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| Are you discouraged as a buyer if a started or trained barrel horse came off the track initially? |
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Location: The best kept secret in TX | scwebster - 2017-09-26 9:53 AM Are you discouraged as a buyer if a started or trained barrel horse came off the track initially?
Case by case basis for me. If I like the bloodlines of a mare I may give her a go if she's still young. However, I won't be keeping her into her old age as I don't want to deal with the maint. on the legs in their early to late teens.
If it's a gelding with no maint. on the legs currently needed I may consider for purchase if the price is right. But again, I won't be keeping into the teen years.  |
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 You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | scwebster - 2017-09-26 9:53 AM
Are you discouraged as a buyer if a started or trained barrel horse came off the track initially?
No. But with any potential purchase, you should get radiographs to make sure theres not something glaringly obvious that would hinder performance or resale. And, horses that are being bought as a barrel prospect after having another career, be it racing, cutting, etc... theres a possibility they've already been getting joints injected. Which, doesn't bother me, but some people it would bother.
Edited by casualdust07 2017-09-26 10:34 AM
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 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| Nope. Bring em on, love track horses, plus they're already exposed to a lot.
Atlas Peak had 23 outs, and look what's he's done for his riders.
You win some, you lose some. Just vet check when you can. |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | I love off the track horses, I have had many and will keep them for life if I dont get talked out of them, jut like any other horse get a vet check if you feel like you need to..Back in the day I just bought what I like seeing.. Where I'm from it was like a candy store.  |
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Veteran
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| radiograph everything before purchase  |
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  Fact Checker
Posts: 16575
Location: Displaced Iowegian | Southtxponygirl - 2017-09-26 10:57 AM I love off the track horses, I have had many and will keep them for life if I dont get talked out of them, jut like any other horse get a vet check if you feel like you need to..Back in the day I just bought what I like seeing.. Where I'm from it was like a candy store.
^^^^ LOL .... so true ..... I liked the "off the track" horses because you already have the knowledge of their speed potential. |
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 Am I really the Weirdo?
Posts: 11181
Location: Kansas | IRunOnFaith - 2017-09-26 9:57 AM scwebster - 2017-09-26 9:53 AM Are you discouraged as a buyer if a started or trained barrel horse came off the track initially? Case by case basis for me. If I like the bloodlines of a mare I may give her a go if she's still young. However, I won't be keeping her into her old age as I don't want to deal with the maint. on the legs in their early to late teens.
If it's a gelding with no maint. on the legs currently needed I may consider for purchase if the price is right. But again, I won't be keeping into the teen years.
I'll beg to differ on the leg maintenance in their early teens ---
I have 2 off the track quarter horses - one with about a dozen outs and one with 8 or 9 outs. Streak is 15 now and though he ran more on the track, he was also kicked out to pasture (and nearly starved to death) for several years. He hasn't shown me any signs of needing maintenance, and he's a really fun 3/4/5D horse that ANYONE can ride. I loaned him to a novice teenage rider for youth rodeos in August and she placed 7th out of 16 on their first run having NEVER even loped him through the pattern. The family even let their timid 10 year old lope him through the pattern in practice. He has been around and seen almost everything, loves people, and WANTS to go to work every day.
Clifford, age 13, is wickedly fast on trashy ground or mud. He gets annual hock injections and regular massages but that's all his maintenance. I'm considering going bak to his breeder in search of my next prospect because I know how well cared for his horses are.
I will say that these two both had some extended time off from daily jobs between the track and running barrels, so that probably helps their soundness. |
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 I'm Cooler Offline
Posts: 6387
Location: Pacific Northwest | rodeowithjoker - 2017-09-26 10:16 AM
IRunOnFaith - 2017-09-26 9:57 AM scwebster - 2017-09-26 9:53 AM Are you discouraged as a buyer if a started or trained barrel horse came off the track initially? Case by case basis for me. If I like the bloodlines of a mare I may give her a go if she's still young. However, I won't be keeping her into her old age as I don't want to deal with the maint. on the legs in their early to late teens.
If it's a gelding with no maint. on the legs currently needed I may consider for purchase if the price is right. But again, I won't be keeping into the teen years.
I have 2 off the track quarter horses - one with about a dozen outs and one with 8 or 9 outs. Streak is 15 now and though he ran more on the track, he was also kicked out to pasture (and nearly starved to death) for several years. He hasn't shown me any signs of needing maintenance, and he's a really fun 3/4/5D horse that ANYONE can ride. I loaned him to a novice teenage rider for youth rodeos in August and she placed 7th out of 16 on their first run having NEVER even loped him through the pattern. The family even let their timid 10 year old lope him through the pattern in practice. He has been around and seen almost everything, loves people, and WANTS to go to work every day.
Clifford, age 13, is wickedly fast on trashy ground or mud. He gets annual hock injections and regular massages but that's all his maintenance. I'm considering going bak to his breeder in search of my next prospect because I know how well cared for his horses are.
