The Horse Forum banner

My first OTTB!

3K views 15 replies 10 participants last post by  cecillover 
#1 ·
Howdy folks! I've been too busy with training my pony's to be around here much, but i felt the need to come share with you my very new (as of a few hours) OTTB!

She's an unraced 4 year old named Stormy Cassette. 16.2 hands. She's out of Storm Bird (Who sired Storm Cat). I was asked through the grapevine, from one person to the next, if I wanted to take this horse.

Supposedly she's gentle and has been ridden by a 15 year old girl (I don't know if i believe that!), but i picked her up this morning directly off the track. She's very well behaved and settled right in almost immediately, and she's a TANK. I didn't see her beforehand, I just wanted to take the horse before he sent her to auction on Monday. I didn't know the first thing about her, just hooked up the trailer and went! I was glad to find that she was unraced, though.

Here she is! Better pictures coming soon. I'm getting ready to sell my mare, she's being picked up tomorrow. Things are a little crazy around here with shuffling around to get her settled. I wish i had been able to get her out in the sun to take good pictures, but now it's raining! She's sooo pretty! I'm quite in love already!

Ever since i loaded her into the trailer, i've been daydreaming of a return to the dressage ring. This coming from the "retired, i'm just going to trail ride" me of the last two years!





 
See less See more
3
#5 ·
Congratulations! I love my OTTB. Unfortunately, mine was raced, and he has some issues to contend with, but his attitude and appreciativeness come through every day. I hope your new horse brings you as much happiness and joy as mine has for me.
 
#6 ·
She's great! Very sweet girl. She definitely has the racehorse mentality going on, but probably not the extremes as one who has raced. This morning she literally had a coronary over a dog barking (I believe she lived on the track her whole life). And she was suspicious of grass. She danced around not wanting to walk on it! Once she did and then tasted some, she got very happy! She's a big beastie, but gentle and trusting for the most part.

It was a good day so far, for her second day here! She seems to be very good with other horses, and doesn't really act mareish at all! She is stalled next to a colt on one side, and a mare on the other and she kisses them both around the door!







 
#9 ·
I'm in LOVE! :lol: I've been dying to share these pictures with you guys, but I've been out of town for a few days, had my therapy - 4 days in a cabin in the mountains.

I left Monday, we picked Stormy up on Saturday. On Sunday, Stormy was a bundle of energy just about to explode. She was still slightly jumpy and freaked out over being in a new place, and I was hesitant to do much with her. It was like she was a gun about to fire, and i knew she needed to do something. I decided to get the lunge line and see what she could do. She acted like an old pro - aside from the fact that she wanted to flat out RUN. I don't know how she was running so fast in a circle, but there was no slowing her down. I finally gave up and just let her run it out, while wondering what i had gotten myself into. She ran for a good 10 minutes, a full gallop. Then slowed down some, then some more, until she was CANTERING (yes, i said cantering) and finally was a calm happy horse trotting around in a slow relaxed circle. She just had to get it out!





It was going so well, i fitted her with a saddle. She did great. I hopped on, we did walk and trot without any problems at all. We met mailboxes. Still those pesky dogs are scary. And the tall field grass is very suspicious. But all in all we did wonderful. I felt confident allowing our friend to hop on, who is not experienced with riding horses! None of the horses i currently have are A) Big enough to hold him and/or B ) Tolerant of inexperienced riders. As you can see, she was fine! Disclaimer - not matter how good she was, i wouldn't have put him on her had she not been as tired out as she was.



I rode her today (as soon as i was back in town) without lunging her, we did walk trot and she was a little pent up, but behaved wonderfully! I feel great about this, I have heard so many OTTB horror stories and have even worked with a few that were nightmares - this is heading more towards a romance, thankfully!
 
#11 ·
Wow! I'm glad to hear she's doing so well for you! I can only imagine going from the track to a laid back atmosphere, she must not know what to do with herself! lol Best of luck in the future!
 
#13 ·
Shes cute haha but shes technically not an ottb cause she never raced haha she more like an notttb (never on the track tb) =P
Posted via Mobile Device
 
#14 ·
She lived on the the track her whole life, so she is off the track, no?

I've learned a little more about her. I received her papers, and though there are no race records on her papers I talked to her trainer and I was told she DID race, just never placed. I have no idea how that works, or what to believe. She has no races on her record, but I was told she did race. I know nothing about that. From what i was told, I'm assuming you have to place for it to go on the record?

At any rate, I did some research and stumbled upon an article. Apparently stormy was the last foal her damn had, before she showed up at the auction and was saved from slaughter by Another Chance 4 Horses rescue. :( So sad.

In other news: Yesterday Stormy and I had a nice ride, we butted heads for the first time! It was actually kind of exciting, it's been too easy so far. She has started to become slightly barn sour, but nothing unmanageable and we're gonna nip it in the bud right away. Just your general "I'm-gonna-sort-of-walk-sideways-towards-the-barn-and-hope-you-don't-notice" thing. I'm giving her a day off today from everything (i've been lunging her at the very least every day) because i'm exhausted myself and have a lot of other non-horsey crap to take care of.

She's great, i love her. She's a beast. As to her size - I'm normally one to stay under 16 hands at all times (lucky to go above 15 lol), but well... i'm making it work. I'm only 5'1.
 
#15 · (Edited)
This is day 7! Her 4th lunging session.



(The stirrups kept falling down, they were up for most of the session but not most of the pictures lol)

And riding:


And...

Bad Poneh! :P

That's her leap/buck/jump sideways into a half canter/gallop thing she likes to do occasionally!

ETA: Please ignore me, I look hideous and fat and i was hot and the flies were attacking my face so my arms were all over the place, how humiliating! The horse looks good, so i shared the pictures anyway lol
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top