TB..... buy or not????

Heathy82 said:
Go with an open mind. Judge him for him, not for his breed or the fact he has raced.
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agree with this, my first horse was a TB, everyone thought i was on a death wish as i'd had a 10 year break! She was a sweetheart and even my novice hubby could take her out on a hack on his own and i knew she would bring him home safe:) lost her when she was 21 when she had an accident in the field. :(
got a TB on loan in Feb who i will be buying this weekend! :D He is great fun and although a bit impatient on the ground he's not nasty, just needs reminding of his manners;) He is so nice to ride that i even jumped him at the weekend, and i really don't do jumping but he loves it so i thought what the heck lol:eek::D He is an 'ex-racer,' he raced once and came last!!! He is fab in traffic, wonderfully light in the hand to school, walks on a trailer and travels like a dream and settled in when he arrived within days. I don't think all the experiences ex racers have during training are necessarily bad;)
 
Heathy82 said:
SJ at first was interesting, he would shake at poles. But now jumping 2ft 9 and fillers with confidence.
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That's pretty much the only thing wrong with my latest one, he is genuinely scared of coloured poles, but once he's gone over, he'll carry on all day! I'm now on my 3rd, my old semi-retired lad was always placed at dressage and would turn a hoof to anything, the middle one was too slow for pointing and is now a very calm, safe hack who will babysit anything and has paces to die for, and the new boy - well, he raced successfully until he was 10 (67 races), is threatening to outshine my old lad at dressage, and is a great hack, does a lovely collected canter in fields in company (but if you set off with washing line reins, forget it, he'll go flat out :D)

All 3 are perfect gentlemen in the stable and to handle.

They are so intelligent and rewarding, and downright gorgeous to boot, I'll never have anything else!:D Yes they sometimes have their TB moments, but so do non-TB's too ;)
 
xspiralx said:
The prejudice against TBs is just ridiculous and drives me mad quite frankly.

They are no more difficult or nutty than any other breed - you need to look at the individual horse rather than stereotyping.

You will get a far better TB for a small budget than you would another type of horse, simply because there is so much prejudice against them.
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This!!
 
My chestnut TB mare is lovely, cant fault her. She lives out all year and copes happily, genuinely nice mare no trouble to anyone.

Id not have another full TB but thats no reflection on her, Im completely won over by Irish Draughts and ID x now and thats all I will have from now on, but shes a complete smasher and Im lucky to have her :)
 
2 years ago when I was horse hunting I said "no thoroughbreds and nothing over 15.2hh and a gelding" (I am 5ft2) and ended up with a 16.3hh TB Mare :p

She is fantastic, they are a lot of fun and a wonderful breed of horse :D
 
You will get a far better TB for a small budget than you would another type of horse, simply because there is so much prejudice against them.
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Or because they are massively over bred and thousands arent good enough to race so are up for pennies...... just the flip side ;)
 
Sorry to be negative, but I have had a little experience of ex racers/tb's and personally wouldn't have one again.

I owned an ex NH horse that wouldn't hack out alone and would rear when attempting to leave the yard. Having said that he was lovely to hack out in company, but as I kept him at home rarely had the opportunity. I sold him to a more experienced friend to hunt, which he was ok at, but even she could never get him too leave the field or hack home on his own. This I understand is a common problem with ex racers as are only ever ridden out in groups, so certainly a question to ask the seller.

I currently have 2 ex-racers on livery and to say they are high maintenance is an under statement! They are very flighty, can verge on being dangerous to handle on occasions, and are sharp to ride. The owner only ever canters them in the school as doesn't feel safe in open spaces. They are also very hard to manage in the winter as don't like being out in the wind and rain - this in turn creates handling issues as they do not get enough natural excercise. They also don't like being separated so if one comes in to be ridden, the other has to be stabled, and they do gallop around the field at the drop of a hat, making land maintenance a challenge!! However they do have nice temperaments and are never deliberately naughty and would never kick or bite a handler.

These are just my personal experiences and therefore cloud my opinion on them, but having been around horses most of my life, do think the ones that have raced are a breed apart. There was a very good article in the H & H a few weeks which discussed the do' s and dont's of owning ex-racers which may be a useful source of info.

