On January 25th this year, I was given a piece of my heart back! Who knew that after 25 years of being horseless, I would not only find myself as a horse owner once again, but owning a former racehorse of all things! That's right, "Obviously Tuesday" had spent his entire life on the track. This big Thoroughbred gelding was born to run...and boy did he ever run!
In fact, he won the Aqueduct, and Saratoga several times, plus a 3rd place at The Belmont, and many others. This boy was made for speed!! The thing is, Thoroughbreds can't race forever...no one can (even me with all of my own race history). Eventually, age catches up to you, and life is no longer the same.
Thankfully, there are many organizations that adopt off-track racehorses, train them, and eventually place them with forever homes. Mine was not an adoption, but he was certainly worth every penny! I actually found him on Facebook of all places! There are many groups on there that are horse-related, especially for OTTB's (Off the track Thoroughbreds). One day, I happened to see a post about my boy, who had been re-training in NC for about 10 months. He was at a reputable farm, with a reputable owner, or I never would've considered buying a horse sight unseen! She worked with me every step of the way, even sending me Youtube videos of him being groomed, tacked up, mounted at the mounting block (which is not an easy task for an OTTB!), ridden W-T-C in both directions and on the correct leads. I even had a video of him show jumping in a baby-green competition. My intention wasn't to find a show horse, but eventually I did want the ability to show and wanted to make sure whichever horse I purchased would have the ability to do so. She sent me great pictures of him.
Again, I wouldn't recommend buying a horse sight unseen, and without riding him first (but I tend to "live on the edge" sometimes anyway :-)). She also sent me recent vet paperwork, to which I did call and speak with both vets that had been involved in his care.
I arranged shipment from NC to SC with a reputable horse shipper, and found (what I thought at the time) a good barn for him. He arrived just as planned, and when he got off the trailer, I swear I felt as though I was looking at The Trojan Horse! He was huge, and muscular, and held his head so high and proud. I was as much in awe, as I was filled with nervous tension. He was bigger than I had imagined, even for me who stands almost 6 ft tall! And me, after being horseless so many years, was now the proud (and somewhat clueless) owner of a larger than life Thoroughbred!
I learned early in owning him, that not all barns offer quality care, even if they say so. Plus, not many of them are truly qualified to care for an OTTB. They place them out with too many other horses, and most OTTBs have no clue how to defend themselves, and be the "alpha horse", so, they get so beat up. And my guy sure did! He would have bite marks all over him, and it was awful! I made sure that he was stalled at night, and begged them to keep him away from the aggressive horses during the day at let-out time, but they didn't. Agh!! They also didn't feed him enough, or the right food. Thoroughbreds are "hard-keepers" with a high metabolism. They need high quality hay, and more flakes than other horses. They also need a protein rich quality grain. It is well worth the research to find the right one. We didn't have access to the grain he'd been on previously, so they put him on another type. It was OK...just OK. Me being so new back into horsemanship, felt somewhat at the mercy of the barn manager. The barn itself was a leaky disaster too. Boards would be falling down, lights were burnt out, and everything was just so messy. The final straw was when he ended up with a bloody gash on his jaw. $500 worth of stitches later, and the barn manager saying she "didn't know how it happened"?, was enough!! This all took place within 6 weeks time too. I finally found a "Horse Heaven" for him, and moved him promptly!
It has been night and day, from the previous place!! He is thriving, happy, well-kept and looked after, and has his own grassy pasture during the days. Heaven! I also look forward to being there as often as possible, and I never felt that way at the old barn. The owner lives on property, is familiar with OTTBs, checks on all her horses constantly, and does not overcrowd her barn at all!
So, you may be wondering about the riding part of an OTTB? Yes, I wondered about that myself. I learned right away that they don't understand the same way other horses do. In fact, pulling back on the bit just makes them want to go faster! The canter is always the place where accidents will happen more than any other part of riding. And, if your OTTB isn't understanding your desire to have them STOP, then, you are in for a challenge alright! In fact, one day I took quite the fall from him and it really shook me. It was my fault, as I had not tightened his new girth enough. While cantering, the saddle started sliding on him, I started panicking a bit...and so did he. He would not stop of course. Off I came! However, this fall did teach me some valuable things. First, you must always tighten your girth once, then do it again before actual mounting. Second, I learned what a sweet boy I had since he did not try to run away, kick, or do something crazy when I fell. He actually stopped completely, stood at my side as if to say "Woops, what happened"? Third, I learned to ALWAYS get back on your horse. For me, it was essential to shake off what happened, and to not let fear take over.
Well, you will learn as I did, that time and patience are essential in riding horses, especially OTTBs! My guy would do fine with the walking part. Though it bored him to tears (and me too, somewhat).
The trot was just OK, as there would be parts of it when I would feel him pulling at the bit and wanting to break into a canter. His trot would just start going faster. So, I learned to slow my posting and to relax. If I started to get tense, and post at the pace he was trying to get to, we were doomed. I spent hours working on walk, trot, walk. I also used voice commands and he picked up on them rapidly (which is interesting because I read that horses don't listen to those). I especially worked on complete stops. I also learned that OTTBs LOVE to work! They are used to having a job, and they welcome it. They like to stay busy, and to have their minds stimulated. They are also rather "bomb-proof" from having been exposed to so many sounds, people, and other horses all of their lives. Anyway, I decided to work with a trainer, and that has made all of the difference! Riders really benefit from having the expertise of another accomplished rider, plus, a different set of eyes to see them. I've only trained a few times, however, in between lessons I am riding in the arena for hours while working on the basics. I have seen a completely different horse! Part of which presumably came from his not truly understanding what I wanted (because I was still learning and always will be). Yes, he still fights the bit somewhat. However, he responds so much better than ever and really tries to please me. I continually praise him and applaud his accomplishments.
Just my time grooming him, leading him along the sunny grassy pasture after a cool bath, talking to him constantly, as well as, riding in the arena have been priceless. We have formed such a trust and bond together. He knows he will never feel the sting of a crop on his hocks as he is being pushed faster. Nor will he spend hours pent up in a stall without horse or human contact. He is loved and cherished and I have to believe that every living creature can feel that, and benefits from it.
He has been the same for me as I remember my many years growing up with horses. They were my life, and my heart, and the one thing that truly got me through my childhood. He is a dream come true, and I look forward to our many years together!
