She convinced me that it’s the temperment, that matters. He was great, I lessoned and did practice rides on him for 6 months, no issues while in the saddle but he started getting difficult on the ground, biting and kicking while tacking or trying to put on/take off his blanket, and trainer was well aware. A woman (not associated with the trainer but with the barn that owned him) bought him, and then never rode him and gave him back because he tried to kill her while she was handling him. I assumed maybe he was in pain, ulcers or back pain maybe? or could be, as you said, growing up and developing some different challenging habits. Now I wonder why she thought it was ok to let me come ride him alone?
So I’m am particually attracted to TBs as a breed, so that may be part of the attachment here. Also the really experienced horses under 20K around here usually have multiple buyers and there is always someone willing to buy without a PPE. Not that it’s a reason to buy an unsuitable horse, but with this mare I wouldn’t have to go through the frustrating process of horse shopping, but once she’s mine I guess that’s where the frustrations would come in!
Everything @floppyammy said ^^^^^^^ I’ve been hesitant to say anything too.
There are so many red flags that I don’t know how someone could even consider this to be a possible good idea. I’m not trying to sound harsh or rude in saying that, but trainer being dishonest about the horse’s race record, being dishonest about her height, insisting a green bean will be fine when clearly it wasn’t, being desperate for $$ going into winter, and not having the facilities to keep a green horse in any kind of regular program during winter, it all screams “run for the hills.” Maybe I’m wrong, but this feels kind of like an impulsive purchase because of how convenient it is. There are plenty of more suitable horses out there, and you won’t need to spend $20K to find one.
A frustrating horse buying process (taking a long time, looking at a lot of horses, etc.) is MUCH easier long term than getting a horse right now because she’s conveniently available but then ends up being a poor match and you’re stuck with a horse that doesn’t suit you. THAT is frustration.
Marilyn Little was the breeder??? Can’t be THE BLOODY MARY???
Every person who is encouraging OP to take the horse needs to listen to those who have seen this happen over and over like floppyammy said.
Ones that work out are the exception, not the norm. Even if it did work out, I can guarantee you that the same rider would be miles and miles further if they had of had a made horse to start.
Having a green rider can cause a seemingly quiet horse to turn into exactly as you described. There are things inexperienced riders might do that can cause horses stress and anxiety and in a greenie it can be hard to reverse that. Some horses are easy going and don’t care but others will absorb everything.
You can find a good schoolmaster cheaper if they are older. Those are the best imo. You can have a good 4-5 years and learn a tonne, and give them lots of love as they enter their old age/
My first event horse was 17 and evented until 23. My dad got a schoolmaster jumper when he was 17 also and we had him until 25.
Different family.
Funny connection - I worked at the farm where this filly was bred and raised and I’m pretty sure I know the breeder in real life.
That’s so funny! I was wondering when she took the foray into racehorses haha
For future reference, Equibase.com is free, just type in name of any horse, owner, or trainer of interest:
Here is her complete race record, auction history, and last known owner and trainer:
https://www.equibase.com/profiles/Results.cfm?type=Horse&refno=10468284®istry=T
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