Go and see him, ask lots of questions, and good luck!
 
italylyns said:
Hi all, i have been looking for a new horse for some time now but only have a small budget after losing my boy last year!!

I have looked at lots and lots and they are all not as described which drives me mad. If you put that your horse is a loving kind horse i dont expect it to lunge at me over the door when i arrive!!!!

Anyway, i have seen a stunning young TB that i love the sound of. I have seen video footage and lots of photos and i really like him so am going to view him wednesday!!

I had originally always ruled out TB's but only because of bad press and i have known a few mad mares lol. He raced a couple of times and that was it.

What are peoples views on ex-racers or just the TB breed in general??
I know there are some nice ones out there and so i am going against what i have always said 'no TB's' and i am going to meet him!!!!!
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I always said no tb's. I ended up with one and she is a dream. She is much smarter than most I've had which has proven brilliant in some aspects and a nightmare in others!

I also have her sister and two half siblings now :p One of them was a nightmare, absolutely terrified of everything and then just changed overnight, she just took a lot longer to mature. They are all very genuine and unless trying to outsmart you will try anything for you. One is always busy outwitting the bossy horses and they've all given up and let her rule the roost now.

Having ruled them out myself I love mine...

We have an ex racer on site... he's a grumpy old man... grumbles at everything but secretly loves the attention and shows his softer side a lot.

All siblings live out 24/7 all winter. All live off air. All will walk on water for a glimpse of food though!

Pan
 
Here's my boy today https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150834133580159.471936.786005158&type=1&l=dd3fdfc055

He's been fully roughed off for over a month, hasn't been ridden for over 2 months and is very green. He went under a motorway bridge, through a ford ( slightly hesitant with this ), passed tractor and trailer full of muck and a horse hacking in the opposite direction without a flicker.

His brief history is he is a 5 year old, had an accident at 18 months when he was due to be exported to Germany so had a year back at the stud then went into racing yard to be broken and sent to Tattersalls but he tweaked a suspensory ligament and couldn't go to the sales so they threw him out. I've had him 2 years. Pottered about with him a little last summer and again at the beginning of the year, did a bit of long reining and hacked out a few time The racing yard didn't take him on the road but doesn't seem fazed by traffic. He's not spooky but will stop and stare at something if he isn't sure. His worst point is he doesn't lead in a headcollar and he will push boundaries if he thinks he can but very affectionate and intelligent.
 
Healthy82 how lovely!!!
I will def go with an open mind and judge him for the horse he is and not the breed. From the information i have of him, he has impeccable manners and is a darling to ride so fingers crossed!!!
 
Well my ex-racer is a dream to me. Apart from being beautiful, he is brave, tough and genuine. Yes he is sensitive and sometimes reactive but I wouldn't have him any other way as it is that intelligence and quick thinking that makes him so good. He never dissapoints me and he never lets me down. He's the most amazing allrounder, he would jump the moon but is careful, he concentrates in dressage, he's good hacking and he can even be ridden by novices (under supervision!). I was too scared to jump a X pole when I got him and now I'm doing BE. I've done all RC activites with him, showing and BD. He has won me rossettes and trophys and all this and he is'nt even 7 yet.
He was given away when he was a bubba, either that or he probably would have been shot or gone to the sales. Now he is priceless. He is my horse of a life time. Never judge a book by it's cover. My sheep had a lions heart and i'm so glad I was the one to give him the chance.
 
Firewell said:
Well my ex-racer is a dream to me. Apart from being beautiful, he is brave, tough and genuine. Yes he is sensitive and sometimes reactive but I wouldn't have him any other way as it is that intelligence and quick thinking that makes him so good. He never dissapoints me and he never lets me down. He's the most amazing allrounder, he would jump the moon but is careful, he concentrates in dressage, he's good hacking and he can even be ridden by novices (under supervision!). I was too scared to jump a X pole when I got him and now I'm doing BE. I've done all RC activites with him, showing and BD. He has won me rossettes and trophys and all this and he is'nt even 7 yet.
He was given away when he was a bubba, either that or he probably would have been shot or gone to the sales. Now he is priceless. He is my horse of a life time. Never judge a book by it's cover. My sheep had a lions heart and i'm so glad I was the one to give him the chance.
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What a lovely post :D
 
