“Why Does My OTTB (insert weird quirk here)?” Volume X
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If your OTTB takes it upon himself to practice bank jumps during his vetting, sign the check! Photo courtesy of Jess Woodall and her beautiful, talented OTTB Neo.
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This week, with Thanksgiving behind us and Christmas music blaring from every speaker within ear shot, I hope this post finds you well, having survived the flood of relatives and high calorie deliciousness that encompassed last week. I have been behind on my email answering this week and all of the questions from this this column that found their way to my inbox have gone unanswered as of yet. Fear not, answers will be forthcoming shortly and some of those questions will be included in next week’s piece. I will instead target this week’s article at what to do once you have found your dream OTTB. Sit back, relax, and convince yourself that grandma doesn’t need another nighty for Christmas (those precious dollars can be better directed into the OTTB buying fund and you know she just loves it when you make her things by hand. Break out the Popsicle sticks and pipe cleaners!).
I went to see Magic the Wonder Horse at (Insert Slummy Racetrack Name Here) and just fell in love. He licked my hand and pooped on my foot and I simply must have him. I think I will go pick him up tomorrow! After all, the trainer said he is a 100% sound and sane and trainers neeeever lie so why should I worry about vetting him?
I have addressed the issue of vetting horses on the track before but I just want to reiterate some key elements here. Always, always, always vet horses on the track. I don’t care if they are free or $5000 or the trainer is paying YOU to take them (it happens, seriously). It is just simply the necessary, responsible course of action for both you and the horse. Do NOT use the trainers vet. Not only is it a conflict of interest for the vet (or it should be if he or she is at all scrupulous) but it is just bad business to elect not to seek out your own independent service provider and thus, to secure an unbiased opinion of the horses overall soundness. Don’t know any track vets? You’re not alone. There are three popular avenues to pursue for locating a track vet. You can call the local large animal clinic if you are familiar with one (or look in the phone book) and ask for their recommendations. You can call the racing office at the track where your loveable beast resides (their number can be obtained by calling the track/casino’s main line and asking for the racing office) and ask for their assistance. You can also post a thread on the Chronicle of the Horse Racing Forum querying readers to the tune of ‘Anyone at McSlumsalot Downs? I need a PPE Vet’. Keep in mind that most states/tracks do require the vets to be licensed at the track so this may limit your pool of choices but not significantly. Also, just to reiterate, have the horse flexed and jogged, certainly have radiographs taken of any areas that flex positive, consider having knee/fetlock radiographs taken regardless, and have the horses airway scoped.
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Miraculously, my dream beastie RainbowsAndPuppies vetted cleanly. Unfortunately, he is 1000 miles away and my truck is in the shop. Whatever is an OTTB buyer to do!
You’re in luck. Commercial transport companies are as plentiful as road apples on the backside. Sallee, Creech, Brookledge, and Bob Hubbard are probably the four biggest names in the transport industry, they travel nationally and internationally from any track to any destination with a barn, and they have major hubs in NY, FL, KY, and CA. They all have impeccable safety records to the best of my knowledge and are priced quite steeply but uniformly. There are also several prominent individual shippers. I use Lynn Tapp at Tapp Horse Transport most often but a quick Google search will turn out an abundance of shippers. Also, don’t forget to tap into that under-utilized resource at most racetracks: the racing office! Call them and pick their brains about shipping, vetting, trainers that are shady, the track surface, the condition book, when the meet ends, and everything else racing related.
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MyLittlePonyPrincess has finally arrived! However, she is 200 pounds lighter, apparently a cribber, has two shoes total on one front and one hind limb, and appears to have poked her poor little eyeball on hay in the hay net on the ride down. Should I send her back!? What can I do!?
In the wild and wooly world of OTTB shopping, vetting, shipping, and buying, unexpected things are bound to happen. 90% of the time I try to view the horse in person, am lucky enough to actually ride them sometimes since I’m already licensed to gallop, and have vetted them to within an inch of their lives and shipped them home myself. So surprises are few and far between but they do exist. Even my star pupil last year who sold in 6 days to a wonderful home in VA for the tidiest profit of the year popped an abscess the night before he was supposed to be shown to his eventually buyers. However, I would venture a guess that only 50-60% of OTTB buyers get to actually put their hands and eyes on the horses they covet before purchasing them. With this being the case, surprises are commonplace. Do not despair if you are shocked, appalled, or crestfallen when you dream horsie arrives. Many racehorses will ‘crash’ to some degree upon leaving the track, though the incidence of this is now less common with the zero-tolerance policies relating to steroids that have recently been implemented. Do not be surprised if they have already lost or immediately lose 50-150 lbs. Most racehorses are fed 3x a day up to 20 lbs of food a day and cooped up in a stall with little chance to exercise and burn off calories except for 30 minutes once a day. Life as a normal horse, being turned out and getting in pasture squabbles and eating a couple of scoops twice a day takes some adjustment. OTTB’s also often show up to their new homes with vices that were not very apparent at the track due to the lack of time and opportunity most buyers have to observe them in their ‘natural habitat’ hanging out in the stall and biding their time until the next meal or gallop. All vices can be dealt with to some degree and it is best if they are viewed as quirks that must be embraced and dealt with in a kind and understanding manner. Understand that the farrier work at nearly ALL racetracks is subpar. It is not the farrier’s fault most of the time. The industry views of horses feet, how they should look, how short they should be, how often they should be done, and how they should be cared for are flawed but steeped in old wives tales and bull-honky and are only ever so slowly changing. Most OTTB’s do not have hooves with faulty structure. They simply have not been properly managed over the course of their entire racing careers and returning them to their natural state of balance and strength will take some time. Again, do not cry. Just be patient. If you are in the market for a lifetime partner in an OTTB, you will be richly rewarded in time. Just a couple of weeks ago an OTTB won a Grand Prix. They bare bones of success are their but they must be carefully cultivated. Do not pitch a fit and try to send your OTTB back if they don’t show up on your door step exactly as envisioned. It’s almost never their fault. Plan some time, usually at least 6 months, to allow the animal to adjust, let down, and learn to be a horse again. It will be worth it, I promise.
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I do hope that some of my answers to the questions above been enlightening and have revealed to you the world and its people that produce OTTB’s. I encourage you (PLEASE! Even if you think they are stupid questions!) to send any further, horse-specific or general-knowledge questions to me via email ( [email protected]) for more in-depth and on-point answers, especially if you are considering pursuing a career on the racetrack. The EN and COTH response has been great and I look forward to make more thought-provoking questions! Go Eventing and go gallop a former racehorse.
