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Expert
Posts: 1394
  
| What's a good grain to feed them? Mine also went down hill, rough coat and all. She's slowly coming back, I've been feeding her alfalfa and equine sr (just because that's what my other horses eat) but I wonder if there's something better I should be feeding her...? Anything that will get her coat back to slick and shiny? | |
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Expert
Posts: 4766
 
Location: Bandera, TX | Try Renew Gold and whole oats then back off the whole oats as the body becomes accustomed to the RG. Your horse should shine in 6 weeks. I also keep my horses on Vit C for immunity as they are coming off the track vitamins. I've not had any bad results with horses being on good pasture a handful of alfalfa and 1 lb of Renew Gold per day. I'm raising a colt on RG and have a filly and gelding the same age up at our ranch on awesome mineral laden pasture. The colt will be the first in the breaking pen as soon as the heat turns down. He's a hunk but not so much so that I worry about his joints like I do if I bought one out of the race sales.
I can say this about the RG my very high strung blood lines are riding calm cool and collected. I had a bronc that I can't wait to be consistent in my riding and prep for his freshman year in '16-come on fall! | |
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 Expert
Posts: 1857
| Sydney - 2015-08-27 11:44 PM
What's a good grain to feed them? Mine also went down hill, rough coat and all. She's slowly coming back, I've been feeding her alfalfa and equine sr (just because that's what my other horses eat) but I wonder if there's something better I should be feeding her...? Anything that will get her coat back to slick and shiny?
I kept him on whole oats(because that's what I feed and because that is what he was used to), and did Rice Bran, Flax Seed(ground in a coffee grinder), and Alfalfa. Mine crashed like yours. He would have turned around sooner had he not needed to be treated for EPM. I have recently switched him to alfalfa, oats, and Renew Gold, but I almost think he's loosing weight. Not sure if it's the renew gold, cutting out the flax seed, or if it's that I'm not giving him as much Renew as he needs. I'm going to give him a few weeks and play with dosage and see what happens. I might switch him back to the rice bran and ground Flax because he was really blooming on it. | |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 883
Location: Southern Indiana | Sydney - 2015-08-27 11:44 PM What's a good grain to feed them? Mine also went down hill, rough coat and all. She's slowly coming back, I've been feeding her alfalfa and equine sr (just because that's what my other horses eat) but I wonder if there's something better I should be feeding her...? Anything that will get her coat back to slick and shiny?
Tribute Kalm Ultra. It's 12% fat, fiber, and protein has flax and rice bran already added. I just recently switched mine to this and he has filled out beautifully along with alfalfa hay. I also feed Formula 1 Noni. It puts a shiny coat on them! | |
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 Scooters Savior
Location: "Si Fi" Ville | I have had several OTT horses. Putting a stop on one and transitioning from being in the bit can be a little tricky sometimes. | |
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Expert
Posts: 1394
| Thank you for your suggestions! This little mare is way laid back and pretty go with the flow. She likes to look far off in the distance and watch everything and I'm like, "hello, we're working here." If I put her in the round pen first it's not as bad though. I just haven't been riding her because she's so thin and poor looking, I guess I felt sorry for her. Lol, I will try this! Thanks! | |
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 Expert
Posts: 1526
Location: Texas | svincent - 2015-08-27 10:34 AM
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.
I'm glad I'm not the only one! The young ones 2yr olds are usually ok but anything older like coming 3 or something they are pumped up and are just huge like a body builder. They will eventually look similar to that horse after a year but in my experience it takes time and they are strong if they are big like this. I don't like horses off the track to futurity. It's like do one or the other and I have had lots of soundness issues with off the track colts! I just won't do it as tempting as it is! | |
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The Resident Destroyer of Liberal Logic
Location: PNW | mollibtexan - 2015-08-31 4:05 PM
svincent - 2015-08-27 10:34 AM
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.
I'm glad I'm not the only one! The young ones 2yr olds are usually ok but anything older like coming 3 or something they are pumped up and are just huge like a body builder. They will eventually look similar to that horse after a year but in my experience it takes time and they are strong if they are big like this. I don't like horses off the track to futurity. It's like do one or the other and I have had lots of soundness issues with off the track colts! I just won't do it as tempting as it is!
You're definitely not alone!!! Mine is 9 now, he had raced until he was 4, then was a pony horse for a year before coming to my house.
I thought he was dying. I had blood drawn, everything. This was also the same horse that was being terrorized by wild turkeys.....
He's kind of high maintenance. | |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 851
Location: West Texas | What to expect, usually a horse with not much manners, hard mouth, and a tendency to get hot and not think well.
As far as going down hill. Most race horses will go downhill fast when coming off the track. Some will not, depending on the feed program they were on while training and racing. It does not matter what you put them on, they will shed condition, unless you are giving lots of carbs and of course you want to get them off that routine anyway, so they go down hill when you do.
