Meowy Catkin
Meow!
I feel that this thread needs some photos. 
With CM who was her best friend.
With CM who was her best friend.
Best and worst things about owning a TB
- Thread starter pistolpete
- Start date
pistolpete
Well-Known Member
Aww! Chestnut is such a gorgeous colour. (Don't tell my bay!)
Meowy Catkin
Meow!
CM is a super shade of orange. She's been a great riding horse. I got her because I was looking for an ex endurance horse (although she was greener than I originally had intended), which is an alternative to an ex racer if you are happy with arab blood (I am very keen on it). Ex polo horses can also be worth looking at if you don't find an ex racer to suit.
She's been a great riding horse. I got her because I was looking for an ex endurance horse (although she was greener than I originally had intended), which is an alternative to an ex racer if you are happy with arab blood (I am very keen on it). Ex polo horses can also be worth looking at if you don't find an ex racer to suit.Evie91
Well-Known Member
The most beautiful, intelligent, kind and fun horses you will ever meet and can gallop so fast it will make your eyes water! If I couldn't have or ride a TB for whatever reason, not sure I would have another horse.
They are a breed like no other. All the ones I have ridden try hard for the rider. My horse loved to jump, was fab to hack alone and I swear had a sense of humour. Her quirks made me laugh, she made my heart sing and was the best fun I have ever had on a horse.
My current share horse is actually orange (not chestnut!). He is a bit of a worrier but tries so hard. Fab to hack alone and in company. Not tried jumping just yet. He is a real sweetie. They just steal your heart. Can't say I've met one yet that I don't like.
Yes the vet bills can be high, they do make you worry and can require more mollying than other breeds - but they pay that back ten fold.
I honestly don't think I want to own any other breed. When I feel I can no longer ride a TB I think I may give up!
They are a breed like no other. All the ones I have ridden try hard for the rider. My horse loved to jump, was fab to hack alone and I swear had a sense of humour. Her quirks made me laugh, she made my heart sing and was the best fun I have ever had on a horse.
My current share horse is actually orange (not chestnut!). He is a bit of a worrier but tries so hard. Fab to hack alone and in company. Not tried jumping just yet. He is a real sweetie. They just steal your heart. Can't say I've met one yet that I don't like.
Yes the vet bills can be high, they do make you worry and can require more mollying than other breeds - but they pay that back ten fold.
I honestly don't think I want to own any other breed. When I feel I can no longer ride a TB I think I may give up!
wench
Well-Known Member
My advise would be get one from a charity if you want an ex racer
Gazen
Well-Known Member
My TB came to me as a stressy and anxious little mare. She had competed in SJ to a very high level and then lost her confidence and kept being sold on; I was her 4th home in a year. She would spook and panic at nothing in the beginning. I took her back to the basics and for months only rode in the indoor arena as there was little that she could get wound up over. Gradually our bond built as she realised that she wasn't going anywhere. We did lost of ground work with her including despooking and trailer loading, as the only time she had been in a trailer / lorry in recent times was to be taken to a new home.
After 9 months we moved yard as the original yard was just too busy for her and she couldn't relax with so much going on. We are now at a smaller quieter yard and the vet always comments on how peaceful it is. This was a huge turning point for us. All of a sudden she relaxed. She was in yet another new home but this time her human herd and our other horse went with her, so she had a friend.
We started going out competing and to workshops and now she know that a trip in the trailer means that she is going to have an adventure and trots on to the trailer by herself, in fact she loaded herself on to someone elses trailer the other day and was really disappointed when I unloaded her and told her she couldn't go.
She is incredibly intelligent and picks things up really quickly and although she will get anxious when you are teaching her something new, once she gets it she is amazing and really tries her heart out for you. She needs a rider who is quiet, patient, understanding and willing to reassure her. We are competing a novice level dressage and working at medium level. She is jumping again after getting over her terror of even a pole on the ground.
She is totally barefoot with lovely feet and is quite a good doer so long as you keep her warm in winter as her winter coat is thinner than my other horses summer coat, so far she hasn't had to see the vet for anything other than vaccinations and teeth.
