Thoroughbred horses?

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xxkellyxx

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Was just wondering how many of you have thoroughbreds? What are they like to keep and temperaments etc iv been looking for a horse to loan with view to buy for a while and there are a couple of thoroughbreds i like the look of.

Thanks in advance Kelly
 
They have a reputation of being fiery and fast, some I have ridden have lived up to that expectation, where as some I have ridden can be gentle plods and confidence givers.
 
I am not a great fan, they tend to be stressy and highly strung. There are of course exceptions. They are hotbloods and need feeding and often rugging all year round. But they tend to be brave, especially good at xc and eventing.

hope that is some help.
 
mine is a tbxarab

and was deemed dangerous
but now i wouldnt have another horse unless it had some tb/arab in it i love them :-)
 
i think if you get them on your side they will do anything for you, but you wouldnt want to fall out with one
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All horses regardless of breed are individuals and TB's are no different. If you like a horse then try it and ask all the questions you would for any horse. Generally however I wouldnt say that they are for novice or nervous riders and many are harder to keep. There are always exceptions of course.
Mine is full TB and is difficult to keep weight on but he is an absolute gentleman in and out of the stable.
My other one is TBx Welsh and is a fairly good doer but sharp.
 
Mine needed care and attention to keep weight on and had hideous hooves but was loyal, trusting and one of the most rewarding horses I have ever owned. He did have his crazy moments but all part of the fun in owning him was learning what these were, what would trigger them adn how to manage him - I found routine and work kept him fabulous
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I think to generalise is too simple . I've run TB studs and some youngsters are so laid back you can hardly move them . Others are fiery but not difficult to handle . Doesn't mean one will be a better racehorse , it's just them . Some have been on a diet forever some are always being fed to try and get weight on . Just take the horses as you find them and hope you find what you are looking for .
 
I am on my second TB, both ex racers, first was a 15.2 mare and a complete nightmare to ride and lead how we didnt get hurt I dont know, if she was sensible you knew there was something wrong, eventually had her pts cause she got too dangerous to handle.

It took nearly 2 years before I started looking for another horse to ride and I didnt want another TB, a friend told me of a horse that was free to good home or it would be pts cause owner was ill.

I phoned and was told he was a 17hh gelding, thought oh my god but tried him out and took him home he is such a gent (he does have his moments like most but not nasty). I have now had him just over a year, gone through 2 winters and he has kept weight on, in a mw rug and lives out most of the winter only comes in if had rain continuous for a few days. Does get a little stressy if in stable on his own so tend to bring a couple of shetties with him. Was a little concerned about getting back on him at one point cause had problems with farrier so he wasnt ridden for 12 weeks but he was as good as gold. Certainly wouldnt be without him now he is so affectionate for such a big horse, love him to bits.
 
TB's are always the breed of horse I seem to end up with- unintentionally!!! Out of all the Thoroughbreds I've ever ridden throughtout my life, two have been wappy (and one, an ex-racer, who ended up being put down due to a spinal problem which caused his wappiness).

Mine always this expression on her face:

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She isn't a novice ride and can be fast when jumping or cantering/galloping out but isn't dangerous, good to hack out on the roads and is one of the best horses I've ever ridden.

Feed wise, all horses are different and I'm sure alot of TB's aren't good doers but Hattie is. I have to restict her grazing in the summer (given her a token feed of a handful of chaff + biotin) and in the winter, a full stubbs scoop of chaff, a palmful of ready grass, biotin + a carrot, and hay of course. I started rugging her this month and will be rugged until about March/ April.

Be sure though, to ask about the feet of any TB you are interested in as the one I had on loan before, had crumbling feet that required farrier work every two weeks and a whole shedload of biotin just to make her pasture sound!! I would not get one that had poor feet again.
 
I have a tb who is one of the most frustrating horses I have ever had but has equally given me some of the most memorable times as well. He is a sensitive soul who merely a raised voice will get a reaction . He has also had a hobday so can't neigh so he pulls the funniest faces to try and get his point across. We have had our down moments when he was diagnosed with tendonitis and when a recuurent lung infection just would not clear but when he is in full work ,with lots of feed and well rugged he is quite simply my horse of a lifetime . We have gone from a giraffe with a sack of spuds on his back to a pairing who can turnout a reasonable dressage test ,jump a 3ft course and my prodest moment was when we won our ex racer class and qualified for a national champs . Like somebody has said don' discount them as being fiery,unmanagable and too quick when you ride take each one as you find them and you could end up with your perfect horse
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TB are bred for the purpose of racing and this means quick reactions and the average rider has enough problems without the horse. Get one bred as a riding horse that has sire and dam that are approved for breeding by a studbook
 
I agree with those who say you really can't generalise! My old TB was sharp but amazingly genuine and easy to handle, jumped anything (and apparently still does at the age of 23).