The reason for this is because they are unable to digest and process fiber. They have been given a high grain and carb diet for so long, it has changed the PH of the hindgut and killed much of the bacteria needed for proper digestion. Many have ongoing ulcers and this makes things even worse. So you get a track horse, bring him home and give him all the good stuff that you feed....and he looks like he is starving for months and then slowly comes back. It does not matter what you feed him, he cannot digest it. So the best thing you can do for that is probiotics and prebiotics along with the most highly digestible forage and added fat can help. They will still go down, but not as much and will come back faster. I have had good luck with equilix. Have not used it on track horses, but have seen it help ones that weren't fed quality feed and were poor.
Eventually you can get them to be just as thrifty and healthy as any other horse, but you have to remember that their digestive system is damaged and need to heal and repair. A proper hindgut does not develop overnight. | |
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The Resident Destroyer of Liberal Logic
Location: PNW | Tdove - 2015-09-01 9:27 AM
What to expect, usually a horse with not much manners, hard mouth, and a tendency to get hot and not think well.
As far as going down hill. Most race horses will go downhill fast when coming off the track. Some will not, depending on the feed program they were on while training and racing. It does not matter what you put them on, they will shed condition, unless you are giving lots of carbs and of course you want to get them off that routine anyway, so they go down hill when you do.
The reason for this is because they are unable to digest and process fiber. They have been given a high grain and carb diet for so long, it has changed the PH of the hindgut and killed much of the bacteria needed for proper digestion. Many have ongoing ulcers and this makes things even worse. So you get a track horse, bring him home and give him all the good stuff that you feed....and he looks like he is starving for months and then slowly comes back. It does not matter what you feed him, he cannot digest it. So the best thing you can do for that is probiotics and prebiotics along with the most highly digestible forage and added fat can help. They will still go down, but not as much and will come back faster. I have had good luck with equilix. Have not used it on track horses, but have seen it help ones that weren't fed quality feed and were poor.
Eventually you can get them to be just as thrifty and healthy as any other horse, but you have to remember that their digestive system is damaged and need to heal and repair. A proper hindgut does not develop overnight.
I so agree on your first statement about their behavior. My gelding STILL has days where his behavior is just through the roof, the stud chain has to come out, and he just acts like a complete tyrant. He is really nice most of the time, but when he has a bad day - it is a REALLY bad day.
I treated for ulcers AGGRESSIVELY the moment that he got home to my house, and he gets ulcer prevention daily, along with UlcerGuard during times of super stress. | |
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 Having Smokin Bandits
Posts: 4572
Location: Woodstown, NJ | I've been feeding mine Purina Omolene (I'm old fashioned), rice bran and corn oil (old fashioned again). She is on pasture 24/7 and gets grass hay in case she doesn't want to go out to the pasture when it's buggy. I always want her eating. When I first got her, I also gave her alfalfa hay. She eats a lot of grain. Way more than any of my other horses. I was surprised at how much I had to increase it. But I carefully increased it slowly.
My vet also recommended putting her on an ulcer preventative because she's so hot and sensitive. I haven't gotten to that yet. | |
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Having Smokin Bandits
Posts: 4572
Location: Woodstown, NJ | I should add that the other day I said that even though she is very hot, she is nice and obedient. Well, I must have jinxed myself. Tonight at the barrel trainer's, she was so hyped up that we were afraid she was going to explode. She was refusing to go forward just WALKING around the barrels, was backing up, was getting light on the front end. We didn't know if it had something to do with the barrels, a pain issue, or the banners on the fence. We've been to the trainers four times with her. I was worried seeing her act like this because my daughter is the rider. We worked on simply getting her to calm down and walk quietly around the barrels. She IS in heat. But she's not *****y or squealie so I didn't expect this but I don't know.... | |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 618
| I manage a small breeding farm that also races their own colts! NEVER have we had one fall off and look like crap after bringing them home. I also own several fresh OT horses and not had that problem. When they are at the track they have hay in front of them 24/7 and are also on alfalfa. I guess it depends on what the trainers feeding program is because ours aren't high, unruly and they don't drop off after coming home.
Before ours leave for track we make sure they have all ground manners in tact and load, leaads, clips, ties, farrier, desensitized etc just like if they would be a saddle horse.
Reading some of your stories makes me sad that these horses probably weren't prepared at all BEFORE heading to track and instead just thrown into it. | |
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  Color My World
Posts: 4940
Location: My perfect world bubble | Tdove - 2015-09-01 11:27 AM What to expect, usually a horse with not much manners, hard mouth, and a tendency to get hot and not think well. As far as going down hill. Most race horses will go downhill fast when coming off the track. Some will not, depending on the feed program they were on while training and racing. It does not matter what you put them on, they will shed condition, unless you are giving lots of carbs and of course you want to get them off that routine anyway, so they go down hill when you do. The reason for this is because they are unable to digest and process fiber. They have been given a high grain and carb diet for so long, it has changed the PH of the hindgut and killed much of the bacteria needed for proper digestion. Many have ongoing ulcers and this makes things even worse. So you get a track horse, bring him home and give him all the good stuff that you feed....and he looks like he is starving for months and then slowly comes back. It does not matter what you feed him, he cannot digest it. So the best thing you can do for that is probiotics and prebiotics along with the most highly digestible forage and added fat can help. They will still go down, but not as much and will come back faster. I have had good luck with equilix. Have not used it on track horses, but have seen it help ones that weren't fed quality feed and were poor. Eventually you can get them to be just as thrifty and healthy as any other horse, but you have to remember that their digestive system is damaged and need to heal and repair. A proper hindgut does not develop overnight.
