I was wondering if anyone here has purchased and retrained OTTB's? It seems to be such a huge and tricky task. How do you structure the training program, where do you start? Not that I have one but I'm just curious :)

It is different... b/c they don't even know how to be a horse!  they have to be introduced to fenced pastures slowlyb/c they haven't been in one since they were weaned, they know nothing about how to behave with other horses, they don't understand what we consider normal person to horse communication - to them putting pressure on the bit means go faster, not slow down.  It's really sad - essentially they are kept in a stall, fed things to make them grow faster, steroids (watching a horse detox is heartbreaking) and super high protein feeds, taken out to run, then groomed and put back in the stall.  Cooling off may be done by a hot walker, not even the human contact.  If they're lucky they have grooms and trainers and owners who actually care about them and try to find them homes after they're done racing.  But there's waaaaaay to many of the other kind -use 'em up, throw 'em out.  Now ask me what I really think!   LOL  I loooooove TBs!

Send out a call for Katie and HORSEPLA - they've walked the walk with OTTBs and can tell you about the trials and satisfactions.

I have one and she is the best horse I have ever known.  We didn't get her directly off the track.  We got her from the guy who bred her and owned her until he gave her to us.  When we got her, she had been in a pasture doing nothing but eating for 6 years.  She was so sweet that she let my 11 year old daughter get on her and w/t.  I wouldn't normally do that but there was something special about this horse from the day we met her.  One thing to keep in mind is that OTTB's are very, very loyal.  In our experience, our horse from the very beginning was willing to try anything we asked of her.  The worst thing she ever did was the very first time "I" rode her.  I asked her for a canter (something she had never done under saddle before)she bucked one time.  We took her to a lesson barn for three months this past winter because I wanted her to learn how to canter properly.  She was only ridden about 9 times by one of the experienced riders at the barn but that was all it took for her.  She is so smart (I think many, many of them are) and now she is well on her way to the show ring.  We respect this horse and she in return respects us and gives us what we ask of her.  I wouldn't trade this girl for the world because she means the world to us.  She's funny, silly, loving, kind and beautiful.  What more could you ask for?!

that's a very apt description!! I have one OTTB I've had since xmas, he did not know how to be a horse at all. I got him thru a rescue, I actually fostered him then just HAD (well, of course) to keep him. There are so many really good things and then there's the bad parts. He really tries to learn but has a very short attention span, we work so long and then he thinks he's done, tho he is learning I decide when that is!!!   He is finally at a good weight, I stall him for supper so he gets all the extra food he needs. If you want a gorgeous trainable horse who's athletic, people oriented, used to commotion, etc etc then get one. I'd recomend one from a rescue cause they would have had their vet & farrier go over him, not to mention they saved him from who only knows what, and will be really up front about health, temperment, and maybe he'll have had some transition training. he may have had enough time off to just BE a horse so his mind is'nt fried from all the so called "supplements". Mine just started to notice if his buddies dont come in at supper, and he wants to be outside, at first he'd want to be in his stall like it was "down" time for him to just kinda hide away from everything. He sure has some odd quirks from his track days, sometimes I'm trying to figure out just why he's doing something and DUH that's what they did at the track. Dont mean to be baised but I love the TB's.

Just to show what you can get from one of these "rejects", PH had an article (yes, I'm too lazy to go find it) a few months ago about a girl riding her $600 (I think that was the amount) OTTB on the event circuit.

I've had four, only one that I was able to ride - one is too badly beat up - literally run into the ground, one is an old broodmare with a slab fracture and severe arthritis (she was retired to Our Mims, a home specifically for older TB broodmares), one is just beyond my capabilities as a rider (he's the one just adopted from New Vocations), and the other was p-e-r-f-e-c-t.  If a horse can be a soul mate, he was mine.  They are such people horses and no one can tell me that they aren't grateful every day that they are with a person who loves them - they show it.  I am biased and I don't care.

There were some excellent posts on the "Controlling the Head and Relaxing the Brain" topic; it's under General Discussion from a week or two ago.  They are well worth reading.