She is still sharp but doesn't panic anymore when she is spooked. The weird thing is that she will only ever spook at small things; a white stone, a white feather blowing in the school, white show jumping poles / blocks, a white flower. Combine harvesters, grain trailers, 8 Harley Davisons, low flying military helicopters and aircraft, tractors, lawn mowers, kamikazi wood pigeons, a heron with vertical navigation problems (it was very windy that day!), no problem.
She is also the most affectionate horse I know and will just lean into you or rest her head against you and go to sleep or will come and lie next to you in the paddock.
After 9 months we moved yard as the original yard was just too busy for her and she couldn't relax with so much going on. We are now at a smaller quieter yard and the vet always comments on how peaceful it is. This was a huge turning point for us. All of a sudden she relaxed. She was in yet another new home but this time her human herd and our other horse went with her, so she had a friend.
We started going out competing and to workshops and now she know that a trip in the trailer means that she is going to have an adventure and trots on to the trailer by herself, in fact she loaded herself on to someone elses trailer the other day and was really disappointed when I unloaded her and told her she couldn't go.
She is incredibly intelligent and picks things up really quickly and although she will get anxious when you are teaching her something new, once she gets it she is amazing and really tries her heart out for you. She needs a rider who is quiet, patient, understanding and willing to reassure her. We are competing a novice level dressage and working at medium level. She is jumping again after getting over her terror of even a pole on the ground.
She is totally barefoot with lovely feet and is quite a good doer so long as you keep her warm in winter as her winter coat is thinner than my other horses summer coat, so far she hasn't had to see the vet for anything other than vaccinations and teeth.
She is still sharp but doesn't panic anymore when she is spooked. The weird thing is that she will only ever spook at small things; a white stone, a white feather blowing in the school, white show jumping poles / blocks, a white flower. Combine harvesters, grain trailers, 8 Harley Davisons, low flying military helicopters and aircraft, tractors, lawn mowers, kamikazi wood pigeons, a heron with vertical navigation problems (it was very windy that day!), no problem.
She is also the most affectionate horse I know and will just lean into you or rest her head against you and go to sleep or will come and lie next to you in the paddock.
Summer pudding
Well-Known Member
I had never had anything to do with tbs until 10 years ago when an ex racer/ex eventer came into my life, and he's still with me now. He is kind, sweet natured , intelligent, sensitive and he adores people and other horses. He's hard to keep weight on now, and has always been prone to knocks and scrapes, which do take a while to heal, and he loves a visit from the vet, but when he goes it will break my heart.
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criso
Coming over here & taking your jobs since 1900
I remember one ride on Frankie we riding along a reasonably busy road, went past the train station just as a train pulled in and then pulled out again alongside us with no problem and then we saw it - the rogue bluebell, the dangerous one completely different to the dozens of innocuous bluebells around it.
Marydoll
Well-Known Member
I love my tb, she will try her heart out for you, the best horse ever to xc with, is very loving, once the bond is there youve a real equine friend for life.
Appears to have a thing for the vet which can be a pita, thats the only down side for me
Appears to have a thing for the vet which can be a pita, thats the only down side for me
Jazzy B
Well-Known Member
My old TB mare was the sweetest most genuine horse. She tried her heart out, was great around my daughter and ran like the wind. My now gelding is very similar but is also a bit cheeky and he jumps like a stag. I wouldn't swap a TB for anything!
Bad points... I guess we see the vet more often than anyone else on the yard... But mine lives out all year round and loves it!
