What is an OTTB?

 

If you are new to the horse world, and have been looking for a horse to purchase as your very own, you will definitely (unless looking for a wild horse at an auction etc.) find lots of adds with the title, "OTTB." And you might be thinking, what's an OTTB, here's exactly what it is: 

An OTTB is; an Off Track ThoughBred! That's exactly what it is, and now your probably wondering, what's an off track thoroughbred? An Off Track Thoroughbred is a Thoroughbred that was used for the horse racing industry and is now "off the track." (The racing track) Meaning, they are finished/retired racing. 

OTTB's are generally quite cheap, ranging from $1,00-$3,000. The reason behind this is that OTTB's are not like your average general riding horses:

First, they are not good first-time horses, they are more for experienced horse owners/riders. The reason for this is because they are really strong and can be very hard to handle and control. These strong horses are used to galloping at full speed, they aren't' taught like most other horses, to walk, trot, canter. They usually only know gallop, and walk. And they are taught to straight away bolt at an open gate and sometimes at the sound of a gunshot. These horses are also never handled a lot, so they are usually really head-shy, and very spooky. Because of this, only people who are really experienced and know what they're doing should ride and own an OTTB. 

Now the second reason why OTTB's are so cheap is because they need to be "re-trained." These horses as I said previously are only used to walking a little, (but keep in mind that they are lead most of the way on a lead rope while walking) then galloping at full speed to win a race! They haven't ever been taught and trained to just do 'pleasure riding,' and just general riding, like walking on command, trotting on command, and cantering on command. And other activities like jumping, pole work, weaving in and out of cones, circles etc. So if you were to buy one of these horses, you would definitely need to "re-train" it, and that isn't always easy, and it's a lot of work. 

With getting an OTTB, there is also a higher risk of getting injured around one of these horses, and falling off in the process of re-training it to be ridden for general and pleasure riding. These horses are very strong and usually forward-going, very spooky and head-shy, unless they were handled and cared for nicely. But just because OTTB's can be hard to train, I'm not saying you can't do it. I'm just saying, only experienced horse riders/trainers/owners should ever attempt at either just re-training one for someone, or buying one and training if for yourself to ride. In fact, in good loving, and experienced hands, a lot of these horses once re-trained are really lovely, loyal and enjoyable horses to ride, handle and be around. 

I hope you found this article helpful. :) 

If your horse is suspected with a health issue, consult your vet straight away.

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