# Off the Track to Over Fences: journal of an OTTB.



## baysfordays (Oct 14, 2021)

New journal! Yippee!

Restarting my journal is exciting, even more exciting knowing I can get a new trainer and a fresh start for my gelding.

it’s been a good and bad week, I am still super over joyed about his stifle and so thankful.
I’ve been (attempting) to work him everyday, but with this rain it’s kinda impossible, and put a halt on the new arena.

his neck soreness finally went away, I had the vet check him for arthritis in his neck, legs and stifle and so far so good, no arthritis. Vet said soreness was from my trainer overusing the neck stretcher which I did talk to her about but that didn’t go so good. She ended up riding him in the neck stretcher against my will, he was sore the next day and I forgot, I touched his neck in a sensitive spot and he flung his head around trying to nip me and hit me in the jaw instead and chipped my tooth, it was 100% my fault because I forgot, and didn’t demand my trainer enough to not use the stretcher.

life happens I guess.

I have to tell her to not ever come back again, but I don’t know how to word it or say it.
I don’t like being mean and I’m really a kind hearted person, so it’s hard for me but I do have to say to myself that she did put my horses worth lower than an average rock on a gravel lane.

Anywhoooo, I have two awesome trainers I have in mind for my guy!
1st trainer. Family friend, owns a top hunter barn in the area, professional H/J, he imports and trains warmbloods from the ground up, really good trainer and I know if he wanted to work with my guy he would take him a long ways in the hunter world.. basically him and his team are unbeatable.. I’m going to do lessons with him in the future so I’m super excited about that. He encouraged me to buy my gelding in 2021..

2nd trainer. Professional H/J, also professional in dressage, has many USDF rewards, and a certified USDF trainer.. rehabbed, trained, and sold OTTBs for years.. I have seen some of her training and she does focus on more H/J with her clients ottbs.. but I really don’t know how good she is.
I was thinking maybe her dressage experience could help my gelding in the long run with the bending, being on the bit without so many tools.. I haven’t seen any type of tool in any of her photos.

Anyway, I can’t really decide.. I was hoping to get trainer number 1 out first to see what his opinion is on my gelding, to see if he has a chance on jumping, he has no medical issues that would stop him from jumping and vet said no height restriction.. it’s more the debate if his heart is in it.

My ‘trainer’ ruined his work ethic, so that’s one place to start. 
If work was making me be in pain, I wouldn’t want to work either that’s for sure!
My gelding had behavioral issues, another reason why my trainer said he wouldn’t work out as a hunter.. something I go by is don’t let a horses past issues be an excuse for bad training or a reason he “can’t do this”’or “can’t do that”.

anyway, did not mean to vent at all, and apologies for the ones who actually read the whole thing, LOL.

I’m so excited for this new journal and to keep everyone updated on his progress as well as progress of finding a new trainer!


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## Palfrey (May 29, 2020)

Good luck on your journey!


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## updownrider (Mar 31, 2009)

If you can’t tell your soon to be ex trainer not to come at least hide the neck stretcher in your house or car, somewhere she has no access.

As for choosing a trainer, work with the one in your discipline. Trainer #1 is the hunter trainer and seems to know your horse.


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## baysfordays (Oct 14, 2021)

updownrider said:


> If you can’t tell your soon to be ex trainer not to come at least hide the neck stretcher in your house or car, somewhere she has no access.
> 
> As for choosing a trainer, work with the one in your discipline. Trainer #1 is the hunter trainer and seems to know your horse.


Yep.. I’m texting her soon to tell her 😅. Thanks!


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

All I can say is _in your area_ H/J trainers are a abundance and please get past the thought they can only work with OTTB....
_A good trainer can and does work with all horses...._
The very best of the best in this nations past have been OTTB...
Any trainer worth their "salt" will see a gifted animal regardless of breeding...
People got on a "warmblood" hype, but gifted is gifted no matter how bulky the build or streamlined and sleek. 

_As for the trainer to be released...._
If you can't speak to her, then at the least text her now and thank her for her services but on vets advice a different training method need followed for your horses future soundness. With that, thank you, but your services & training methods are unable to be used anymore. I've learned from you and wish you well in training future animals, just not mine.

You could just be brash and blunt.... "You're fired!" a famous line said...😏

Looking forward to reading....✔✔
🐴....


