Thoroughbreds

A girl I worked with in scotland asked if I'd help her to learn to ride, she wanted to buy a suitable horse and learn to ride on that rather than go to a riding school and I myself had no suitable horses to teach her on.

So we started scouring ads and travelling miles to look at suitable horses, OMG, amazing the lies people will tell, some of the crazies no kidding were so bad, one so called bombproof gelding, well the lady said no you can't take him on the road as I ride only in the field, well me being me insisted and took him on the road with owner and Barbara walking behind, talk about psycho horse, he had a crazy turn and was buckling to get me off, me being me as I was then would let nothing beat me, the owner was screaming at me to get off as quote 'he will kill you!'.....Em isnt he supposed to be bombproof, get this, then some kids on bikes stopped to watch and I heard them saying, there's that crazy dumb horse again, anyway I safely got it back to it's home, then the owner went to put it in the stable to untack it, it wouldn't even go in there, started rearing, we left her to it!!!!

There were loads more similar incidents BUT then one day Babs showed me an ad for a racehorse for sale as the syndicate was dissolving, oh yeh, just what you need as a beginner Babs, but she was determined and I was game so off we went again......of course for Babs it was love at first sight, how can you resist a shiny bay with muscles popping everywhere and a perfect blaze, so they tack him up, that was fun, watching 2 crazy obviously non horsey guys lol! But added to the fun, then they walk me to the flats, ie an open long long field they train them to gallop in, they say 'ok he doesn't have good brakes and you must turn him or pull him up before the end of the trees as there is a 100 plus foot drop there, Em ok!

They give me a leg up and boom off we gallop, OMG that was the most amazing thing I've ever done, till you have sat on a race fit thoroughbred and galloped it you have never experienced true power and speed, I couldn't get enough, he pulled up fine for me with a little sawing, and after a while I started circling him at trot, racehorses don't appear to trot very well lol!......he was ever so good even though he had no idea what I wanted, all he knew was gallop, I did everything I could to make him misbehave but he didn't, so I rode back to where they were and asked if it was ok if I took him on the road a bit, they were terrified but let me, he again was good, never been ridden on anything but the track but nothing phased him:)

So she bought him and we took him home, I spent the next few weeks teaching him to lunge, walk and trot and canter, I loved taking him on the trail, nothing spooked him, then I started teaching Barbara to ride on him, he was amazing, a perfect gentlemen, never put a foot wrong.

i find it funny after trying all these schoolmaster horses that a racehorse was the best teacher, who says OTTBs are nut jobs?

They will always have a soft spot in my heart:)

Yeah, had one, OTTB, didn't work out very well. Health issues galore. At the time I thought it was just a comedy of the circumstances working against us. Girl I sold him to, spent thousands of dollars on him, before he was finally put down around age 9 or 10. He was the type of horse that if you put him in a padded stall, wrapped in bubble wrap he would have drowned in his bucket. He kicked at a donkey that came into his field and ripped off half his hoof. He had gone through several owners I believe, and we never connected, was very 'meh' when people came to look at him. But he took immediately to the girl who ended up buying him. When she left the first time he ran down the fence line calling, and when she came back, he heard her voice and ran to her. It was nice to see him connect to someone, and she was able to do so much more with him than I ever could have. I always felt a little bad that she had issue after issue with him, but was glad he had found a good home. But admit it soured me a bit on them. They just seem to high maintence for me. Frozen ground = abscess sore feet. Ice meant cuts, rain meant rain rot, mud meant scratches. They seem so delicate. Although he did fur up nice for the winter. He was a nice horse.

I have only known one 'high maintenance' Thoroughbred, and that horse was mostly due to his owner and a series of very bad farriers.

Both mine have been quite hardy. Benny got hurt due to the fault of the BM, but recovered relatively quickly with no ill effects, Apollo was sound until a freak pasture accident (kicked overtop of a pipe fence and got stuck) and even after that came sound for light riding after a year of care.

It was my warmblood and Morgan X that were constantly getting themselves hurt. I think it mostly depends on the individual horse.

A good friend of mine has a TB she has raised since a weanling. This horse truly does everything - Cows, successful 1.20m jumpers, trick horse, liberty, western, cowboy challenge, and most recently jousting. All while being the quietest horse ever. He never ceases to amaze me.

here's a good feel good story for you guys


offtrackthoroughbreds.com/2014/11/24/everglades-horse-takes-4th-at-royal-winter-fair/

It is a beautiful story of a throw away being let to die by the hands of cowards. to finally be in the show ring making a name for himself and spread his story. there are many of those stories. my first tb was also going to be tossed in the auction run, but i came along. 
tb are beautiful and when they are good they are good. 

I miss my OTTB so incredibly much, I am not sure a day will go by that I don't miss him. Sadly, he passed away in June. Best horse ever.
Every once in awhile a very special horse comes into your life and changes everything. I am so incredibly grateful to have had this horse come into mine. I met him in 2008 after two bad falls. He gave me back my confidence and in the process taught me so much. I can honestly say that I wouldn't be the person/rider I am today without him. I recently learned of his passing and while I believe that was the right choice. I am absolutely heartbroken that I never got to kiss his soft muzzle again or wrap my arms around his neck. I wish I had gotten to say goodbye. RIP, my once in a lifetime horse. While we will never meet again. I am so incredibly grateful I got to call you my horse and most importantly my friend.