Does the track ruin horses?

Question

My riding instructor got two thoroughbreds off the track. One of them has no social skills, and didn't even know what a treat was. They are waiting to start him under saddle. The other horse can hardly trot to the right.

Answer 1

Just because a horse doesn't know what a treat is - how is that any reflection on it's life at the track or in training? There are plenty of polo ponies, dressage horses, show horses that have never been given treats - not sure what you are trying to imply by that statement. As far as social skills, a lot depends on the training facility. Are you refering to his interaction with other horses or his interaction with humans? Most are fine amongst other horses because they do not lead solitary lives, they are worked in pairs, they are ponied, they travel in boxes with several other horses and usually get turned out for several months per year to rest up out of season.

As far as human interaction, they probably get more than most peoples horses. We start at 6am in the morning, they have people around constantly, we take a few hours off for lunch and then they are done over for evening stables. Do your horses get about 45 minutes of individual brushing etc every single evening and then are they inspected to make sure that they are put away for the evening to the highest standard? We used to have "white" shavings beds, not one single dropping allowed, feeders and buckets scrubbed every night. Stable blankets and rugs have to be brushed off before the horse wears them. They get better care than any horses I've ever been around and that includes show horses, reiners, polo etc.

Quite frankly I'm tired of people on this board pointing the finger and making assumptions that all racehorses are treated badly and that we don't care for them properly. The real problem that occurs when they come off track is that they are bought or adopted by people that don't have a clue. They think it's cool to own an ex-racehorse and then try to mount it putting their foot in the stirrup and wonder why it goes nuts. Maybe because it has never been mounted that way? They are one sided because all tracks in this country are left handed. There are too many people that make this generalized comment that all OTTB are nuts, hot, crazy or hard to deal with and that is so not true. The problem lays with the handler and what usually happens is that they are too much horse for some people to handle, not because they are crazy or hot but because the new owner is either not an effective rider or a novice. I've been around TB racehorse charities enough to know that many horses get returned because the new owner can't cope with them. They get the horse off the track and then think they can just hop on and go for trail rides or go do dressage - sorry it doesn't work like that. Point in question - my horse had been through several adoptive homes and returned each time because he was too hot, wouldn't settle, had dumped people off. I took him, ride him about 4 times per week, no problems. I've even taken him onto a gallop and he's made no attempt to take off with me - it's not the horse, it's the rider that makes all the difference. I find the nature of your question not only ignorant but offensive - if your riding instructor doesn't understand the nature of racehorses, then perhaps she should stick to instructing and leave riding them to those capable of doing it. I've been riding them since my early teens and started galloping them for a living at 16 - they aren't that scary!



**Edit** As far as them being one sided, many exercise tracks are oval and can be ridden both ways - a lot of that depends on the trainer and also the protocol of the track. However when they are broken, they are lunged and worked on both reins, they are long reined in both directions, taught to change leads and are frequently jogged and cantered around the track clockwise. I agree with Biscuit about them having a preference just like humans. Just about every other country runs both right and left handed tracks and looking at the stats on some horses, it shows a clear preference for running one way or the other - perhaps 1 win on a left handed track and 5 running right handed. Desert Orchid was like that. Should also say that England even has a figure of 8 course - Fontwell.

Answer 2

I think it is great that your trainer got two horses off the track, sometimes racehorses do not get homes when their career is done and they come to a bad end.



For the treat thing, my friend just got a QH who had no clue what a treat was. When I put out my hand with a piece of apple on it she was like what is this? She was not sure what to do, I had to put it right under her mouth before she got it. Not everyone feeds treats *shrug*



TB's off the track can be a handful just like any other horse and I think take a while to get their behavior to be like a standard riding horse who is more or less a pet, not a working animal.



Horses are not bad, only poor training and riders can make it seem that way.



Good luck!

Answer 3

as an owner of 2 retired racehorse(I bought them after they were retired).

I dont think the track ruins them, but they are not taught any social or riding skills. This is why you see a 2nd person walking the horses to the gaits at a race.

race horse are bred to run and taught to go go go. they are not handled and not fed treats. they are thoroughbreds and already high strung enough on the track, so they dont want them having any treats or extra sugars. Because they need to be in top shape to run on the track they are fed special diets.

the reason her horse cant trot to the right is because these horses are not taught gaits or under saddle skills - they are taught to run.these horse are not seen or handled by people on a regular basis.

the two I have, I had to train from scratch. they are 6 and 8 yrs old and have been with me for 2 years. It took me a year to get a saddle on them ..they are hyper and high strung. when you get on them the only thing in there mind is to Go.

throughout a jump cource they will go at high rates of speed - almost to the point that when your done you look back and think to yourself - did i just clear all the jumps ? this is because of there speed.

both of them are mares

it took forever to get them to go over a jump. i mostly ride them bareback, and thats not because they cant handle a saddle - its because without the saddle i am in close contact with them and we can ride in tune to eachother

A horse on the track isnt ruined, but has a very hard life

Answer 4

Despite some people believe the track does not ruin horses. A trainer ruins a horse, running around a track does not. Race horses that come from good barn usually can walk trot and canter on both leads. Horses that can not came from trainers who took short cuts. It is not the racing that ruins the horse, it is the treatment of the people around it. The only thing I have against the track is the injuries that can be prevented if the horses were just a tad older so that there bones could fuse more thoroughly. If your instructor got these two horses she must have know how to handle them and is ready for the challenge of rebreaking and retraining a race horse.

