So…you’re thinking about getting an off-the-track-Thoroughbred (OTTB), but you’ve heard some things that concern you…

“They’re all lame”

“They’re all crazy”

“It will take you years to retrain one”

“OTTBs aren’t good on trails”

“OTTBs are hard keepers”

In the interest of setting the record straight, we’re embarking on a little “myth busting”.Over the next few weeks we’ll talk about the myths–and the realities–of acquiring and retraining horses off the track.By the way: CANTER strongly urges anyone who is considering a horse off the track to have a pre-purchase exam done to ensure that the horse they are considering is suitable for the job that it will be asked to do. It can save you heart ache, and it’s only fair to the horse to understand any potential limitations. We also suggest that you consider professional training assistance if you are not experienced with OTTBs.These are (generally) green horses that have been trained to do a job that’s likely quite different than what you’ll be asking of it… All this said: there are thousands of talented, sane, gorgeous OTTBs out there just waiting for a chance to shine once their racing days are over.

Myth Busting 101:

“It Will Take You Years to Retrain One!”

No, it won’t…if you have the requisite skills, time to devote to retraining, realistic goals and patience.

Start Where the Horse’s Head Is…

When considering how much of a project it is to retrain an OTTB, it is important to understand the horse’s frame of reference and experience.

OTTBs train most mornings, but their daily work generally involves walking to the track, jogging the wrong way for a quarter mile and turning to gallop off for a mile, give or take. Exercise riders are off of the horses back, and are usually not asking the horse to go on the bit. All horses on the track, with the exception of the horses jogging along the rail to start off their work, are going in the same direction and horses give each other a wide berth unless they are specifically working horses against one another in speed drills.

At a minimum, a prospective owner should educate themselves these basics of racehorse training, understanding what their normal routine involves and what challenges the trainer has encountered while working with the horse.  If possible, speak with the horse’s groom and exercise rider too. They have very close contact with the horse and may be able to relate very important information about the horse’s temperament that will give you insight into potential challenges you could face away from the track.

Think about how much of a transition you’re expecting in what the horse’s new job will be…Are you seeking to ride in the ring most days? Are you seeking a happy trail buddy? Do you need a horse to master three-phase eventing? Is your goal to produce a winning equitation horse? Different goals, different levels of retraining required.

The “Who” Is Just As Important As the “What”

As you think about your long-term goals, it’s helpful to think about the specific skills that your horse needs to master in order to be successful at their new job…But, the experience level of the person undertaking the retraining is critical: and perhaps–more than any single factor–it can influence the duration and difficulty involved in the retraining process.

Since most OTTBs are available at modest prices, think about including some training money in your “acquisition budget”. Dig into the literature on online information about retraining OTTBs and consider committing to a routine for the first month or two that you work with your new horse. Be predictable and patient. And remember: even if you have retrained an OTTB in the past, they are all individuals and your experience with one may not be the experience that you have with another. A careful assessment of the horse’s personality, base level of training and physical state at the outset is an important starting point as you formulate a retraining plan.

(As a side note: we don’t recommend pairing a green horse and a green rider;  so an OTTB coming directly from the track may not be the best choice for a child’s first horse, nor for a rider looking to get “back into horses”.)

Realistic Expectations

You wouldn’t expect a green horse to be “show ready” in a matter of a couple of months, but prospective OTTB owners often come to the track with the idea that they can take a prospect fresh-off-the-track horse for a few weeks and “get the track out of them”.

Apart from the psychological adjustment from track to farm, OTTBs are making a major physical adjustment to life away from the track…They are often very fit, with specific muscular development borne of explosive acceleration and brief periods of hard exertion. Contrast the physical transformation your are seeking in your OTTB with the muscular development that would be required of a green horse that had been standing in a field before coming into work…You aren’t starting from the same psychological or physiological baseline with an OTTB, green though they may be!

Mental Milestones Are Just As Important As Physical Achievements!

