Last week, Lauren Nethery answered a few questions about bizarre Thoroughbred behaviors, and this week she’s back with more in Volume III.
From Lauren:
Why Does My OTTB (insert weird quirk here)? – Volume III
Have you ever begged your OTTB to drink water on a hot summer show day, down on your
hands and knees promising bran mashes every winter night and a stall bedded with fifteen bags
of shavings? Does your OTTB routinely threaten to trample teenagers but walk as carefully as
a tightrope walker with a toddler on board? These woes are common place in the world of the
OTTB and I am here to do my best to answer all of your questions about these curious, outgoing
creatures that you have always been too embarrassed, afraid, or freaked out to ask. Enjoy!
Why does Moe drink like he is…well, drunk?
After exercise, breezes, and races, racehorses are cooled out in a manner a bit different than the
way show horses are cooled out. They are walked in hand around the shed row and allowed, in
most barns, a maximum of 5 swallows of water at a time (between trips around the circular barn
walking path) until they stop drinking and their respiration has returned to normal. The colic-
discouraging philosophy behind this is steeped in archaic tradition and is rather outdated in my
opinion but is nonetheless commonplace. As a result, many racehorses learn to control their
drinking habits, in some cases even curtailing their natural thirst impulses, and will often hold
mouthfuls of water around the barn, slobbering like rabid wolves. Such an endearing quirk.
Why does Princess treat my 5 year old like fine china and my 15 year old like a cougar on
her back?
In the opinion of most racehorses, small humans weighing around 100 lbs must be jockeys which
represent hard work, stress, and for some horses, even pain. This is the reason some OTTB’s
(the exception, not the rule in most cases) can be difficult mounts for teenagers. The manner in
which OTTB’s care for young, tiny humans, however, is one that can only be explained by an
innate equine understanding of the human condition and the frailty of adolescent humans. This
is one of the most endearing OTTB traits, in my opinion.
Why won’t Water Wings ever get his feet wet and insist I get off and walk through even the
smallest stream?
Many people have the misconception that racehorses never experience real world hazards such
as puddled, steams, mud, banks, and things of that nature. Don’t let those clever OTTB’s fool
you. Racehorses gallop on wet race tracks with puddles and walk on flooded, muddy horse paths
(the non-concrete walkways to the tracks) all of their racing lives. This is still the case even on
synthetic tracks. At some tracks, like Fair Hill and Keeneland, there are even fields to ride in and
trails to hack on. Running water and the noise associated with it, however, is often foreign to
racehorses.
Why does Neuro weave relentlessly, even with 8 hours of turnout in the winter and 15
hours in the summer?
Most racehorses have some kind of stall vice. Cribbing, weaving, charging, pawing, wood
chewing, and wall kicking are all par for the course. My current 11 y/o OTTB has, at one time
or another, exhibited all vices known to man. He lives out 24/7, has as long as I have had him,
and has slowly grown accustomed to stalling at shows without going crazy. He would still self-
destruct if I tried to stall him routinely, though. Often, car tires or orange traffic cones will be
placed at the front of stalls to discourage weaving but, in my experience, more and/or full time
turnout, even for a period, will help a lot.
Why is Peekaboo overly affectionate when I haven’t ridden him in a few days?
Racehorses, unless injured or just having raced or worked, are ridden 6, and in many cases,
7 days a week without fail. They never, ever just get ‘days off’. If the weather is terrible or
the track is frozen or closed, they will be ridden around the shed row at the walk or put on
an Equicizer (sort of like a horsey hamster wheel). Days off often blow OTTB’s minds when
coming off the track. Peekaboo probably thinks he pissed you off 😉
I do hope that some of my answers to the questions above have demystified atleast one of your
OTTB’s strange quirks and I encourage you to send any further, horse-specific questions to me
via email ( [email protected]) for more in-depth and on-point answers. I am almost
out of questions, so please keep them coming and please don’t be discouraged if I don’t answer
immediately, I will get back to you I promise! Go Eventing and go gallop a (former) racehorse!
