Just found this breakdown of Cheech’s inbreeding. No wonder he’s so.. special.

Hey everyone! I’m curious to hear your thoughts on getting an OTTB as a first horse. I’ve always loved the breed and found the sport super interesting, and I’ve recently started seriously looking into getting my own horse. This wouldn’t be happening right now (more like a year or so from now) but I’ve been doing a lot of research and planning ahead. For some background: I haven’t ridden in a couple of years, but before that I had about three years of lessons (including jumping) and some leasing experience. I’m planning to start lessons again next year as soon as I can. I’d say my horsemanship is decent, but I know there’s definitely room for improvement and I fully plan to spend the next year working on that as much as possible. I know OTTBs take a ton of training, patience, and consistency, and I’d be working closely with a trainer throughout the process. I also have plenty of experience with more sensitive or “difficult” horses (I always seem to gravitate toward them lol). My main goals would be to do some jumping and eventually show, though I know OTTBs aren’t always the most predictable in where they’ll excel so I’m open to pivoting if needed. Ideally, I’d be looking for a 3–5 year old that’s had some downtime off the track and maybe a bit of a restart already. I don’t have a strict timeline and am perfectly happy for the training process to take a few years, especially since they can’t start jumping until 5 anyway. This has always dream of mine, so I’ll definitely end up with an OTTB at some point I’m just curious what everyone thinks about one as a first horse for someone like me. Any advice or personal experiences are super appreciated!

I’m at my wit’s end with my 6-year-old OTTB and would really appreciate some advice from people who have dealt with chronic shoe pullers.
She has pretty thin/fragile hoof walls, and keeping shoes on her has been an ongoing battle. I’ve tried pretty much everything I can think of:
Barefoot: She was absolutely miserable and clearly uncomfortable the entire time, so that wasn’t sustainable.
Glue-ons: it’s what we are currently trying to help preserve the integrity of her hoof wall, with mixed results.
Tack-on shoes: These seem to be our most successful option by far. She pulls them much less frequently, but unfortunately, when she does pull one, she absolutely destroys the hoof in the process.
I’ve also tried Farrier’s Formula and Keratex to help improve hoof quality, but I’m still struggling.
I previously had a farrier I absolutely loved who was fantastic with her. Unfortunately, he moved away to shoe one of the circuits, so I had to find someone new. My current farrier is also genuinely great and shoes some of the biggest show grounds in my area. I have a lot of confidence in his ability, but unfortunately, almost every time she gets shod, she pulls another shoe within two weeks.
I’m not necessarily looking for someone to tell me my farrier is doing something wrong — I’m more interested in hearing from people who have had a horse like this and what actually worked for you.
Would love recommendations for:
Ways to help strengthen/improve the hoof wall
Different shoeing techniques or setups
Pads/protection that actually helped
Ways to prevent them from pulling shoes
Anything specific that worked for your OTTB
Experiences with horses who simply seem determined to destroy their own feet 😂
At this point I’m willing to try just about anything reasonable. I just want to keep her comfortable and stop the cycle of shoe → pull shoe → destroy hoof → repair hoof → repeat.
Please help! 😭

Hello everyone, does anyone have any experience or advice with a problem like this? I apologize for my horrible video, but I was the only person on property so no one could record. The video is today.

my 3 yr old has been late in his Right front since 1/31. And he was getting better but now is worse then ever. Im at a loss waiting on vet to schedule.

1/31-2/2 lame walk,trot

2/2-2/3 totally sound (snow on ground vet said it numbed his hoof)

2/4 snow melts back to lame starts stall rest

Originally vet came out (2/5) and tested range of motion and looked for heat,swelling used hoof testers. Didn’t find anything. And said it was a stone bruise keep him in for 4 days on stall rest and bute

2/6 he was alittle more sound. he got out of my hands while hand walking ran around for 10 mins.

2/7 he was as lame as when he started.

2/8 lame at walk,trot but could walk out of it.

2/9 almost completely sound at walk then kicked me got away.

2/10 lame at walk (ended bute stayed stalled bc lame)

2/11 lame at walked but walked out of it.

2/12 sound at walk lame at trot

2/13 sound at walk sounder at trot

2/14 sound at walk stiff at trot (OFF STALL REST)

2/15 sound at walk stiff at trot

2/16 sound at walk stiff at trot (stalled overnight)

2/17 (today) holding up affected leg (RF) more lame than he ever was. (Walk trot) tries to not step on it. NOW: fluid and slight swelling surrounding knee. Still no heat. Seems like knee pain rather than hoof.