He lived out 24/7 all year round, with a hw in winter and a basic cool mix and chaff, with a mid-20s ex-racehorse mare for company! He loved being out, and would box-walk (actually, box-canter) if left in for too long. I'll certainly get another TB one day, though as others have said I'd make sure it's at the sane end of the TB spectrum and check its feet carefully.
 
I've had two full TB's - one 17.1hh on loan, and my present boy who is 15.2hh (just!) and they have both been fabulous
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Complete gentlemen, incredibly easy to do, got along with any other horses, no problems at all with either of them
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I would go for a TB every time now, although hoping not to have to choose another anytime soon as mine is with me for the rest of his life
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I had a tb mare who I bought when she was 10 but had raced in the past. She was lovely to handle affectionate ect but very highly strung and stressey.

It took me a long time to learn who to ride her but it was very rewrding.
She wasn't nasty at all but when she got herself in a state you just couldn't calm her down.

Definitely not a novice ride.
I think it comes down to your level of riding.
 
One of mine is a TB and 99% of the time he is a laid back plod and a real gent I have had novices have small rides on him. However I occasionally has the stereotypical TB side come out and will be very sharp. He is a very forgiving horse to ride and is brilliant to handle. He can get stressed easily and it did take a while for me to know how to handle this properly, took a while to learn you cannot try and force him to do something he doesn't want to do or he will do the opposite.
He is easy to keep weight on but had horrible feet when I first bought him. He really is a fabulous character.
I have nearly had my boy 2 years and I don't think I would buy anything other than a TB next time I look to buy.
 
I've got a TB, hes an ex racer. I think they can be abit more complicated than your average horse and not adviseable for novice riders but as others have said there are always exceptions.

Mine is v easy to keep weight on, he is fed the same as my laminitic pony.. hi fi and high fibre cubes and is looking great. He is currently barefoot because i havn't done much with him over the winter due to uni but his feet are doing great without shoes.

He is bombproof in traffic, i think because of his racing days. Although he can be a nappy at times, so not really for a novice.

As others have said they are excellent jumpers and learn very quickly, as well as unbelivably keen to please. They are however abit sensitive. Mine is on the ground, little things will upset him and hes abit nervy around new people.

I certainly think they are fantastic. Mine is so incredibly talented and willing as well as being lower maintence than my welsh!!
 
mines a plod. however can go very fast when the mood takes him ,which isnt very often. Can also be nappy and stroppy when he doesnt want to do something.
 
Both of mine have been ex-racers. My first, a gelding was opinionated, fast, a total character and could be a total pain in the ass!. My second, a mare is as laid back as they come. Again a total character but by far more amenable.

The fact they are TB's is beside the point...... both did think they were cobs in a thin suit!
 
i have 2 and they couldn't be more different, my mare is the nicest most sweetest mare i have ever met on the ground anyone could handle her however to ride her she is very sharp and you have to be in command from the moment your bum hits the saddle or you will be in trouble.

my gelding on the other hand is a plod to ride anyone can ride him however on the ground he needs a firm hand or he will try and take the mick.

neither would be suitable for total novices due to the fact they like to try to get the upper hand all the time. my YO says you always have to ride a tb or it will ride you. and so far all i can say is she is spot on. they need firm handling but with that they can be the nicest, most giving and loving horses.

i defiantly would have another
 
TBs - too wide a spread in physical type (ie sprinters and chasers) and too wide a type in character to generalise. Go and have a look and see what you think. I do agree about checking on the feet - one of mine didn't have particularly brilliant feet but a course of farriers formula sorted that out. A horse out of training takes a while to get back into civilian mode! - and a TB in training will be used to the best in terms of stabling, grub and rugs. Just take a dose of common sense - something that hasn't been let down but is near race fit will be much more a potential handful than something that hasn't been trained - And they are not all talented movers or jumpers either - thats not a given. Harry, bless him, was exceedingy wellbred, very laid back and incapable of going over bigger than 3" safely (and he was 16.3!)
 
im on my second ex racer now.
first one was incredibly quirky to the point of dangerous and is no longer ridden because of that.

