My goal with this blog is to give some tips and advice to the people out there wanting to adopt an off the track race horse because they make some of the best versatile horses out there and I know first hand what its like to work with on and off the track race horses. I have owned two off the track racehorses within the past couple of years. Right now I have an off the track mare with the registered name of Empire Princess or as I call her Brandi. A little bit of her background is that her father Empire Maker is the winner of the Kentucky Derby in 2008 and just recently her nephew American Pharaoh won the Triple Crown this past year. But unlike her "family tree" she wasn't much of a racer. She has a condition where she gets herself so excited she pops blood vessels in her chest and bleeds out of her nose and the drug they use to treat that condition on the track she just happen to have an allergic reaction to which ended her racing career. I got Brandi when she was only three months off the track and she was three about to turn four years old when I got her and she is now seven years old. We have had many ups and downs over the years but I have learned so much from her and wouldn't change any of it.
When it comes to training a horse that has only been trained to run full speed ahead at 40mph you have to have a lot of patients. They are kind of like working with a small child you have to teach them in baby steps. You can not ride them like you would with any other horse. There will be a video at the bottom of this blog that I'm hoping will help explain more about the training process of an off the track thoroughbred or OTTB.
Off the track race horses are not like any other horse to work with. They will challenge you like you've never been challenged before but they are also some of the best teachers. They are a very unique breed because they come with a past that not many other horses come with and sometimes their past is unforgettable. While you might only think they are just athletes of the horse world they also have a story to tell and I think are one of the best breeds to work with.
It is pretty cool that Brandi's father won the Kentucky Derby and her nephew won the Triple Crown!
ReplyDeleteI never knew you owned horses and could do so much with them, i like it. Did anyone train you to work with horses this well?
ReplyDeleteYes I've been around horses for as long as I can remember. I guess over the years with taking lessons and training I've learned how to do some training myself.
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ReplyDeleteIt's pretty nice how you had a horse that races. It's wonderful how they have a story behind there life. What made you have a passion for horses?
ReplyDeleteMy aunt had horses and my dad raised horses when he was younger so I guess it runs in the family. I've been around them for as long as I can remember.
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