I disagree with this. We take numerous OTTBs and turn them into eventers, we have 8 in the barn right now. Most are given to us for free by trainers looking to find them a job after the track. Some of the things we like MOST about them is they have good mouths (with proper training after the track), aren't spooky, have decent manners, know basic things like how to load, stand to have their feet done, etc. Yes some are hot but some are also lazy. That depends on the individual. My personal horse right now is a 4 yr old TB and he's quiet enough that my 7 yr old daughter can hack him. He's also one of the softest horses I've ever had. The critical part is the rides after the track - those rides need to be with an experienced person with soft, quiet hands. We also start them right after we bring them home unless they need time off for an injury.
Also - Succeed is fantastic for keeping weight on one and fixing hind gut problems. I'm a HUGE believer in it. | |
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 Namesless in BHW
Posts: 10368
Location: At the race track with Ah Dee Ohs | iloveequine40 - 2015-09-03 6:43 AM I manage a small breeding farm that also races their own colts! NEVER have we had one fall off and look like crap after bringing them home. I also own several fresh OT horses and not had that problem. When they are at the track they have hay in front of them 24/7 and are also on alfalfa. I guess it depends on what the trainers feeding program is because ours aren't high, unruly and they don't drop off after coming home. Before ours leave for track we make sure they have all ground manners in tact and load, leaads, clips, ties, farrier, desensitized etc just like if they would be a saddle horse. Reading some of your stories makes me sad that these horses probably weren't prepared at all BEFORE heading to track and instead just thrown into it.
I totally agree here. We've have never had one fall "OFF" after leaving the track. We just sent one home and he is still fat and slick. Guess it depends on the trainer and what their feed/supplement program is. | |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 825
| I expected mine to be used to commotion, flags, noises, stuff life that....NOPE. He is scared of anything and everything!! He was also one of those that looked really good and then fell off big time. Finally looking like a horse now after 8 months of good feeding and riding. | |
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Member
Posts: 5
| I have an OTT mare and I was having problems keeping her attention. She would be fine, and then lose it midway through a ride. I tried everything I could think of. She was always pushy and hot.
I was boarding her at an English facility, and a gal there suggested a "neck stretcher". Worked wonders!!! It keeps her head from getting too high, but doesn't give her anything to brace against like a martingale or tie down. It seems to keep her focused because she's fighting herself, instead of me. It's great because it's like a large bungee cord and gives immediately and I don't have to constantly pull on her.
I'm not sure if anyone else has tried one, but it slowed her down and made a new horse out of her. Now she's progressing very quickly. I highly suggest trying one for a hard faced, hot, unfocused spooky horse.
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 618
| Listen people these are still babies at 2 and 3. Yes they are exposed to a lot but not everything. Their training, workouts, feeding, handling is timed, specific and in "controlled" situations often with blinkers/blinders whatever you want to call them. As barrel racers or working horses we slow them down so they are able to take in more thus be distracted and or spooked. At the track it's faster paced works, they go to the track back to the barn with a pony horse, washed, walker, stall.They even warm them up in shed row before race. Everything is very structured unlike barrel races, playdays or rodeos where you have banner on wall, kids, dogs and possibly other livestock running amuck. Trainers and handlers aren't getting paid to teach them manners so if they don't conform, then it's a lot of a$$ whippings and they learn to fight back and are then labeled "unruly" my advice, be careful who you buy from!
At my farm it is my mission to prepare them for the track by teaching them ground manners, to tie, lead, load all the things a trainer isn't getting paid for! Have had great success with it and all of them have been easy to start over as saddle horses after they come home. We handle ours from day one! It doesn't take very much time. Investing 5/10 minutes a day is all that's needed at first and then they WANT you brushing and handling them. Just some food for thought | |
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Member
Posts: 11
| In my experience with horses it all depends on how the horse is treated from birth until race training begins. I have them hot as on can be (the ones I buy) or pretty calm horses. You will know more after a little time to get the legal drugs and high powered feed and supplements out of their system. Most large ranches have little time to spend time with little ones. And they don't believe in any handling unless they have to. I think regardless of the situation it depends on the horse, the early imprint, and patients. Catchmeinyourdreams won 1.1 million on the track retired at 9 and now he is teaching Kirk Goodfellow's grandchildren how to ride. The ride him bare back with just a halter out in the pasture. | |
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