All About OTTBs: What does an OTTB know
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your horse will know how to stand for the vet and farrier
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your horse will know how to walk, trot, canter and gallop
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your horse will know how to do a flying lead change
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your horse will be used to hoses and baths
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your horse will know how to stand to be saddled and bridled
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your horse will be used to people, commotion, and a routine
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most racehorses have only had flu/rhino vaccines
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most racehorses have 4 shoes. it is generally NOT recommended that you pull all 4 (at minimum leave front shoes on) until your horse has been seen by a qualified farrier. their feet typically need quite a bit of work to become "riding horse feet"
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most racehorses know what a peppermint is and they love them
What might be new to your OTTB
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walking, trotting, cantering in a balanced way
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turnout
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grass
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hay on the ground
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crossties
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carrots and treats
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indoor arenas
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traditional flying lead changes
What your OTTB will need
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time, love and patience
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a kind hand, teach them new things slowly and fairly
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some OTTBs are quite unbalanced and be body sore and you will need to work with your vet, farrier, chiropractor, bodywork person, magnawave etc to help your horse adjust to life off the track
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your horse will need a properly fitted saddle, please find a professional saddle fitter
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your horse will need quality farrier services
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your horse may need significant "let down" time to just be a horse.
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quality high fat/low fiber feed and plenty of hay, at least 6-9 flakes a day
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if you're boarding your horse, please pay for extra hay
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there is about a 90% chance that your horse has gastric ulcers, please treat with Gastroguard or Abler brand omeprazole. Also talk to your vet about sucralfate.
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quality turnout time in pasture
