# My Ottb search... New horses frequently (probably) ;)



## Eliz (Jun 16, 2010)

Okay, the search begins. I have decided I AM getting an Ottb, I just don't know which one and when I will find the perfect one 

I contacted an Ottb rescue in my area, and although they have nothing that I could use, they have some private sellers that have contacted them and so they are sending me possible horses.

I am looking for something to use in eventing (which I am new to... so jumping/dressage until then).

Thanks!!

First possibility:
4 y/o Oklahoma bred gelding. He is 17hh. He hated racing, ran in 4 races and is record is a whopping 1st: 0, 2nd: 0, 3rd: 0. The ottb rescue manager only saw him briefly but said he looked sound and had clean legs, and was calm for having his pictures taken and seemed very sweet.
His name is Roll on Trouble.
All I can say is wow, LONG pasterns!
Should I pass or find out more?


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## Shasta1981 (Nov 12, 2010)

Eliz I love your OTTB enthusiasm! Have you found an eventing trainer in your area yet? Your best bet is to have them come with you to take a look at these guys.


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

The only thing I don't like is how the left front pastern is long while the right one is more upright. I can tell you, as someone who's OTTB has two very different front feet, what a PITA it can be. Only the best farriers can shoe them properly and I forever second guess whether my guy is lame or not. Love him otherwise, but I really don't like the mismatched fronts.

By the way, that's the history you want. Game boy, but just too slow.


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## lilruffian (Jun 28, 2010)

Not a fan of the neck but his overall build is nice. His pasterns look a little long & though it may be the way he's standing in the photos his back legs appear to be spaced quite far apart.


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## Eliz (Jun 16, 2010)

Shasta: 
The trainer I have now that does hunter/jumper and some dressage I trust immensely, so I will probably have her look at the horse that I decide on, as well as a vet check etc etc. I am still on the look out for an actualy eventer trainer.  I am the kind of person that once I get an idea I am way into it... finding out all I can about it and enthusiasm all the way. It's a gift and a curse 

MyBoyPuck:

Wow, I would've never noticed that... didn't even know that was possible! Thanks for pointing that out lol!


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## UWLEquestrian (Jan 17, 2011)

Oklahoma Thoroughbred Retirement Program - Adoption Horses


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## Eliz (Jun 16, 2010)

UWLEquestrian:

Yep, that is the rescue I contacted that has nothing I could use... but the manager (Robin) is helping me find something 

Lilruffian:

Sorry, I didn't mean to completely overlook your post, we must've posted at the same time! I didn't notice his legs either, that is pretty peculiar.

I may pass this one by, the front pasterns being different scares me because I don't know if I'd be able to get the high-quality farrier that the horse would need :/

I am getting information about another gelding, I should have all the info up by Wednesday


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## AlexS (Aug 9, 2010)

He does look sweet, but I would personally pass on this one. There are so many OTTBs I think you could do better.


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## DocsDaniGirl (Feb 11, 2010)

Is it possible that the different looking front pasterns is a trick of the light? They do look different in the second two pictures, but in the first pic they look normal to me. But then I know very little about conformation. :?


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## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

Those pasterns are just too long to consider him for a performance dicipline. Pity though as I quite like the rest of him.

Subscribing!


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## Eliz (Jun 16, 2010)

I've been waiting for contact information on this next horse for about a week now. I love his size 
This is Honour Chrissie (though if I got him, I may have to change his name.. Then again, Chrissie does fit him in the most ironic way ). He was foaled in 2006. He is 17hh+. I am told he is sound. He has been off the track since July 2010. His owner said that he had won all he could on his level, and was not fast enough to progress. I am also told he is very calm and extremely smart, and is very brave. His price is at $1,500, but I am thinking since his owner just had a heart attack and has frequent health problems, I could get him to lower his price considerably. These pictures are from when he was racing, the owner said once he is feeling well enough he will get me current pictures. I know they're not the best to critique, but let me know if you see anything glaring.


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## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

Hard to tell much confo wise as the first shot he is moving and the second shot is too much in the shadows.

Also, if I had to guess based on body development, I would say the second photo was taken when he was around 3 so he has probably developed a little more by now and changed somewhat.

Amazing the difference photo angle can make - in the first pic it looks like his neck ties in a little low but in the standing photo it doesn't appear that way at all. It looks like he has a nice strong back and no visible leg injuries which is a good start.

Must admit, I like the look of him, put up more pics when you get them so we can see the angles better!!


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## Eliz (Jun 16, 2010)

The only thing I can tell from the pictures is that he probably has long pasterns. Though as you said he has probably developed more and is probably less gangly now. If that is his only major flaw he may be worth it.. I'm beginning to think long pasterns are unavoidable in OTTBs 

I'll keep everyone as updated as I am!


