So often I hear a laundry list of things someone wants in a horse they are looking to buy/adopt.

It puts me in mind of the TV shows that feature a couple w a specific budget and amenities they want in their new house, and when they go out looking, most of it is out of budget. So the question is, do they do with less, go over budget, or just keep looking?

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When adults are about to embark on buying their first horse, or their first horse in many years, the goals are often lofty.

Maybe they want to jump, or start taking dressage lessons or maybe they even want to do a local show or compete on a higher level.

I have seen many people get horses or start leasing horses and 6 months or even a few years in, really not go their original direction. Its not uncommon to see people pick a discipline and a trainer, maybe switch trainers a few times, maybe switch disciplines, maybe fall or get hurt, perhaps lose confidence, or their horse gets injured, and that thing they wanted the horse for, is not longer a thing they want or can do.

They send the horse to a trainer
They may sell the horse and get a new one or not get one at all
They keep the horse as a companion and no longer ride
They search for a rescue to take the horse

Those are some common options, I am sure there are more!

When we as humans, imagine the future, we generally see it a bit lopsided. Mostly pros, with maybe a con or two thrown in there for good measure. But quickly we forget about the cons, push them aside, and forge ahead. The issue is that many of the cons materialize, and rear their ugly right from the get go. If we are busy, have jobs, have families, soon the time required to care, ride, train, take lessons, gets tough to fit in, for what we actually need to do. It can become a bit of a weight and stress with all of the responsibility and a little less of a joy if you don’t have a great set up or support system. And don’t get me started on the costs that can be underestimated. That first time that horse sticks his leg thru a fence, colics, or just decides to get a mysterious illness, well all I can say is you will learn soon enough. So horse ownership can become tough early on.

Example – someone is hoping to get back into jumping after a long time off, and now has taken the leap into horse ownership, they are now also responsible for the horses care and training – thats a big commitment. It’s no longer the instructors horse, or the friends horse, or the lease. horse. Pretty much 100 percent of how that horse goes now falls under your responsibility. Even if you board the horse, you are still responsible for picking the right boarding facility, ensuring the correct stabling and diet, correct well fitting tack, veterinary care and farrier work. It’s no longer just showing up to ride. If they are at your house, times a million

Now they realize that it really has been a long time and lessons are in order. For them and for the horse. But to be serious as a jumper, that might be 3-5 lessons a week. Your instructor now requires of a certain number of lessons per week, and for a certain number of months etc. So you are now locked in. Some instructors may require you to show. Thats a big chunk of change. Now you need even fancier tack and fancier clothing, and by fancy I mean expensive. Do you need a trailer to haul your horse? Do you need a hotel room and food to be gone for multiple days? Show fees? Trainer Fees, I mean you just wanted to get a horse and learn to jump, so how did you get to where you are spending more than a mortgage on a waterfront mansion?

And that is assuming the horse is actually fit and sound and able to jump. We get so many calls from people who have gotten horses that are not what they were told. Previous injuries, older than expected, a lot less training than advertised, so now they have a horse that can’t physically do what they want- maybe ever. Most horse are sold “as is” So I would say – Now what? Refer to that list above!

Maybe if you could do it all over again, you would just want a horse you could ride. And have fun. And still be able to eat more than Ramen. Less structured goals and more actually enjoying your horse. However that looks to you. Its certainly different for everyone.

The horses we have are just those horses, the ones that are suited for the casual rider. They won’t go on to compete, they can’t jump, they can’t barrel race, and no high level dressage, but rather a horse that you are happy to have, and maybe with some lessons, you might find that you get a long just fine. A horse you are comfortable with. That horse that you go for a sunset ride on, the horse you meet friends on trail with, that horse you go swimming with, that horse you learn to do some obstacles with, or liberty, or scent training or any million of things where you just have fun.

That doesn’t mean you don’ have to know what you are doing, or that the horses we have require no training, but rather with some common sense, time spent learning what the horse knows, what they might need to learn, and what you might need to learn right along with them, its totally possible to just have an amazing horse that loves to go for a ride and enjoy your time together

It’s much more rewarding to get the horse that you love. The horse that stirs your soul, that makes you laugh every day, and fills your life with joy. Life’s too short for anything else. Go ride, or don’t ride, but have fun, and love the horse that ends up being yours. It might not be the journey you expected, but it still can be really one of the most wonderful things you have ever done.

I had someone write us, looking for a working student position and one thing she said was that she knew about horses, but wanted to learn about handling Thoroughbreds, she had not had experience with that yet.   

And that is an interesting talking point – are they different?   What I personally find, assuming they are working w horses off the track, they are generally young.  But they are big.  Most people that see them, assume they are older, and not really babies.  And I have found most people are not used to handling young horses. Much less big ones. 

They can be not only energetic, but also very playful.  Curious, wanting to explore.  Knowing there are “rules” but quickly start to test boundaries if they are not kept relatively firm.   And by firm, I don’t mean that you are rough w the horse, just really consistent.  

I find on average, the horses that come from the track, the young have really good manners.  They have been handled by professionals all of their lives.  But when they go to an amateur owner (which most of us are).  They can go downhill really quick, like any other horse, but w their age, that can happen even faster.  They are still in learning mode.  

So it just makes one puzzle, are they really “different” to handle than any other horse, or do you just end up w less experienced people handling a big young horse and expecting it to act like the older horse they have owned or leased or ridden.  

We all recognize a puppy or a young dog vs a middle age dog, but how many people really recognize instantly the traits of a young horse. Starting to attribute their behavior to breed instead of age?

