It is an unfortunate fact that every year, Thoroughbred horses in their thousands are abandoned or given up on because they were not fast enough, or agile enough, or disciplined enough or strong enough; while some of their owners were no longer able to afford their upkeep. These horses mainly face an uncertain future. The luckier ones are tried out in disciplines other than racing, and the luckiest of them actually flourish in some new discipline that seems to be more suited for them. Quite often, Thoroughbreds that don’t make the grade as racers perform excellently at some other equestrian activity.
There are few horse-related sights as thrilling or aesthetically pleasing as Thoroughbred racing. The horses are usually gorgeous specimens, and the atmosphere is electric. The Thoroughbred is a breed that has been bred with infinite care for four centuries with just one objective – performance. It is not just at racing that they excel, they are also superb competitors at other events like hunters, barrel racing, dressage, eventing, jumpers and endurance. It is somewhat unfortunate that most people who set out to buy themselves a horse don’t stop to consider the numerous horse care and adoption organizations that offer a wide choice of off track horses. You should not deem a horse as unsuitable for anything just because he did not do well at one particular sport. Would you judge your child unfit for education just because he or she did not do well at one particular subject?
Off track horses are available in great numbers, and are very affordable. They come “off the shelf” in terms of the fact that they are used to human handling and care, training, trailer travel, event experience with all the crowds and noise, veterinarians and farriers and so on. What you get when you buy an off track horse is a composite animal that you can tweak to your own specific requirements without having to go through the whole process of training from the completely raw stage.
Follow Us!