Thoroughbreds

[girl-friday]

A friend of mine has recently bought an ex racehorse (still only 4 yo) that she is going to re-train to sell. I have only seen a picture of him so far but my sister tells me he is a very well mannered horse and would probably suit me (he would be my first real horse, I have only really kept ponies so far) so I am going to try him out at the weekend.

Can anyone give me pros and cons of owning an ex racehorse? My main concerns/questions would be about jumping in competitions and also keeping the weight on him in winter as I have been more drawn to stockier horses. Also, is he likely to be more highly strung than, perhaps, an Irish Sports Horse?

[No_Angel]

i have an ex racer, shes 15 tho. i alos have an idxtb sports horse,and my tb is alot more highly strung than idxtb.
i think it depends on what type of racing the horse did, as it was an x racer, and still only 4, sounds like this horse was a flat racer, they tend to be finer and smaller then nh horses, and most have not been taught to jump, so you get to instioll good habits, my girl was a nh racer, jumps everything like shes at the grand national, tho she is quite a stocky horse, tho still fine.
im not sure with other tbs, but mine came to me pretty emaciated, so im not sure how thye keep weight on and how they come to most people.
tasha

[CMR]

TBs can vary in personality. No one can tell you what one TB is going to act like, you just have to meet him yourself. Overall, most people would tell you that TBs are high strung(and my Dad would tell you they are crazy :rolleyes: :D ), but it really is a misconception that they all are like that. Depending on what kind of racing stable he came from, you might have to deal with some abuse issues(although from what you said it doesn't sound like it). My aunt owns a TB, and he is very stocky. All he gets is hay(and mabye a handful or two of sweetfeed every now and then). He is very sweet and loveable, and follows you around like a little puppy dog. I owned a TB who was 19 and sort of high strung(he liked to run when trail riding, and he liked to jump fast). Although that probably wasn't completely because of his breed. He used to be a Cross Country horse, Show Jumper, and in his later years a Hunter. It was not hard to keep weight on my TB either. They can also vary in how they keep weight in the winter, it all depends on the horse.

[girl-friday]

Hey Tasha, thanks for the advice. I believe he is in pretty good condition. He was sold on because he just wasn't fast enough, hence not earning his keep. He's only done flat so will need to be taught how to jump but like you say he should have no bad habits in this area. :)

[dcp]

I own a tb but not an ex racer. Good management will keep the weight on. TB's are quite fine skinned so where the irish cob at our yard only gets two lightweight stables rugs on my boy gets a medium and a heavy weight on. Yes they can be highly strung but are quite clever. What is it you want to do with the horse?

[jUmPingIsLifE]

a lot of our school horses are TB's and a lot of those were ex race horses. Our one mare raced 22 times in her career and was quite successful and she has been a great jumper for us. easy 3'6 horse, plus she is quite laid back and relaxed. some of them are beginner type horses even.
sometimes the retraining can be a long process and a little tricky depending on the horse though. it doesn't hurt to take a look at the horse. i plan on my next horse being an OTTB

[girl-friday]

Well, I would like to have a happy hacker that can go out on the local roads without too much drama, and on the many bridleways without going hell for leather everywhere. I want to learn to do some low level dressage to improve my riding skills and also would enjoy local showjumping/cross country competitions with my friends. My expectations are not too high of myself but I need to know that I can trust and cope with my horse before I even start with any of these things. The other thing is his size. He is 16.1hh which is higher than my ideal but if the horse is right then the size is not really that much of an issue for me. So long as I can get on :D

[dcp]

Are you prepared to do lots of training with him? You should go check him out and see what you think. As said before all TB's are different. Don't be fooled into thinking they are all nuts and highly strung. I am sometimes surprised at what Charlie doesn't spook at.

Good luck getting on!

[jowyles]

My friend has the most lazy tb ex racer ever, he wont go infront of my horse and is quite spooky and nappy, Its abit difficult considering my horse isnt a leader either so we dont get very far on hacks! At such a young age he should be eaiser to re train, quite difficult to get them going in the school but they are quite good for hacking as generally lots are exercised on roads at training.

[Purdey33]

My horse is an ex nh and I bought him for me to hack around on - I'm lacking in confidence, though have lots of experience - so an ex racer probably would not be most unconfident riders choice of horse :eek:

He is however (perhaps to the lifestyle he has led at an early age) unflappable on the roads and enjoys hacking out. The only problem we seem to have at the moment is that he doesn't like to stand still!

The ex racers forum would be a good place to look for information and advice. I'm useless at posting links but I'm sure someone else will be able to :)

[crazystevie]

I have a 4yo Ex racehorse TB mare. She had fab breeding (out of Great Dane) but didn;t make it.