While there are plenty of older OTTB’s out there, most commonly I hear stories and when I ask what age the horse is, they were fairly young, so I think maybe people are meeting young horses most often as their first “Thoroughbred” experience   

We have had so many fantastic young horses here, but really they have seen so much at the track, and had professionals their entire lives, we find them to be so good natured and easy to handle, but consistency, consistency, consistency… 

What are your thoughts? 

Young “HE’S THE ONE” giving a riding lesson to a student.  He was just 4! She was brand new to riding and he was such a good boy. Thoroughbreds have huge hearts and are full of try. Mismanagement can and does happen. Check out Put in the Effort to learn how often, with no intention at all, things can start to go sideways.

Unveiled in August 0f 2021, we are offering once again the best two days you will ever spend learning about working in the horse industry.


We are a rehab center and see our share of neglect and injuries. This is a great class to take if you want a job as a barn manager, vet tech, or want to start a horse rescue.

Learn about the care, handling and the daily issues that come with handling a large number of horses, managing their feed and care, neglect and injury issues, and learning to recognize potentially life saving conditions. There is just so much to learn!

Dates
Jan 15-16th
9am-2pm
Cost $248

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I had someone write us, looking for a working student position and one thing she said that struck me, is that a she knew about horses, but wanted to learn specifically how to handle Thoroughbreds. She had not had experience with them yet.

And that is an interesting talking point – are they different?

What I personally find, assuming they are working w horses off the track, that generally they are working with a young horse. Most people see a big Thoroughbred and assume they have matured, they don’t see them as babies. And I have found most people have not had experience handling young horses (in general), much less big ones.

Young horses can be not only energetic, but very playful. Curious. Wanting to explore. Knowing there are “rules” but quickly start to test boundaries if they are not kept relatively firm. And by firm, I don’t mean that you are rough with the horse, just really consistent.

I find on average, the horses that one to us right from the track, are young and have great manners. They have been handled by professionals all of their lives. But when they go to an amateur owner (which most of us are) they can go downhill really quick. Just like any other horses but w young horses especially, it can happen faster than you might expect! They are still learning how the world works.

So it just makes one puzzle, are they really “different” to handle than any other horse, or are people dealing w a young horse but somehow not factoring that into the equation? We all recognize a puppy or a young dog as to how it compares to a middle age dog, but how many recognize the traits of a young horse? Maybe attributing some behavior as breed specific, not age.

While there are plenty of older OTTB’ out there, most of the stories I hear are actually about the. young ones. But they don’t say its because the horse was young, its because its a Thoroughbred or because its a race horse or because it just came from the track. I don’t doubt that they have some pent up energy from the track, but much of that is about being stalled w limited to no turn out unless they are given time off on a farm.

We have had so many fantastic young horses here, but really they have seen so much at the track, and been handled correctly their whole lives, we find them to be so good natured and east to hand, but consistency, consistency, consistency.

Most people who know Thoroughbreds often describe them as having huge hearts, tons of try, and smart.

No two horses we have had are the same, they are all individuals. So its not fair to paint them w the same brush, but it makes for a great discussion topic!

What are your thoughts?

A horse we adopted out was seriously injured, we are taking him in for emergency Surgery to Brandon Equine a few hours north of us. His surgery is estimated to be between $6,000 and $8K. We simply don’t have the funding for this. We are reaching out for help, to those who know Teddy from being here w us, or knew Teddy in his racing days. They gave him the nickname at the track of Teddy because he was like a sweet Teddy Bear loving his hugs.

If you would like to help, please PLEASE call the vet office directly to put money directly to him
813-643-7177

If you are not able to call, PayPal email address is tracktotrailthoroughbreds@gmail.com

We will post as we get updates and more information, our vet which is the same vet that the adopter uses, literally just called us. Per our contract if an adopter can’t afford life saving medical care, we will step in. It’s part of our SAFE FOR LIFE mission for these amazing horses. I’ll do a update as soon as we have more info.

Again, please call the vet 813-643-7177 or send money below if you can help him!

Picture of Teddy when he was with us, he came w a bowed tendon which required a year of rehab. He was adopted a little over a year ago…

Emergency Surgery Fund for SunnyNSeventyFive (Teddy)

Teddy, who adopted out last year needs emergency surgery, our vet saw him this evening (Monday). He called us, and we need to take him in the morning to Brandon Equine where he will have surgery and remain in the clinic for 3-4 days.

$50.00

WE ARE NEARING $6K of our $8K goal!
After surgery he will require medical care, follow ups, medication, feed and hay, and plenty of shavings. This is so amazing that the community is coming together for him! We are putting together the list of those helping Teddy, below is a list of names that called in directly to the vet, or send us $ to the horses bank account on his behalf. If you have sent $ and don’t see your name please reach out! The list is changing constantly!
So far
Dan G – $50
Tracey F $1000
Sue F $3000
Elisa K $50
Kim D $35
Linda M $500
Caroline S50
Patty R $100
Noreen R $200
Patti B $50
Kathleen S $50
Sharon R $100
Dawn T $100
Sybil M $100
Melanie $20
Mary M $23
Jaqueline $50
Susan B $100
Joyce W $100

2021! v Spend the week here at the rescue during your Holiday break!

Kids will learn all about horses, have fun and games, crafts and contests along w solid skill horsemanship building exercises. Lots of horse time and activity!

Monday-Friday 9-2pm. $300. Want them to stay until 5? add $150 for the extra 15 hours!

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