current boy is pretty straight down the line and easy,but i am very *no nonsense* with my horses and i think if someone let him get the upper hand he could become quite a handful.but for an experienced rider he is a dream, dead easy to handle from the ground and super obliging to be ridden, he IS very sharp out hacking but any decent rider could cope with that.

so he isnt a novice ride but for someone wanting a brave and athletic competition horse he is fab.

he's a pretty good doer too, he gets 5 slices of small bag haylage and in total 2 1/2 scoop conditioning feed and 1 scoop beet per day. im not having to shovel it down him to keep him looking well.

oh he also does all his work minus shoes, so yep a TB with excellent feet!!!!he hacks, jumps, competes etc all barefoot and he is also tough as old boots, never sick sorry or lame (in the year iv owned him anway).

love my TB's!!!
 
I have a TB.

Plus points - he is an absolute sweetie. I have a novice loaner who loves him to bits, and her 10 yr old daughter also rides him. He is very honest jumping / XC - has NEVER stopped at anything and would climb over a jump for you rather than stop. He's also very pretty!!


Now the not so good things .... he is safe as houses 99% of the time - but catch him on a 'that leaf is going to eat me day' and you would think he is a 3 yr old again. Once he is in a 'tizz' it takes a long time to get him to calm down again. He will panic rather than listen to me - he once got his head caught under a lead rope on the yard, and while my pony would have stood still for the 2 seconds it would have taken me to free him, my TB freaked out big time and pulled half a stable down in te process!
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He's also ridiculously hard to keep weight on in the winter - and I have to be very very careful about what I feed him to keep him calm. He costs me a fortune in feed / shoeing / rugs etc...

I love him to bits - but I personally wouldn't get another TB.
 
We've had 3, currently have one. One was very very 'hot' (was also a chestnut mare!) other two geldings were more setted to ride though can be sharp.
2 out of the 3 had stable vices (both ex-racers) and the same 2 took A LOT of feeding. Feet are also an issue-my old farrier hated TB feet!
The feeding and shoeing issues are worth thinking about but I would never advise anyone not to buy a TB simply because it was a TB - they are all individuals, the same as cobs or any other type/breed of horse.
 
I love mine!
He’s not a fan of being stabled and would prefer to be out so he will get a bit grumpy if he’s stuck in, but as long as he gets turnout he’s a babe to ride. Despite him being an ex-racer I have no problems taking him out for a canter first or last, he will walk, trot and canter when asked. He is tricky to keep weight on but when I move him I’m going to try him on calm and condition and alfa-a oil.
He’s very loyal, some people have problems catching him but he’ll usually come to call for me, he’ll follow me around the place like a puppy and is very cuddly.
Ridden wise he’s quite lazy in walk and trot but has the most devine rocking horse canter. He is very interesting to train and you can’t take short cuts with him, if you pull his head in and kick him on he’ll tell you off for confusing him! As he’s only young and my horse for life I’m planning on taking his schooling really slowly and training him as classically as possible.
I find him very logical and there is always a reason for him behaving a certain way.
I started riding him in June totally by accident, then leased him and now I’m in the process of buying him!
 
I have a 10 year old ex racer. Very sensible and level headed. If i was getting another tb i would always get an ex racer as they tend to of been there and seen it all and from my experience are really chilled out and bomb proof.

However again from my experience they all have their moments where they will just explode or flip for no reason at all and you always have to be 3 steps ahead of them.

Mine is incredibly thin skinned and delicate. God knows how he ever raced as he's always getting cuts and injuries. Be prepared to hold back a lot of money for vets bills.

finally, you have the feet. Mine had flat feet with thin soles and has to be shod every 6 weeks with natural balance shoes. Saying that, his feet are in very good condition, just not best foot conformation.

Hope that helps!
 
Mine lives out 24/7 (rugged and fed in winter) and is generally a laid back sort. I wouldn't class him as brave though, he is scared of logs when out hacking so my idea of doing XC could be sidelined for a few years. He doesn't mind going out on his own and is brilliant on hacks with others will come back to you during a full gallop only in a loose ring rubber snaffle. He is 8 but I treat him as a 4yo and that seems to be working for now. I can leave him for a bit and then just jump back on and he is the same, maybe slightly more spooky on the roads but nothing dangerous in any way. He is a saint on roads (well not my village roads) but I rode him back 20miles on roads and he didn't put a foot wrong.

Obviously there are exceptions but I would not hesitate to get another.
 
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