Answer 5

To an extent I can understand how people might say an OTTB has no social skills but the folks that seem to say this have never really been around race horses enough to know what their "social" lives are like. A good firend of mine here in TN breeds and trains not only TB's but QH racers and ALL of John's horses get treated much liek the same way as Lisa M describes. They definately get more human interaction than mine get and as much as I hate to admit it they are better cared for. I can't get to my barn and groom daily and make sure ALL bedding is 100% clean. Especially right now that I am due with my second child any day now. As for the treat thing, how do you know he doesn't know what they are? maybe he simply does not wnat them.... I have a paint mare whom I raised form birth . Her mother and her 1/2 sister will devour treats even your hand if not careful!!! But Bailey will not even look at one. I have tried mnay many times and mnay many treats over the last 8 years and she refuses all. Soem horses just don't want treats! I have even tried mixing them in with her grain and Bailey will eat around them. This same horse won't even eats carrots or apples and it's not from lack of social interaction trust me, she thinks she's more human than horse sometimes. I've had experience with QH's that came off a running track and they while "hot" have not been hard for me to handle, but then I have been exposed to these guys for quite awhile now and have learned how to properly handle them. Yeah they may take some retraining but nothing overly dramatic. As for the one the trainer is "waiting to start under saddle" why are they waiting technically if he is off the track he has already been "saddle broken" he just needs more bridle work and experience and needs to be "recued" to the rider's legs being along his sides instead of jacked up high like a jockeys. Also for trotting to the right as a couple have stated all the tracks here are left handed and all races are run to the left .... so yes it may take a little more teaching to get them to trot and balance and track properly to the right but also don't forget horses are like humans some are "right handed" and others are "lefties" could be he is one of these guys. I just say keep a very open mind when it comes to TB's and how they are trained. Just like every tpe of horse each one will be different I don't think it necciasrly "ruins" one to be on the track it just makes them have a "one track mind" for a time beig until they are reschooled or worked differently. Heck a lot of folks will say a barrel apttern ruins horses too.... it's all a matter of opinion and experience in that field





Here's an edit for Lisa M ........ Since you have been in the business you'll definately know the answer:) Lots of folks are saying the left hand bends can make a horse messed up when it comes to going right, if memory serves me correctly (this is where you come in) don't ALL training sessions go clockwise or right around the track unless the horse is breezing or doing an extremely strenuss or fast work or working in multiples? So that would make them schooled going both ways right? Which if this is true may strengthen my opinion that they are like people , some are lefties and some are righties????? Let me know fi I'm wrong Lisa:)

Answer 6

Racehorses receive no real training, just running.



They often have real difficulty moving in a circle to the right when they are fresh off the track. This is because they are always worked counterclockwise.



The treat thing doesn't surprise me, either. Most racehorses don't receive much affection from human handlers at the track. The horses are expected to get out of their stall, do their job and that's it. They aren't treated as pets.



I've worked with many ex-racers and I just love thoroughbreds. They are extremely intelligent & atheltic. Most TB's learn to settle down into their new life without a problem. No ex-racer I've ever worked with has been hyper or hot after they've been given time to adjust to their new, quieter surroundings.



I find that TB's can become extremely affectionate and they're very eager to please and quick learners. Ex-racers are successful in many disciplines, including dressage, evening, and hunter/jumpers.



The track can cause serious injury. Many racehorses-to-be never make it to a single race, because of injury they sustain when training. TB's are ridden at a very young age, before their bones are fully formed. Many ex-racehorses don't have perfect x-rays (they may have old splints, or bows) but many of these injuries heal up fine and don't prevent the horse from going on to a successful second career.



However, they do need time to adjust to their new life, learn to ride clockwise!, and learn how to be a 'pet', including figuring out what treats are. They'll probably do great.

