Finding OTTBs....other than CANTER

[case solved]

I'm thinking about getting another OTTB and am wondering if there are any other places you have found helpful other than CANTER. I will look through CANTER of course but want to cover all my options. My current horse is an OTTB but I bought him from a friend who bought him off the track. I will be taking a trainer with me, but am also wondering about proper ways to interact with trainers on the track as well. Thanks!

[Acertainsmile]

Unless you are contacting a trainer ahead of time, the best time to go out is after training hours when the trainer has a few minutes to spend with you. Most trainers are more than willing to pull out horses and jog them for you. If you find one you are interested in, ask to come back out and watch him train.

I would also suggest putting an add up in the track kitchen and the racing office with details about what your looking for, and of course your contact info!

[MIKES MCS]

Where are you located ? I have a couple off track in New York that are free , both geldings , 3 yr old just off the track, the other a 5 year old been off track for a year. PM me if your close by to upstate New York and I'll give you her number.

[caffeinated]

Where are you located?

There's lots of places to find nice horses :)

[Equinoxfox]

I started looking for a new horse about 3 months ago. And let me tell you.
I have Trainers , Owners, Breeders calling me constantly to look at horses. They are some that are GIVING them away.!!! so let me know if I can assist you. Where are you located?

[chestnutmarebeware]

One of my mares came through a track veterinarian who had been treating her for an ankle injury and knew the owner wanted to retire her and find her a good home.

If you can get contact information for the vets at your nearest tracks, I'm sure they would have some good insights on horses looking for new careers. Plus they know about any injuries or problems the horse might have.

[Hauwse]

The best way to find OTTB's is to go where they live....the track. Depending on the track almost every horse is for sale, the price being the catch.

Spend a day at your track watching horses run, hang out at the paddock, if you see something you like, talk to the trainer after the race.

Once you open a dialogue most of the trainers will be more than willing to show you horses, contact you about horses for sale etc. I work with about 10 trainers across the country that basically act as agents for me. They know what I am looking for and they contact me when they see or hear of something for sale that fits my criteria. It works great, they screen the horses for issues, pass on bloodline/racing/trainer/characteristic info., and pictures (sometimes) and I give them a commission if it's not one of their horses.

There are trainers who truly do look down the road, especially at the smaller tracks. They make more money buying and selling horses to the hunter/jumper industry than they make running them, and consequently are always thinking of the marketability of the horses they purchase if they do not pan out over the short term.

[Dapple Dawn Farm]

I agree with Hauwse..go to the track...it's a veritable shopping mall for OTTB's!!! Once trainers know you're serious about finding a horse most will make time to show what they have for sale.

[NancyM]

Great responses already for you.

In terms of correct behaviour when you go to the track to shop for horses...

1) Always stay on the same side of the horse as the handler. Do not let yourself get onto the off side of a horse that is being led by.

2) Do not wander through people's barns, looking at and touching their horses. Many of these horses are NOT for sale, and may not be safe to pet or get close to. Go to the stable office, ask the trainer if he/she has anything for sale as a show/riding prospect at a reasonable price. If not, leave the barn.

3) You may ask to see the horse ridden by a licensed exercise rider, on the track. It is unlikely that you will be able to ride it yourself, unless you are licensed to ride horses at racetracks. You may have to come back another day to see the horse under saddle, make an appointment for this if you are interested.

4) Horses at the track are being sold because they either have a soundness problem, a maturity problem, an attitude problem, a talent problem, or have exhausted their conditions where they are competitive and economic to continue as a racehorse. Some injuries are short term problems, and can be functional for what you want to do with the horse, some are more likely to be long term problems that may be career limiting. Have enough knowledge to know the difference.

5) You may ask what medications the horse has received for various problems that the horse may have experienced. You may or may not get straight answers. To rule out any horse who has had medication is unrealistic. The horse may currently be being medicated. This is not being done in an attempt to deceive you, but in an effort to treat whatever problems the horse may be experiencing, and/or to extend his racing career until he is sold.

6) Do not explain that you are interested in "rescuing" a horse off the track. You are interested in purchasing a horse for a change in career, searching for a horse to suit what you are looking for in a horse.

7) There are no guarantees for future success, soundness or performance when buying any horse, no matter what you pay for it, or what it's source is. The horse you buy is the raw material that you have to work with. What becomes of it in the future is highly dependant on what you do with it in terms of training and care, goals and riding ability. It comes with the history it has, the training it has been given, whatever quality that may be. Deal with that, and move on.

