# Ex race horse photos!



## Baby Doll Amy (Oct 28, 2008)

i wanna see how good ex race horses can become.. i currently have one and she has her problems (bucking) and i wanna see how they turn out after all the sweat and tears have gone into re training them  before and after pics would be nice  
my first pic is of chyna as a race horse and my second one is one of her pigrooting with her previous owners and the third one is of her today with me.


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## Kayty (Sep 8, 2009)

That's a good effort of a buck there! Good on you for sitting it out!

I unfortunately don't have any photo's of my current boy racing, but this is him now. He finished racing in Oct 2009, was spelled for 6 months and has since been in very light work with the intention of taking him up to be my next dressage horse.

















And my last ottb

















And the one before that









Only photo's I can find for the moment, all the others are on my old computer!


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## Baby Doll Amy (Oct 28, 2008)

thanx for posting them pics there making me feel that there is hope for chynas future


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## Kayty (Sep 8, 2009)

Oops sorry I forgot to put up before shots.

Tatiana (the chestnut), was pretty rangey looking when I started with her. She was only 3 and wasn't gettin on very well at all with my boss, so I took her on. 
When I brought her home
















This was her with 3 rides off the track. 









Hugo (the grey), he's never really had 'ugly' moments as such as he's a very naturally talented, balanced and uphill horse, but when I got him off the track, he was VERY tight through his back and would work in an elementary frame but with a stuck back. 
First ride ott









4 or 5 rides ott


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## Baby Doll Amy (Oct 28, 2008)

Kayty said:


> Oops sorry I forgot to put up before shots.
> 
> Tatiana (the chestnut), was pretty rangey looking when I started with her. She was only 3 and wasn't gettin on very well at all with my boss, so I took her on.
> When I brought her home
> ...


wow! theve come so far! how long has it taken to get them where they are now??


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## Kayty (Sep 8, 2009)

It took me about 6 months to get Tatiana working solidly in prelim/novice, taking a consistent contact in the bridle and using her back. 

Hugo has taken all of 2 months work to get him how he is now. The 'now' photographs are also not as nice as how he usually works, unknown to me then but he has a bone spur in his hock (whooole other story, worried about my boy!) and thus, though he was not lame at the time, was not willing to track and take weight on his hind legs.


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## Baby Doll Amy (Oct 28, 2008)

Kayty said:


> It took me about 6 months to get Tatiana working solidly in prelim/novice, taking a consistent contact in the bridle and using her back.
> 
> Hugo has taken all of 2 months work to get him how he is now. The 'now' photographs are also not as nice as how he usually works, unknown to me then but he has a bone spur in his hock (whooole other story, worried about my boy!) and thus, though he was not lame at the time, was not willing to track and take weight on his hind legs.


truu well im hoping chyna turns outs good she has a dropped hip and that might be causeing some greif for her..
how hard was it to get your horses good?? do you have any hintss for me?? iv never re trained an ex race horse so im open for any helping hints


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## Kayty (Sep 8, 2009)

Tatiana was no easy ride, she also had quite severe stifle lock that created a lot of set backs. She was a very typical tb, chestnut, lots of white, 3 years old and just off the track, with that real firey, panicky nature that TB's are renowned for. If something confused her, she would panic, and there was little you could do other than stay on board until she got over it herself. If you attempted to fight against her, or go tense, she would buck, spin and rear until you came off. A very interesting character that one! A lot of hard work, patience and perseverance was what got her going well in the end. She was training elementary by the time I sold her, a year after I purchased her. 
The main factors in dealing with a very flighty, panicky horse is to stay calm, even if you don't feel it. Don't fight with them, just allow the error to happen and then correct it. Yelling at them, hitting them, pulling them around, kicking them etc. will do nothing but make them worse and they are very quick to resent you. 

Hugo on the other hand, is a very tractable fellow. From the day I got him ott, he was quiet, agreeable and actually had a thought process rather than the ottb's I'm used to dealing with! If you ask him for a new response, he will think it through carefully before he answers, and usually he gives the right answer. 
The problems I have had with him, is again the typical tb issue of having a very tight back and moving with all legs. I have had to do a lot of gymnastic work, and introduce lateral exercises quite early to start getting a good contact in the bridle and loosening his back. 
He will just about cry if you go mad at him, and will get very worried if you ask 'wrong' or try to punish him for an incorrect response. As with Tatiana, I have to allow him to make the error, then correct it until he gives me the response I'm looking for. 