Answer 7

I agree with LIsa and Bisciut on this one. I see way to many people take horses that are trained for one event and automatically think that this horse should just fall into whatever descipline that is being asked of them. And way to many times, I see people that could not train a stick horse buy something that is way to high powered for them and then point the finger of blame at the horse for not responding to them in a weeks time. Racehorses are trained to run. They are not half broke anti social animals. They are fed better, conditioned better, and treated better than just about any horse out there. Also realize that these horses have to make a period of adjustment, just like any horse would. You cannot taked a highly trained athlete, dump him into a world where his work schedule, feed schedule and everything else has been totally altered and then say "this horse has not social skills". Better to say this instructor has no training skills.

Answer 8

Ruin as in training or as in attitude?

As for the social skills, most respectable barns socialize horses from a very young age, it could be the former owners or even the horse itself?

A lot of off the track horses can't trot/canter to the right well. It has to do with the direction they run on the track. Racehorses run to the left so it makes strong, developed left side muscles, but they're right muscles are a lot weaker. It helps to lunge them to the right to develop those muscles.

Answer 9

I don't think they're 'ruined' so much as just not taught anything but how to race because nothing else matters for them on the track. It's just a green horse that's already had a saddle tossed on it's back and learned to carry a rider, sort of.



I know several older OTTBs that are really great, and I don't know anything about their racing history but that they were off the track, and they're lovely calm animals now.



The funny thing is, you'd think they would have issues bending to the right because of how the track goes, right? One of them has the most trouble bending left.

Answer 10

WOW! I just got home and have not had a chance to read everybodys posts but will in the AM. I did read one in particular and I cannot top it LISA M! You said it all and true to the core. As for a quick response cause I do not want to repeat a statement, I hope this question is from your curiosity and not your trainers. Any qualified trainer would know and expect a racehorses demeanor off the track, and would know that the best let down is anywhere from 60-90 days turned out too fizzle before retraining. Alot of horses do not know what treats are. So what...... Does not mean they came from a neglected enviroment. They get better care than backyard horses. If something is wrong, the vet is out immediately. You won't see them posting on yahoo asking what should I do?? Ok, now I'm getting worked up cause this is a sensitive subject for me. I have a horse on the track right now as we speak and he is gold to me! and he is treated like gold. I have worked on TB farms and managed a TB nursery for over 8 years. Not one horse was neglected. If something happened, they were immediately seen, surgery if needed and stall rest to heal. I have seen many of my babies go on to be successful stakes winners and even graded stakes winners. Ok, maybe I'm getting off subject! I just can't help to get defensive when people posts questions like this. Being that I am a owner, I can't help to feel that the question is directed right to me. Rereading your question. You state that the horse barely can trot to the right. I would look into something being wrong. Horses start off in the mornings going to the right during warmup and turned around to work. That just makes no sense to me. ITs also normal for ANY horse to be stiffer on one side than the other. Your trainer would know this also. Horses on the track are asked for left and right leads. So cantering shouldn't be a issue either. So I would suggest a vet to rule out injury or hoof issues being we cannot see the horse to know what you are really looking at or he needs to be suppled just like any horse does on there stiff side.



EDIT So I just took the time to read some of your posts and a couple of you are just plain idiots and speak out of ignorance. I love when people talk that have no darn clue of the horse or the sport. Watching on TV makes you a expert? ARGH!!!! You don't even know 1% of whats involved from birth till finished.

Answer 11

It is physically hard on them....most of the time they're very young when they start training, and they get pushed before perhaps their body is really ready. But, I don't suppose that's much different than the two year old futurity horses.... The other thing is, they get trained to "go go go". Run fast, turn left. I realize there's more to it than that, but it seems like people don't really care about their personality, so long as they run fast. But anyway, that said, my vet dabbles a bit in race horses. One of theirs is a Northern Dancer grandson who was kind of a flop on the track. However, he's been rather good in dressage, he has some nice wins to his credit. Keeping him sound is a bit of an adventure due to all the wear and tear on his joints, but mentally he's great. They have another one that is a stakes winner, terribly athletic and capable....but his mind is a mess. He's retired now, and they're just starting to reschool him. It's gonna be a challenge.

Answer 12

Most race horses are not taught social skills, they are have not bonded with anyone other than their groom and they are not treated like pets. I worked at the track for several years, and I've seen the ugly and the good in trainers and riders...I don't know that the horse is "ruined" because of a lack of social skills, they will eventually come around once they are out of that environment and treated differently.

Answer 13

A properly cared for racehorse can be reasonably healthy when retired, but they are not taught riding skills. They are taught to run, and that's it. Haven't you ever noticed a second rider leads the racehorse around the track before the race? The horses are not even trained enough for the jockey to safely walk them around. They know how to run, that's it. Trying to ride a retired racehorse means starting from scratch, just like a young horse being broken in for the first time.