Bad points... I guess we see the vet more often than anyone else on the yard... But mine lives out all year round and loves it!
pippixox
Well-Known Member
my horse of a life time and my first horse is an ex-racer. he raced successfully until injured at 7 years old- 5 years of flat racing with 4 wins in a row.
he had a year out in a field to recover from a tendon injury done racing. then he was 'retrained' for 3 months and then I got him as my first horse (after 5 years of riding lessons) when I was 15 and he was 8.
benefits:
pretty much everything! he has a temperament to die for- a donkey when needed, have had little kids led out on him, i ride and lead horses off him even in canter. but until recently he has been able to gallop when asked and still steady up- never had a issue with him rushing on grass. hacks alone perfectly. he quickly picked up how to jump. will walk straight on any box or trailer even if it has been years as he traveled so much.
negatives:
when i first got him he needed 6 months of lots of physio on his back due to issues caused by racing.
he has got flat front feet- so has always required a good farrier. but quality of feet not too bad and shod no more often then my other horse.
every horse is different, so I would not say no just as they are an ex-racer. depends on the individual.
until the last 2 years when he has got more arthritic (he is 17 now) and injured a tendon & required hock injections, he has been pretty healthy. other than annual dentist/ vaccinations, he had not seen a vet aged 8-15.
and my first horse is an ex-racer. he raced successfully until injured at 7 years old- 5 years of flat racing with 4 wins in a row.he had a year out in a field to recover from a tendon injury done racing. then he was 'retrained' for 3 months and then I got him as my first horse (after 5 years of riding lessons) when I was 15 and he was 8.
benefits:
pretty much everything! he has a temperament to die for- a donkey when needed, have had little kids led out on him, i ride and lead horses off him even in canter. but until recently he has been able to gallop when asked and still steady up- never had a issue with him rushing on grass. hacks alone perfectly. he quickly picked up how to jump. will walk straight on any box or trailer even if it has been years as he traveled so much.
negatives:
when i first got him he needed 6 months of lots of physio on his back due to issues caused by racing.
he has got flat front feet- so has always required a good farrier. but quality of feet not too bad and shod no more often then my other horse.
every horse is different, so I would not say no just as they are an ex-racer. depends on the individual.
until the last 2 years when he has got more arthritic (he is 17 now) and injured a tendon & required hock injections, he has been pretty healthy. other than annual dentist/ vaccinations, he had not seen a vet aged 8-15.
catembi
Well-Known Member
Mine is supremely athletic, very light on his feet, quick to learn and an average doer.
But he's also come equipped with KS & ulcers; he won't hack alone & is a bad traveller, & also goes completely giddy at comps. He has 2 moods - laid back & psychotic, i.e. brain switched off & in full-on panic - and he can switch from one to the other in half a second. He is coming back into work after KS surgery & the ulcers have gone, so we shall see what we've got to work with now. He has also transitioned to barefoot.
On the one hand, I'd love another one as I like saving things, but on the other, the KS/ulcer thing is v common. Mine is also pretty much unrideable/unhandleable if he's 'having a moment' which isn't ideal in a busy BS warm-up...
T x
But he's also come equipped with KS & ulcers; he won't hack alone & is a bad traveller, & also goes completely giddy at comps. He has 2 moods - laid back & psychotic, i.e. brain switched off & in full-on panic - and he can switch from one to the other in half a second. He is coming back into work after KS surgery & the ulcers have gone, so we shall see what we've got to work with now. He has also transitioned to barefoot.
On the one hand, I'd love another one as I like saving things, but on the other, the KS/ulcer thing is v common. Mine is also pretty much unrideable/unhandleable if he's 'having a moment' which isn't ideal in a busy BS warm-up...
T x
_Annie_
Well-Known Member
I don't think I could have anything else now! I wholeheartedly believe there's a tb out there for everyone, it's just finding the one (or two in my case!) that suit you
stormox
Well-Known Member
Just out of interest, catembi, coz I didnt get either of my TBs vetted, does kissing spines show up with a 5 stage vetting? Maybe if you are thinking of a TB, OP, get kissing spines and ulcers checked for if nothing else?
paddi22
Well-Known Member
i got a thorough vetting done and the ks didn't show up. you'd need to get the back xrayed. also you'd have to check sacroiliac too as that acts up a lot in them.
criso
Coming over here & taking your jobs since 1900
Even an x ray isn't necessarily conclusive. With mine the dorsal processes were close at rest but the vet couldn't say it was significant until he was ridden before and after nerve blocks. Also he started having problems when he was out of work for something else and dropped a lot of weight and muscle and may not have shown up otherwise. He didn't need surgery but responded to having his back medicated and a rehab plan.