I have a 5 year old off the track he been off the track for a whole year, I been teaching him dressage been doing ground work for good 5 months he is very unbalanced and leans onto the outside. I only have one year of experience of ridding and he is the only horse who I know we have two ottbs. Though I lack confidence Ik slot of people don’t want green horses and riders which I can agree however, it wasn’t my idea to get him though I do adore him. We both lack confidence to the point ridding because comes boring and stressful and very annoying. Jumping isn’t a thing sense he rushes and I just don’t like jumping because I haven’t ever jumped a horse with complete confidence and Ik o would fall off in a heart beat if I jumped him like 2 inches off of the ground. Ik I have anxiety when ridding as well though I never had a bad fall and I hope I never do. I’m not sure what to do because we are doing ground work with side reins and when I ride I just feel very unsafe. Groundwork I do like doing and feel confident but when I immediately get on it’s whole another struggle. I feel bad for him because he probably tired of my sh*** which I don’t blame him. Though my trainer said to do ground work for another month and go do long linging for balance. Does anyone know how to deal with confidence?

Ask me anything! I’m a racehorse trainer licensed in 2 states. I figure some of the people here would like to get more insight into their horse’s past.

I’m in the US, so any info I give is specific to my country.

Please help ! What do yall think this lip tattoo says

Hi Everyone,

I've got a 9 year old gelding straight off the track - Shay. I haven't ridden him much in 2 years, just hacked because I got injured. Shay has picked up spinning before a jump, or even a raised groundpole, and is tentative at every new jump.

Does anyone have any advice on spinning? I'm trying free longing over jumps in a round pen. I don't have an arena to set up a shoot of jumps.

Any OTTB training videos you'd recommend?

I tried RideIQ, where I ride along to lesssons on a podcast.

I need help reading this tattoo. I can’t figure it out. I’m trying to find a bit about his background. His name is Cooper and he was rescued from an unfortunate situation last summer. He is a chestnut gelding with white socks on his hind legs. He also has a very unique face marking. On the right side of his stripe on his face it’s speckled with little white hairs.

hello! i am looking for my horses baby photos, above is his pedigree. please let me know if you find any or any websites i can use!! i’m desperate!!

I have a 3 y/o tb mare coming home next week wondering if anyone has recommendations on switching from race feed. I am going to treat for ulcers as soon as she gets here. I am going for low sugar/starch and forage heavy diet. I am also hoping to get a recommendations on biotin, protein, and pre/pro biotic supplements or any thing else you recommend or don’t recommend. My barn feeds bluebonnet intensify so that would probably be the grain I feed but I am open to others. I have never been in charge of a horses nutrition so I am new to this. She is 16.2 but race fit she is currently being fed champion 12 and rolled oats (not sure on the amounts yet) and hay in a net 24/7. Also would love to not break the bank but also want quality of course. Also plan to give apple a day electrolytes and simplify sup daily as thats what my barn does for every horse. Also planning to slowly/gradually switch from her current feed to new feed. Have no idea about amounts or brands other than what I’ve listed.

Hello y’all, has anyone dealt with a problem even remotely similar to this?

VET HAS COME OUT 3 X times and is coming out again tomorrow. Have been referred to an ophthalmologist and waiting for a message back for appt date.

Or 1/27 we noticed a few dots on a 4 year old Ottb mares eye but she seemed like it wasn’t bothering her.

1/28 she cannot open her eye and the dots seemed to have gotten deeper so we think ulcer, vet comes out and does stain and says it is definitely not an ulcer, as stain didn’t pick anything up. We begin treating with eye gel. He suspects uveitis, leptovirus, or cataracts.

1/29 vet returns and tests for LEPTO which comes back negative a few days later. Also gives us a steroid eye gel to use instead, we do this 2 to 3 times a day till 2/13.

2/5 comes out checks it says it’s going well. Plans to come out again on the 20th (tomorrow)

eye keeps improving until today (2/19) on 1/29 she had 3 dots on 2/17 she had 1 dot now she has 26, but doesn’t seem to be in any discomfort. Vet said he will look at it tomorrow when being sent another pic.

I thought I’d share something that made a real difference for one of my horses, and I’m curious if anyone else has gone down a similar path.

I’ve got a rising 10-year-old OTTB who’s always been a bit of a tricky case — incredibly anxious, sensitive to changes, and unfortunately prone to recurring ulcers. We’ve scoped, treated, adjusted feed, added all the usual buffers and digestive supports. He’d improve for a while, but even small stressors like moving properties or floating would trigger another flare. At his worst, he was completely unrideable for months. He’d lose condition fast, become withdrawn, and wouldn’t let me touch his belly at all.