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## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

You know, I thought my mare had long pasterns too (and several members on here also brought this to my attention) but when I actually measured them, it turns out her pasterns are juuuuuust in the acceptable range, much to my surprise!

Basically, they should not exceed 50% of the cannon bone length. So whilst many TB's do have long pasterns, they also have long cannon bones. Of course the angles play a role and there are other contributing factors but just thought I would throw that in there.


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## VelvetsAB (Aug 11, 2010)

_Just wanting to point out that Chrissie is wearing a shadowroll...so you might want to ask (if you can) why he was wearing one. _

_It might change your mind if they say something along the lines of he is scared of his own shadow. _


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## Eliz (Jun 16, 2010)

Lol I will be sure to ask.
He HAS been pastured since July so that situation might've improved


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## CJ82Sky (Dec 19, 2008)

sarahver said:


> Those pasterns are just too long to consider him for a performance dicipline. Pity though as I quite like the rest of him.
> 
> Subscribing!


agreed. for low level stuff he should be fine but i don't like the mismatch of the front legs as someone else mentioned also.


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## CJ82Sky (Dec 19, 2008)

for chrissie i do NOT like the hyperflexion in the hind pasterns. even the one that is not weight bearing is overflexed which could make him prone to injury.

just a side note - i am being VERY picky here. please understand that i have seen horses with near perfect conformation have career-ending injuries very early on and conformational disasters do amazing things. as long as you are not looking for breeding purposes (since these are gelding i assume not haha) then also take into consideration heart and personality.

my eventer is awesome, clyde tb x with a HUGE heart and wonderful disposition. he also has crooked legs, offset front feet, and is tied in at the knee with shallow hind end angles making him prone to front foot bruises and hind end weakness. he'd never hold up to prelim+ eventing on a heavy competition schedule be he does me just fine for 3-6 shows a year at BN and schooling novice and as long as we do tons of trot work (you'll find i talk loooooooots of trot haha) his hind end is muscled and strong enough to overcome his conformational challenges. funny thing is to look at, he's a handsome devil. it isn't til you start really looking at angles that you go oooooooh....

form follows function, sure, but nothing can replace heart.


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## trIplEcrOwngIrl (May 13, 2009)

subscribing


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I'm glad that you passed on the first one. It isn't so much the length of the pasterns that had me wondering, but the fact that they look so darn thin. He has chicken bones in his legs.

I like Chrissie much better but he still just doesn't look right in his legs. It may be the hyperflexion in his hind that CJ mentioned or something else. Either way, it bugs me.


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## Eliz (Jun 16, 2010)

trIplEcrOwngIrl said:


> subscribing




Smrobs:
I agree. We will see when I get some current pictures with him standing square.


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## .Delete. (Jan 7, 2008)

From the looks of it this one has a bit of a ewe neck. Which is going to cause problems with collection. Long pasterns is pretty much a normal trait for TBs these days, it puts them more at risk for stress related injuries. I like him better then the last one thats forsure.


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## AlexS (Aug 9, 2010)

CJ82Sky said:


> for chrissie i do NOT like the hyperflexion in the hind pasterns. even the one that is not weight bearing is overflexed which could make him prone to injury.


Completely agree with you. 

And a friendly nudge to the OP, what's with you and the pastern issue.


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## Arksly (Mar 13, 2010)

Subscribing!


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## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

You know, I see the hyperflexion and I agree that it isn't ideal. However, assessing pastern flexion when the horse is at a full gallop is tricky no? Sure it is almost touching the ground, I see that but the pasterns are shock absorbers, what could offer more physical shock than flying down the home straight?

Here are some photos for comparison, the first one is Secretariat, the second is Phar Lap. Both showing hyperflexion at that moment in their stride.

















So I am not saying any of you are wrong, I guess I am just asking how accurately you can assess hyperflexion at a gallop? If he was doing that at a walk that would bother me, but the pasterns look reasonable in the first pic. Perhaps if he WASN'T doing that at a gallop, he would injure the joint.


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## .Delete. (Jan 7, 2008)

I agree with Sarahver. When a horse is running at that speed they put a tremendous amount of weight on their legs with each stride. I don't know much about the horse racing industry but IMO itll be hard to find an race horse that doesn't experience atleast some hyperflexion during a race. Like i said TBs usually have longer pasterns, and like Sarahver pointed out pasterns are shock absorbers. They are meant to flex like that, perhaps to not such a degree to the point where the fetlock almost touches the ground. But what do you expect with a long pastern-ed horse running like that?