I would like to see that topic or this one expand to discussions on finding the horse's "key,"  unlocking the potential and developing competitive edge.   Sometimes we can get control of these horse in a reasonable manner through consistency in the aids and such, but we never really unleash them and enable them to move from a mediocre performance to a brilliant one, even though we know they have the talent to do so.  This goes beyond riding into actual training, but I think that riders can develop sensitivity to listen and discern glimpses of the brilliance that the horses can achieve. 

We bought our horse straight off the track. He was racing the week before we brought him home. There are a hundred reasons why to never buy a horse off the track, and I'd say that 99 of them are not true.

Amongst the most experienced trainers that work with OTTB's there is a saying. " The best way to retrain an OTTB is to not retrain an OTTB". It's sounds like a contradiction of terms, but it has not been in my experience.

In the beginning the best advice I could give is to leave them alone for awhile. Lots of grooming, handling, and time to bond. Everything about their new schedule is the reverse of what they have been conditiond to .Save the "training" for a few months, and then go into it slowly. They pick up new things fast, but they still need time to develop the physical strength and coordination required of them in their new role. Push them too much too soon, and you can expect to increase your risk,and incidence of injury.

Also, take a big step backwards and objectively  understand what you are dealing with. A racehorse that has succesfully run on the tracks is not a "Green Horse" in any way shape or form. These horses have been under the care of professional trainers and handlers since they were born. They represent a huge material investment, and can be a huge financial liability if they are not trained properly, or can not be handled safely in the shedrows. They may have seen more, done more and been handled more in their short careers than a lot of  horses may see in their lifetime. They are not green, they have just been purpose specific trained. That is the first thing anyone considering buying one needs to realize.The other thing to realize is that many times you are  still only dealing with a 3-4 year old horse, and your expectations have to be skewed accordingly. Thoroughbreds don't mature physically, or mentally any faster that any other breed. These are still baby and juvenile horses a lot of the time at the time of purchase. Would you realistically expect to train a warmblood in 6 months and have it on the circuit as a 3-4years old? and be doing well? There is a lot of physical, and mental development that is still taking place.

As mentioned they can be socially behind in their development. They don't hang out in pastures, and aren't generally turned out with other horses. They need to learn to speak horse.

Read books, or internet articles about horse racing and training. Go to the tracks and if possible observe them in the shedrows. Watch, listen and be polite if you ask questions of trainers and handlers. Be objective and non judgemental in your questions, regardless of your personal position on the horse racing industry. Sit in the stands and watch the morning breezing and training sessions if you are allowed.Understanding how they have been trained will help you be more successful in "retraining" them .

 Go slow, be patient and earn their trust. Thoroughbreds work best out of trust. Heavy handed approaches don't work well  with them.

 I'm a little biased about Thoroughbreds. I grew up with horse racing and spent a lot of time as a kid at Santa Anita, Hollywood Park , DelMar, and the Santa Ana Raceways in California.

Silkcut:

Go slow, be patient and earn their trust. Thoroughbreds work best out of trust. Heavy handed approaches don't work well  with them.

This hits the nail on the head. I volunteer at Wood End Farms (www.woodendfarms.org), a charity that rehabs and retrains TBs.  We start with basics (like learning to cross tie) and gentle groundwork.  The work on the longe line is especially important - they need to learn to use their bodies differently, and it also lets us start installing those lower gears - walk, trot and of course WHOA.

One of our guys is an 11 year old who raced for 7 years and 44 starts. You'd think he'd be a tough ride, but he's picked up on his new line of work quickly, and is a barn favorite. 

IMHO you can't beat a TB's work ethic - they really try hard.  If you need more help or support, contact us through the web site, Wood End's key mission is to support OTTB owners!

Good luck!

povertybyhorse:

Just to show what you can get from one of these "rejects", PH had an article (yes, I'm too lazy to go find it) a few months ago about a girl riding her $600 (I think that was the amount) OTTB on the event circuit.

 True -- there was an eventer on the Olympic team (I think Atlanta) that had a $500 OTTB that she bought at action and trained herself.  Woohoo, was he awesome!
 

