Thoroughbred to buy or not to buy?

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spottydottypony

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I have been looking at buying another horse for myself to ride. I have owned horses for 40 yrs but never owned a TB. My last horse was a TB x CB and he was brilliant , but he sadly died in April at the grand age of 36 yrs old. Are TB 's hard to maintain, i dont mean to ride but do they have a lot of foot problems, poor doers etc. I have found a really nice one near where i live but friends keep warning me off TB's. Anyone got any good, bad experiences thanks.
 
Had one many years ago, always lame, cost a fortune and I said I'd never get another. Fast forward ten years I got another one. Lovely boy but always lame, hard to feed and generally very expensive. He ended up with so much wrong with him that I made the decision to pts. 100% never again. Sorry :(
 
Have a TB, in 10yrs shes been lame once, is a self harmer (thank god for insurance on the occasions she did) is a bad doer but have found a diet that works for her now and she came out of this winter with a little too much weight , she wont stable, she loads but needs persuasion, shes a fun ride, scary for people who have never ridden her, but I find her fun and exciting, amazing jump that she LOVES doing, she gets severe seperation anxiety, but is an angel to shoe, clip, worm, inject.
 
I think they vary as much as any other breed. Would definitely recommend if you can find a "low mileage" one. I think a lot of the problems people have nowadays stem from the high number of ex racers around - and I've owned one myself and would again so I'm not against them! But arthritic conditions at an early age seem common. I also think many tb's would benefit from barefoot management. Their reputation for "rubbish feet" isn't always down to breeding. Mine have always lived out 24/7 - the poor doer with thicker rugs and ad lib haylege.
 
I absolutely love TBs. They vary a lot, and can be tricky to manage (whether that be hot to handle, poor doers, poor feet, thin skinned and feel the cold, excitable when out, opinionated to ride or any combination of!), but once you've cracked the management and have learned to do things the way they need them, they are loyal, intelligent (too much so sometimes) and fab for sports like eventing where they really have to think on their feet.

My current ex-pointer is probably the trickiest horse I've ever owned - sweet as pie, and could plonk anyone on him to go out for a hack, but to get him working and get him to show his talent takes a lot of work, especially as he doesn't react well to being 'told'. I've had to learn to be two steps ahead of him at all times!!!

Whilst generally very level headed at home, I've found that once a TBs brain blows (whatever the level they can cope with before that happens varies) you have a bit of a handful on your hands and they can be real divas when that happens.

However there is nothing better than a TB working well, they are beautiful creatures and I haven't lost a race out in the woods since I started on my current one ;) nothing better than a TB flat out! I would always recommend them as a breed, but they aren't for the faint hearted - they do need a lot of managing, so if you are someone used to more cobby types or even your ISHs who are generally pretty easy to maintain, then make sure you're prepared, TBs are definitely more like your WBs in terms of needing managing!!!
 
I had one after I said I never would - he was typical in that he hurt himself regularly and and would go lame at the drop of a hat. He was however the most gentle and kind horse I have ever met, had an amazing jump and would jump anything, a huge character who unfortunately developed cancer at age 7 and was put down at 14.

The yard where I keep my TB X shire now has several ex racers. They are varied in ability, temperament and needs regarding keep. They all live out 365 days a year and are fed forage based diets with no cereals. They all look well and do a variety of jobs - dressage, eventing etc. One is used for all the novices to hack as he is quiet and kind.

I think they can be as varied as any horse but I would never say I wouldn't have one. I just might have a problem finding a large enough one at the moment!!
 
