Hi there not sure how old this is but I had an Ott that displayed very similar attitude. Had loads of different body work etc everyone said ulcers which treated for and then slight improvement. But still very angry at the world . Deep down I suspected sacroiliac issues and I found a fabulous Osteo who confirmed this . I rehabilitated him doing lots of hill work , zigzag down and up . Don’t do circle work at all ride strait lines and do trot poles. You can inject the sacro as well but it really depends on how bad it is . Frenchie my boy just kept reinjuring it and I eventually had to give up as costs were spiraling . He was eventually sold to a trail rider . The kind of behaviour is telling. If in a transition his head comes up very fast and the ears go back , if you go into a corner in dressage arena tail swish’s and gets very cranky and pace increase . Any kind of rein pressure will result in a violent reaction . Generally not happy unless loose rein and on a trail ! Hope you find some help . Get a good Osteo if you can .!

That’s lovely, Kathleen! There’s so much for his body to let go of and then to relearn. I hope that the article’s author reads this comment, although I’m not sure whether she’s still checking in or not.

It’s amazing how horses open out once allowed to roam with a herd though, isn’t it? And I don’t mean hanging around in a rectangular paddock, but as you say, really being able to roam into larger spaces and live without the expectation of work. I truly believe it helps to re-establish the mind-body connection that has often been weakened during years of training and work.

Wow Danielle reading your post I couldn’t believe the similarities with our situations! I’ve had my guy for almost three years he is now 8 and we just started trotting. We’ve been through the spine issue, the pelvis and hips and now the weak left stifle!
I read on FB groups how others are showing their OTTB they’ve had for a week, month, etc and do feel discouraged at times.
My guy has changed so much physically and emotionally (he came from a killpen) so I at least feel I’ve done something positive. My hope of course is the slow and steady will pay off in spades…I hope all is still going well.

Sorry to hear about your horse just wanted to let you know that I have had simliar experience my horse with left hind lameness The horse has hunters bump on one side I have regular back injections which help keeps my horse sound and daily equissage treatments Hope this helps

We too had many scary moments with our OTTB when we first got him. Our “trainer” lied to us and told us he was a seasoned 12 yr old when he was only 7 with limited training, and our son was a very small 11 yr old. The trainer was far too large for him to keep for himself and turns out saved him from a kill pen. A KILL PEN horse for a child??? Anyhow…

What we discovered was that he was BORED to tears being put through bland workouts and training rides! He simply had far too much energy and heart to do low hunters with a so-so riding child. Once we decided to go with my gut, life got better! We hired a trainer who had more experience with OTTBs and she REQUIRED that he hand gallop him at least 1x a week but preferably 2! If your daughter is not able to or is afraid to, have an experienced rider with kind hands do this for you for a while.

If you’ve ever been or known an endurance athlete, you will completely understand! (I spent 11 years training for full and half iron man races and now I can only “run” a couple of miles after a car accident! It’s infuriating and makes me beyond crabby, so I understand the OTTB’s plight. Once we let him BLOW OUT a time or two a week he was such a happy boy. We also got him into eventing vs hunters, and he excelled so quickly that my son and he went to the AEC’s within their first full year of competing!

Switch it up for him. Get a book of dressage drills, training ideas and/or a trainer who LIKES TBs — I SWEAR they know the difference! Don’t give up! My son and I were in the dirt almost every week at first, but it was worth it!

WHAT A GREAT ARTICLE! I’ve enjoyed every response too!

This is heartbreaking indeed! Where are you located? Anyone with open space willing to let you let him live out in their pastures? He may be much happier as a lawn ornament than you would think vs being a “prisoner” in a stall. Ours is…

Our OTTB was in a barn while we were waiting for our property to be ready (8 months!) and he was used to being in full turnout with us. He was down to 1 hr a day 3 days a week with them and then I’d turn him out again for 2-3 hrs most days, and that kept him sane. A regular ride or walk about the property did wonders for his attitude too!

The only way we were able to keep weight on him when he was competing at a high level (eventing with our son) was with rice bran, performance feed and drained beet pulp (no molasses). Our boy gets very cranky when he can’t get out, and one time he was recovering from an injury and got so aggressive I almost had to put him down– he was lunging at people, striking and biting. It was scary, but we persisted!

He literally went from being a liability on our farm (we teach riding to young children) to a complete sweetheart once he had a few acres to roam throughout the day! I am simply amazed at his transition! Ulcers? Boredom? Lack of gentle exercise? Needing time with friends? Craving green forage and things to explore? We aren’t entirely sure, but we’re so grateful that our OTTB who gave our college bound son so many great memories, character building moments and positive life lessons, not to mention ribbons and successes in eventing, is now happy and thriving. He is kind enough now to be out with our other ponies from AZ enjoying the lush, green hills of GA.

Karen, have you talked to your vet in the first instance? I’d prefer that you do that… that said, gastric ulcers are very common in ex-racehorses, so that might be the first thing to rule out with your vet. Hope it goes well 🙂