I mentioned a vetting because insurance companies are getting very tricky about refusing claims if they can say it's an underlying condition. I find that a vetting makes it more difficult for them to argue this.
I mentioned a vetting because insurance companies are getting very tricky about refusing claims if they can say it's an underlying condition. I find that a vetting makes it more difficult for them to argue this.
Bosworth
Well-Known Member
There really are no negative points to my wonderful TB, He was off the track, had serious man issues as his idiot trainer had discovered he would not react to a whip on the track. So he cornered him in his box and beat him with a whip. Then yard staff reinforced that fear of men by smacking him daily with shovels, rakes and forks as they mucked out.
It took me a year or so to get him over the fear of being mucked out in his box, a couple of years to get him over his fear of men. He still doesnt like men, but he will accept them being around him. Even despite all the aggression that was inflicted on him, he remained the most wonderful horse to handle. to ride and to be with. He flies like the wind, but i can halt him with ease. He is snaffle mouthed in all disciplines. He is totally traffic proof, I can ride and lead anything off him. He can be lead by a small child. He travels, he had great feet, he lives out on fresh air. He is a pleasure to clip, despite the fact that I was told he broke someones cheek bone when being clipped. I always stand him loose on the yard and have never ever had a problem.
He has an immense sense of humour, undoing stable doors and field gates, playing with the ball cock in the field tanks. He removes the other horses head collar when travelling and has been known to remove the head collar and poke it out of the trailer window so i arrive with one head collar between two horses. I cannot leave my tractor in his field as he removes whatever he can from the trailer. he undoes himself regardless of what he is tied to.
If i stand with my back to him he does an amazing full back massage with his mouth, he pulls whips from the hands of riders who ride along side us. He grabs his field companion by his grazing muzzle and takes him for walks round the field.
He is a true wallowing hippo, loves deep mud and invairiably absolutely filthy.
He is rarely sick or sorry, and if he is he is so easy to care for
But I absolutely adore him
It took me a year or so to get him over the fear of being mucked out in his box, a couple of years to get him over his fear of men. He still doesnt like men, but he will accept them being around him. Even despite all the aggression that was inflicted on him, he remained the most wonderful horse to handle. to ride and to be with. He flies like the wind, but i can halt him with ease. He is snaffle mouthed in all disciplines. He is totally traffic proof, I can ride and lead anything off him. He can be lead by a small child. He travels, he had great feet, he lives out on fresh air. He is a pleasure to clip, despite the fact that I was told he broke someones cheek bone when being clipped. I always stand him loose on the yard and have never ever had a problem.
He has an immense sense of humour, undoing stable doors and field gates, playing with the ball cock in the field tanks. He removes the other horses head collar when travelling and has been known to remove the head collar and poke it out of the trailer window so i arrive with one head collar between two horses. I cannot leave my tractor in his field as he removes whatever he can from the trailer. he undoes himself regardless of what he is tied to.
If i stand with my back to him he does an amazing full back massage with his mouth, he pulls whips from the hands of riders who ride along side us. He grabs his field companion by his grazing muzzle and takes him for walks round the field.
He is a true wallowing hippo, loves deep mud and invairiably absolutely filthy.
He is rarely sick or sorry, and if he is he is so easy to care for
But I absolutely adore him
catembi
Well-Known Member
For those who asked, I didn't bother with a vetting at all. He was a 'cheapie' to take over as a comp horse from my £8.5k, immaculate SJ pedigree (siblings all competing internationally), fully 5-staged ISH who turned out to have EPSM & is totally useless for all but happy hacking. So I just rode him & thought, you'll do.
He has always been 100% to mount from a mounting block, never bucked etc etc. The only 'symptom' was that he always had the handbrake on. I've jumped him to around 1 m 10 in lessons (back in the day), & at the point when the late Catembi or my last ISH would have really revved up, got into it & gone bananas, he kind of hit a flat spot. He would do what was asked, but in a way that was too polite, IYSWIM. Ditto xc. We were so late booking onto the xc training day that we had to do the open section; he has done virtually no xc, had his lunatic 10 min meltdown & then jumped absolutely everything he was pointed at, but again politely rather than pulling my arms out.