I have one now he's a lovely lovely horse laid back until something is happening easy to keep wieght on he does eat a lot though up to two small bales of haylage a day in winter but he's big and still developing so that's not surprising .
His feet have needed work ( I took him barefoot for a year) but are fine now as long as I give him a yearly break from shoes we should do fine .
He had a tooth / jaw issue which was what had knocked back his performance it was undiagnosed until I got him it cost a £3000 to sort but it's sorted now.
I think they tend to cost a bit more to keep they tend to need more managing to keep well and happy than other horses.
I have had bad experiances with some with soundness but I have some awful experiances with Irish horses too .
Even if the horse is cheap get it five stage vetted and I would not buy an old worn out one mine never raced because he was to naughty .
They vary so much over the years I have known hardy happy to live out ones and can't ever get wet ones but it would be best to assume that he will need stabling rugging and protecting from the elements a bit more than a hardier type if that fits n with what you can provide then no issue .
Mine had never been in a field at night and in fact was rarely turned out I was prepared that I might have to keep him this way if he did not take to his new life luckily he has .
I took him to the beach yesterday we cantered two miles he's just bowled along there's nothing like the feeling of cantering a good TB his warm blood friend pulled up all hot and sweaty he could have done another two miles and still pulled up untroubled .
If you like this horse get it vetted see what the vet says ,
I should say that mine despite his history mine was not cheap by HHO all Tbs are worth under a 1000 standards he cost between 4 and 5 k but I still consider him cheap for a beauifully moving well conformed horse with a great nature who would event do dressage certainly to advanced level , make a very very classy hunter and is the one of the nicest hacks I have ever known .
Good luck with your horse hunt .
 
Well...mine is a dream really. A good doer, she is currently living off thin air and having to be monitored for weight gain until I can start riding her again (my injury not hers). She can have a moment on a hack sometimes but only a kind of fun/play spooky thing, she isn't normally spooky or bad in any way.

She's a dream to handle, has impeccable manners and is just the most giving horse I know.

Think not of the breed, but the horse. As I said, mine is fine. She's been out without a rug all summer and loving it. A Connemara on the same yard is needing a rug when the temp changes and she's a huge wimp who loses weight super fast if not fed up all the time.

If you like the horse, have the horse....and forget the breed.
 
Thank you for all your replies. I will still go and try him out he does look nice i totally agree with you GG as long as i like the horse forget the breed. He is an ex racer but is 15 yrs old and been in the same home for 7 yrs.
 
when mine isnt injured hes a fantastic little horse. but he is very accident prone, a nightmare feeding wise, poor doer. he has good feet, a bit dry just now since we've had a bit of a drought. all i can say is im thankful for insurance..
 
As lovely as tb's can be i have vowed never to buy a full tb again after my last one neary killed me. Everybody said 'tb's are good horses dont listen to people who say they are hard work etc' so i tried one as i would rather experience it for myself and fell in love with him, got him home and what a nightmare. He would not eat hay so had to eat haylage but haylage also made him hyper. Couldnt leave him out 24/7 because at around 5pm hed gallop up and down whinnying for someone to bring him in. Couldnt give him any feed as it sent him crazy. Always putting his back out showing off in the field, and had a number of splints on his legs from the tiniest of knocks. I mean dont get me wrong there is some lovely tbs out there but they are certainly not for me, or full tbs at least. I find them hard to manage and hard to keep weight on. Saying that i know someboy who has a tb who is out 24/7 on no feed and is a great weight. I now own a tb cross who once again is hard work feed wise, cant have haylage or feed but she is my horse of a lifetime. Just go and have a look and im sure if its meant to happen it will. Good luck let us know how you get on.
 
I own a TB ex racer and I couldnt ask for a better horse. He has dropped a bit of weight over the last couple of weeks but thats due to poor grazing and a little change in his diet means he is now putting it back on but other than that he is sound as a pound, has the most remarkable temprement with excellent manners and apart from the occasional melt down, which i put down to him being a complete daddy's boy and total whimp rather than a TB, he is the best horse and I wouldnt swap him for the world :p
 
I don't often reply to threads like these but felt I had to on this one. I would 100% judge the horse not the breed. I bought my ex racer (having raced for 4/5years) when he was just over a year out of racing. He hadn't done much for the year before I got him only the odd bit of hacking, so came to me ready to start his new career.
Manners on the ground he is second to none, he lets anybody do anything to him...is the first to come to you in the field, and last to stand at the gate and watch you leave. Touch wood, he hasn't been lame in the almost two years I've had him, except when he pulled a shoe off on a hack and stood on the nail.
He is equally happy to be stabled or live out 24/7, although for risk of dropping weight I like him to come in at night during the winter. He can be left alone in the field/stable...and has been seen protecting a younger more vulnerable pony from the field bully on more than one occasion.
Feed wise I struggled a little with him to start with. He eats anything put infront of him, so like any horse it was trial and error to find what combination worked. However now he's being fed balancer, is in reasonable work, on not great grazing and tbh is a bit tubby...he appears to have turned in to a bit of a good doer!
He is considered the sensible horse to hack out with, is happy to go alone/in front/behind, his schooling is coming along well and he's yet to refuse a jump.
In short, he is probably one of the easiest and most loving horses on the yard! I'm sorry for such a long reply, I just wanted to show that for everyone that has had negative experiences with tb's...there's also ones out there worth their weight in gold...that shouldn't be missed just because of their breed!
 
