Cross Breeds - Would you have future problems if buying an ex race horse?

Would you have future problems if buying an ex race horse?

Looking online at horses for sale I see a lot of ex race horses for sale which are pretty cheap. They are ex because they are retired, no injuries or anything. Do they not make good pet (riding) horses or something?

Public Comments

Most of them make great horses after their racing careers. They usually excel in eventing, jumpers, or dressage. Some of them aren't for beginners, thats why they get a bad rep. But OTTB's are great.
They are great horses but a majority of the time they're very high strung and people don't like that. It takes awhile for them to "chill out" i guess you could say most of the time. And some people just don't like to deal with that. But they have they're advantages: They normally trailer, walk, and behave great. Since they have been on racetracks, in front of big crowds, etc, they are very desensitized to a lot of things. I have an ex racehorse and it took her about 3-4 months to completely "chill". She is now as mellow as ever, and lovees to jump.
I looked into buying a racehorse once, they can't make great horses! A lot of people change them into flat showing horses (basically showing but not show jumping). However, they take quite a bit of work because they only know one thing at the moment and that's to race, that's why they're cheap and they're also not fast enough to become top racehorses.
Race horses have tough lives. They are worked very hard for very long and are often mistreated. This leads to allot of problems dealing with the horse, personality wise and health wise. A ex race horse will often be extremely tempermental and high-strung, making them hard to handle. Also, with all of the tough racing they've done, it can lead to serious health issues later on in life dealing mainly with their bones.
As an OTTB owner, I wouldn't recommend buying a TB off the track unless you have the ability to do an extensive pre-purchase exam, and even then, be weary. Most OTTBs are extremely athletic, and fairly trainable. However, a potential buyer needs to keep in mind that they work hard when they're very young, and it can be very detrimental structurally. While some horses will have proof the wear and tear, others might only show it on x-ray, and still others might not become a problem until they naturally begin to deteriorate (arthritis, etc). That being said, there are many that come off the track entirely sound and ready for their next career, and will last just as long doing it. I had a OTTB I did jumpers on until he was 23, but have had two others that had to be retired well before they should have had they never been on the track. ETA: In their defense, a thoroughbred is a thoroughbred no matter what you dress it in. Besides Arabians, they're the only other breed that is entirely hot-blooded, and most act accordingly. However, many of them are used to the crowd and commotion - after all, they've been on the race track. When trained appropriately, they're fairly easy to retrain (keep in mind the concept of leg will likely need some work) and are naturally able to balance themselves better than a horse that hasn't been on the track. Not to mention, most already have some concept of a flying lead change. There will be things you'll have to be careful about, like foxhunting. Open spaces where you intend to gallop should be treated cautiously at first, but again, many retrain entirely, and could easily be your next cross-country horse.
Horses aren't really considered "pets." Horses must be boarded and fed, watered, and groomed daily. Their room and board is expensive. These thoroughbreds are very "spirited" or hyper, however you want to put it. Extremely proficient riders are usually mounted on these former race horses. They must be "retrained" for a more "relaxed" career after they're retired from racing. The Amish in our area buy and train these horses for use with their buggies. They are experts with horses and have been around horses their entire lives. Unless you have someone train this type of horse for you, you could end up getting hurt trying to ride it. There's a reason these animals sell cheaply. They are born and bred for a single purpose, and now they are no longer needed for racing competition. Once they are sold, they are someone else's problem. Most of your future problems would be with veterinarian bills. I've had relation that had a stable of race horses. The horses can compete maybe once or twice per week during the season. The other 5 days they just eat and likely need a visit from the vet...usually an expensive visit! If you have a friend that has a farm where you could stable the horse reasonably and know someone who would be willing to "retrain" the horse, you may enjoy having one. Best of luck whatever you decide.
It all depends on A) How experienced you are B) What type of racing the horse has done C) Its temperament Generally speaking yes, there will be problems - that is why they are so cheap. As for no injuries, that only a vet can tell unless it has obvious signs like a bowed tendon.
They can make great mounts if properly retrained. Most OTTB's are green broken at best and have only ever been exercised in the morning and brought out for races. Therefore their life revolves around a very strict timetable and they generally only ever see a track. There can be a lot of injury issues with tendons and arthritis later on in life also due to the fact that they were started into strenuous work at such a young age. A lot can also have severe separation anxiety. After saying all of that I have re homed two of them and they are brilliant. With a little TLC, daily doses of MSM and a lot of farrier work they are turning out very nicely. They do take a lot of work as you generally have to start from scratch but if you have the time, experience and resources it is well worth while. I would not recommend them to a novice rider in any circumstance.
