Opinions on Thoroughbreds?

People who won't hear a word said against them have often only known one, and it happened to be a good one. If you've known a few, you realise that their reputation comes from the law of averages, not from any one individual case. And imo it's justified. In general, I would say they are an unwise choice for a less experienced rider/owner unless you already know it and ride it. Some can be absolutely fine, but you don't know til you've got it home whether you've got one of those.

I've got a great one at the moment, gentle, kind, easy to keep, great feet barefoot.. But even he costs £500 a year more in food than his bigger stable mate. He's panicky and overactive to handle when the weather changes. He's a doddle to ride at home and in a group lesson, but he turns into a jogging pain in arse on a farm ride.

In the past, the ones I bought out of racing from the auctions/trainers varied from as quiet as him, through generally good but still prone to be flighty, to an utter nightmare who, if she could, bolted as soon as her feet hit grass.

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Nudibranch said:
I've had 3, and 2 were walking vet's bills in terms of silly, pointless accidents and injuries. One for example ran through wooden post and rail fencing, severing an artery and a tendon. He was ok in the end but I had a 4 figure bill. Another while charging about with a friend slipped and landed on a tree branch, peeling her side open like a can of sardines. You could see most of her ribs. That's the only reason I no longer have TBs (or WBs for that matter - last one was also a walking vet bill). In terms of riding, I love them. Always had the chunkier types, such a comfortable, big open stride and the ex racers are generally good to hack. Mine lived out with rugs and shelter and always held their weight well (one was borderline too well). But now I have big natives, mostly to minimise my ridiculous vet bills.
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oh my goodness that sounds horrendous for all involved!
 
annagain said:
I'm looking at the moment and don't want a TB. The only reason is I'm used to chunky horses and I don't like the feeling of no neck and shoulder in front of me. I feel very unsafe.
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That's funny because when I've ridden chunkier horses and cobs I feel insecure because the neck is too short and ears are too close and it feels to me like there is nothing in front of me. I'm used to the ears being far away in the distance on the end of an extra long neck and when the ears are too close I feel like I go over at any minute.


The way their little brains suit me but don't everyone. You don't have to a be a brilliant rider, I'm definitely not, but I think it helps if you're a calm rider and can stay quiet while chaos is happening underneath. I saw something on a facebook group along the lines of only one of you can have a meltdown and it's never your turn.

Of the 2 ex racers I've had both have been a little on the lazy side but both reactive in different ways and you can find yourself facing the other way wondering how you got there. My old one was a much bolder braver character; current one is a worrier and can get himself worked up over nothing. When he is anxious you have to be able to push on and get his feet moving, then his brain seems to engage again but it you were nervous and backed off, things could deteriorate.
 
criso said:
That's funny because when I've ridden chunkier horses and cobs I feel insecure because the neck is too short and ears are too close and it feels to me like there is nothing in front of me. I'm used to the ears being far away in the distance on the end of an extra long neck and when the ears are too close I feel like I go over at any minute.


The way their little brains suit me but don't everyone. You don't have to a be a brilliant rider, I'm definitely not, but I think it helps if you're a calm rider and can stay quiet while chaos is happening underneath. I saw something on a facebook group along the lines of only one of you can have a meltdown and it's never your turn.

Of the 2 ex racers I've had both have been a little on the lazy side but both reactive in different ways and you can find yourself facing the other way wondering how you got there. My old one was a much bolder braver character; current one is a worrier and can get himself worked up over nothing. When he is anxious you have to be able to push on and get his feet moving, then his brain seems to engage again but it you were nervous and backed off, things could deteriorate.
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Brilliant ?
 
Actually NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER IN A MILLION YEARS GET A THOROUGHBRED!!!!! And if you are stupid enough to get one for the love of god don't get 2!!!!

I have just spent 20mins trying to get my 2 in from the field! The field is now completely and utterly trashed! 60 laps later ... both at one point wheeled away from each other then went cannoning back towards each other realising at the last minute they were going to collide ... so both swerved and ended up splatting themselves simultaneously on the floor ... I thought I was going to end up with broken legs galore but oh no! Up they got and off they went again! Dicks! The worst of it was that I couldn't see either of them in the dark only vague shapes before hearing the SPLAT following by grunting and groaning as they slide and scrambled back to their feet! Twats!

They are 23 and 17yo for goodness sake!!! I can guarantee Jeff will have a nosebleed either tomorrow or the next day now. He always does after a hooley!
 