The biggest factor in retraining and ottb is patience. Work on the ground first, getting them responsive to pressure so that they will walk forward, back up, yield their shoulders, hind quarters, neck, poll and head with minimal pressure. 
Then I like to start teaching voice aids on the lunge. I usually won't get on an ottb unless I have firmly established voice aids. As these horses have no idea what leg means, it is so helpful to have an established voice aid to use in conjunction with leg aids for the first time, as the horse will be less likely to panic, as it understands a part of what you are asking. 
Make sure you have a go, stop and turn button. They'll save your life if your horse freaks out one day! Hugo now reacts merely to an indication of my seat to move off, and will come to a halt with my seat as well, rarely to I need to employ the use of legs and reins. This is what you want. The more sensitive you can get them, the quicker they will learn. You can't start teaching them 'tricks' if you haven't got the basics established. Make sure you can halt - walk - trot - walk - halt very easily, and can turn without having to drag them around. 

I then start to teach leg yield, and then shoulder fore. This will help you connect the hind quarters to the forehand, and is your starting point in putting the horse over it's hind legs. 

Hope that's helped you a little bit, best of luck with your ottb, they are hard work but if you do it right they can provide you with a fantastic riding buddy


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## Baby Doll Amy (Oct 28, 2008)

Kayty said:


> Tatiana was no easy ride, she also had quite severe stifle lock that created a lot of set backs. She was a very typical tb, chestnut, lots of white, 3 years old and just off the track, with that real firey, panicky nature that TB's are renowned for. If something confused her, she would panic, and there was little you could do other than stay on board until she got over it herself. If you attempted to fight against her, or go tense, she would buck, spin and rear until you came off. A very interesting character that one! A lot of hard work, patience and perseverance was what got her going well in the end. She was training elementary by the time I sold her, a year after I purchased her.
> The main factors in dealing with a very flighty, panicky horse is to stay calm, even if you don't feel it. Don't fight with them, just allow the error to happen and then correct it. Yelling at them, hitting them, pulling them around, kicking them etc. will do nothing but make them worse and they are very quick to resent you.
> 
> Hugo on the other hand, is a very tractable fellow. From the day I got him ott, he was quiet, agreeable and actually had a thought process rather than the ottb's I'm used to dealing with! If you ask him for a new response, he will think it through carefully before he answers, and usually he gives the right answer.
> ...


thank you soo much, i now know what to do instead of just riding chyna and hoping that she wont buck  i now have things to do with her thanx soo much again


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## mom2pride (May 5, 2009)

Okay, Hugo is officially on my 'must have' list! What a beautiful animal!!!! 

Don't have any OTTB myself, but just want you to know that it's not hopeless for you and Chyna; as Kayty mentioned get everything you can solid on the ground, before really pushing for those same things undersaddle. If you get her moving well, and responding well from the ground, those 'buttons' will work a whole lot better when you get on, especially if you know how to apply the same pressures in order to help her respond in the way you want her to undersaddle.


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## Baby Doll Amy (Oct 28, 2008)

mom2pride said:


> Okay, Hugo is officially on my 'must have' list! What a beautiful animal!!!!
> 
> Don't have any OTTB myself, but just want you to know that it's not hopeless for you and Chyna; as Kayty mentioned get everything you can solid on the ground, before really pushing for those same things undersaddle. If you get her moving well, and responding well from the ground, those 'buttons' will work a whole lot better when you get on, especially if you know how to apply the same pressures in order to help her respond in the way you want her to undersaddle.


 yeah shes really responsive undersaddle she just bucks alot when you canter her lol i think its because im sitting on her not riding race horse way and she probs dont like it


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## myhorsemylove101 (Jul 22, 2010)

my friend has an ex-race horse... and he has had a few problems bucking and rearing and kicking her but ill see if i can get some photos!!!


