Owners of off the track thoroughbreds?

Question

Hi, i'm bored right now so i was wondering about how your ottb are. I own an ottb mare and shes great with every thing, loud noises, new places, other horses, shows, shes great. Her only vice is that she paces in her stall if shes in by her self (and its not night time). I was just wondering how your ottb are. What are they like? do they have vices? how are they doing at shows? Thanks for your answeres!!!!

Answer 1

I have one and she is great, she has been retrained as a jumper but i don't jump LOL.  I'm trying to hook up with some trainers right now so i can take in some at our rescue.  We use to do this when my dad was alive but he knew a lot of trainers then and all we paid was for transport.  I hear horror stories about people putting them down so people cant trace the tattoos and find out some famous bred horse is being sold at auction.  UGH  I can take a few now!!!!  

Answer 2

I'm a huge fan of TBs in general. I know the warmbloods are in fashion right now, but if you notice, we keep breeding them lighter and more like the old thoroughbreds. I get on plenty of youngsters and green horses, and in my opinion, the TBs are smarter and learn quicker than most WBs.

My old jumper was a big OTTB. He'd basically been turned out to pasture after the track. I pulled him out when I saw him trot around on this great big stride. I just saw so much athleticism and potential in him. The owner ended up basically giving him to me, and the horse up doing the Level 5 and 6 jumpers with the big boys. I used to laugh because this "free" horse won against WBs that cost well into the six figures. The best part was how calm he always was at the shows. He could be a bit playful at home, but from his first show to the last I did with him, he was always calm and professional. He had such a good work-ethic and never bucked or reared or showed off his greenness. We called him the Old Pro even when he was in his first year showing.

I think there are plenty of nice TBs with potential out there, but the problem is so many people just don't know how to ride them. They're a finesse ride, and most of them are ultra-sensitive. When you're dealing with ams that start riding later in life, many of them have poor positions and balance on their horse's mouth. I think we all know racehorses are trained to go into pressure, so most of them bolt when their rider hangs on their mouth all the time. But I love working with them and showing them. Nothing beats a TB for foot speed in the jumper ring.

As a side note, my big jumper is now so quiet and easy to ride, I've been leasing him out to a couple juniors to do equitation and Level 3 jumpers with every season. He doesn't do the 4' jumps anymore, but he still picks up ribbons every time he goes out.  

Answer 3

I half-lease an 18 year old OTTB gelding who is just a lovely boy.

He's very finiky about new people riding him, I have noticed. He will test new people to see what he can get away with! We had a girl come out to the barn last week to take a look at him (considering doing the other half of the lease) and he was just a nut! Dancing in cross ties, whacking her with his tail, nipping at her, refusing to stand still. I have to say I do remember him doing these things to me when I first started riding him, but it's been forever since he's even attempted to wiggle in the cross ties for me. You would think he was crazy when you first met him!

Honestly though he is a lovely boy. He's got stiff stifles, but his movement is good. He doesn't spook easily, is a great jumper, and other than cribbing and being a wacko when you first meet him,  he has no other vices that I can think of. He IS lazy though, haha.

Answer 4

I bought my first horse, an OTTB about 3 months ago, and he is without a doubt the smartest horse I have ever worked with. He learns new thing really fast, and although I haven't shown hm yet, I'm going to in the future =] His only vice is that he cribs, but he wears collar and that stops him...until you take it off. =P

But he's an awesome horse, not "hot" like some TB's, he's super sweet :)

Answer 5

i have one too!

he is absolutely adorable and the nicest horse i have ever met!

he is like a giant puppy!!!

he is fine with loud noises, trailering, and other horses!  hes kind of afraid of cows though... haha!

he has been doing amazing in shows!!  he was my trainer's horse before i owned him and he won national show jumping competitions and other big shows!  he jumps extremely well and high!!

we always say if he had half the talent for jumping that he had heart for it... he would win the olympics!!  i love him for that... he always tries soo hard at whatever he does!

i have never been happier with a horse in my life!!!

i love my baby!!!

Answer 6

Where I ride we have a few ottb's. The one I ride sometimes is named Senator and he is such a good boy! He never gets mad at you unless you make the girth to tight, he is good with weird noises, he's good with loud noises, he's good with almost everything.

The people who owned him before us were very very mean to him. He was pretty much dead when they got him. They hadn't fed him in weeks and he hadn't had any grass or treats NOTHING at all. They slapped him so he gets nervous if you wave your hands around and he backs up but he used to bite if you waved your hands around so he's so much better about that.

Hes never mean at all and never bites or kicks, lets you do almost anything in his stall.

He cribbs alot but we have a cribbing collar for him and it helps A LOT. It's amazing how much it has helped him. More than it has helped any other horse I've ever met that cribs.

Answer 7

I have owned quite a few OTTBs and since many tend to get bored in stalls we keep most of ours in a dry lot and night. It has a large run in shed and a round bale of hay in it. So they have free access to hay all the time. Less vices if they can nibble any time they want.

We turn them out on pasture for at least 12 hours per day.

At this time I do not have any with any vices.

I had one who cribbed but he did that even if out on pasture 24/7. He would stop eating grab the fence post a few times then go back and eat. Just his nature I guess.

None of mine are currently being shown but most are working at some type of re-training for something else.

I love the OTTBs they have such heart and many are quite amusing characters.