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## apachiedragon (Apr 19, 2008)

Have you looked at the Canter trainer listings? Of course, I don't know how far you'd be willing to go. They have some nice ones once in a while, and often for less than a thousand. 

Personally, I really like the looks of this guy. He looked downhill in the first pic, but I think it's just the angle, as he looks level in the second one. They have his neck pulled a t a funny angle in the second picture though, so it's hard to get a good clean look at him. But he's also a little pricey, IMO. I didn't figure you'd be interested in him, but he was so cute, I wanted to share, lol.
PRICE REDUCED-Hulan


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## CJ82Sky (Dec 19, 2008)

sarah - i agree on the pastern on the GROUND. actually galloping, jumping, etc. you will and should see that flexion because that is the shock absorber as you had said.

now look at the hyperflexion of the hind in the AIR! he's hyperflexing even when not weight bearing which is my concern. i say EEEPS to that!


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## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

Ha! I never thought to look at the one in the air, I assumed you were all talking about the one on the ground!


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## CJ82Sky (Dec 19, 2008)

sarah - yeah weird right?! that's what caught my eye as a bad thing and potential issue. if it flexes like that blech.


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## .Delete. (Jan 7, 2008)

I never noticed the one in the air also lol
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

Well spotted! See, that is why you put horses up here for critique, NOTHIN is getting past multiple pairs of hawk eyed horse people!


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## CJ82Sky (Dec 19, 2008)

ok i also looked at his lines. his size and color clearly comes from the kris s there - which while nice lines imo, are HOT (rock hard ten - anyone remember the preakness where it took 8 people to get him in the starting gate?). now i'm a RHT and Kris S fan, but i like a hot tb and have no issues working with hard to handle. mind you i also have two war deputy/deputy minister our of ebony sky/crimson satan TBs (full siblings - sky & opal) who like their bloodline's names imply are hot and temperamental. course my ideal is to cross opal with rock hard ten because that horse will either be able to run circles around the competition or jump the moon and either is a winner for me - but between stud fees (HAHAHAHAHAHA check out rock hard ten... yeah.... lottery anyone?) and reality, that's never going to happen. but i'd LOVE a cross like that - raw talent and ****tons of attitude and temperamentalism to boot. but i'm just crazy like that  i know. back to this guy...

looking at his sire, action this day - he doesn't seem to have as long pasterns and overall i like his confo better than his sire Kris S. or his offspring Chrissie. 

now on the dam side i am a fan of relaunch and met a nice colt of his launch n relaunch at saratoga this past summer who won me some $$ as well as had a nice temperament and was nicely put together. relaunch while slightly awkward himself, crossed nicely with compact mares who could shorten his back while maintaining good legs and neck and shoulder and a strong hind and shorter pasterns (for most TBs anyway hah). honor and glory is also a nice horse and i've seen some of his offspring too but they - like him- tend to be a little thick/heave up front and tend to be on the fore from what i've seen. the dam herself seems obscure to me with unimpressive bottom lines - sure i like damascus but when he's so far back it doesn't mean much to me.

based on what i see in his racing form coupled with his bloodlines, he's a pass for me. just my opinion though - as i said earlier i've found conformation and bloodlines are a great study but real life heart means a lot more. 

just look at john henry who at nearly EVERY stage of his life was a conformational nightmare! yet was horse of the year twice with enough winnings to put all the rest to shame!


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## CJ82Sky (Dec 19, 2008)

okee ready for more  this is fun!!!


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## Eliz (Jun 16, 2010)

CJ:
Thanks for the incredible detail on his lineage!  And for informing me of the hyperflexion!

And thanks sarah & delete and everyone else for input.
I am grudgingly passing on this one.  
Lol and to alexS: I guess I just like picking horses that have long pasterns so they can get shot down in a blink of an eye! 
I am also beginning to think you all just don't want me to have a horse! Lol 

Currently I don't have any others, I am telling my connection I'm ready for my next possibility. She said that there is a race meet in a few weeks also so I'm betting she'll get lots of calls on horses whose owners can't take them.

I will keep you updated!


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## CJ82Sky (Dec 19, 2008)

eliz - wish you were closer to me! there are always horses around this way lol. and glad to help. been a tb fan my whole life  stuff grows on you after a while - like bloodlines and who's good for what and who's nice and who's not....love halo offspring, sunday silence babies are even better but harder to find, avoid silver ghost at all costs... even _I_ won't touch a silver ghost horse... he's a halo stud half brother to sunday silence and the quintessential opposite of the very nice SS. takes mult handlers to handle and a muzzle and 6-8 people to walk to the breeding shed. NASTY sob. 

damascus tends to have good hunters, deputy minister tends to make decent jumpers (too hot for hunters). war deputy horses can be hard to handle as can crimson satan. ten most wanted has nice confo and good babies. and so on  love this stuff!