Good luck, and happy shopping.

[Equinoxfox]

HEY NANCY M
THAT IS AWESOME . GREAT ADVICE. GREAT WRITING. AND MOST OF ALL THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO PUT THIS OUT HERE FOR ALL TO SEE:yes:.

[theoldgreymare]

I don't know where you are located but if it's anywhere near Maryland, check out http://www.leightonfarm.com. They specialize in rehoming OTTB's. Some are currently on track, some off track, some are OT and already been let down and restarted. She has some nice horses at very reasonable prices. They also list free OTTB's for other owners on their site.

[godoget]

Just saw this a few weeks ago.

www.thehorse.com


In the left column click on "Free Thoroughbreds"

[Trevelyan96]

Finger lakes trainer listings has a lot of great looking horses as well, if you're able to get to the area.

[dab]

If you're near Philadelphia Park, check out PTHA's Turning For Home -- They help place horses that are ending their racing careers -- 215-272-6716 --

[Mia412]

Nancy M, great advice! In fact, some of those items should be remembered by anyone looking for a horse, from the track or not.

[Horsegurlmercury]

I know of some available in NC. PM me if you want contact info.

[Hauwse]

Great responses already for you.

In terms of correct behaviour when you go to the track to shop for horses...


6) Do not explain that you are interested in "rescuing" a horse off the track. You are interested in purchasing a horse for a change in career, searching for a horse to suit what you are looking for in a horse.

This is an excellent point, and I would like to expand on it somewhat.

DO NOT go to the track with any preconceived notions about the care and handling of the horses, or the idea that you are saving a horse, and the expectations that follow this mindset.

The horses at the track are very well cared for, and on average are better cared for than the majority of horses in the hunter/jumper world. The trainers, grooms, etc., on the whole, possess excellent horsemanship, and should be commended for the job they do with the resources and conditions they have available, and must deal with at some tracks.

We all hear of the great deals people get, or we see horses on Canter for $500.00, but these are the exceptions not the rule. The trainers/owners are well aware of the value of their horses. So be mindful of the difference between negotiating and haggling. Offering $2,500 for a horse that has an asking price of $5,000 is no less of an insult then a offer of $50,000 for a $100,000 horse.

You have to be very careful not to fall into the mental trap that the great horses at the track are devalued because they are for sale. The horse you are looking at for $5000 on the track may be the next Gem Twist, and should be given the same type of consideration.

Another interesting TB sales site is Bitsandbytesfarm. I have never purchased a horse from there, but am familiar with their program, and they are very good at transitioning TB’s for a new career.
.

[Summerwood]

Nancy M, your advice is spot on. As someone who has purchased MANY ottb's, I have had to learn a lot of these lessons the hard way, so thank you for posting them for others.

You can also try rerun or mixnmatch.com Canter will also distribute your info on the backside but beware, you will get LOTS of calls. If you are in FL, you can try ocala4sale.com. Try to find someone to go with you who may know the trainers at the track you are going to. Like any sport, there are honest trainers and then there are not so honest ones. Going in with that knowledge can only increase your chances of getting what you want.

Happy shopping!!

[Hawkeye_horses]

I have purchased three TB's from Fairmount Park across the Mississippi from St. Louis. Lannie Brooks runs the Horseman's Benevolence and Protective Assoc. at the track. The Association lists on its website horses the trainers wish to sell and in addition has spearheaded Fairmount's new policy banning horses from shipping to slaughter from the track. Lannie, his wife and daughter are all involved in helping get the horses sold to new homes and they are wonderful people. The trainers were all quite welcoming and accommodating, some offered to gallop the horses I was interested in. All three horses I purchased are amazing individuals. The prices at the track have been way down this past year due to hay shortages and a shortened race meet. The HBPA website is:
http://www.ilhbpa.com/

[msrobin]

The Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association has a program called Turning for Home.
They have some JAW DROPPING horses available for adoption. Very sweet people take a look at the beauties available right now

http://www.patha.org/TFH/HorsesInProgram.htm





.

[PONY751]

I agree with theoldgreymare. Kimberly Clark at Leighton Farms has a fantastic website and some very nice horses for sale. She is also very quick to respond to your requests, and updates her site frequently.