I have one, was given her as a rising 3 year old and she's now 6. She's quite the opposite of your stereotypical TB in that I'm struggling to get weight off her! So they're not all poor doers! Her feet aren't brilliant but could be a lot worse, shes the bravest horse I've known, even as a three year old she would hack out on her own without batting an eye at anything. She'll stand on the box all day at shows or just stands around eating grass if she can and then goes in and does her class (normally jumping) then toodles out again and resumes scoffing her face.
She has had a few accidents since I've had her, the first (punctured hock) was the most expensive but after that the injuries have been pretty tame.

All in all she is a great horse, loves to jump, bold as brass and although can be a typical mare she also tries her heart out. People get told a lot of rubbish about TBs and I think it should be down to the individual horse rather than the breed so I say if the horse seems right then dont let the breed put you off :)
 
Not all tb's come with hang-ups! I've had the fortune to own some seriously lovely, well bred tb's over the years and they've all been well mannered good rides. All apart from 1 were good-doers, spent all summer in starvation paddocks! Super loyal horses once they're on side, and understand what you want and will give 110%, quicker thinking than a warmblood so more likely to save your skin when anything starts to go wrong xc. Most I would have trusted with your granny aboard, others have been a little sharper but never nasty (but half of that is down to which bloodlines you pick too)
 
I don't agree with this whole 'all TBs are poor doers'. I think it really depends on your grazing; that has been the problem with ours but I am loathe to move yards as in every other way perfect and there are few places with decent grazing near us anyway. Ours lived out all winter last year in Cornwall with good grazing and a rug and looked great from pics I've seen. She is totally relaxed in or out; no stable vices and manners to burn at 5yo. She has fairly good feet and is the most honest little mare you could hope to meet as an ex flat racer. Keeping to a low cereal diet she is calm as anything. Don't forget many polo ponies are TBs and will happily rough off and live out (even unrugged in some cases) all winter. My only complaint would be her sensitive skin really as she does get rubbed etc easily. Also if she does have a complaint you are quick to know as she will point it out to you (eg; boot on too tight; waving leg at me gently until I click and loosen it!) which isn't such a bad thing as I can notice things quite early before they progress.
 
I wouldn't buy a 15 year old ex racer myself. What about looking at anothe x tb? Anything else in thre tends to remove the common traits that the can have such as the poor doing and bad feet. I have an ish and there is little the showing in her except in her head and her speed. A good mix,
 
Try not to stereotype when purchasing a horse... just do your research on bloodlines and find out temperaments of parentage and siblings. Easy to do if registered.

Remember that weight management is down to the person, I know many tbs that do well on forage alone once the underlying metabolic or digestive issues are addressed. Bad feet is never a genetic issue, usually another management one.

With so many on the market, it's daunting finding your perfect mount but it is possible! Joint issues could be the major sticking point as so many start young while still developing.

Having said that... My friend has a mare who raced for 9 years and is still winning show classes at 29 and still hacks out!! :)
 
i think you can have just as many problems with other breeds. i have a tb ex-racer who you can sit a 5 year old on for lead reign! some may be more sensitive and fizzy, but i think a lot of that is down to sensitivity to sugar creating this behaviour. after years of living in, for the past 2 years he has lived out in a herd except when mud was terrible, and only got a few minors cuts. been lame a total of 4 weeks in 7 years i think. i think their temperament can be excellent, they love to work but also have a soft side.
down sides from my experience: poor hoof strength, my boy is prone to cracks (but i think it has partly been because of many years of poor management as a racer when shoes were just chucked on!), also skin appears thinner, he cuts more easily and fly bites swell up so has to be rugged. however, this can occur for other breeds.
feeding wise- he is fat! drops off in the winter just the same as any horse, have never found he needs tonnes more feed.
i have known many tbs, cant stereotype them as they were all so different
 
I really hate it when there is a blanket comment about TB's. Might as well say all WB's are dumb!

