What happens to all these off track quarter horses?  It doesn't seem like I hear of many of them excelling in the barrel pen.  Am I missing something?  I see lots of home growns killing it and lots of people breeding specifically for barrels doing well but I don't read about many top notch horses with a back story of being bought off the track.  I was thinking this might be a reasonable way to go to get something that is already started but maybe not on the pattern.......

I had two.  They were not easy to contend with.  The racetrack puts habits in them that are hard to break.  They've been traumatized and asked to do things as babies that they shouldn't have to do.  But wow there are some wonderful horses at the track.  You just wish you'd gotten them before they went there, but it's what they were bred for.  

Oh and soundness is often an issue too.  The track is hard on those young legs as well as the mind.

Yep 10000000000000000000% I have had two. Both wonderful , kind horses.... Loved to be patterned, had a good work ethic, but when they were asked for speed, their brains only know ONE speed and a barrel is not often on their mind. LOL Never again! And yes, I bought a DTF off the track sound and cheap but didn't work out. 

Ditto. We breed racehorses and race them untill they are done. Then we train them into barrel horses or we breed them. I currently have 2 that I'm training, but I've trained some for others time to time.

Being honest, it really depends on the horse's track life. 

If you have one that has been raced since a 2 year old and heavily trained as a yearling, you will find that it is quite challenging.

Soundness, ground manners, ulcers, hotness, and the whole "one speed" (galloping) are issues that I and many people run into. 

I have had several. All track rejects. most made barrel horses some where just dinks. I have one right now that was a track reject (won 89.00) but he has won 50,000 in money and prizes as a barrel horse. He is semiretired but he can stiil go get a check at 18 years old. I like off the track horses at least you know they can run. The hard part is finding one that can get up under himself and turn.

I worry about soundness issues, especially if they were trained on really hard to run as 2 year olds. A lot of that depends on the breeder/ owner. If you're in the market for one maybe the thing to do is find someone that knows the track game in their/your area that can help you find a nice prospect. Good luck!

There is so much I love about track horses. Most have a pretty loveable personality and are easy learners. Most also don't have much buck in them, I'd like to know how they train that LOL. The couple I have had were really easy to pattern, in fact sometimes a little lazy. They are playful and willing little creatures.

Cons about them: Once the *racehorse* brain takes over, you may as well just step off. They don't know how to tie, mine pulled back like a b***** almost daily, and he was strong as an ox. Growing some manners takes some work. Soundness yes - you just never know what is going to pop up. There will be quirks when it is time to go fast (i.e. pawing, bouncing the head, bouncing the body). Teach them to back off the bit FIRST, most want to lean

I had a son of Mr. Trucka Jet.  Ran Triple A with a speed index of 93. He had wonderful conformation and was almost too fast for this ole lady (1D-2D).  Such fun to run barrels on and a world of talent but the heat and anxiety outside the arena and even just trying to ride him at home were a chore that never ended.  

No rate, soundness issues and most are too far behind to be a futurity horse.  

.......and all these responses are why this forum is so amazing!!!  I want riding to be fun considering I have to work an office job to pay for it.  Im glad to hear all these opinions/thoughts from other people with lots more experience than me.  I think it would be a crap shoot at best to get one and try to train some rate into it that may never happen.  I will scratch "off track race horse" off my list of possibilities :)  I guess the off track thoroughbreds work well for the English folks because they are not really asking for speed.  Thank you SO MUCH to everyone for their responses.  On to the next one........

Maybe I've been lucky over the last several horses but I LOVE off track horses.

They know how to run, they don't get scared at speed, work ethic for days, and they've been around the block and seen some stuff. Everybody has tied, loaded, stood for the farrier, etc. the first day they came home. A friend had one she had to teach to step over stuff because the mare had never had to step off a curb or been anywhere that wasn't perfectly set up for horses.

Under saddle, they've been soft in the face and a bit lazy but once they learn that the job is to go turn three barrels, they go turn three barrels. You do have to put rate in them but I'm good at that. Its why I don't ride naturally ratey horses. 

Feet usually need rehab and soundness is a roulette game for any horse you buy so I'll take my chances. 

I think one of the horses at the NFR last year was off the track? Can't remember. 

Before "barrel bred" was a thing, off track horses were way more common. 

Yes, there was. His name was Kr Famous Tequila (aka Tequila). He was ridden by Jennifer Sharp in 9 out of the 10 rounds. Tequila is a 9 year old stallion and is bred by  Dash Ta Fame x Tequikillya- Chicks Beduino.

He had 10 starts on the track and only placed 3rd twice. He only made $3,555.

Well dang you've had good luck with them.  How much do they typically sell for?  just a range I know it depends on a lot of factors like breeding, SI, races won etc etc......

Oh yeah! And that wasn't even the one I was thinking of.

Tracy Nowlin's mare, Dolly - didn't she run on the track for a minute? 

For racetrack rejects, I've seen anywhere from $1k to $7k. I paid $3500 for the last gelding I bought. 

