TBs from sales or direct from trainers

Bustalot

Bustalot

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Has anybody bought their TB from the sales or direct from a trainer?

Just looking for your story really. Obviously they would have come direct out of racing buying them this way. What did you buy your TB with the aim of doing? Is buying direct from the trainers more reliable than buying from the sales? ie. dis-closing previous injuries and the real temperment of the horse. Also what work did you do with your new TB when you got him home for the first few months? Before and after pics always good :D
 
My chap came direct from the trainer, he had had three weeks since his last race and had been chucked out in the field with a big herd until I went to see him.

I bought him because my friend worked for a racing syndicate & they owned him; but he was super uselessly slow as a racehorse. I was looking for a 4yo and was going to head over to ireland but i was dragged along to look at a different horse and instead fell in love with my current chap after catching him with no headcollar in a field of 40 other tbs. I didn't ride/groom catch him and trotting up was a cursory glance as he cantered/trotted around (very technical!).

I didnt buy him for a sole purpose as he is the opposite of what I was looking for; although now he has filled out a bit and grown up I'm going to aim him at a bit of BE and some of the ROR showing classes if he manages to stay intact(the most accident prone TB ever...and my dad owned pointers so we've seen some true calamity jane types!). However he has the nicest temperament, and I knew pretty much all the history he has to know which is worth a lot.

When we got him home he had been in for a week at trainers yard with a bruised sole on box-rest, and he had three more weeks off until I sat on him. I wanted to get it over and done with before turning away & lunging and groundwork so I would know if he was going to be cold-backed/sharp etc.

That was 6months ago, he has since been cubbing and a few short days hunting, going nicely on the flat and (recent injury involving attempting to remove his leg permitting :( ) he will be aimed at a couple of unaff ODE's mid-may with the aim of a BE80/BE90 later in the season :D

No pics as yet as I have yet to work out how to post them on here!
 
I bought from ascot as it had always been a dream. I also bought in the full knowledge that, realistically for an amateur, even with help it would take me the best part of a year to have a good all rounder to event at low level.

Bought the best put together horse I found. I specifically looked for horses that had not actually been raced. Spent time in the stable, trotted up and observed. Had the vet at ascot check as well. Horse (s) came home and were pretty much left in peace for a couple of days. Had a lesson the first time I sat on them and then just treated them like a newly backed horse. I did make the mistake of buying number one who had been trained over hurdles. Doh! His SJ training went really well till the time he forgot himself and attempted to hurdle a solid brush fence putting me in hospital. Both were well mannered, quite chilled, brilliant in traffic ( in fact overly cocky as had no respect at all for cars). Both turned out to be brilliant all rounders but no 1 would never jump anything bigger than 3" but was so easy he ended up going to a novice. No 2 actually did event but had a complete hated of strange water. Schooling didnt help because he was fine once he had been through it. He went of pointing after that!
 
Straight from the trainer and still a work in progress. Stopped racing at 9 last june. Came to me a week after his last race and didn't know what to do about things like being turned out and being lead about in a headcollar rather than a chiffney. I have no particular goals with him, I'm aiming for a civilised ride and anything else will be a bonus. I'm just loving him and our small steps on the road to being a team. I've known easier ex racers who have adapted quicker but he did race for a long time so will probably need a bit more time and patience. Both of which I have loads of!
 
Got three, all from trainers in one way or another, first was my 3y/o who came via her lass, having been chucked out in the field waiting to be gone. My second (8y/o) was brought via owner/trainer, less than a week after his last race. Both were brought unseen except for one photo of each, and these weren't even ones that showed half their bodies!
Final one also came via 'owner/trainer(p2p)' because of an old tendon injury advertised as free, but had had the time off, and all slow work done. He was brought as a nanny/hack/hunter of which he is perfect!

The other two were brought to event/hunt, the 3y/o is now nearly 4 so will be aimed at BE 4y/o classes, and the other will be aimed for some events too ( currently hunting).

In each case everyone was very honest about each of the them, even down to their little 'ways', each are good in traffic and fairly easy to deal with. With all, after having a day to settle in were all saddled, walked around field briefly then sent out for a short hack just to gauge what they were like! No point hanging around, may as well get on with the job :D
 
My TB was bought by her 'stable lass' after she finished racing. Several years later she was given to me as a companion for my then filly, so I'm her third owner. :)
 
If you look at the pre-sale catalogue on line for Ascot you can quite often track down the horses/trainer to ring them and ask questions. There are of course last minute entries but you can narrow down the search.
 
Straight from trainer couple of weeks after last run. Only saw him led out in hand. Aim is to show. He had a couple of weeks in the field then cracked on with lunging (or attempts at teaching him to lunge), riding in school and then little hacks out in company and on own within a comfort area. Is now having a couple of months off (dark nights, horrid weather) then will start off again hopefully middle next month when the nights are lighter and I have more time.
 
Two directly from trainers. One I already knew because I knew the trainer, so I knew what I was getting. He was my horse of a lifetime - he came with tendon injuries (they never affected him) shied at crisp packets and could be a nasty so and so in the stable. But he was amazing to ride - so safe - never napped or did anything really dangerous.

The other one from the trainer had been turned out on the fell before I got her. I was assured she had never had any lameness or problems and that she was the best horse there, etc etc. After somewhere between £15k and £20k in vets bills (I daren't add them all up, the result would be too gutting to actually know) I would not trust this trainer as far as I could throw them. She had also had a hind limb suspensory ligament injury whilst racing which was confirmed at the hospital and is now unrideable, and will probably stay unrideable. All these problems started only a few weeks after I bought her, hence why she had been turned out before I got her.

I would never buy another ex-racehorse unless I knew the horse and trainer very well.
 
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