From Lauren:
Your Weekly “Why Does My OTTB (insert weird quirk here)?” Q&A
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Good day, Eventing Nation! Congratulations to all of the Ocala and Pine Top finishers this weekend. Valentine’s Day is almost upon us, every restaurant within a one hundred mile radius is overbooked, and Rite Aid is running out of Russell Stover’s Chocolate Covered Marshmallow hearts (oh, the humanity!). This week brings the return of the Q & A you have all grown to love. Next week, more questions will follow as well as an update on MY latest OTTB prospect that I just picked up on Friday morning. Cross your fingers, toes, and eyes that he vets and enjoy these new EN reader queries.
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I have a gorgeous Thoroughbred who I know ABSOLUTELY nothing about. He has a lip tattoo that is mostly illegible. I have tried all the tricks – blot the saliva away, take pictures in dim light, take pictures in sunlight, take pictures under a black light, etc. It is still impossible to make out more than one or two numbers and they are still a guess at best. I’ve had many people affiliated with TB’s who claim to be good readers of tattoos look at his and come up with nothing. I don’t know his registered name, age, origin, or racing history. All I was told is that his previous owner got him in Florida, he ‘definitely raced’ and is supposed to be around 13. (Although some vets argue he could be 18!) I am dying to know the history of my handsome boy. Is there anything I can do? I hate knowing that his name and age and racing history is all right there at a click of the mouse…I just don’t know the key numbers to access it! Is his history gone for good or is there one last step I can take to figure out his identity? (contributed by EN reader Hannah Lintz)
Thank you for your inquiry! If he is tattooed, there is at least a 90% chance that he raced, in my opinion. Horses are typically tattooed within a few weeks or a month of running in a race. Things can happen in that last period of time to curtail their racing careers, but it is unlikely. The Jockey Club will help you if you take a picture of the tattoo and send it to them. There is a surcharge, but they do have professional tattoo decipherers of sorts. Remember that all Thoroughbred tattoos are an alphabetical letter based on their year of birth followed by five numbers. If a horse is imported, there will be an asterisk followed by five numbers. The numbers correlate to the order in which they were registered on a given year and the letter for each year can be found here: Tattoo Letters By Year Free tattoo research is available at: Here. Also, remember that the minimal amount of scar tissue caused by tattooing can sometimes be felt by rubbing your fingers along the horse’s upper lip. Best of luck in your search!
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I found the most recent discussion about evaluating potential TB horses for sale quite interesting. I wonder if you could address a different TB search. All the TB horses I see offered (off the track) are fairly tall, 16H and up. I would like to find pony or near pony sized animals, 15H and down. In the price range of the OTTB animals, not the astronomical prices of show ponies. How and where to look for those? And, just as difficult, how do you find the really mellow TB horses? I know they exist, I have met some. But most of the TB horses are a lot more reactive than a nice quiet schoolie. So where and how can I shop for the really quiet TB horses? Best from my point of view would be a combination of the two above situations. Is that even possible? (contributed by EN reader Robin Crickman)
Thank you for your inquiry! I would disagree that all OTTB’s are tall. I often find myself scrounging the depths of dank, dreary barns for something over 15.2hh. However, I do find most horses to be between 15 and 17hh and it is uncommon for Thoroughbred’s to be under 15hh in my experience. They do exist, they are just rare. They typically even come with a cheaper price tag, as short OTTB’s are typically less desirable for sport horse clientele. It is hard to hone your search into horses within your height requirement but with a lot of due diligence, your time and effort with pay off, I promise. Mellow TB’s on the other hand, are pretty hot commodities but are really not all that rare. I would venture a guess that 1 in 5 Thoroughbreds can truly be considered “hot”, two of the remaining TB’s are occasionally flighty but overall pretty sensible, and the last two are lesson-horse quiet. At the end of the day, finding your “perfect storm” or quiet and small isn’t out of the realm of possibility at all. Simply do your research, expand your search area as much as possible, and limit your deal breaker’s to significant soundness issues. Good luck!
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I encourage you to send any horse-specific or general-knowledge questions to me via email ([email protected]) for more in-depth and on-point answers and am certainly happy to help you evaluate any potential prospects that you are eyeing. Go Eventing and go gallop a former racehorse.