I am another who has had great luck with horses off the track.  But I also tend to bring out "ratiness" in horses.  Not something I emphasize, it just happens.  I am also very selective in choosing the horse.  I want to know who/how they have been handled.  There are some trainers I would never want a horse from.  I also want to watch the horse at work.  The demeanor in the paddock and gates can give invaluable insight to a horses brain status.

Sometimes when owner/trainers feel like the horse has accomplished all that he can, they sell them pretty cheap.  

I grew up with OT horses. A lot of these comments are truly ludicrous. It all boils down to how good of a mind they have. A hot, fractious one probably won't make a barrel horse after they get done on the track. Leslie Willis has proven how to be successful with OT horses. Cody Bausserman won FT Smith a few years ago on an Azoom. I'm pretty sure he was OT. Sydney Blanchard has sold some high money earning OT horses as barrel horses that are 1D horses. Her dad runs them, Sydney tries them when they are done. YouTube Zoomin Zorro. Cup Crazy was an OT horse that won a huge barrel race a number of years ago. Seems like there were a few at the NFR last year.

Most of the really good OT ones end up going to Mexico though where they are match raced and never heard of again. Also a lot of successful OT barrel horses  are known by their barn name. 

That was exactly the point that was being made.  It all boils down to the mind and how these horses were handled at the track.  These comments were not ludicrous.  Most are overwhelmed at a very young age.  Naturally there are exceptions.

Speedhorse, May 2020 did an article on OK Black Panther. He ran out almost $55,000. He is now a rodeo specialty act that does all sorts of tricks. He's a really cool horse. 

I have one off the track. Two things to remember:  most are not sound and none of them are broke. Get them broke before you ever start on barrels. When I say broke I don't mean pick up leads and back up. I mean you have control of them from front to back at all speeds. I bought mine from a friend so didn't have him vet checked. He must have a high tolerance for pain because he has kissing spines, chips in his knee and at some point broke one of those big thick forward ribs. He has never made a fuss about going down the alley. Has always gone in and done his job. I have had him 17 years. He is 22. Retired him a few years ago because he deserved it. I forget he is off the track. 

I like OT horses. They know how to run. I also put rate in a horse so it works well for me.

I think most dont take the time to actually get them broke.  That is a huge factor in what they turn into.  

Im still horrified about the comment on the good ones going to match races in Mexico and never being heard from again.  Despite that being true it gave me a sick feeling in my stomach.  It disgusting what people will do to animals for entertainment.  While Im not against horse racing the illegal match races are illegal for a reason. :(

Match racing is illegal?  Do Americans treat horses better than Mexicans??  I'm really scratching my head over this comment.  

Americans don't treat horses any better than Mexicans or anyone else.  I mustve misinterpreted the comment about "never being heard from again" as being the underground type match racing that happens in America and in Mexico where there are no rules. my apologies. 

Match racing is not illegal only betting on them is in most states.

Just going to clarify something since I live in a city and state that is a hotspot for match racing.

Sadly, people with money and horses with an amazing track record take apart of these races. Drugs are a major problem. Both for horses and their humans. Marijuana distribution is big during these races aswell as illegal drugs that can kill a horse within hours. Safety precautions are rarely taken. Equine enfluenza outbreaks are high since rarely anyone properly vaccines their horses. Usually, if you look good enough, there is a pile of deceased horses, all dead from the same reason, drugging and unsoundness.

There is a reason why these tracks are hidden. They are illegal in many states, not only for the amount of money that is distributed, but the drugs, fights, etc.

In conclusion, I have always believed that the people in this particular industry are in it for the money and simply just want to win.

*I am not targeting any race (Mexican was used in earlier posts) nor am I saying to send death, hate threats to these people. This is simply and industry that I (and many others) don't consider to be apart of the horse racing world due to many stated reasons*

Yes, you can blame them. Our parents, teachers, mentors are not responsible for how WE treat our animals. You can change at anytime. No one is locked into it. As Denny Emerson says, and I am paraphrasing it, When you learn better, you do better. I am changing my horsemanship philosophy right now to a new paradigm not shared by a lot of people, but I have learned better and now I am trying to do better. I always treated my horses well, but now I have learned what current science has to offer and I am changing. I knew there haft to be a better way and I finally found it. 

I am sorry if I came out in a way that I sounded that I was blaming their mentors, parents, teachers, etc. I 100% agree with you on the fact that we can change for the better, especially when it comes to our animals and loved ones, even if we weren't taught to do so.

Though I have seen many people change, it really irritates me that many use this as an excuse. Just because it's tradition, doesn't make it okay.

I will try to word things out properly/better. :)

Bravo 

For the record, most AQHA racing has been taken over by Mexicans. Nearly all of the horses running during the Quarter Horse season at Louisiana Downs are owned and trained by Mexicans. They have nice horses and take good care of them. I have a couple of broodmares for sale and would just as soon Mexicans buy them as anyone. There is a match racing track near me and I never hear anything bad about them. I am sure that these races that are not AQHA approved have drugging going on but a lot of the also run in AQHA races. 