Firewell said:
Well my ex-racer is a dream to me. Apart from being beautiful, he is brave, tough and genuine. Yes he is sensitive and sometimes reactive but I wouldn't have him any other way as it is that intelligence and quick thinking that makes him so good. He never dissapoints me and he never lets me down. He's the most amazing allrounder, he would jump the moon but is careful, he concentrates in dressage, he's good hacking and he can even be ridden by novices (under supervision!). I was too scared to jump a X pole when I got him and now I'm doing BE. I've done all RC activites with him, showing and BD. He has won me rossettes and trophys and all this and he is'nt even 7 yet.
He was given away when he was a bubba, either that or he probably would have been shot or gone to the sales. Now he is priceless. He is my horse of a life time. Never judge a book by it's cover. My sheep had a lions heart and i'm so glad I was the one to give him the chance.
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Ah this is soooo lovely....lucky girl, hope i find the same too!!!!
 
My 21 yearold welsh mare is a handful, very spooky......the ex racer who raced for 9 years however is a donkey and plods along while the mare spooks at evry thing in slight......breed doesnt matter, it's their life experiances and a that make a horse who they are.

X
 
i didnt go.....after all that, the lady who viewed him before i did bought him straight away!!!
Typical, had a really good feeling about him too!
One good thing is that it has made me realise that i should be more open minded about what i want and if i like the sound of a horse dispite its breed i will go and see it as i may well suprise myself!!!
 
italylyns said:
i didnt go.....after all that, the lady who viewed him before i did bought him straight away!!!
Typical, had a really good feeling about him too!
One good thing is that it has made me realise that i should be more open minded about what i want and if i like the sound of a horse dispite its breed i will go and see it as i may well suprise myself!!!
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Yes, definitely! We wanted a nice solid 15.2hh who could show Al the ropes at BE Novice level, age/ looks not important. Just a nice know-it-all. Got Reg who is the opposite of all that... He's 16.3hh (she was straight off ponies!), done nothing aside from hurdles/ p2p and generally exactly not what we wanted.

He's the horse of a lifetime for Al and couldn't be more perfect. He's now out at BE100 with only a few blips (the SJ is hard work, but it's getting there) and he's the safest horse for miles around I reckon.
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After 4 months off, this is him hacking home on a loose rein... He's not your stereotypical TB at all!
 
Ah how lovely to hear lolo and he is gorgeous too!!!
I am looking for a gelding between 15.3-16.2 and no older than around 9. I am in Essex so don't really want to travel further then that if possible lol i am on most of the sights but feel free to pm me if you see anything!!!
Thanks everyone for your advice it has helped in so many ways!! X
 
Awww that's a shame :-( I hope you can find another ex racer to view as they really do have alot to offer :-) best of luck and fingers crossed the next one will be 'your boy' xx
 
shame about the boy you wanted to see, but you'll hopefully find the one soon :)
whats your budget and what are you looking to do with them? I love horsey shopping for people :)
 
Sorry to hear you missed this one. I have had my ex-flat horse for four years and he is a little star. We do all sorts and if we do fun rides and people canter past us he just ignores them and is always in a snaffle. Good luck and hope you fiind a little star too.
 
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I hope i find one too lol to be honest originally i was looking for lwvtb as my house will be on the market in a few weeks and when/if it sells i will have a budget of around 4000 BUT i don't have that sort of money now and people just don't want to full loan!! I could find 2000 at a push now, i know its not alot but there are some bargains out there. i would like something i could show locally and i enjoy showjumping and crosscountry so a general all rounder i guess. I have searched most of the sites out there but extra help is always appreciated :-)
 
I adored my ex NH racer that I had on loan some years back. He was such a sweetheart, loved fuss and attention. He had wonderful manners and hacked out alone and in company. Needed a little reassurance at times with new things but was always willing to try for you. He was 7 when I had him and had not done a lot. It took a lot of work to have a nice bouncy uphill canter for showjumping and also being able to not run off after a fence but we got there. He was beautiful for XC and hunting and thoroughly enjoyed himself. If I had the money and could find him I would have him back in a heart beat.
 
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