Thoroughbred... your thoughts??

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charliep

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I have an opportunity to 'adopt' a thoroughbred through a friend of a friend. He is a 16.1hh 17 year old gelding. He has been with his previous owner all his life. Never raced and used do dressage and SJ. Been used for hacking for last few years. Sounds lovely, but I could do with some advice. I am very aware of some of the horror stories about TBs. Nasty behaviour, 2 gears, run and run faster, biting, kicking, bolting etc....I have never owned one before although a friend of mine has one who is a very high maintance nightmare IMO. I have experience with stable and horse care and currenly have a horse on loan. He is a cob gelding, but he isn't without his issues. Has anyone got any experience with TBs? Good and Bad?
Thanks
 
Far less complicated than cobs IMHO! lol

I have owned/ridden lots of TBs and have rarely come accross one with nasty behaviour - the only one that was nasty was really nasty but I wouldn't say he was at all a typical TB either in the looks or the temperament departments!

Yes some of them are highly strung but each one is different - go and see the horse and see what you think
 
I've had 4 tb's including an ex-racer and i wouldnt have anything else. My first one had issues with handling due to bad past experiences but with time came brilliantly and was fab to ride. My second was (ex-racer) was my horse of a life time. was the sweetest thing, impeccable manners. Third was a dream to handle but evil to ride. I moved him on due to not having enough experience, but instead of him being a pshyco it turned out he was evil as he had major ks and was in incredible pain. The one i have now, is amazing, he's such a sweetie, fantastic to handle, doesnt missbehave. No biting, bucking or anything like that. Can go weeks without doing anything with him, then just jump back on and he's fine. Can ride him bare back in just a head collar while we push the two little ones down the field. Doesnt faze him. The only thing i found with tb's is make sure you get the diet right as mine have always lost weight really easily. Rug the suitably according to the weather and look after their feet. Regular trims/shoeing and a good hoof supplement. Their the best horses i've ever had and wouldnt go back to anything else.
 
It just depends. I have one now and had another some years ago.
Some are more high maintainance than others.
They are very affectionate usually and quick to learn. They need careful feeding sometimes as they can be poor doers but then others are fine. Ours don't live out but there are plenty that do with the right rugs.

I don't ride anymore but my daughter got her first one as a 13 year old (he was 6) but she had been riding competitively for years. The present one is a bit of a plod really and doesn't "do" fast and is not spooky at all.
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They can be prone to foot problems and react badly to small injuries but overall are no better or worse than others.

I love them- just bought a new TBX yearling
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It just depends really but if you are not sure then I would say don't go there.
 
Just because it is thoroughbred does not mean that it will behave like that. To be honest all breeds from shetlands to warmbloods to carthorses are liable to behave in the way you describe! It is just like with people, you can get every sort of personality with every sort of breed!

Thoroughbreds can be as gentle and as placid as beach donkey and safer than your average child's pony it just depends on the horse itself. Of course you do get some wild naughty high maintainence ones but you are likely to get that with any breed.

Re; the high maintainence; it depends on the horse itself. Some TB's are good doe'ers and others are bad doers, or in between. I have one TB that is as fat as a house at the moment and she is out on only grass and no rugs. My other TB is on 3 feeds a day and hay and is rugged at night.
 
Well if he's anything like the one daughters No 1 Little Grey Welshie is companion to then he'd be a real gentleman. His ancient history is unknown, but he was sold to owner as a schoolmaster and she only light hacks him, he's in his 20s lives out with rugs, as above poster you do have to be careful on feeding as he can find it difficult to maintain his weight in winter, and although he has a tendency to poor hooves for which he has suppliments and special hoof moisturiser (can't think which one at the moment) he's not often suffered - had an abcess this year but that's first time lame for ages. Although huge, he's polite, never bargy - daughter only has to say 'back' and he steps away from the gate, he doesn't mug you for his food and he's really good to groom, tack up, with the farrier, dentist etc. so all in all far better behaved on the ground than the self opinionated LGW.
To ride he's extremely well behaved, even a beginner like me can ride him.
I think you'll have to meet this one, get to know him, and see what you think.
 
I've got one of the nicest, most loving, handsome thoroughbreds ever. I adore him - he can get emotional but only when left out in the field on his own or if he's in and can see the others when they are out. To ride he is a star and no more naughty than other horses. Compared to the horses I've been trying out recently, he's a doddle to ride!!
 