[case solved]

Thanks for the great responses! I'm located in the midwest. We have a small local track, but I would probably head over to Chicago to look. I'm not in the position to buy quite yet, but my trainer heads over to Chicago to show quite a bit and I'm thinking about going to the track to look in the spring or summer. Is there a certain time of the year that would offer better buys? I'm guessing we are in the middle of it right now.

[Summerwood]

End of the meet is best. I also know of a lady in that area that gets ottb's from all over for polo, she is in Ottawa, IL. You can pm me when you are ready to look for her e-mail.

[horsepix76]

I volunteer with Friends of Ferdinand, Inc. based in Indianapolis, IN. We have two race tracks within a 45 minute drive of Indy, so LOTS of TBs looking for homes.

Please visit the website (link below) for info on our horses. There are a couple of foster homes (myself included) that regularly ride the horses to put some retraining on them. As a result, the FFI can ask for a higher adoption fee because the horse is sound, sane and working regularly under saddle. Because there are no employees, 100% of the adoption fee goes back to the program to help rehome and retrain another horse off the track.

In addition, all of our horses have also been evaluated by the vet. She is a 3-day eventer herself, so she knows what to look for in TBs and sport horses. A few of the horses are sound only for flat work, but the rest are ready for whatever kind of career their future adopters give them: hunter, eventers, dressage, trail, whatever. At most track around the country, you cannot bring a vet to do a pre-purchase exam. So there is definitely a benefit from getting a horse out of a program like FFI.

Anywho, here is the website: www.friendsofferdinand.org

Best of luck to you!

[NancyM]

HEY NANCY M
THAT IS AWESOME . GREAT ADVICE. GREAT WRITING. AND MOST OF ALL THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO PUT THIS OUT HERE FOR ALL TO SEE:yes:.

LOL no problem, I can yak TBs all day long. What can I say, I'm addicted.

[suniday]

I'm a little late to the thread, but thought I would put a plug in for Mid-Atlantic Horse Rescue in Chesapeake City, MD. Bev and Ginny get their horses from New Holland. They give them the let down time they need and evaluate each horse before it is placed up for sale. You OWN the horse; it's not an adoption. Great people and the horse are fairly represented.

[horsepix76]

Just to clarify on Friends of Ferdinand's "adoption" policy. When a person adopts a horse from FFI, the ownership is retained by FFI for one year to ensure that the new home is a good fit for both the new owner and the horse. After 12 months time, the ownership is transferred to the adopter and they own the horse. The goal of FFI is to ensure that the horses find a long term home and don't end up back in a situation where neglect, abuse or slaughter are a possibility. :)

[GryffinLuvr4Evr]

Thanks for the great responses! I'm located in the midwest. We have a small local track, but I would probably head over to Chicago to look. I'm not in the position to buy quite yet, but my trainer heads over to Chicago to show quite a bit and I'm thinking about going to the track to look in the spring or summer. Is there a certain time of the year that would offer better buys? I'm guessing we are in the middle of it right now.

My OTTB is from Illinois. I'm not sure where in Illinois, as I think it is in Springfield. I live in Pennsylvania, and I actually bought him from somewhere in Maryland, but if I checked his papers I'm sure I could see what track he raced at.

[chunter/jumper]

We always have nice Thoroughbreds in all price ranges.
www.springwaterhorses.com

[horsepix76]

Friends of Ferdinand is based out of Indiana. There are two tracks in Indiana. We recently adopted a horse to Iowa and have a lady coming down from Wisconsin in February to looks at some of our horses as well. www.FriendsOfFerdinand.org

To answer your original question on the best time of year, usually it is in the fall. In Indiana, Thoroughbreds race at Indiana Downs in Shelbyville (south of Indianapolis) in the spring and then move to Hoosier Park in Anderson (north of Indianapolis) in the fall. In mid-November, Hoosier Park has a paddock sale that is open to the public. Most tracks have fall sales because there are a lot of trainers that are looking to unload the slow horses so that they don't have to feed them throughout the year.

I attended the fall sale this year and there were many nice horses that didn't receive the minimum bid of $350. The lucky (and sound) ones were donated to our retraining program. The nicest horse was a 16.2h GORGEOUS seal bay gelding with two tall hind stockings and a big blaze. He SCREAMED hunter/jumper. He sold for $425.

[Nancy]

Bits and Bytes farm in Canton, Ga places lots of ottb. They have web page
bitsandbytesfarm.com