Firstly, remember that all Ex racer's are different, but here's some probs I encountered, and that are quite common

1. Girthiness - either due to being thin skinned, or rough tacking up as a racehorse.
2. Won;t stand still when mounting - probably cuz she was used to jockeys jumping up on her and going.
3. Very high head carriage - girraffe like
4. Took her a long time to understand human affection - but now she is very cuddly.
5. Got worried when we put a normal saddle on her - heavier and bigger than she's used to, but now not a problem.
6. Used to tank off at every loud noise - but not any more, just learned that.
7. Likes to lead out hacking - again down to rtraining, and very excitable ahcking in groups, spesh galloping.
8. Initially went insane when first turned out.
9. Stable vices are quite common in racehorses - coco windsucks
10. Not a good doer - needs a lot of rugging up

However, a lot of ex racehorses are: -
1. Fab on the road, and actually quote unspooky, have they have done a lot of hacking to get fit, and seen a lot of things.
2. Good stable manners, good to clip shoe, and brilliant to box.
3. Doesn;t get worried about being stabled, or being on her own. HAcks out really well alone.
4. good with things like horse walkers.
5. Can go on to make fab sports horses, have a lot of speed and stamina.
6. Are lots of fun!

Basically, OTTB have a lot to offer, and aren't has highly strung as people think. They take a while to get out of racehorse mode, but lots of turnout, and chill out time, can sort that out. We've had Coco a year now, and she is a lot more laid back, and can actually be quite lazy to ride. She is much more affectionate, and has a bug personality - she didn't have one at all when we first got her. The only time she is bad, is when she's in season, when she turns into the she-devil.

There not good first horses, and need someone experienced, to sort them out.

[macinac]

OTTB's that have good manners can be excellent horses. My friend owns one, and he is a fairly good horse. The only problem with the jumping is that they may tend to rush the jumps or jump flat. Like you said about keeping weight on them during the winter, good upkeeping will keep it on.

[Asti]

My TB is an American TB and is a bit more substantial than the average TB!

He is great 99% of the time but when he is bad he is awful! He has thrown himself and me on the floor in a strop before now and nearly put me through some french windows!

Any young horse TB or otherwise needs a lot of hard work and experience to bring them right and that is really more important than its breeding!

Ask yourself if you have the experience for the horse and if the answer isn't a definitive yes find something different!

A

[*Sez*]

I find TBs to be very rewarding to work with. The ones I have known are very intelligent (mine is too smart for his own good :rolleyes: ) and I feel I have a real "partnership" with him. He often gives me his opinions, tells me when we need to try something new in the school and wants to know what is going on around him ALL the time!

In my experience, TBs are somewhat higher strung. They tend to need sympathetic handling and don't have a lot of tollerance for inexperience. I could never put a beginner on any of the TBs I have known because they simply wouldn't stand for it. However, I don't believe TBs are "crazy" - they are often just sensitive creatures. But then there's always an exception to the rule somewhere ;) . TBs often want reassurance from their rider and will pick up on any nervousness. Also, if he has been trained for racing, be aware that he will respond to aids differently to a trained riding horse - pulling back on the reins is a signal to go faster and sometimes they don't have a clue about leg aids, as jockeys are not in a position to give them.

A young TB, in my opinion, needs an experienced handler. I class my seven year old as a youngster as his behaviour is often very coltish and he is still quite green. Since I'm hoping he'll make it well into his twenties and beyond, he's still just a baby to me :D . A youngster of any breed will push their boundaries because they want to know they have them. A horse tends to feel more confident having set boundaries of behaviour. Ask yourself if you feel you would be able to teach and reaffirm boundaries. It's not just a case of riding, his manners on the ground will also probably need work. Even if he is going to have some retraining beforehand, it will still be down to you to remind him and to dish out the right sort of discipline when required. I often find my TB misbehaves for attention and ignoring him when he does this speaks volumes to him.

As had been said, I don't think they make good first horses. Having your own horse is often a bit of a learning curve and I had more accidents on my TB in the first two weeks I owned him than any other horse I've had or ridden in my life :eek: .

I suggest you try to get your hands on a book called "buying and retraining the ex racehorse". It is a very informative book and I found it very useful. It may also help you decide whether or not this sort of horse is for you.

[Forever Fern]

I own a throughbred who i retrained into jumping, as she was a flat racer. She is very fine though and has quite a few injuries which she picked up in her racing days. She is very calm and has been ridden by a tiny 6 year old before.

[Tuscan Dream]

I have an ex-racer - he's almost 11 (bless) lol - he's done 7 years of flat racing and had never seen a pole in his life until 4 weeks ago - now he's enjoying retirement with me - and also enjoying his jumping.

He's a quiet as a mouse - i had a huge confidence problem - but as soon as i sat on him i know he was 'the 1' lol!!!

Some tb's r crazy - other's arnt - cn't just go onwhat people say - each tb is different.

Good luck

[girl-friday]

Sadly it is looking like I won't be able to get this horse after all. Although my friend still has it I have encountered some problems at work so I have to hold off on buying a horse for a bit. There is a high possibility that by then he will be sold on. The other problem is that he is slightly out of my price range which is devastating because he is such a wonderful horse and I would love to take him on.