When you first bring your horse home, think about setting goals that are small, but attainable. And balance physical and mental milestones: exposure to new psychological challenges is every bit as important as working to reshape your horse’s physique.

What are reasonable goals for your horse? It’s impossible to give a good across-the-board answer to this question. Your horse may be young and fit and have raced only once or twice…he may be an old campaigner who has spent a number of years at the track, or, he could be coming off of an injury and require a program of rehabilitation.

The physique, metabolism and psyche of these three types of horses is likely to be very different, and require completely different approaches to retraining.

• Is your horse physically in good shape, but skittish and high-strung?
  You may choose to devote early training to mental exercises designed to desensitize him before worrying about physical reconditioning.

• Is your horse stiff and sore on one side?
  If your vet agrees, you may focus on stretching and balancing out the horse’s musculature for the first month or two in order to get your horse balanced and comfortable.

• Is your horse coming back from an injury?
  Ensuring that the two of you don’t overdo it might be the single most important thing to remember when embarking on retraining.

Whatever the program you decide on, remember to note milestones and consider regular photos and videotape. It’s often hard to see a transformation taking place if you are around your horse day in and day out…Having a record of your progress is both educational and motivational.

A Few Basic Tasks to Master

No matter what your long-term goals for your new horse, there are a few essentials involved in the transition for almost any OTTB. Many of these retraining tasks are significant because they can help to ensure the horse’s long-term safety and health.

A few notable “essentials” to master:

• Adapting to blankets, new tack, cross-ties and turnoutIn many parts of the country horses–especially OTTBs fresh from the track–spend considerable time blanketed. Many blankets have leg straps, some have closed necks…this may be a new experience for the horse, but they must become accustomed to having blankets and sheets taken on and off without incident.

  As we’ve noted in previous posts, horses at the track are often unaccustomed to saddles with rigid trees and may be sensitive to this pressure at first.While properly fitting tack is critical, the horse may still be somewhat “cold backed” initially.When first saddling an OTTB consider putting the girth on loosely and walking the horse–tightening one hole at a time–in order to minimize stress on the horse’s back.You may opt to lunge your horse to warm up his back, as well; just remember to balance time in both directions and keep in mind that lunging will be difficult for most OTTBs at first as they are often unbalanced when first coming off the track.

  We’ve written about the introduction to cross-ties in previous articles and we won’t rehash all of that here, but it is important to note that horses at the track are not cross-tied. They are tied in their stalls while being groomed and saddled for their morning work. Careful introduction to cross-ties is important for your safety and your horse’s safety.

  Proper introduction to turnout is also critical. Sadly, we’ve heard of cases where a new owner has taken a horse directly from the track and turned them loose in a large field only to have the horse injure themselves by running through a fence.

  Remember that turnout is a new sensation to a horse coming from the racetrack, where 22-23 hours per day are spent in the stall. Do not assume that your new OTTB is familiar with anything but board fencing and walk the fence line with them before turning them out.

  Electric tape-only fencing is not usually a suitable option for a horse coming from the track, nor is barbed wire ever a good option around horses.

• Learning to stand while being mounted, and to halt for any necessary adjustments to tackRemember: horses at the track are not mounted from the ground; in fact, exercise riders are usually given a leg up while the horse is moving forward. It is often an entirely new challenge for the horse to remain standing while a rider mounts.

  In order to make these lessons successful, we suggest some safety precautions: as always, wear proper head gear; clear the area where you are mounting up of any debris which might pose a hazard–such as horses, wheel barrows, or rakes. Have a spotter on the ground available to assist you.

  You may want to lunge, or at least turn your horse out for a time, to help release any excess energy before practicing mounting exercises.

• Focusing on training exercises while other horses are in close proximity
  

  Many OTTBs are reactive to the sound of horses coming up behind them, or to the sight of a horse coming straight at them.While the eventual goal is to have your horse relaxed and paying attention to your aids no matter what is happening around you, working your OTTB with a limited number of horses, initially, may enable the horse to remain calm and focused.