Its impossible to generalize about "off track" horses because they are all individuals, just like every other horse on the planet. My OTTB mare is quirky on the ground and ratey on the pattern. Best first barrel ever. You can send her from the hard road and she'll find it. She was tough to get broke (and she's still not broke as nicely as I'd like. We work on it every ride.) but easy to pattern because she thrives on repetition. The QH gelding I have, picked him up at Delta Downs a month after his last race, I had to teach him that he had back legs and he was hard to find a bit for because his mouth was so sensitive. He's turning into a very nice barrel horse that I'll have to rate at the first (which is my favorite. I'm excited about him). And he was harder to pattern because he has the attention span of a fruit fly who gets bored easily. The friend who had to teach the mare to step over stuff? That is the ratiest horse I have ever seen. If you breathe out, she's turning. If you can get her by, she might win the barrel race.

Bottom line is a horse is a horse is a horse whether it was high dollar seller at Myers or it came off the race track. Some are good. Some are bad. Some are sound. Some are not. It all depends on what your threshold is and what works best for you. 

I have had 2 and both turned out to be amazing barrel horses. One was ROM/small stakes winner and the other was a track failure. Even though the one didn't make any money on the track, she would always break first and lead for a while and then peter out at the end. She was killer on small patterns. I do think both of them had great heart and work ethic, but they definitely liked to run and could get a little feisty. I think the best thing we did for them was ranch on them for a couple years. Both of them came to us off the track at 3 and then we rode them in the pasture, worked cows, and got their minds right for several years. Sure, they didn't start running in the 1D until they were 8 or 9, but by then they were solid, relatively sane, and we paid next to nothing for them. I think that's your best bet with one if you want to give it a try. 

I like OTT QHs.  If I didn't breed, I would totally go find some fillies off the track again.  It's all about knowing which bloodline works for you, which ones like to turn, and which ones are trainable.  Honestly, I feel if you are buying any prospect that has had a job before being a barrel horse- be it a cutter, track racing, I'd be equally worried about soundness.  Also, theres plenty of prospects out there that haven't had a job yet that have soundness issues.. so I would just consider that a risk everywhere.  It's honestly a gamble any time you buy anything without x rays. Another reason why I like to buy fillies.. to me the risk is lower if I buy one that ends up having issues.  

Its interesting to hear each of these different perspectives and have things cleared up from people who have experience.  I agree that the horses are a high risk endeavor but clearly its worth the risk or we wouldnt all be doing it.  I may start asking around with some of my connections and see if they know of anyone in the racing business to get legit info on one that might be available.  Im not the lucky person that can show up to an auction and walk away with a gem :) If all the options sound sketchy then Im out and I will turn over a different stone. 

I've had several ~ I'm also guilty of putting too much rate in a horse, so they work well for me.  I've not had any trouble getting one to ride well, but the trailering, tying and on the ground have been a slow go.  Not much for manners, if any.   Do seem to handle different arenas better from the exposure they've already had

What I'm starting to learn, at least my experience has been ~ I would buy one that was successful on the track.  My best horses have been race winners/placers.   The ones that were "also rans" were more difficult to get going and took way longer. 

I have had 1 and would do another in a heart beat!  He is 13 and still running strong!  I like OT because they have a work ethic, they know how to run, and you don't have to spend a lot of money.  My only con would be they usually aren't paid into incentives if you are into the futurity game.  Although, there is 1 producer in MN that partnered with the MN QH Racing Association and pays out $500 added sidepots for retired race horses!

I have one who failed on the track but had shown a lot of quick speed. Just couldn't handle the starting gate pressure. Barrel racing is much more suitable for him because we can kind of pick when we take off and it can be on his terms rather than in a tiny box surrounded by other horses and noises.

He made a rodeo horse FAST.....like in the first 50 runs of his career. Mine handles ground like a mountain goat and never met mud he couldn't stand up on. I also put a ton of rate in mine somehow (I think it's in the water lol) and so I might have the ratiest off the track horse in the world - when we're inside. Outside is another story especially in a big pen with third in the middle of nowhere.....we are totally waving at that as we fly past it!

Though he's a bit hot in the warm up & holding pens, Cliff is an angel at home & at the trailer. He travels easily, isn't rattled by noises, and pays attention when my 1 year old son is walking around under his feet. Miles can even feed him treats (the big ones and only when I help situate them in his hands) and sit on him before & after runs. He already knew how to run and had seen so many things that seasoning was pretty easy.

I'd take another off the track QH in a heartbeat!

Nothing wrong in buying a off track horse, do your homework take the horse and get a vet check as you should with any horse you buy if worried about soundness issues, they are green off track horses so treat them as you would with any unbroke are green horse you buy.. I have seem alot of soundness issues in young horses that never even seen a track, so its always buyer beware thats why there's vet checks.