I will say that these two both had some extended time off from daily jobs between the track and running barrels, so that probably helps their soundness.
I disagree as well. My mare might not be the norm, but she's almost 18 and has no soundness problems. She had 7 starts from 2yo-4yo and was finished on barrels by the time she was 7. The girl I bought her from bought her from the people that raced her. The girl I bought her from used her mainly for college rodeos. I've had her for 5 years and just do jackpots.
Other than regular joint supplements I don't do anything. She's never been injected. She just recently had a lameness exam done (because she's older and i wanted to make sure she wasn't hiding something ) and she actually passed. Most young horses don't even pass.
I guess the reason could be she has always been taken care of. Her outs as a racehorse were spread out, and then myself and previous owner have not ran her into the ground. Her legs are super clean looking. Absolutely no puffiness or swelling anywhere. Also no obvious signs of arthritis other than by the end of the summer after running for several months she started to not want to rate as well. I'm trying her on Adequan and Equioxx to see if it helps.
ETA she's a pretty consistent 2D horse, 3D if it was a bad run or at huge shows.
Edited by livexlovexrodeo 2017-09-26 12:44 PM
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Elite Veteran
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Location: Southern Indiana | I'm sure it really depends on who you buy from but I absolutely would buy another. They've been hauled, handled, and are saddle broke. Usually bred well and you can get them cheaper. Plus your giving them a second career. They can be squirrelly, nervous, and have little quirks but so can any other colts. |
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Expert
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Location: The best kept secret in TX | livexlovexrodeo - 2017-09-26 12:42 PM rodeowithjoker - 2017-09-26 10:16 AM IRunOnFaith - 2017-09-26 9:57 AM scwebster - 2017-09-26 9:53 AM Are you discouraged as a buyer if a started or trained barrel horse came off the track initially? Case by case basis for me. If I like the bloodlines of a mare I may give her a go if she's still young. However, I won't be keeping her into her old age as I don't want to deal with the maint. on the legs in their early to late teens.
If it's a gelding with no maint. on the legs currently needed I may consider for purchase if the price is right. But again, I won't be keeping into the teen years.
I have 2 off the track quarter horses - one with about a dozen outs and one with 8 or 9 outs. Streak is 15 now and though he ran more on the track, he was also kicked out to pasture (and nearly starved to death) for several years. He hasn't shown me any signs of needing maintenance, and he's a really fun 3/4/5D horse that ANYONE can ride. I loaned him to a novice teenage rider for youth rodeos in August and she placed 7th out of 16 on their first run having NEVER even loped him through the pattern. The family even let their timid 10 year old lope him through the pattern in practice. He has been around and seen almost everything, loves people, and WANTS to go to work every day.
Clifford, age 13, is wickedly fast on trashy ground or mud. He gets annual hock injections and regular massages but that's all his maintenance. I'm considering going bak to his breeder in search of my next prospect because I know how well cared for his horses are.
I will say that these two both had some extended time off from daily jobs between the track and running barrels, so that probably helps their soundness. I disagree as well. My mare might not be the norm, but she's almost 18 and has no soundness problems. She had 7 starts from 2yo-4yo and was finished on barrels by the time she was 7. The girl I bought her from bought her from the people that raced her. The girl I bought her from used her mainly for college rodeos. I've had her for 5 years and just do jackpots. Other than regular joint supplements I don't do anything. She's never been injected. She just recently had a lameness exam done (because she's older and i wanted to make sure she wasn't hiding something ) and she actually passed. Most young horses don't even pass. I guess the reason could be she has always been taken care of. Her outs as a racehorse were spread out, and then myself and previous owner have not ran her into the ground. Her legs are super clean looking. Absolutely no puffiness or swelling anywhere. Also no obvious signs of arthritis other than by the end of the summer after running for several months she started to not want to rate as well. I'm trying her on Adequan and Equioxx to see if it helps. ETA she's a pretty consistent 2D horse, 3D if it was a bad run or at huge shows.
The ones I have bought from the track I have always had the most problems with maint wise. But there are a lot of factors that go into each individual horse that I can't answer a yes or no to this question. So again, case by case basis for me. Each individual horse is different. I wouldn't automatically say absolutely not, but again case by case. And yes, RADIOGRAPH THEM ALL!   |
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Expert
Posts: 2128
| Thank you for all of the replies and insights! I have come across several 3 year old QHs latley that were lightly raced. They are priced right and have great conformation. I've had the urge to try a couple and see how that goes. |
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Location: Illinois | I've looked at a few and wasn't put off by them, except for one that was so hot she couldn't even walk while ridden. I'd prefer them to have a little downtime after being off the track though, just time to let them be a horse. I've seen some go straight from the track to barrels and their minds are out in space, I'd never want to get on them. I have friends who have several that were given between 2-4 months off after the track and are really nice sane horses. A couple do get injected, but where we go injecting isn't a bank breaker. I just had 2 horses get hocks & 1 stifles and was in & out at $400 which is really affordable I think. I'd definitely do x-rays and have a PPE done on one from the track or one that's been barrel raced. I get a PPE on them all before buying. I like to think they can all have their issues, track raced or not. My main gelding was 7 and an unbroke stud (bred 7 times) when I bought him, had xrays done and he had bone spurs all over his knees & hocks, just from pasture life. He's 18 now and has had a good career just with annual hock injections, so you can have maintenance issues from even something that's just been a pasture horse. If you like the horse and are willing to invest into any potential maintenance then buy it, they're all a gamble in my opinion when it comes to that stuff. |
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Expert
Posts: 2128
| One more question for all of you who know that side of the bussiness... What are some things I need to know/check for when looking at something thats had outs on the track. Other than getting a full vet check and obviously making sure the prospect is of sound mind. |
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 Saint Stacey
| scwebster - 2017-09-26 3:01 PM
One more question for all of you who know that side of the bussiness... What are some things I need to know/check for when looking at something thats had outs on the track. Other than getting a full vet check and obviously making sure the prospect is of sound mind.