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## Eliz (Jun 16, 2010)

^
Lol I am glad because I just got into TBs and know little of their lineage!
There are a few tracks around here but my problem is connections, I only have one! Lol but luckily she has a lot of knowledge of ottbs and knows a lot of people.

I probably will have to lower my picky-ness, and focus more on function! I favor tall horses, darker colored horses, horses with minimal white, etc. but I don't think I am going to be able to turn down an ottb with great legs and good heart even if it is only 15hh and chestnut  ...Not that I need anything flashy for eventing or low-level anything, just me being vain (again)


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## CJ82Sky (Dec 19, 2008)

you'd be surprised at what you can find. and all the knowledge in the world can't explain john henry - so just remember that! 

i'm a sucker for anything halo, rock hard ten/kris s., or war deputy, crimson satan lol.


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## trIplEcrOwngIrl (May 13, 2009)

Eliz said:


> There are a few tracks around here but my problem is connections, I only have one! Lol but luckily she has a lot of knowledge of ottbs and knows a lot of people.


You may want to try contacting some trainers, thats how I got Paradise, had a friend who knew a trainer who's horse couldn't race.


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## Eliz (Jun 16, 2010)

^
Very good, how would I go about getting that contact info?


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## trIplEcrOwngIrl (May 13, 2009)

Eliz said:


> ^
> Very good, how would I go about getting that contact info?


Hmmm, maybe see if there is a list of trainers or something on the TRAO(Tb Racing Association of Oklahoma) website, or you could try some local rescues to see if they could tell you which trainers they get their horses in from. If a trainer you contact doesn't have any horses for sale at that time, there is probably a pretty good chance they will know of somebody who does have horses for sale. You may have to try just going to the track and asking around. I hope the person you have helping you can find you a horse though, sure would be a whole lot easier than you having to look around for youself


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## trIplEcrOwngIrl (May 13, 2009)

This was taken from the Leighton Farm Retraining Manual which can be found at www.leightonfarm.com

*◊​WHERE TO START​
*There are different ways to get on the track when looking for a horse. If you're the
outgoing type, go to the Secretary’s office on race days. The people who work there
may be able to put you in contact with someone who'll get you on the backstretch.
They may even know who has horses to sell. Also, there are always trainers
hanging out in the Secretary’s Office during races.
Another way is to show up at the entrance gate to the backstretch, early in the
morning. Ask the guards to announce you're there looking to buy. This can be an
uncertain, though many times effective way to get connected. Most tracks require a
trainer or owner sign and be responsible for an unlicensed person for the day.
Check horse journal classifieds and the internet to find someone that represents
trainers on the backstretch. This is a good way for the first time ottb buyer to get an​introduction to the track.


Hope this helps some


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## Eliz (Jun 16, 2010)

Yep, I am currently in contact with an ottb rescue that frequently gets calls about private sellers. They are the ones sending me horses. 

I will look into the TRAO site too, looks promising 

ETA:
Hehe I just sent an email to TRAO inqiring about their member/trainers who might have something for me.


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## apachiedragon (Apr 19, 2008)

The Canter listings are broken into state or area, and then they have the ones that are Canter horses and the ones that are trainer listings as well. They are straight sells. I spent a couple hours looking through the listings last night and found several that I was just in love with, as if I had room for any more. There was one Danzig filly that was to die for... (but I don't remember where she was)
CANTER


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## DunOverIt (Dec 14, 2010)

subscribing


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## CJ82Sky (Dec 19, 2008)

lol cool i'm excited for more horses to discuss  loooove tbs haha


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## trIplEcrOwngIrl (May 13, 2009)

CJ82Sky said:


> lol cool i'm excited for more horses to discuss  loooove tbs haha


ditto!!  I can't wait to read about more of your bloodline knowledge too, very helpful!


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## CJ82Sky (Dec 19, 2008)

hmm want to start a horse breed thread for TB Bloodlines and Lineage in the Horse Breeds forum section? if you do - go start and pick a line or stud or random TB and i'll give my input and others can share theirs too!


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## trIplEcrOwngIrl (May 13, 2009)

Ok, I'll go start one


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## apachiedragon (Apr 19, 2008)

Eliz, I went back and found that Danzig bred filly I was so in love with. She's listed by a trainer in PA, for private sale. I don't know if that's too far for you to be looking. Oh, I'd snap this one up if I could get away with it, but I think the hubby would string me up by my toenails first. But if you're interested, here she is.

Stolen Move


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## Eliz (Jun 16, 2010)

That is probably a bit far. 
She is very gorgeous, I wish I had some way to haul her down here without spending a fortune!


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