TouchMeNot2:

I would like to see that topic or this one expand to discussions on finding the horse's "key,"  unlocking the potential and developing competitive edge

Yeah, and like, you watch a horse free in the paddock, and the movements are so powerful and graceful, it would be amazing to capture it when in the saddle too! I've also been following the cotrol head - relax brain forum too..

Wow.. So many posts, this is awesome :) and thank you for posting much detailed answers.

They are a fighters (and I don't mean it in a bad, fightng-against-humans-stubborn kind of way), there's no doubt about that. I've ridden mostly OTTB's too - some more throughly retrained than others. When I get a horse of my own, I would like to get one from a rescue. I've been riding for 15+ years but like I've mentioned before - I haven't trained one. What would be a good way to learn this? I'm not sure reading alone will be enough...

New Careers for Ex-Racehorses http://www.equisearch.com/horses_care/health/rescue/exracehorse071800a/

Retraining Ex-Racehorses http://www.equisearch.com/horses_care/health/rescue/exracehorse071800b/

A good trainer with experience.  And patience on your part. 

Downtime if straight from the track - 2-4 months to flush the chemicals and get him used to his new life style (being a horse); 2-4 months to teach him the basic differences in his new job from his old job; the rest of your time together to learn, laugh, work, play, and become what it is you want to become together.

The two major things an OTTB needs to learn about his new riding experience is that WHOA doesn't mean a half mile, and that those floppy, pushy things hanging down his side (your legs) actually have a purpose that relates to him.  The rest is normal training of an inexperienced horse, not exactly green, but with no understanding of his new job.

The TB is the best - IMHO

heavens!!! am I glad lots of people have OTTB's and love them like i do!! I'm still learning about mine and everyone's input has been great! of course if I have not learned anything I have learned I'll never know everything!! anyone have a suggestion for me-- my ottb has a good whoa, super ground manners, round pens like a dream,  but (of course there has to be a but) he does not like to canter, he doesnt' pin his ears but he puts them "up" and i KNOW he's saying i dont like your leg pressure, (we have a good transition from walk to trot) i can get him to go from trot to canter and i pull him up after 5-6 canter strides, to let him know he's not just having to run like on the track, but geez, i did not figure on an ottb to not want to run at all--he will go from trot to walk unless i let him know he cant. he also works well for a while then acts like he should be done, i'd figured this was from the track he'd been racing til he was 7 and he's 8 now. but when i let him go over a jump, he really perks up and canters after, I did not plan on starting him jumping this soon but he jumped my elec fence (4ft) and then he jumped my round pen (5ft)  and we thought to free jump him to see if he had ability and oh boy does he!! if i leave him in the round pen with a jump set up he keeps jumping it for fun w/o anyone in the pen!!! then i have to go take the jump down so he'll stop!! 

Simonssays - with your canter is he picking up the correct lead front and rear, maybe he's crossfiring?  Does he have problems more one way than another, horses in general may be right or left "handed" and OTTB are accustomed to running left so they build more muscle on one side and need to be worked to help muscle development and balance on the off side.  When you get the canter, why are you halting him or slowing him down - is he trying to pick up speed?  If he is cantering correctly and he seems to want to go too fast, try half halts and quick downward and upward transitions - 5-stride canter to 3-stride trot, then back to canter, repeating around the arena.  Remember that his canter may seem very fast, especially if he hasn't progressed to the point of being ready to work on collection.  OTTB are used to stretching out no matter what the gait and they tend not to bring their hind in under them until they are beginning to build the necessary muscle and balance, so they may rush to make up for that lack - they feel off balance.  If he stops listening to you when you want slower - if he's really trying to run, turn him into a series of small circles down the long side of the arena, or if your arena has walls turn him into the wall - remembering to brace for the quick down shift! lol  If he likes to jump so much, do NOT pull this last stunt with fences, low walls, anything but a good solid arena wall - he will probably try to jump it if it ain't tall and solid enough. Been there, done that!! LOL

Be sure that it's his difficulties with the canter...  my trainer had to point out to me at one point that what I felt was a very fast canter, almost a runaway, was actually just fast for me and my previous experience on pokey lesson horses.  That my horse looked really, really good and was doing everything right.