Elf On A Shelf said:
Actually NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER IN A MILLION YEARS GET A THOROUGHBRED!!!!! And if you are stupid enough to get one for the love of god don't get 2!!!!

I have just spent 20mins trying to get my 2 in from the field! The field is now completely and utterly trashed! 60 laps later ... both at one point wheeled away from each other then went cannoning back towards each other realising at the last minute they were going to collide ... so both swerved and ended up splatting themselves simultaneously on the floor ... I thought I was going to end up with broken legs galore but oh no! Up they got and off they went again! Dicks! The worst of it was that I couldn't see either of them in the dark only vague shapes before hearing the SPLAT following by grunting and groaning as they slide and scrambled back to their feet! Twats!

They are 23 and 17yo for goodness sake!!! I can guarantee Jeff will have a nosebleed either tomorrow or the next day now. He always does after a hooley!
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That's TBs for you! ?

Mine arrived at the gate at 20 miles an hour and screeched to a halt with his eyes on stalks just now.
 
I've ridden some nice TBs - I rode a big ex-NH beastie a lot as a teen, and had a wee ex-polo mare on loan briefly who were fab - but I wouldn't choose to own one. I prefer chunky horses, I like the feel of a decent lump of beast between my legs :p
 
The width thing is interesting. I have a bit of a narrow pelvis for a female and I've had to go back to sport horses because I can't sit straight on a wider horse as I've got older. A quiet TB is a bit of a blessing for people with tight hips who don't want to ride shorter as they get older.
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I have good old-fashioned child-bearing hips, which is ironic as I have no intention to use them as such... But it does mean I can comfortably straddle a nice chunky beast ;)
 
Yesterday I decided I was going to school in the wind, too many branches coming down to hack. I was having one of those sessions where you think you've finally cracked it and Tigs was going beautifully. Then a friend noticed that a couple of chairs by the school were looking a big wobbly in the wind and not wanting me to have an accident if they took off, moved them slightly so they were jammed into a bench and couldn't blow away.

The horror when we approached that end and the chairs were in a slightly different position. Eyes on stalks, determined effort to spin and leg it down to the other end, tiptoeing towards C while snorting loudly and accelerating rapidly once we were past. Took me 10 minutes of sneaky leg yield on a circle to get back to going round the short side properly. Then get to the point were I'm practising Prelim 12 and the bit where you canter round the short side onto the diagonal coming to trot round X, when a wheelbarrow blew over, we did not trot at X. Luckily I was laughing at him.
 
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I think they’re amazing. My first mare and horse of a lifetime was an ex racer, and she’s the gold standard that I compare all other horses to. That said, if I was looking for another right now, I’d probably stay away from Thoroughbreds for two reasons.

Firstly, in my experience, because they are more high maintenance than your average horse. My lovely mare wasn’t the worst doer, but she did need proper feeding and rugging in winter and shoeing all year round, which my cobs don’t. All of that contributed to higher running costs, which simply wouldn’t work now that I have more horses to fund.

Secondly, and more importantly, she was so amazing that no other would compare, and I don’t even want to try and find one who would. Galloping her was the closest you could ever come to flying, and I loved her so much that my heart seemed to swell just looking at her.

One stereotype that I don’t buy into, however, is that their behaviour is hugely different to that of any other horse. While everything does happen more quickly, my mare was far from a quirky, quivering wreck. In fact, she was incredibly bold and brave and had the most beautiful manners, both in the saddle and on the ground.

A big part of why I chose my current cob mare was actually because they have very similar personalities - kind, clever, gentle, and ladylike, but with minds of their own and opinions that they believe should be respected - so that somewhat does away with the stereotyping, given that physically they couldn’t be more different!

Basically, if you have the funds to keep one properly, don’t discount them. The right Thoroughbred can do anything and is pretty much incomparable in terms of beauty, brains, and talent.
 
criso said:
Of the 2 ex racers I've had both have been a little on the lazy side but both reactive in different ways and you can find yourself facing the other way wondering how you got there. My old one was a much bolder braver character; current one is a worrier and can get himself worked up over nothing. When he is anxious you have to be able to push on and get his feet moving, then his brain seems to engage again but it you were nervous and backed off, things could deteriorate.
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This is like mine.
I'm used to hysteria, my other ride is a welsh chestnut mare that lives up to all the stereotypes... and then some.
But I find the way his brain just evaporates to be quite challenging to get a handle on. It's a vacant kind of hysteria whereas the welsh version I find easier to deal with ?

He's expensive to feed and thin skinned but I quite like the contrast between my horses. They are physically opposite ?