Look up their race chart history. If a horse is consistently breaking first, running 90 speed indexes then all the sudden drops off, starts breaking last and runs 70 speed indexes...more than likely there is a reason why. You can learn a lot by reading charts. |
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Nut Case Expert
Posts: 9305
Location: Tulsa, Ok | When considering an off the track horse, you have to apply the same criteria you would with any other horse. If the breeding, conformation, physical and mental soudness, athletic ability, work ethic are there then what's not to like?
Being married to a trainer, I have had more off the track horses than not. I have always chosen carefully from what was available to me and have rarely been disappointed. |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| We have a trainer here locally who also barrel races, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy one from her as they’re also all started in western tack and many get a refresher course before they list them for sale. Their breeding program reflects a lot of thought into horses that will do well on the track and have career potential after the track as well.
I would likely radiograph more than I may on a lightly started prospect. |
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 Regular
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Location: Central Texas | My gelding passed a vet check coming off the track. Had clean X-rays etc. Still was put down at 16 due to being ate up with arthritis. Track horses live a hard life! He was raced until he was 6. I might consider one that only had a couple outs but even then would be weary. |
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Nut Case Expert
Posts: 9305
Location: Tulsa, Ok | WinningPaints - 2017-09-27 4:13 PM My gelding passed a vet check coming off the track. Had clean X-rays etc. Still was put down at 16 due to being ate up with arthritis. Track horses live a hard life! He was raced until he was 6. I might consider one that only had a couple outs but even then would be weary.
It is not necessarily about being on the track. I have a 34 year old gelding in my barn that ran thru his 6 year old year. He ran 90 speed indexes at every distance run by quarter horses including 870 yds. . He went immediately to the barrel pen and spent 19 years including junior, high school, college and open rodeos and jackpots. He is 100% sound today and could be passed off as a teenager based on his appearance. |
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 Namesless in BHW
Posts: 10368
Location: At the race track with Ah Dee Ohs | SC Wrangler - 2017-09-27 7:27 PM WinningPaints - 2017-09-27 4:13 PM My gelding passed a vet check coming off the track. Had clean X-rays etc. Still was put down at 16 due to being ate up with arthritis. Track horses live a hard life! He was raced until he was 6. I might consider one that only had a couple outs but even then would be weary. It is not necessarily about being on the track. I have a 34 year old gelding in my barn that ran thru his 6 year old year. He ran 90 speed indexes at every distance run by quarter horses including 870 yds. . He went immediately to the barrel pen and spent 19 years including junior, high school, college and open rodeos and jackpots. He is 100% sound today and could be passed off as a teenager based on his appearance.
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 460
| I LOVE track horses also <3 I just treat them the same as any other horse though...definitely have a PPE done! Other than that, maybe find someone that can read a form for you look at the horse's stats as other have said. See if there were any changes in medications, if the horse was ever on the vets list, how often were his works posted, and try to look for something without gate issues!! Like someone else said, you're usually getting a really broke horse for the age! They are exposed to a lot and especially the Qh, they're used to being "lit up" so not much should get to them haha. Buying a warhorse or one that was "raced hard"...look at it like you are buying a futurity horse. There may or may not be maint required depending on how the trainer handled him! =] Best of luck to you! |
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I am your favorite rash and you know it
Location: Being pushed over the edge, NM | A legit off the track horse wouldn't bother me at all, I broker tons of them. Match racers, however, are usually on drugs and they run them into the ground before killing or dumping them. Exams, including drug and hair testing, are always a good idea. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 747
| I think one of the most important things to do when buying off the track is to make sure you just ride the horse for a while before patterning it and adding back speed. We have a friend who has a horse off the track and she didn't spend much time getting him nice and broke before running him. The first couple of runs were alright, but now it's starting to show that he's really just track broke. All he is now is a lot of run. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1440
Location: Texas | I have loved both of mine off the track. I think some lines transition over better but I would not hesitate to get another. My 15 yr old has not had any lameness issues |
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How to you feel about off the track QHs