Then he just got slower & slower until he didn't want to trot. We found & treated the ulcers first, & I was waiting for a massive improvement, that never came, so we looked elsewhere. I rode him for the vets, we did xrays, found 4 touching processes, anaesthetised them, I rode him again & OMG what a difference!
We have got more xrays today to see if he can come back into work, but now we have a hock problem. One very lame stride on trot transition. This was due to be next. So I'm going to get hock xrays too.
Sorry for the ramble! I would guess that 5 stage wouldn't have shown up any of the above.
T x
He has always been 100% to mount from a mounting block, never bucked etc etc. The only 'symptom' was that he always had the handbrake on. I've jumped him to around 1 m 10 in lessons (back in the day), & at the point when the late Catembi or my last ISH would have really revved up, got into it & gone bananas, he kind of hit a flat spot. He would do what was asked, but in a way that was too polite, IYSWIM. Ditto xc. We were so late booking onto the xc training day that we had to do the open section; he has done virtually no xc, had his lunatic 10 min meltdown & then jumped absolutely everything he was pointed at, but again politely rather than pulling my arms out.
Then he just got slower & slower until he didn't want to trot. We found & treated the ulcers first, & I was waiting for a massive improvement, that never came, so we looked elsewhere. I rode him for the vets, we did xrays, found 4 touching processes, anaesthetised them, I rode him again & OMG what a difference!
We have got more xrays today to see if he can come back into work, but now we have a hock problem. One very lame stride on trot transition. This was due to be next. So I'm going to get hock xrays too.
Sorry for the ramble! I would guess that 5 stage wouldn't have shown up any of the above.
T x
Charlie007
Well-Known Member
I have had my Tb for 3 months.
Good points
He is so affectionate, has flat but good feet, looks absolutely stunning, will try and try to understand what your asking him to do and does it without question.
Bad points
Can get a bit joggy if worried but hasn't bucked, reared, spun, bolted etc.
He is no different to any other horse. There are good and bad in them all.
Good points
He is so affectionate, has flat but good feet, looks absolutely stunning, will try and try to understand what your asking him to do and does it without question.
Bad points
Can get a bit joggy if worried but hasn't bucked, reared, spun, bolted etc.
He is no different to any other horse. There are good and bad in them all.
JJS
Well-Known Member
My first horse was an ex-racer mare, and she was so good and special that I still find it hard to read or reply to these threads without welling up and missing her desperately.
Alice was, first and foremost, pure class. Aside from being exceptionally beautiful and athletic, she had the best manners of any horse I've ever met, and seemed to manage to rub some of that calmness off onto every horse she was worked or stabled alongside.
She was very prone to colic (due to struggling with gastric ulcers), but once we had a handle on this, the only ailment she suffered from in four years was bruised soles (she did have terrible feet).
She could be shod, clipped, wormed, groomed, and tacked up loose on the yard if the fancy took you, led to and from the field without a lead, and would load herself no matter had long it had been since she last travelled.
Keeping weight on her was a slight issue, but once we found the right diet for her she looked incredible.
She was actually no more accident prone than any other horse, and on the one occasion that she did have to be poulticed, she was a dream to treat.
To ride, she was forward going, fun, sensible, and would try her heart out for you. Nothing phased her, and as long as you made it clear from the start that 'racehorse mode' wasn't what you wanted, she could be brought back from a flat out gallop by simply loosening your reins and asking her to steady up.
Even at the end, with her hind femur snapped almost in half, she was perfectly mannered, calm, and polite. Very much a one-person horse, she had a loyalty, sweetness, and sense of humour that very few saw, but which I'll never forget. I would give anything to have just one more moment spent galloping together, feeling that indescribable fifth gear kick in. Would I have another? If they were half as amazing as her, then yes, in a heartbeat.
