For months I have been on the internet haunting my usual sites watching for my next eventing project. A few had caught my eye but none of them seemed to be exactly what I wanted. Then several weeks ago I found a thoroughbred at the track in Denver, through the canterusa.org website. This is a group that works to re-home off track thoroughbreds by listing them online for the track trainers. It is a fairly large organization on the East and West coasts, and within the last couple years a new branch has opened in Colorado. I met two of the representatives from Canter at Horse Expo in Denver back in March of this year, and they were kindred souls who also adore these horses.
I found this beautiful boy online, contacted his owner, and set an appointment to see him last weekend. Two friends went to the track with me so I could evaluate him as an eventing prospect, and he turned out to be much nicer than even his pictures showed! It is hard to get accurate conformation shots of a horse that is as wound up as a racehorse, and the questionable elements in the photographs didn't actually exist in real life. I was very excited about him, and spent the rest of the day gushing about this amazing creature I'd found.
After some finagling with the county and previous owners for a brand inspection so I could legally purchase the horse and remove him from the track, I was able to pick him up yesterday morning with the help of a good friend and client.
Some of the things I was looking for in an eventing prospect horse were:
- Thoroughbred or TB cross
- Tall, at least 16.1 since I'm 5'8" but I'm ALL legs.
- Legs that were straight and correct, with clean joints and cold tendons (no swelling or heat)
- Between 4 - 7 years old
- Sound, no limping
- Nice mover
Some of the details that would be icing on the cake, but not absolutely necessary:
- Bay
- Gelding
- some kind of socks or white on the face
- old enough to start jumping (at our barn that is variable depending on the horse's physical and mental maturity)
- low mileage, i.e. not raced much
Some things that I noticed about Colorado High that don't necessarily affect his future as a sport horse:
- an old scar on his left front hoof
- an old, cold, splint on his right front cannon bone
- some superficial scrapes on his hind pasterns
- slightly asymmetrical muscling through his body, the left more thoroughly muscled than the right. This is very common in racing horses because so much of the focus is on left turns at speed
The plan is to let him down from the track while also working him into "civilian life". There are a few different philosophies on how best to do this. One theory is to just put them out in a field with some other horses and let them acclimate themselves with minimal interference, then start retraining in a few months. I find that turnout is good for the OTTBs, but in a structured environment. At the track a horse's life is very routine-oriented, and extremely structured. To minimize stress and "lifestyle crisis" during this transition I like to keep an elaborate routine here at home. Highboy will spend nights in a stall with fluffy shavings, similar to what he had at the track. In the morning he will be turned out in a small pen with my pony, Garmin. In the afternoons he and Garmin will go out to pasture. Grass hay is unlimited so there is always something to eat and (maybe more importantly) something to do.
As far as feeding goes, at the track horses are fed a very high carbohydrate diet to keep them in racing form, mentally and physically. Lots of oats and sweet feed. I take them off of the high carbohydrate diet right away. To add calories supplemental to the hay, I feed beet pulp, alfalfa pellets, a complete feed, a joint supplement, and a vitamin/trace mineral supplement. Highboy was getting some beet pulp and alfalfa at the track as well as his oats and sweet feed, so this hasn't been too big a shock to his digestive system. Fresh water is always available of course, as it should be for any animal.
With regard to re-training, Highboy will be gradually eased into a training program here at Bit of Honey. Today he learned about being tied at the hitchrail, he was groomed and had his mane shortened, was bug-sprayed and got his own fly-sheet to wear. Whenever I'm with him I work on ground manners and teaching him what is appropriate, including coming when he's called, which he'll mostly learn from watching the other horses come when called by name. Once he has gained some more weight and knows me and the routine a little better we'll begin re-starting him under saddle, since there are significant differences between the way a horse is trained to race and how a horse is trained to do dressage, jump, and ride cross country. We'll start at the beginning, with voice commands, reintroducing the tack and equipment, lunging, and standing still at the mounting block. Though he has experienced some of this on the track, I want him to learn it in the calm, logical, reasoned environment of Bit of Honey. I start at the very beginning, using this process to build trust as well as re-teach skills. I treat him as though he were a youngster who had never been ridden, so I can explain things to him in whatever way he'll best understand, and not assume that he knows things he may never have been taught.
The veterinary side of things will start this week, with Dr Landes coming out to see Highboy for dental needs, diagnosing and treating for ulcers (very common in race horses), hoof evaluation with the vet and farrier, and vaccinations.
Many more posts will be forthcoming as Highboy progresses in his transition to civilian life - but for now we welcome the latest OTTB to Bit of Honey Training!
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| I'm standing on a little incline, his withers actually are about as tall as I am. But what a cute baby face! |
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