Answer 14

it depends, you have to realize that these horses are only trained to RUN, they don't need to trot in a frame and bend or do anything that our riding horses do. now yea, the track can mess up their heads but its nothing that a little TLC and socialization cant fix. i have a 15 y.o OTTB who is wonderful...and hes had some messed up homes.. when i got him it wasn't the track that had ruined him, but his previous owners.



the horses your trainer got are 3 or 4 y.o 2 year olds, they don't know what its like to be loved and handled yet.. don't worry, they'll come around and will quite possibly be GREAT riding horses.

Answer 15

I have taken care of many retired racehorses. Most of them, at first, are a little difficult (some downright dangerous)..... they have hang-ups. Some worse than others. One I remembered stood in the middle of 100 acre pasture weaving on the spot for days...she had to have hay and water brought to her because she couldn't understand freedom and wide open spaces..... but the majority of them come around. I have had many that turned out to be beautiful trail horses. Some of the sweetest horses I've known were the worst abused. Horses with people problems.

Answer 16

well since i work with race horses i can say it depends on who you get the horse from. Like in everything there are bad ppl and there are also good ppl. The horses i work with get treats everyday, most race horses are familiar with peppermints, instead of carrots. The horses i work with have great social skills, i can go in there with most of them when they are laying down in the stall and lay down beside them and they love attention just the same as any horse. As far as the comment on they only know how to run, the proper training of race horses includes them having manners to walk to the track when they are in training and the place where i work even rides them on trails into the woods on our farm to teach them to be calm in situations so to wrap up you have the bad horses and the good horses it just depends on where they rec'd there training and upbringing. Dont judge all by the actions of a few.

Answer 17

no, it doesn't. It could be that your instructor got bad horses, maybe due to bad luck, i dunno. when they first come off they can be a handful, and quite unbalanced, yes, but that's to be expected, just like any other green horse would be. You have to rememebr that these horses are thoroughbreds too, which in general can be a highly-strung breed, even not off the track. My horse came off the track, and yeah he started green, he bucked, bolted, reared, pranced, spooked- absolutely everything. He had bad stable manners, kicking and biting and the like. BUt he;s gotten better. Its taken nearly a year, but we're leg yielding and doing shoulder outs now, and he's getting more balanced everyday. He still gets grumpy in the stables with some people, but i can fetch him from the paddocks minus a halter, and i can do whatever i want with him and he will not bite me. So yeah, they can come off a bit green, a bit naughty, a bit unsocialised, but it gets better

Answer 18

I don't think the track necessarily ruins a horse. They just need to be rehabilitated, they need to learn about something more than just racing, and once they get comfortable knowing that everyday isn't a race, they can be a great horse. I had an OTTB and he was an angel, I trained him to jump within months, and he didn't have any trouble. I think once they get used to their new 'jobs' TB's are great!

Answer 19

The track can mentally rattle horses, and they can remain hyper because of their experiences there for quite a while, if not forever.



It is absolutely not uncommon for racehorses to not understand what a treat is, because many many many racehorses are not offered treats. Many racehorses are young stallions, and are never given food by hand, so they don't learn to bite. Also, many racehorses are not seen regularly, or if at all, by their owners. They are handled completely by trainers, grooms, and jockeys - and are not given treats, or food at any other time than regular feeding. Mostly because they are "business" animals, not pets, and no one "loves" them per say.



And, most track horses have issues tracking right - the bend in the track goes to the left, so many TB's are stronger to the left, and have issues with the right-sided work, especially right leads and right bends in their bodies.



They usually have no social skills, because they are handled on the track only when needed, they are worked in the mornings, and unless they're racing that day, they remain in their stalls. They don't get turnout - especially horses living at the track during race season - there's usually no turnout.





The two horses you are describing sound like classic OTTB's, but with the right re-training, and handling, they'll be fine enough :)

Answer 20

It's very hard on them...and remember, you don't know how they have been raised...they are not babied in the way a pet would be, though they are babied in other ways...many have had multiple pulls and injuries...they are not fast enough...that is why they are sold...usually they are pushy and have no social skills when it comes to dealing with people like a pet horse would have. They take a lot of patience and can take a lot of work, but that will only bring you closer to them and make them a better horse.....good luck to you.

Answer 21

well horses that are off the track have been by birth forced to run. that is all they have been taught is to go go go dont stop just run. they dont get treated very well cause the people that own them and use them use them just for money. they normally dont have any love or care just work in their lives. so in a way the track does ruin horses.

Answer 22

No people ruin horses

Answer 23

its depends. Yes it can ruin some horses and others, they can handle the stress.

Answer 24

it depends on how early they were started and how they were treated and yes the track ruins most horses

Answer 25

try making the horses go in circles to the right and work on this for about a week or 2



if you have a track is like a rode no that is bad on there feet yes track on sand good cuz it is softer on them

Answer 26

The track world is dominated by a bunch of scumball trash that have no care for the animal only money. They start them too young and run them into the ground. Seems like almost every horse gets an injury if not completely lame.

Answer 27

my mom says yes...