  Master relaxation one challenge at a time and expose your horse to other, new situations based on their stress level and be sure to review the tasks that your horse has mastered periodically as you progress.

  Is your horse spooked by horses coming up behind him? Work in a controlled setting to master his anxiety–before you expose him to any other stresses.  Keep initial training sessions short and remember that you must be relaxed if your horse is to be relaxed.

  Is your new OTTB upset if horses are coming at him head-on? Consider starting with exercises at the walk, increasing the pace and bringing the horses closer as your OTTB becomes more relaxed seeing a horse coming head-on.

  If, there is a specific problem that you just can’t resolve, consider getting help. It is not worth having you, or your horse, injured.

• Getting on and off a trailer without incidentMany OTTBs have ridden only in large, multi-horse vans. Riding in a two- or three-horse trailer may be an entirely new experience for them, especially the step-up variety.

  Even if you are not planning on traveling much with your new horse, for safety’s sake it is important that your new OTTB become at ease with loading/unloading on your trailer (or the type of trailer that you’d likely use in the event of an emergency).

  The last thing that you want to be faced with is a colicking or injured horse that is fighting you because they won’t get on the trailer to head to the veterinary hospital.

  If you are not experienced training a horse to load, consider getting an experienced trainer, or friend to assist.

  Remember to allocate plenty of time for practice and don’t forget that patience is key.  Build these lessons into your regular routine until your horse is at ease, both loading and standing in the trailer.

• Moving in any direction in response to aids–including forward, backward and sideways
  

  Going backwards and sideways at the racetrack isn’t encouraged…at least not that we’ve ever seen.  That said, for safety’s sake a rider must teach their mount to respond to, and move away from leg pressure, in any direction required.

  Getting this lesson down pat before you embark on your first trail ride is critical. Start on the ground if the horse seems confused or reluctant under saddle.  The important thing is that you feel able to control the horse’s movement safely and predictably before you head out to face new challenges.

Remember the “OTTB Advantage!”

OTTBs are noted for their intelligence; over the years we’ve had countless owners tell us that “once my horse learned a lesson, I never had to repeat it.”  Give your horse the opportunity to master new skills at a comfortable pace and they will build confidence in themselves, and in you. The end result of careful and patient training at the start is often a less reactive horse in any new situation at the end of the day.

• The key to consistent progress? Very often it is simply to ensure that you don’t overface the animal; build on small successes and the big ones will follow.
• Have a plan. Setting very specific goals and riding with an eye toward mastering core skills that are central to the horse’s new career can help to ensure that you maximize progress.
• Build in fun.  Progress in retraining usually isn’t linear. And your new OTTB needs to enjoy their new job. Make sure that you don’t overdo it in your retraining efforts.

Okay, Okay…So How Long Will This All Take?

No one can confidently say “Oh…retraining an OTTB takes six months…”  (or three months, or three years, for that matter).  We’ve seen horses win ribbons at shows just six weeks after leaving the track. We’ve also seen horses that took a full year or more to relax away from the track.

In the final analysis, we often see that the key to a smooth, successful transition centers on: 1) understanding where your horse’s major “road blocks” lie, be they physical or mental; 2) setting out a consistent plan for tackling them in a manageable, enjoyable training program that builds on success, and 3) adapting your training plan to meet the horse’s evolving physical and psychological needs.

And perhaps we should have said this first: but know that your horse’s underlying character will also have a big part to play in the pace of retraining. If you appreciate raw talent in a particular horse, but note that the animal is more reactive than usual, chances are that your path to the show ring may be longer than if you were to choose a less flashy, but more settled horse–even if that mount may lack a bit in raw talent.

Deciding what trade-offs you are willing to make as you consider how much retraining an OTTB takes is important to a successful partnership. In the end we often see that OTTB owners enjoy the retraining as much as the end goal.