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Regular
Posts: 87
  
| What are your thoughts on Thoroughbreds from the track for barrels? Obviously soundness is a concern, but if you had one who was completely sound, do they turn into competitive barrel horses? Anyone with experience with them? I know you can find a lot for extremely cheap if I looked hard enough, some even given away. Thanks for the input! |
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 Dancing in my Mind
Posts: 3062
    Location: Eastern OH but my heart is in WV | Yes, OTTB can make good barrel horses. I have seen some very nice success stories. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 411
    Location: Smack in the middle of WA! | I recently got my first ott quarterhorse and she is a ton of fun! She's pretty hot but has great transitions and has really taken to the barrels. I've had a few ott thoroughbreds but wasn't barrel racing at the time. I basically got them going good and sold them. |
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 You get what you give
Posts: 13030
     Location: Texas | I've really enjoyed my OTT quarter horses. Especially my mare Zoom. She's pretty laid back and easy going at the house. Going to the barrel race will get her a little on the muscle but even then she's pretty much normal and pleasant at the races. Rodeos kind of scared her a little last year, but she's also young. |
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 Veteran
Posts: 193
    Location: USA | My dad recently bred my consistent 1D barrel horse so I now didn't have my fast quarter horse to ride in the rodeos coming up. And I didn't want to take away from the baby. So we have like 4 horses at another pasture about an hour away. I rode my TB mare before and got her doing well on her basics but then our farrier left a little piece of nail in her hoof making her unsound for at least 6 months or more! So I couldn't ride her that's why we left her at the pasture, but now she's fine I just recently brought her back to ride her and tune her for barrels this year and I have to say every TB I've ever rode has been very smart, willing and they want to please you. Although you kinda have to like free runners I've never really have a TB get down in the dirt like my QH's do.(If you like cow-bred horses) Mine have also been a little hard to keep weight on but I feed mine Nurtrena, ProForce and they seem to gain weight instantly, it's a really good feed for them. |
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The Resident Destroyer of Liberal Logic
   Location: PNW | My OTQH is in training right now and doing AWESOME. He has lots and lots and lots of talent..... But gets obsessive about scary things.
LikeOhMyGodthatthingoverthereisgoingtoeatmeandicantfocusonanythingelseexceptthatterrifyingthingoverthere!!!!! Barrel what barrel? |
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 Expert
Posts: 1732
     Location: Boonies, IL | RodeoRider97 - 2014-01-24 9:45 AM
My dad recently bred my consistent 1D barrel horse so I now didn't have my fast quarter horse to ride in the rodeos coming up. And I didn't want to take away from the baby. So we have like 4 horses at another pasture about an hour away. I rode my TB mare before and got her doing well on her basics but then our farrier left a little piece of nail in her hoof making her unsound for at least 6 months or more! So I couldn't ride her that's why we left her at the pasture, but now she's fine I just recently brought her back to ride her and tune her for barrels this year and I have to say every TB I've ever rode has been very smart, willing and they want to please you. Although you kinda have to like free runners I've never really have a TB get down in the dirt like my QH's do.(If you like cow-bred horses) Mine have also been a little hard to keep weight on but I feed mine Nurtrena, ProForce and they seem to gain weight instantly, it's a really good feed for them.
Lol my OTTB is the complete opposite of a free runner. He's going through some basics right now since the previous owner blew him up pretty bad, but I think in a few more months he will be good to go. He just lost his confidence and got pretty gate sour. He has been more of a hard keeper then my QH but nothing extreme. He was clocking solid 2d-3d times with a rider who didn't benefit him at all. He's got a lot of heart and a sweet personality.
Edited by horsekid14 2014-01-25 1:19 PM
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Regular
Posts: 87
  
| I have 1 more question, do they often make 1D horses? That would be my ultimate goal if possible, so can they be competitive? |
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 Veteran
Posts: 193
    Location: USA | I would have to say that depends on how much heart and try the horse has. As well as you wanting it bad enough to win. Your horse has to want it to and has to be confident in his abilities as well as you. Most TB's I've seen have been VERY consistent 2D horses but the riders I watch in the video aren't pushing them hard enough it looks like their legs are frozen when coming back home or in between barrels. But TB's are producing 15-17 second runs which is pretty dang good :) They can also make pretty good pole bending horses as well. My OTTB is competitive and wants to give me all she's got, But you have to do a lot of re-training work like stopping, lol :D |
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