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| just wanted to know what to expect when getting one OTT, one with 4 outs? (try to make a barrel horse) |
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 You get what you give
Posts: 13030
  
Location: Texas | I like getting mine off the track. sometimes they come with lameness issues, and sometimes they have some behavioral things to work with. All of mine except for one crazy one have been great... calm, handled the barrel races fine, very talented. Some can be hot but mine have all either came to me fairly gentle or gentled down pretty fast. I haven't had one that was a nut except for the one I got rid of pretty fast. I would get another one OTT in a heart beat. I do only get mares off the track in case there is something that I missed that would affect their career.
Edited by casualdust07 2015-08-26 5:58 PM
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Nut Case Expert
Posts: 9305
Location: Tulsa, Ok | It is not a one size fits all answer. IT is going to depend on the horses mind and who/how they have been broke and handled. |
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 Namesless in BHW
Posts: 10368
Location: At the race track with Ah Dee Ohs | SC Wrangler - 2015-08-26 6:06 PM It is not a one size fits all answer. IT is going to depend on the horses mind and who/how they have been broke and handled.
^^^This. Be selective of who you purchase from (trainer wise) and do your homework. |
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You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | total performance - 2015-08-26 7:14 PM
SC Wrangler - 2015-08-26 6:06 PM It is not a one size fits all answer. IT is going to depend on the horses mind and who/how they have been broke and handled.
^^^This. Be selective of who you purchase from (trainer wise) and do your homework.
Yep, I have a close friend I get mine from or she does some digging for me |
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 Expert
Posts: 1526
Location: Texas | Make sure you don't get one with a huge neck and be forewarned they will look like crap after about 3 months and will take a while to start looking better.
Edited by mollibtexan 2015-08-26 9:24 PM
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Expert
Posts: 1314
Location: North Central Iowa Land of white frozen grass | Explain that Molli. I am from Iowa and we don't have race tracks here.
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You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | its the idea that they are hopped up on vitamins and whatever else and when you take them off they look crappy.
I haven't personally had that happen to me, but I haven't ever taken one directly from the track to my house. |
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Nut Case Expert
Posts: 9305
Location: Tulsa, Ok | casualdust07 - 2015-08-26 9:38 PM its the idea that they are hopped up on vitamins and whatever else and when you take them off they look crappy. I haven't personally had that happen to me, but I haven't ever taken one directly from the track to my house.
I have brought plenty direct from the track and have never had one fall apart. I am sure that could happen if you just completely ditched the feeding and exercise program. |
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Nut Case Expert
Posts: 9305
Location: Tulsa, Ok | BS Hauler - 2015-08-26 9:26 PM Explain that Molli. I am from Iowa and we don't have race tracks here.
UMM Prairie Meadows in in Iowa. The quarter horse meet is running right now. |
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Expert
Posts: 4766
Location: Bandera, TX | I've had the same experience as Molly. They get lots of "goods" under some trainers and if you cold turkey take them off they can fall apart. Now horses on just great nutrition I don't have them fall apart.
My husband and I used to take in many two and three year old horses from our three local tracks and we rode them on the ranch between their meets. Those colts did very well maturity wise when they went back to the training stable. I think they loved being turned out onto endless pasture and running into creeks to drink-they were horses and were kept inline by alpha mares or the stud colts by a mean old gelding.
When I had owners that wanted me to turn OTT horses into a barrel horse I would evaluate their way of going when we worked cattle or goats and a month of pasture riding. I could usually tell how they would turn out in that time period. I introduced them to the pattern about 2-3 months after ranch riding. They would go with my open horses to the barrel races and learn to stand at the trailer and I would ride them after shows/rodeo in the arena. When they were at the 3-4 month mark I could tell most owners if the horse has it to make a barrel horse. I had a few that stunk at barrel racing but boy did they make great team penning horses and a few rope horses.
I really believe if you have the room turning them out gives them a huge emotional release. |
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Member
Posts: 49
Location: In the saddle enjoying the East Texas sky | I have bought a few off the track and have been lucky. They have all been calm, not buddy sour, and not spooky. I did buy a mare off the track who could not back off a trailer for whatever reason. Drove me absolutely nuts. I also find that sometimes they have a hard time going to the right and I have to do a lot of work in that direction. Just like any equine discipline you can't expect anything cookie cutter it all depends on what the horse has been exposed to. |
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I AM being nice
Posts: 4396
Location: MD | I love to get them off of the track. I think my experience working on the track has helped me to be able to transition horses from race training to new lives more easily. I find most often that horses who "crash" after some time off of the track do so because people like to give them time to "let down". These horses have become very used to a very stringent routine. They eat large amounts of grain and protein, are in a strenuous and structured work routine and they come to thrive on it. When you turn them out and leave them to "just be horses" they fall apart.
