Transitioning

You just bought a horse off the track. First of all, thank you! These horses are amazing athletes and deserve a shot at a second career. I love seeing them being given that opportunity.

So now comes that transition period. In the first few weeks/months of being off the track it is easy for them to go from looking like this horse:

A.

To looking like this horse:

B.

Nasty grass hay belly and coat. Loss of muscle over the top line, on the hips, and on the neck. Needs wormed.

B.

Shows the loss of the muscling over the top line and the long coat better. 

I am writing this from the angle that your horse is basically sound and healthy, like horse A. That it has good muscling and is carrying decent weight, though maybe a little lighter than you would want a horse to be for dressage, jumping, or eventing. If  he/she isn't in good health or is unsound, you need to talk to your vet before making any decisions.

I have seen horses start to look really bad fairly soon after leaving the track. Then the first assumption people make is that it's coming off of all the drugs. I'm not saying that isn't the case sometimes, because it can be. However, most of us don't go pumping horses full of drugs all day long. Lots of other factors can contribute to the downhill slide of their general health. There are some basic things that are good to know about how (most) race horses are usually cared for and trained that can help you with their health while they move on to their new career. Of course there are always exceptions, but in general this is the basics of what most competent trainers do. (Sorry, but I'd have to write a book if I accounted for what the idiots and creeps do also)

In most cases, they are fed really well. By this I don't mean just the high protein feed and hay, but supplements as well. Ulcers, digestive, joints, weight, hooves, coats, general health, immune system, etc. They need it, they get it. Whatever it takes to keep them healthy, happy, and sound. They are usually fed several times a day on a consistent time schedule.

Their days are fairly routine. The horses become accustomed to how the system of the barn they are in works. Some become institutionalized, though this is more likely to happen in a larger barn that has to run more like a factory to function better.The point is, they don't get to just be horses. They rely on us for feed, water, exercise, grazing (if possible), pretty much everything. A lot of attention goes into them every single day.

They work. Obviously, we have to get them fit. Some trainers train harder than others, but the horses have some form of a job most days. I'm not saying all race horses go zinging several laps around the track every day. Maybe they just gallop slow some days, or jog, or swim. They are bred to be athletes and they are trained like athletes. If they aren't fit enough, the risk of injury increases exponentially.

Jogging forwards

In our barn, we have a ton of chiropractic and laser therapy done on them. We also do a lot of massage and stretching. Everything we can do to keep horses from getting sore, we do.

So, I'm sure this probably seems blatantly obvious to most of you and you are probably wondering how it helps you.

Basically, my point is the affect that a drastic change in their diet and lives when they leave the track can have on them. If you can take your horse from looking like horse A and skip the horse B stage, it will make retraining it that much easier and quicker. Changing weight and muscling isn't that hard, but having to rebuild one or both takes way more time and effort.

Any change can be hard on a horse and knowing the basics about the track can help make it easier on them. When a horse comes into the track, most trainers don't just start pouring the feed to them and working them hard, it's a gradual process.

A dramatic change in diet is rarely good for a horse. Your horse probably doesn't need to stay on a large amount of grain. Taking him/her completely off of it or changing straight to another feed could be rough on them though. Keep in mind that (most) of these horses are able to function in a much more active/distracting environment while being fed large amounts of hot feed and locked in a stall for 22 hours a day. After doing that, a quiet environment with moderate amounts of grain and more room to move around shouldn't be a problem for them. Just giving them large amounts of grass hay or turning them straight out to pasture most likely won't cut it. Maybe they'll thrive off of it, but it's just as possible your healthy, shiny horse could start looking like horse B.

*I personally like keeping them on at least some alfalfa. Click here for a great article about the myths and benefits of feeding it.

Knowing what kind of hay, grain, and supplements your horse was getting and how often they were getting it gives you what you need to gradually change the diet, so don't be afraid to ask their trainer.

I would also ask if they were being given any ulcer medication or preventative and continue with that until they have time to adjust to their new setting. Talk to your vet either way because the chance of any performance horse having ulcers is so high. It can save you a lot of trouble in the long run.

Depending on their level of soundness or if they are body sore or not, if your horse is capable of going to work, give them a job. It doesn't have to be hard work. I like doing a lot of walking under saddle with them for a while. They probably need to learn to really relax anyway and it keeps them from sitting there and getting bored or stressing. This will also give them a new perspective about being ridden. You can teach them to lunge, or just do ground work if you don't want to start riding them yet. Most of the OTTBs I've ridden seem to really enjoy the new challenges. They are happy for the attention. These horses are bred to be active and most seem to do better training. Basically, the more you handle and do with them, the less they will stress in their off hours.

If your horse seems body sore and you want to give them a break, I would recommend doing a chiropractic before hand. Time off will help, but usually it won't fix them if they need adjusted. Getting horses sorted out before a break will help them heal better. The chance of the problem resurfacing once they go back to work will decrease immensely.

Should you decide to give them a break from riding, spend a lot of time grooming them. Give them a massage. Hand walk them. They're used to being handled all the time. Even if they are completely sour, the attention should eventually give your horse a new outlook on life.

I'm not claiming to be an expert, this is just advice off of what I've seen and my experiences. A few of many ideas out there to help a horse coming off of the track. Every horse is different and there are so many factors that come into play. Maybe being left alone is what they need or maybe they need more intense training. Ultimately, it's up to you to figure out what is best for them.

Safety for you and your horse definitely comes first, so don't force yourself to do something you aren't comfortable with.

Good luck!