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## Kayty (Sep 8, 2009)

Haha thank you mum2pride, he is definitely a special boy. I was planning on getting myself another Wb for dressage, but when he came up I was so curious about him as he was just lovely, and now look! He's my absolute pride and joy and I am enjoying riding him more than I have the WB's I've owned and ridden!

Baby Doll Amy, it's definitely not hopeless  Every horse has potential to do well


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## Baby Doll Amy (Oct 28, 2008)

myhorsemylove101 said:


> my friend has an ex-race horse... and he has had a few problems bucking and rearing and kicking her but ill see if i can get some photos!!!


that would be great if you can get some photos =D


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## Baby Doll Amy (Oct 28, 2008)

Kayty said:


> Haha thank you mum2pride, he is definitely a special boy. I was planning on getting myself another Wb for dressage, but when he came up I was so curious about him as he was just lovely, and now look! He's my absolute pride and joy and I am enjoying riding him more than I have the WB's I've owned and ridden!
> 
> Baby Doll Amy, it's definitely not hopeless  Every horse has potential to do well


 i know its not hopeless just hurts wen some people say its not use shes dangerous and has no future and stuff but no matter what they say IM NOT GIVING UP ON HER! i love chyna too much to do that


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## Kayty (Sep 8, 2009)

BDA, how long has she been off the track and how much work has she done under saddle since then? You said she had previous owners, I'm assuming these were not her race trainers? If that's the case, you definitely should not have to be riding her like she's a racehorse. 
I would seriously recommend getting some help from a trainer, even if it's just a few lessons to kick start you. You really don't want her to be getting away with the bucking in canter or it will increase in intensity. 

Until you can get yourself a good trainer, I can really only give you a suggestion on how to control the bucking a little, as there could be multiple reasons as to why she is bucking.
When she goes to buck on you, and you can feel it coming, there is a great little way of controlling that energy and stopping the behaviour. Instead of a one rein stop that a lot of the natural horsemanship people preach, it is a sort of 'half' one rein stop. The full one rein stop disengages the hind quarters by forcing the inside hind leg to cross under the horse's body. When one starts to use this to the effect of spinning the horse in a small circle, or if the horse is already unbalanced and you try to disengage the hindquarters by pulling the inside rein around, you are merely pulling the horse right off balance and while it can work, it can also be HIGHLY dangerous. Stunt riders use a variation of a one rein stop to throw a horse to the ground at a full blown gallop. Heath Harris, a world renowned horse trainer and stunt rider for movies, will simply get the horse galloping, and when he needs it to fall (over a foam pit obviously!) all he does is move his inside rein up to his belly, this crosses the horse's hind legs and it falls over. 

I'll stop going on about one rein stops now! The method I like to use involves a slight one rein stop, so taking the inside rein, and rather than bringing it up to your belly, take it to the back of your thigh and rest your fist on the back of your thigh so that your hand can't be pulled away. Sit back in the saddle, look up, push your legs forward and then give and take firmly with your outside rein. Obviously these aids need to be applied in quick succession when the need arises. 99.9% of horses I have ridden and run into trouble with, this technique has worked beautifully. From breakers, to ottbs, to horses that just get away with bucking! It works for spooks, bucks, bolts, and every other irritating and pretty scary horse behaviour they can throw at you.

Use that to save your skin for now, and in the meantime, go and source out a good instructor to give you some help


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## Baby Doll Amy (Oct 28, 2008)

Kayty said:


> BDA, how long has she been off the track and how much work has she done under saddle since then? You said she had previous owners, I'm assuming these were not her race trainers? If that's the case, you definitely should not have to be riding her like she's a racehorse.
> I would seriously recommend getting some help from a trainer, even if it's just a few lessons to kick start you. You really don't want her to be getting away with the bucking in canter or it will increase in intensity.
> 
> Until you can get yourself a good trainer, I can really only give you a suggestion on how to control the bucking a little, as there could be multiple reasons as to why she is bucking.
> ...