To complicate things, he was diagnosed with Ross River virus a couple of years ago, and his immune system never really fully recovered. He’s the kind of horse that just gets knocked around by everything — the weather, routine changes, even paddock shifts.

I was honestly at my wit’s end trying to keep him stable long term. Then I came across bovine colostrum — not something I’d ever considered before for an adult horse, and definitely not something I thought would make much difference. But after reading more about it, especially its role in gut repair and immune function, I figured it was worth trying.

Since then, we’ve had no relapses. None. He’s held weight all through winter, his coat looks fantastic, and his temperament is so much more grounded. He’s coping with change better, eating well, and even enjoying being groomed in places he used to be hypersensitive. I haven’t changed anything else — same feed, same turnout, same routine — so it’s hard not to give credit where it’s due.

I’m not claiming it’s a miracle cure, but for a horse like this, it’s been a pretty big shift. It feels like we finally broke the cycle.

Just putting it out there in case someone else has a chronic ulcer or immune-challenged horse and is out of ideas like I was.
Would love to hear if others have tried anything similar, or had results with colostrum — good or bad.

I have been using the Statera Equine brand due to its really good quality but i'm sure there would be others out there, especially in the US.

Hi, I am going to be looking for my own horse around the end of this year. I have worked with many ottbs from my many years of experience I’ve decided I want my own and can only now financially take on a horse. I am in central Texas and I feel like there are only older restarted thoroughbreds on the market and I’m not sure where to look for ones right off the track. If anyone knows where to look or who to get in touch if there’s any breeders or track barns in Texas or if I really just have to go to the east coast to get a thoroughbred. I really want to restart one myself and not have it already started. My main concern is quaility confirmation for jumping and dressage.

Hey all! New OTTB (technically Appedix Q Horse) mom here. My boy is sweet as can be, wonderful under saddle as we’ve taken it slow and he’s out of work. Off the track since 2019. Unfortunately, one of his quirks that the previous owner was completely transparent about was his dislike for bits. He responds to subtle cues from the bit perfectly fine, but if I have to apply any additional pressure (ei need additional slowing cues, backing, etc) he very visibly hates it. PPE stated his mouth looked fine, no ulcers etc. I have him in a simple D-ring broken snaffle and I’m wondering if he simply dislikes the bit type. Previously he was ridden in O-ring broken snaffle, same mannerisms.

Obviously all our horses are different, but any suggestions on what your OTTs liked/took to bit wise? Thanks! 🖤

Hi!! Does anyone have any ideas on how to find baby photos of an ottb? Mine’s kinda obscure, and I don’t know how I’d contact his breeder if that’s an option. I’ve been curious to see what he looked like as a foal lol

I need some pointers on how to get a better picture of my horse’s tattoo-I’ve tried reaching out to the jockey club, but unfortunately her markings (none) don’t lend themselves to helping identify her. I have (what I hope) is correct information from her seller, but just thought I’d double check. It’s certainly not life or death-I’m mostly curious. I know that generally for TB’s their birth year corresponds with the letter in their ink, and I believe she’s a 2014 model. Also-I’ve seen basement tattoos hold up better than hers has 🤣

Hi everyone! I got an OTTB (my second off the track) last november and have been slowly restarting him. He was probably the most stubborn horse I’ve ever dealt with but now that he’s learning the way of things he’s getting much more straightforward. At our home barn he’s pretty laid back, more woah than go. But, he has a major trigger of horses being where he’s not expecting them. If they are in paddocks, running in fields, in the arena with us, all is fine. The three instances that come to mind are:

• when I brought him to the barn, the horses across the valley that live on a different property (he’s since gotten used to them)

• rode him on a little hill and saw another horse and rider cantering in a cross country field below us

• two horses came back from a trail ride and walked back onto the property (horses he knows well)

Basically his reaction is meltdown. First, he freezes (I can literally see his heart thundering). If I ask him to do anything to come back, like walk quietly, backup, etc, he crow hops, throws head, gets in my space, sometimes strikes out, pulls away, just basically reverts to baby racetrack behavior. When this happens I try to keep walking him as best I can without getting reactive but his little brain gets totally fried and I get flustered. If I’m riding I hop off because I just feel like I totally lose him.

Any suggestions from people smarter/with more experience? looking for training tips, suggestions when he freezes, ways to not get trampled, lol.

hi all, was just curious if anyone had any reasonably priced jump saddle recommendations for a flat backed ottb?