The ins and outs of a TB

cuppatea said:
dont go looking at these horses and putting labels on them. Go and see the horse as a HORSE. Dont go try it and judge it thinking 'its good to handle...for an 'ex-racer'' judge the horse on its own merits, if its good to handle then it is good to handle whatever breed it is and whatever work it has done before.
If you like they way it handles, if you like the way it rides, if you like its charactor, if you like the conformation etc etc then you like the horse.
Judge the horse as a horse, not as a label.
Click to expand...

Exactly this^^.

I am on my second TB (I lost the first to colic) and they are as different in personality as could be.

Current one is a total an utter gem, unbelivably a good doer (honestly) now the management is right, has good feet, and getting better now she is barefoot.

Just because she is a TB doesn't mean that I treat her any differently to any other horse she ticks all the requirement boxes and her breeding is the least of all considerations
 
Hey my tb has pros and cons-

Pros- doesn't eat more than my others.
Is a nice ride
Is v friendly and easy to do
Lives out all summer happily.

Cons- terrible separation anxiety. Seriously does go bonkers when I ride others in herd.
Weaves in stable
Feet pretty terrible- worse than my non tbs for example
R
Can be quite unpredictable to ride (most of time an angel can hack out alone etc, but if he is having a funny day he will buck and spack about)
Needs routine- he prefers same routine to the minute pretty much or will become distressed.

They are intelligent horses, but do need constant work and are more anxious than some other breeds in my eyes, all depends on what u want from a horse really.
 
I have one!
Pros: Very loving, gentleman to handle, confidence giver, forward ride, easy to do

Cons: Sharp, spooky, doesn't jump or hack alone, eats a lot! had bad feet, messy stable in the morning...
 
You need to be a bloody good gutsy rider and also know your horse management. They most certainly are not for beginners or novices. They need regular daily work and can have problems with their feet. (Remember they are bred to race on grass). They are stunning and intelligent animals.
 
From my experience.

I had a lovely 17hh tb, bred to race but never went into training.
A lovely boy, the best manners on a horse I've ever seen. Loved his work, a very easy boy to love.

However, his feet were a nightmare.
He had relaxation issues
He had a big panic button, he would just lose his head and you were lucky to come away with just a few broken ribs. It didn't happen often and it took a lot to get him there (getting hooked up on a gate with the saddle)
He did eat me out of house and home.

I think however his issues were down to training rather then his breeding, he found it very hard to trust his rider, so if something did happen he would try to get out of it anyway that he could even if it resulted in killing himself. (he didn't but was very close)

Would I do it again, hell yeah, I love that horse. I just couldn't help him anymore, i ran out of money and my experiance level didnt match his needs he has gone to a lovely hunt home, were he is loving it.
 
OWLIE185 said:
You need to be a bloody good gutsy rider and also know your horse management. They most certainly are not for beginners or novices. They need regular daily work and can have problems with their feet. (Remember they are bred to race on grass). They are stunning and intelligent animals.
Click to expand...

You are generalising!! you simply cannot put all TB's into this bucket. TB is almost a generic term now. As I said previously I have known TB's who were not blessed with brains, TB's who had phenomonal movement, TB's who simply could not jump safely over a decent fence... and the list goes on. I actually ended up SELLING one of mine to a very novice person because he was the most laid back horse I have ever known. He happened be extremely well bred too (full brother to Barton's Bank) but didn't have a competitive bone in his body. We have a full TB who specialises in dressage at our yard, we had another elderly TB who (sucessfully) lived out.. there is a 4 year TB being ridden away at the moment who is very laid back..

And anyone who takes on a horse, whatever breed should understand horse management first as well - regardless of what they buy. If you go with a rigid perception you will be disappointed. Take Cuppateas advice, go and look at the horse and see if it can do what you want to do.
 
Well the chestnut in my sig was my first ever horse I was a teenager when i got her, full TB from racing stock, although never went into training herself. She was my horse of a lifetime - yes we had issues initially, she did suffer from separation anxiety - although was absolutely fine on a large yard with lots of coming and going - thrived on routein. She was 100% safe on the roads and would walk past anything without batting an eyelid, she could be strong when cantering in groups, but not once in the whole time i had her (about 13 years i think, with another 4 years prior to that riding her at my riding school) she never ever tried to chuck me off, in fact I only ever fell off her 3 times - all of them my fault (- well one was a duck litterally flying into her side!) - she was affectionate in the stable & field - but very much a one person horse - although always respected people on the ground no matter who they were.

The bay in my sig was an ex-racer i had on loan, now he really wasnt what i'd call an affectionate horse, and was very possesive over his food. Again unflappable in traffic and was absolutely fantastic to go out cantering in groups even if the others were pratting around. he was however very excitable when jumping, and did scare me a few times.

I love them as a breed, and would definitely consider having another, they can be so incredibly loyal, my old mare and I were very well in tune together, something I havent felt with a horse since (although I adore my current horse and we have a fantastic bond, its just not quite the same).

They can be tricky, and hot headed, but they can also be very straight forward and sensible, and i have seen some very sweeping statements on here a lot i disagree with. I would recommend spending a lot of time with any perspective new TB ned, really get to know him/her - maybe see if you can find someone who has one (like a friend etc.) and try theirs to see how you feel about them...
Oh and just to add, I never ever had trouble keeping weight on, and their feet were absolutley fine with a good farrier!
 
cuppatea said:
dont go looking at these horses and putting labels on them. Go and see the horse as a HORSE. Dont go try it and judge it thinking 'its good to handle...for an 'ex-racer'' judge the horse on its own merits, if its good to handle then it is good to handle whatever breed it is and whatever work it has done before.
If you like they way it handles, if you like the way it rides, if you like its charactor, if you like the conformation etc etc then you like the horse.
Judge the horse as a horse, not as a label.
Click to expand...

This !!!!

I was looking for a chunky ID type when I was persuaded to go and look at the horse I now own

He was exactly what I thought I didn't want, young, ginger, HUGE and a TB. Turns out he is more than I could ever have wanted.

Another member put it perfectly:

If you want a horse that says yes!!! Then NO , If you like a horse that says 'WHY' then yes do it and they will pay you back ten fold.
Click to expand...
 
I'm another who said they wouldn't go there. I don't think I would have anything else out of choice from now on. I just love my little Ozz. He's clever, willing, athletic, has fabulous feet, not particularly hard to keep weight on, forward and buzzy but safe enough.

He can be sharp, not not overly so. I much prefer a sharp, but clever and kind horse, than a sharp horse that has no self preservation ;)

He's also the friendliest, most affectionate little horse. He tries his little heart out and is always waiting at the gate before I arrive, and the last to leave to gate after I've gone.

Judge a horse on its own merits. You will get sharp ones, lazy ones, spooky ones, ones with poor feet etc. just as you will with any breed.

J&C
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top