She was on the track then had a foal 2 years ago then they bought her back into work as a race horse then gave her away i got her straight from the racing owner, i have a feeling that she bucks in the canter because its uncomfortable for her because of her hip ill get some pics of it and show you... her hip has dropped and shes finding it hard to build muscle on her bum and back so i think its her hips.... thanks for the tip with contoll the bucking


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## Kayty (Sep 8, 2009)

Thanks for clarifying that  If her hip is weak, you are very right in saying it's probably the hip making her buck into canter, as a lot of strain is being put on the joint in the strike off. 
Have you tried doing some hill work with her in walk and trot to try and build up those hindquarter muscles, which will support the joint? It could be worth sticking to doing gymnastic exercises in walk and trot for a couple of months to build those muscles, and then start her cantering on the lunge before trying it under saddle again.

You can try riding her at walk over uneven terrain, swimming her, taking her to the beach if you are near one, hill work obviously, trot poles, leg yielding, shoulder in, quarters in, serpentines, rein back... so many different things that will build up muscle in the hind quarters, just use your imagination


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## Baby Doll Amy (Oct 28, 2008)

Kayty said:


> Thanks for clarifying that  If her hip is weak, you are very right in saying it's probably the hip making her buck into canter, as a lot of strain is being put on the joint in the strike off.
> Have you tried doing some hill work with her in walk and trot to try and build up those hindquarter muscles, which will support the joint? It could be worth sticking to doing gymnastic exercises in walk and trot for a couple of months to build those muscles, and then start her cantering on the lunge before trying it under saddle again.
> 
> You can try riding her at walk over uneven terrain, swimming her, taking her to the beach if you are near one, hill work obviously, trot poles, leg yielding, shoulder in, quarters in, serpentines, rein back... so many different things that will build up muscle in the hind quarters, just use your imagination


yeah thats exactly what im doing, im not even going to think about the canter untill shes got muscle in her back end shes starting to build the muscle witch it good but like you said im not going to be cantering her for a few months ill be starting her on trot poles thanks for telling me about that bit i didnt know that would help  ive been doing serpintines and lots and lots of transitions, not only should that help build muscle but it gives me more control over her and now that youv told more things i can try with her she i feel really confident that shell be fine fit and strong enough to do normal horse work like cantering in a few months thanx heaps again


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## speedy da fish (May 7, 2009)

I dont have any pictures of me riding him but my friend has a 10 year old ex racer on loan, he was then used for BSJA. I have won two show jumping classes on him, the first time I competed him. TBs are fast in the jump off!


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## Baby Doll Amy (Oct 28, 2008)

speedy da fish said:


> I dont have any pictures f me riding him but my friend has a 10 year old ex racer on loan, he was then used for BSJA. I have one two show jumping classes on him, the first time I competed him. TBs are fast in the jump off!


haha i bet they are i would like to jump chyna but i dont want to do any damage to her id like to make her an eventer im going to try her out wen shes good with cantering (a few months time) but if shes not cut out for it im just going to do dressage on her


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## JumperStride (Jul 1, 2010)

I don't have any pictures of Lic at the track, but he's an OTTB I worked with for two years off the track, now owned by one of my students:


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## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

This is my friend and her OTTB mare, Velvet about two years ago when they were at their prime. This was a mare that just about killed everyone who ever tried to ride her. Until my friend got her. It's been a tough battle to get her going nicely, but it can be done, even though they've hit a bit of a rough patch recently. They're beautiful together, one of my favorite pairs to watch. =]


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## BarrelracingArabian (Mar 31, 2010)

this is my boy soldeir who passed on about 4months back 
he was 19 and in very good shape for his age i thought haha :] 
and very calm for his age also he was NOT a girls horse from what i heard so when he became my buddy the owner basically gave him to me... i could cross my legs on the saddle and drop my reins and he would just walk on 
















and the ex-racer i rode before YOU RAVE (rave) 
she was natorious(sp?) for throwing her jockeys off after every race.. and she never lost one.. she was only pulled because she wasnt being noticed so they pulled her and retired her to lesson horse for the more experienced up until i started riding her she was then my gymkhana mount and won often.. she is blind in one eye at 21yrs and very grumpy now so shes not used much anymore 








when i was little my very first ride on her :] 









sorry no before pics


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## BarrelracingArabian (Mar 31, 2010)

i ment he was very calm for the breed stereotype hah my bad lol


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