I like that they have learned to be handled, have seen the sights and already know how to run. I've actually had quite a few of them turn out to be very worky barrel horses. You have to take a bit of time to teach them a different set of basics than many get on the track, but I tend to go about it in the same way that I would with any young horse. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 618
| My entire string is off the track and I work for the breeders that raised them. So much depends on how they're handled when they're babies and at that track. At our farm we handle them extensively and before they even leave to go to sale or track they bathe, load, clip, tie, stand for farrier, go on the walker etc. For me if they are 2 yr olds when I get them I kick them out until they are 3 but still handle them. None of ours are crazy and we've never had one fall apart after bringing themh home. My oldest gelding DID have a bad experience at the track bc the trainer owners used when he was in training was a freaking IDIOT. He is a little quirky but is a solid 1/2 D horse. I ALWAYS start them completely over from the ground before making them into saddle horses.
And as someone mentioned, be careful who you buy from. The backside of the track is a shady place |
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 Expert
Posts: 1857
| mollibtexan - 2015-08-26 9:22 PM
Make sure you don't get one with a huge neck and be forewarned they will look like crap after about 3 months and will take a while to start looking better.
man do they go down hill!!! It's been almost a year and he's finally looking good. The first 6 months he looked horrible and felt horrible. |
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The Resident Destroyer of Liberal Logic
Location: PNW | mollibtexan - 2015-08-26 7:22 PM
Make sure you don't get one with a huge neck and be forewarned they will look like crap after about 3 months and will take a while to start looking better.
Ditto this.
It took my OTT gelding probably six months to start looking good again after the three-month meltdown. I have no idea what they had him on, but when he came to my house and no longer had it - he turned to crap fast. Dropped weight, got really coarse coat, feet got chippy - it was horrible.
He gained back all his weight and beauty being on 24/7 turnout on BEAUTIFUL pastures, free choice alfalfa, and 2 lbs of Renew Gold. The only supplement I give him is THE Muscle Mass. He is a hard keeper, but on this program he really blossomed, and then stayed looking good. |
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Expert
Posts: 2531
Location: WI | As others have said, who you buy an OTT from will make a world of difference. I've only purchased one (for sale in my siggy) in Dec, so maybe he had his comedown time, if at all, before I got him. He was in great shape! I had a barrel bred horse before him and I would take a track horse over the barrel bred horse any day!
If they have raced and won, they can handle the pressure and stress of training and competing - and that gets you a long way when you are trying to make a futurity or rodeo horse. That was the biggest difference I noticed, because I can't pick that out in a 3yo prospect with 60 days on them.
Okay, what to expect. Mine had less than desirable ground manners and would spook when riding in an arena with other horses and they would come at him or pass him. He grew out of these fairly quickly, but I think those might be typical. Overall, they are easy to work with and trainable.
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Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7268
| I like the fact that they have been exposed to crowds, a lot of noise, action, etc.
One of mine would spook when another horse got close when I was in the warm up pen - either passing or coming too close towards us. It took quite a while for this one to come off his "track high" but he's turned out to be a real jam up horse.
I always have found that the ones with a slower speed index made the better barrel horse for me but that's just me.
I always turned them out for a couple months upon purchase off the track.
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 Coyote Country Queen
Posts: 5666
| My 2 year old recently came home from the trainer's, and he never lost any condition or looked poor. So I would assume that the particular trainer and their program will have a big impact on how they transition.
I have only ridden one off the track. Bought her as a broodmare, but after we were unable to get her back in foal we decided to ride her. Sent her for 30 days with a guy that had experience with OTT horses. We used her to take care of pasture cattle, and although she had no cow sense she was very willing and actually really fun to ride outside. I put her on the pattern and liked how well she handled the run and new arenas. She would calmly walk to the gate, wait until I asked her to run, and then calmed right back down. She was a little quirky on the ground. Not very friendly or easy to catch, hated her head being messed with especially when it came to oral meds, and she would paw and occasionally set back when tied. All of those things improved with work and time. I have a couple other broodmares OTT and they all have good ground manners, although one has some head issues. |
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 Having Smokin Bandits
Posts: 4572
Location: Woodstown, NJ | I'm glad to read this thread. We got our first OTT horse. She didn't come right off the track. They were doing "back alley races" with her for a couple of years and then she was sold to the owner's friend who is a dealer. She did go downhill. Or at least she was downhill when I got her. I think it's because she's a hard keeper, as I was told a lot of racehorses are, and the dealer didn't realize just how much feed she needs. I've had her four or five months now and she's just starting to look good. She is very hot but she is very obedient. She didn't know a lot of basics when we got her like backing but she never says no and picks it all up real fast. I know the main thing I have to worry about with her is keeping her head right because she is real sensitive so we're being real careful. She is an absolute joy to have around so I don't want to mess up. |
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