People often ask me about the price of buying a horse. I try to remind them gently to be careful of looking at the purchase price, because it's like estimating the cost of marriage by looking at the price of the marriage licence or the hiring of a preacher. You are correct to wonder what is involved in converting a racer. Just for one example: Their original training is that pulling on the reins signals "more speed" whilst in your own riding you expect it to mean "whoa".
Many were not fast enough or had too severe an injury to continue their racing life. These horses have to have a lot of training to be a riding horse when they leave the track. Track life is horrible and damages these horses at several levels. You are always accepting a higher risk in many different areas when you take on a former track horse. I own an OTTB and he is my heart on four legs but he is a wonderful horse but has been and always will be challenging. These horses are not for everyone, certainly not a first time owner horse. There is an excess of all horses in the market but the racing industry always fills the voids with their discards. They produce these horses with no regard for what happens to them if they do not find them useful. The horses are just dumped, usually at rescues. This is why they are so "cheap". Let me assure you, they are anything but cheap when you look at the big picture.
OTTBs are great horses, i have one (as a lease) myself. They are generally very athletic, and excel in hunter, jumper, eventing and dressage. There are a few problems with them though. One is that they tend to be very high strung, and thus can be difficult horses and not appropriate for beginners. There is also the fact that they have to be completely retrained, and that takes both a lot of time and, if you need a professional trainer, a lot of money. Another problem i that the track life is very strenuous, especially because the horses are raced so young, and this makes them much more prone to injury or physical deterioration down the line. Finally TBs in general are a bit high maintenance; they have thin skin which makes them more susceptible to cold and more likely do develop sores or rubs from everyday things, they have high metabolisms making it difficult to keep weight on them, and they are not known to have the toughest feet which can lead to problems. All things considered though, the off track thoroughbred is a great horse and can take you far in almost any direction.
They can, but as a general rule, they are not for everybody. Reconditioning a racehorse takes a lot of time and skill. And many do have health and soundness issues. There are far more of them available than people who want to buy a horse, add to that that many buyers may want a more beginner horse, less of a project, a horse better suited to a certain discipline. It's not that they are bad horses, just that not every horse owner wants or can handle an OTTB. Surely there are some out there who will eventually make calm beginner horses, and many that won't have health issues, but they all will require a lot of work to get started. Personally, that's not something I want to deal with right now. I have had OTTB's before, good and bad experiences. Right now I need a horse I can go out and enjoy, that is relatively safe, and is OK if I can only ride him a few times a week.
Most ex race horses make awesome show-jumping and eventing horses after their racing careers. They are being sold really cheap because all they no how to do is race. To gallop and stop. They have to be fully retrained and that takes a lot of work. it's almost like breaking them in again. That's why they are so cheap.
Yes, they can be trained for pleasure, trail and jumping. My 2 nieces even train them to run barrels.
yes if you know how to train them into different riding styles again, its almost like breaking them as if they was a foal. a racehorse is only taught how to trot and canter so you need to start from the basics.
They are cheap because they have been trained in a totally different way to that of a riding horse. They are mostly very well handled but have not been trained to walk, trot, canter and jump in the way that a riding horse would have been. They have different muscles developed to that of a riding horse as well- when racing the speed is the most important factor but in dressage the horse has to be collected and build up the muscles along the back and in the neck. There is usually a reason they are retired from racing such as being too old (which will put the price down even though, relatively they are usually not very old), injuries especially in their legs which are thinner than other breeds and because they are not fast enough. Once retrained racehorses are brilliant for lots of different disciplines but they are not a good idea to get as a first horse because of the huge changes they have to go through in training as well as their general routine which is very ordered in a racing yard.
No, it just means that they weren't good at racing or was just time for them to end their career. The only thing with ex-racehorses is that they need a lot more training than horses who haven't raced (depending on how long they have been out of racing usually) and aren't i deal first horses. <-- theoretically Saying that my current/first horse is an 16.2 ex- hurdler and is sweet as pie; so it just depends on the horse! <-- from experience