I bought my 11 year old son a Chestnut 15 hands 16 year old TB mare a few months ago, he had been riding her for a while, and they got on sooooo sooo well, she has nice manners, not fizzy at all, has not raced but was a polocross horse till last year, she goes like the clappers with the right jockey but with my son, she is steady and has never spooked or ran off, she also won the handy horse comp at the school where she stays, including walking over a scary bit of plastic sheet!!!
I pondered about a pony for him, but he is tall and would have outgrown a pony in a few years, Penny will be good for him till he is an adult, then she can have a happy retirement.
If you are happy with your choice then go with your own gut instinct, any horse can have its "moments" be it a plod or a top class well schooled horse. I personaly dont like the way some horses get tarred with the same reputation just because of their breed
 
I always said i would NEVER go near a TB! I had heard so many bad things about them. Now i am sharing one. He is the most loving and affectionate horse i have known. I will admit when we have a canter in an open space he does sometimes just want to go, but is usually really good when you tell him he is to go at the speed you want. He isn't spooky, nothing phases his (unless something really takes him by suprise - but usually just stops until you reasure him and nudge him on) I think like with all horses, how TB's are depends on how they are brought up and handled.
 
I remember before I ever got a horse/pony... my mum told me we would not be getting a chestnut, a coloured, or ANYTHING with TB in it!
Since then, my first pony was chestnut, my second was coloured, and then years later - I have a wonderful little horse who is either full TB or a very large percentage! xD
He's a star, full of character but good as gold and he tries so hard to please
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He's only just turned 5 too! I've also known a few others, and all have been lovely horses.

Was recently talking to a woman who works with racehorses, and she said half of the problem is that a lot of people buy Thoroughbreds and then feed them up like racehorses, thinking they're poor doers and need it all, which just turns them hyper! And that's when people run into trouble. But treated like any other horse, they'll act like any other horse!
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I have had many TBs over the years and they are all different. Some would be far too sharp in the wrong hands and others like my first are so laid back it is not true. Nearly all mine were ex racers. Without exception they have all had lovely natures and been very easy to handle on the ground. They have all been pretty sound as well apart from my first who raced as a 2 year old and had to be retired at 13 with degenerative joints.

Definitely worth a look and see if you like. Age does not always change them either. My current 22 year old is still as daft as he was when he was 8 it is just the way he is.
 
i own 2 exracers, one of which is a rearer, however this is due to mistreated in the past. on the other hand they are both the most fantastic horses to be around never bitten or kicked. i would choose a tb anyday over cobs or warmbloods
 
I've had my first TB for a year now, and he is absolutely fab
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He can be a bit spooky but he doesnt actually do anything when he spooks, just says eeeek then carries on
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He has never done anything bad with me, is really easy to do, and everyone loves him
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I'm with the majority here to!

I would say forget the breeding and just judge on the horse. It doesnt matter what breed as long as the horse is what you want.

I tend to end up with TB's but i dont particulary look for them!

Good Luck with this one, there's obviously a reason they've had it 17 years!
 
I have had two TB's, and both very different. One was a true ex-racer with 9 races on his card and dispite a good home between racing and me was still an opinionated grumpy wotsit. My second only did about 7 months in training. I have had her since she was 3 and at the ripe old age of 6 she is wise beyond her years, is a total darling on the ground with the right amount of cheeky and has even managed to change an ingrained crippling fear of jumping to total enjoyment. 9 sorry silly proud moment)

Dirty_D is right forget the breeding judge the horse
 
We are not sure of my horses breeding, but he is definately at least half TB.

He is the soppiest, cutest, easiest horse to deal with in the world. He lives out with no feed or rugs until deepest darkest winter when yard rules state they must come in. He is unshod and has good, strong, healthy feet. He is an absolute sweetheart to deal with, my OH is unhorsey but is happy to groom, cuddle, muck out and play with him in the school.

Maybe that's just the ID or whatever-else in his system, but I've ridden and known lots of TBs in my time, they are by far my favourite breed of horse. I find them all very intelligent and easy to train, even the ones who can be a little wired.

Don't judge all TBs, there are a few gems out there
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ive ridden and known quite a few Tbs (not for a long while though) and temperament of most of them was fine, like all hroses they had their own personalities.

the only thing that puts me off is pretty much every TB i've known has been really accident prone and seem to have a lot of days off broken. but im sure theres plenty of TB's out there that have never had a day sick or sorry, its probably just coiencidence that all the ones i have known have been self harmers! but you cant help get a preconcieved notion about a breed or type when thats the case.
 
My way of lookinh at it is that each horse is an individual, regardless of breed.

Personally I am a huge TB fan. Love their intelligence (even when they empty the rubbish bin, tip up buckets of water, pull down bales of hay etc etc!) In fact, my mum's quite novicey and recently decided to buy a horse and we chose yep, a TB ex racer who is one of the most laid back horses I've ever come across.
 
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