Alice was, first and foremost, pure class. Aside from being exceptionally beautiful and athletic, she had the best manners of any horse I've ever met, and seemed to manage to rub some of that calmness off onto every horse she was worked or stabled alongside.
She was very prone to colic (due to struggling with gastric ulcers), but once we had a handle on this, the only ailment she suffered from in four years was bruised soles (she did have terrible feet).
She could be shod, clipped, wormed, groomed, and tacked up loose on the yard if the fancy took you, led to and from the field without a lead, and would load herself no matter had long it had been since she last travelled.
Keeping weight on her was a slight issue, but once we found the right diet for her she looked incredible.
She was actually no more accident prone than any other horse, and on the one occasion that she did have to be poulticed, she was a dream to treat.
To ride, she was forward going, fun, sensible, and would try her heart out for you. Nothing phased her, and as long as you made it clear from the start that 'racehorse mode' wasn't what you wanted, she could be brought back from a flat out gallop by simply loosening your reins and asking her to steady up.
Even at the end, with her hind femur snapped almost in half, she was perfectly mannered, calm, and polite. Very much a one-person horse, she had a loyalty, sweetness, and sense of humour that very few saw, but which I'll never forget. I would give anything to have just one more moment spent galloping together, feeling that indescribable fifth gear kick in. Would I have another? If they were half as amazing as her, then yes, in a heartbeat.
Goldenstar
Well-Known Member
Only if you can cope with not having the final say when the time comes , I can't .
Apache's Queen
Member
This made me cry JJS. So sorry. xx
Gazen
Well-Known Member
JJS, I can feel how much you still love and miss your little girl. I am so sorry for your loss.
Michen
Well-Known Member
Mine was a living nightmare from start to finish. He broke down properly about two months after I got him (despite not even being in ridden work). He had horrendous feet, arthritis in his hocks, kissing spines, grade 4 ulcers, a bizarre skin problem. Every day he would have a new cut or injury despite absolutely nothing in the field to cause them. Said cut would inevitably balloon and require antibiotics and extensive treatment. He cost a grand total of £7,750 in vet fees in 7 months and was put down when there was just no hope for him ever coming consistently sound. He was 7.
But he was the sweetest, most kind and gentle little horse I've ever met. I quite literally NEVER saw him so much as flick his ears back. Not at a human or a horse. He was funny and smart, and what started out as a very shut down, quiet little horse turned into a mud wallowing, life loving animal despite his pain. He could be sat on bareback in a headcollar straight out of racing. The one and only time I cantered him in an open field he was 100%. I trusted him completely the few times I hacked him ( I probably only rode him about ten times before things went wrong). He was irritating beyond belief with a hugely stubborn streak but he was charming and gracious with it.
Nothing in my horsey experience has ever been more rewarding than watching him change and become a horse again after racing. He went from standing in the middle of a field staring into space for hours the first time he was turned out to constantly getting up to mischief. I don't regret one day of owning him and despite all the stress, money and in the end total heartache he caused I still feel privileged to have had a little horse that taught me so much.
They are wonderful horses with so much to give and if the right one came along I would have another in a heartbeat!
But he was the sweetest, most kind and gentle little horse I've ever met. I quite literally NEVER saw him so much as flick his ears back. Not at a human or a horse. He was funny and smart, and what started out as a very shut down, quiet little horse turned into a mud wallowing, life loving animal despite his pain. He could be sat on bareback in a headcollar straight out of racing. The one and only time I cantered him in an open field he was 100%. I trusted him completely the few times I hacked him ( I probably only rode him about ten times before things went wrong). He was irritating beyond belief with a hugely stubborn streak but he was charming and gracious with it.
Nothing in my horsey experience has ever been more rewarding than watching him change and become a horse again after racing. He went from standing in the middle of a field staring into space for hours the first time he was turned out to constantly getting up to mischief. I don't regret one day of owning him and despite all the stress, money and in the end total heartache he caused I still feel privileged to have had a little horse that taught me so much.
They are wonderful horses with so much to give and if the right one came along I would have another in a heartbeat!