There are 2 distinct types of TB. Sprinters tend to be smaller and lighter, the national hunt horses are much heavier and bigger, broadly speaking. I have had a TB who was painful to keep condition on in winter, I had others on permanent diets. Look at the horse not the breed!
 
Luci07 said:
I really hate it when there is a blanket comment about TB's. Might as well say all WB's are dumb! [\Quote]


But they are! Only joking, but I might need to swap my warmbloods for TBs as they seem to be always breaking, although do have good feet and are definitely good doers!

I agree, however, with the poster who advised against a 15yo ex racer, a LOT of miles on the clock there.
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I think, regarding the age bit, it depends what you want to do. In 2 years, Reg will be 15 and the likelihood is he won't be doing Novice eventing then (which is the goal for this year and next season too). However, for a really good allrounder to do up to 95cm and win at prelim/ novice dressage, hack and have fun on you probably couldn't ask for more...

Don't judge a book by it's cover. The most difficult to keep on the road we've had was a 14.2hh pony. Hasn't put us off ponies! Our horses have only ever been TBs, and while they break none have broken more regularly than the cob, 2 hunters or donkey on the same yard...
 
I have one, he's the sweetest boy ever, a good doer, steeple chase build so quite a big strong horse not a spindly flat racer. Good as gold to hack, can be nervous but will do anything I ask even when petrified & never silly about it. Crap feet though which I'm planning to try bare foot using hoof boots come autumn to give his feet a rest. No
 
I have one, he's the sweetest boy ever, a good doer, steeple chase build so quite a big strong horse not a spindly flat racer. Good as gold to hack, can be nervous but will do anything I ask even when petrified & never silly about it. Crap feet though which I'm planning to try bare foot using hoof boots come autumn to give his feet a rest. No problems BUT he never raced. Compare him to my mums ex flat racer, she's 3 years younger than my boy but has sticking stifles, kidsing spine.. Although her feet are pretty good but she's also a poor doer & an alpha mare who doesn't like to be told. Definitely think they are all different. I'd go and have a look and see what you find.
 
If you want a 'hot' breed and are worried about keeping weight on then just consider other hot breeds that historically make up the tb... like an arab or an iberian.... failing that, get a cross-bred. TB crosses generally make fantastic horses as to arab x's and iberian x's.

Warning... there is a snag about iberians though - you'll never be happy with just one!!!!
 
My little ex racer is absolutely wonderful :) weve just been to stoneleigh trailblazer champs where we got reserve champ :) would have another tb in heart beat :)
 
horseluver4eva said:
As lovely as tb's can be i have vowed never to buy a full tb again after my last one nearly killed me.
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Me too, I am afraid. But mine was in pain. Pain that didn't show up until we asked him to work more. He went from placid to bucking bronco in two months. He was also a nightmare to lead anywhere and I used to take him to the field in full body armour. When I had him PTS in March, the p.m. showed that he had in his previous life fractured his pelvis and torn the SI ligaments to shreds. X-rays also showed mild kissing spine. None of this showed at the vet check, unfortunately. For all the horses I had vetted subsequently I asked the vets to be extra vigilant about back pain in any shape or form; and to check for the amount of subluxation on the tuber sacrale (the bony part on the top of their rump - it shouldn't move at all). But I shouldn't tar TBs with this brush - the first horse I had vetted failed on both counts and he was actually a WB x ISH (ID x TB xTB).

Having said that, in my own previous life, with very, very few exceptions, all the horses I rode were ex flat racers. We had some very, very good ones, and a few that had a shorter life than most.

I have an ISH now, TB x IDxTB according to his passport.
 
I love tbs i had one and she was fb, loved jumping. I do miss her. Had to have her pts last year due to kissing spines and bone spavins. Very sad. The was only 7.
I now own a cob and a Welsh d. Low maintaince compared to the tb.
My friend has a tba and she's lame alto gets abcesses etc

Of i had plenty of money and stables then i would have another . At the moment the cobs are better suited round my set up and budget!!
 
Mine has been the soundest horse I've had!!

He's a bit tricky to ride in some ways (he just overthinks everything) but he's a dobbin on the ground and very sweet. Would definitely have another.
 
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