I wouldn't particularly have chosen a TB but he was free and is a nice person so I'm happy to keep on keeping on and see what he is capable of :)
 
I'm on my third tb. I pin all my vets bills for each horse together so I have them on record. the ones for the tbs are about 4 times thicker than for my other horses. I could bet that my feed/supplement bills would be the same. I love tbs but they are def more high maintenance/high cost than other breeds. I know there's always the odd hardy one!
But I agree with YCBM that if you got 100 tbs vs 100 of another breed the cost/injury/hassle rate is much, much higher.
 
Elf On A Shelf said:
I just expect them to live like natives and they have adapted rather well! Jeff wears an extra rug as he is a French fancy but that's it!
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My French one was the tough guy who hated rugs and when it came to eating was a native in a tb body. The Irish one is the wimp and is convinced he will melt if a spot of rain touches him.
 
I’ve had two - I adore them - they are stunningly beautiful, my two cost me no more in vets bills than any other horse I’ve had (and a lot less than some other horses!), and I don’t understand all the waffle people talk about them ? They are just horses same as any other breed, each one is an individual and needs treating as such. Both my two kept condition like nobody’s business for example, I had the worlds fattest TB one winter after he was out at grass with ad lib hay ??
 
I love TB ‘s I have one he’s away on permanent loan with a friend .
although he was a exceptionally skinny child when he arrived he quickly acquired the look of a grey seal with cocktail sticks for legs .
he loved hacking that what he’s used for now he liked swanning about and ought really have been shown as a large riding horse .
he was quite expensive to keep his teeth where problematic.
He was beautiful really beautiful .
 
milliepops said:
This is like mine.
I'm used to hysteria, my other ride is a welsh chestnut mare that lives up to all the stereotypes... and then some.
But I find the way his brain just evaporates to be quite challenging to get a handle on. It's a vacant kind of hysteria whereas the welsh version I find easier to deal with ?

He's expensive to feed and thin skinned but I quite like the contrast between my horses. They are physically opposite ?

I wouldn't particularly have chosen a TB but he was free and is a nice person so I'm happy to keep on keeping on and see what he is capable of :)
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Interesting isn't it...the brain is what i love about them. Even when they are having a "can't cope, won't cope" moment I feel perfectly at home with it - I like how earnest they are. I always know where I stand with a tb.
 
DabDab said:
Interesting isn't it...the brain is what i love about them. Even when they are having a "can't cope, won't cope" moment I feel perfectly at home with it - I like how earnest they are. I always know where I stand with a tb.
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I find him really hard to relate to ?

Kira is by far the more complicated horse but the welshness is just much more "me" ? I understand the primitive native survival thing much better ;)

I rode a very well bred TB eventer for a few years and I found her to be difficult to understand too ? never seemed to be that much going on upstairs
 
ycbm said:
The width thing is interesting. I have a bit of a narrow pelvis for a female and I've had to go back to sport horses because I can't sit straight on a wider horse as I've got older. A quiet TB is a bit of a blessing for people with tight hips who don't want to ride shorter as they get older.
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I don't have narrow hips but I do have very unstable leg joints and also struggle on big horses. As much as I love Dabs I tend towards a bit of an odd position on him because although he is only 2" taller than Arty, he is double the horse to ride
 
criso said:
My French one was the tough guy who hated rugs and when it came to eating was a native in a tb body. The Irish one is the wimp and is convinced he will melt if a spot of rain touches him.
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Jeff just doesn't grow much of a coat so I double rug him for my own piece of mind! Gray is American and grows a coat like a yak! He did winter out in Kentucky before he came to Britain so he probably finds it quite warm here regardless ??
 
I love them but you do have to chose well. They tend to be slightly smaller and a lot tougher than warmbloods. They are kind but sensitive, They can be novice rides but are smart and generous so are quicker so can out think someone slower. My first pony was a 15.2 Irish TB never raced but newly backed 4 year old. He was perfect in traffic in open spaces and hacking on his own. These are of course my opinions and I used to event them many moons ago. I never quite understand the hate to be honest. Finding one with great conformation can be difficult
 
milliepops said:
I find him really hard to relate to ?

Kira is by far the more complicated horse but the welshness is just much more "me" ? I understand the primitive native survival thing much better ;)

I rode a very well bred TB eventer for a few years and I found her to be difficult to understand too ? never seemed to be that much going on upstairs
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Haha, seems we have completely opposite tastes! Dabs has a very welshie type personality and I have to have a decent bank of emotional energy to want to school him - maybe we should trade bay geldings ?
 
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