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## baysfordays (Oct 14, 2021)

@horselovinguy thank you! I tried telling her last time she was here, she would either act like she didn’t hear me or change the subject, no matter how high I raised my voice 😅. Texting her was way better because she can argue with it if she wants but I got to say what I wanted to say. 😅


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

If I remember correctly all the issues you had with your horse resisting bend, souring to the bit and such, I would do H/J with him, not dressage. reason being he will freshen if he is given more freedom to just go forward and be forward thinking, toward the next jump. That's my 2 cents.


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## baysfordays (Oct 14, 2021)

I took him on a “halfway trail ride” today, he did so good, I really think he enjoyed it.. he was pretty calm and had his head low just adventuring..but we aren’t very far from home.. but then he met my neighbors horse and flipped his crap. Literally. Was in the middle of the field, he saw the horse and took off, pretty sure he forgot I was holding onto him LOL he stopped, he’s such a baby.
I was actually really calm during the whole thing, I didn’t get nervous once (surprising)
Even with me calm he was dancing beside me when I was walking him back to the barn, I got him in the paddock so the neighbors horse could meet him and that was way better, after that they were buddies and didn’t even care.. but my pony mare acts like my geldings mom, she’s over protective of him but if someone messes with her (like pets her) he will get SO jealous and I don’t know how to fix that, she’s getting better about her buddy sourness though. My mare makes my gelding real nervous soo that’s something that’ll have to be worked on, somehow. 
anyway, over all it was good and hopefully I’ll be able to trail ride him longer tomorrow.. and get pictures!


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## ShirtHotTeez (Sep 23, 2014)

I had to look up what a 'neck-stretcher' actually is! It looks to me rather like what we call a market harborough (someone from UK might be able to confirm that - or not!) so you are constantly trying to get your horse to go forward calmly and confidently while saying 'stop' at the same time. No wonder he has behavioural issues, he doesn't know if he is coming or going!

You seem to have taken it onboard that your horse wont be able to jump. Just because that trainer said so? That was why she wanted to buy him? . . . ditch that thought. You have established there is not physical reason he can't jump, so it is just the training. Start from the beginning without all the gadgets. Honestly, a tb can just about step over 2 foot 6!! They are powerhouses. As his training and fitness increase you will see.

Another reason I am against tb's for beginners.


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## baysfordays (Oct 14, 2021)

ShirtHotTeez said:


> I had to look up what a 'neck-stretcher' actually is! It looks to me rather like what we call a market harborough (someone from UK might be able to confirm that - or not!) so you are constantly trying to get your horse to go forward calmly and confidently while saying 'stop' at the same time. No wonder he has behavioural issues, he doesn't know if he is coming or going!
> 
> You seem to have taken it onboard that your horse wont be able to jump. Just because that trainer said so? That was why she wanted to buy him? . . . ditch that thought. You have established there is not physical reason he can't jump, so it is just the training. Start from the beginning without all the gadgets. Honestly, a tb can just about step over 2 foot 6!! They are powerhouses. As his training and fitness increase you will see.
> 
> Another reason I am against tb's for beginners.


I wasn’t doing the ‘riding training’ when she was coming.. so most of it I had no clue what she was doing even with me bugging her..so it wasn’t me confusing him but yes my trainer (now ex trainer) was confusing him a lot.. and I saw it the last time she came (like the stop and go at the same time) she was very harsh with the reins trying to get his head down at the same time trying to get him to go and he _wouldnt go_ no surprise there.

Also nope..I believe he’ll be able to jump! That’s my goal and that’s the reason I’m getting a top H/J trainer.. I’m shooting for the 3’ hunters in the future.

i agree, the trainers I’ve looked into use no gadgets, and my ex trainer was also teaching him to be on the bit incorrectly!🤦‍♀️I think the only beginner here Is my ex trainer LOL.
Gadgets make things 100x worse.

my two instructor a couple years ago both taught me how to work with tbs and I helped them work and train them.. of course I didn’t learn too much but I did learn enough to teach him ground basics and I did work with him a lot doing w/t and had him going decent until my trainer.. but not putting all the blame on the trainer because I fell for what she said.
I feel like a horrible horse owner for letting this happen 😅

my dude jumps over 2’6 like it’s absolutely nothing, it’s amazing to watch.


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