# Thoroughbreds!



## love huskies (Jan 20, 2011)

Hi, is there anyone in the Hull area who is willing to let me meet there thoroughbred horse? I want to buy a horse in the future and researching different breeds, want to make sure I choose the right horse for me. Advice on this breed is also welcome.


----------



## Melx (Dec 23, 2009)

Hi I dont live near Hull but thought I would give some advice on the breed as I own one!
They are a lovely breed and you can get a lot of pleasure out of them BUT they are not for the faint hearted. My TB is probably the most difficult horse I have owned when it comes to feeding and exercising etc! Her weight yo yo's and it is very hard (and expensive) to keep her wight where it should be. In the winter she must live in at night, some do live out but mine would probably turn into a bag of bones if she did as she doesnt like bad weather at all and the tinyest bit of stress drops her weight dramatically too.
Most of them dont have great feet which means farrier every 6 weeks all year around, I am very lucky and mine has quite good feet so as we dont hack very often she only has front shoes and can go 8 weeks in the winter. This said she couldn't not have shoes on the front.
Her moods can vary quite drastically. One day she can be a total donkey and other days she can be a nutter so do need an confident and experienced handler and rider. She also needs exercising a minumum of 5 times a week to keep fit with a variety of Jumping, school work, poles, lunging, hacking.

All this said..... I LOVE my mare  She is the best thing I have ever owned and I would never sell her no matter how much I was offered!! 

Hope this helped!!


----------



## love huskies (Jan 20, 2011)

I really do love this breed of horse but now wondering if something hardier would be better for me, they do seem to really vary in the way they are. thanks for the advice.


----------



## astraldream (Apr 3, 2011)

If this is to be your first horse you need a nice schoolmaster who will be patient with you and help you learn and get your confidence. The wrong horse early on can affect your confidence massively.
Dont worry on the breed just focus on the horse and its abilities, is it nice and calm? is it good in traffic? will it hack out alone? will it help you learn to walk, trot, canter?


----------



## Melx (Dec 23, 2009)

Thoroughbreds are the "pretty, nice to look at" sort fo hosre and generally you want to be experienced to own one. Dont get me wrong, some are complete novice horses but that is rare in the caseof TB's.
Astraldream is right though, you need something right for a first horse if it is your first horse. If I had of got my TB as my first horse she would probably have put me off horse ownership altogether to be totally honest! lol

When looking just keep in mind the rough size you want, age, abilities etc. Dont worry about the breed so much because you will soon know when viewing the horse whether it is sane or not!


----------



## love huskies (Jan 20, 2011)

Thanks again for advice,taking it all on board and looking at a broader range of horses. it is my fisrt horse but i have worked with horses and ridden a tb before, though she was a quiet laid back mare. What worries me the most is the fact that they seem to have bad feet though i know of racehorses that are un shod, also managing the horses weight seems to be a pain. Lots to think about


----------



## sharon_gurney (Jan 27, 2010)

Thoroughbreds dont particularly have the best reputation, and i always thought dificult to maintain and handle...must say like any animal they are all different.

Mares are different to geldings in any breed and geldings seem to be a little more consistant in their attitude.

But with most horses their quality of education, and what food is fed can also dictate how sharp their temprement is.

My last horse was a full TB and would like to add well behaved, well manered and not especially dificult to keep, a gem to ride and one of the most chilled out boys I have ever owned.

As with all horses feed the correct diet, enough exercise, and have good stable management and a TB shouldnt be any more difficult than any other horse. 

What I will say when choosing a new horse, take your time, and someone with experience to spot obvious problems. Ride the horse in as many different situations as you can and get as much background info into the horses life, health and experiences as you can.


and lastly good luck and enjoy


----------



## love huskies (Jan 20, 2011)

Nice to read something positive! They do seem to have a bad reputation which is such a shame, as with any animal i suppose they do vary. I have siberian huskies which i have raced and shown and they vary in temperment, some are soft and gentle, others are nutters etc . I have just looked at schoolmasters for sale and two of them where TB's which i thought was rather interesting.....gonna keep an open mind i think.


----------



## blackdiamond (Feb 5, 2011)

My first horse was & still is a Chestnut TB Mare !!!

She is the most laidback TB i have ever come across.

She loves being groomed, good in all ways & would stand there sleeping or licking you to death ! She is never highly strung.
I even had a friends 9 year old daughter riding my mare last summer.
She seems to know what rider she has onboard even novices.

With careful management they can be easy to keep.

Mine lives out 24/7 365 days of the year, obviously with access to a field shelter & well rugged up in the winter.
She does take a lot of feed in the winter to keep the condition on her but we do get very cold winters up to minus 21 & a hell of a lot of snow.

What i normally do is in the summertime is start to stock her feed for the forthcoming winter so i'm not spending a hell of a lot in one day ! so basically i spread the cost.

Choose your first horse carefully & good luck with whatever you decide on.

XxX


----------



## hope (May 25, 2011)

unless you are a strong good rider then i would say no as they are very unperdictable ive worked with them and had 2 of my own and you need to be on your guard at all times when riding ,not like other breeds where you can have a chilled out rides
but on the otherhand you can get some laidback ones.

how long have you rode for?


----------



## Melx (Dec 23, 2009)

Any horse owner knows that when you view horses you will know when you find the one for you! 
Agree with hope, Mine is pretty sane but still wouldnt walk around with a loose rein because her spooks are pretty drastic!! lol 
Something like and ID may be more your ideal horse, I know alot of very well behaved, laid back ID's!


----------



## Valanita (Apr 13, 2010)

Melx said:


> Hi I dont live near Hull but thought I would give some advice on the breed as I own one!
> They are a lovely breed and you can get a lot of pleasure out of them BUT they are not for the faint hearted. My TB is probably the most difficult horse I have owned when it comes to feeding and exercising etc! Her weight yo yo's and it is very hard (and expensive) to keep her wight where it should be. In the winter she must live in at night, some do live out but mine would probably turn into a bag of bones if she did as she doesnt like bad weather at all and the tinyest bit of stress drops her weight dramatically too.
> Most of them dont have great feet which means farrier every 6 weeks all year around, I am very lucky and mine has quite good feet so as we dont hack very often she only has front shoes and can go 8 weeks in the winter. This said she couldn't not have shoes on the front.
> Her moods can vary quite drastically. One day she can be a total donkey and other days she can be a nutter so do need an confident and experienced handler and rider. She also needs exercising a minumum of 5 times a week to keep fit with a variety of Jumping, school work, poles, lunging, hacking.
> ...


Your mare sounds exactly like the TB mare I had. She could be a nightmare to hack out on the lanes, but not always, it depended on her mood. Personally I would never have another TB.


----------



## fat fred (May 26, 2011)

hi I'm new on here but I do have quite a few (20 something) years with horses. In my experience it depends on the horse and their past as to what they are like. TB's tend to be less hardy and more prone to injury than other cooler blooded breeds or cross breeds and more likely to get fizzed up from keeping them in of feeding up. I would strongly advise against a retired racing TB for your first horse unless it has already been re schooled - they are sometimes a gold mine of potential and it can be very rewarding but they are notoriously difficult to retrain and need experience - maybe even more than breaking a horse from scratch as you have to try and get them to forget all they have learned before starting over again - and bad habits once learned are hard to remove. Having said that I know several TB's who have come 'off the track' and now they are re schooled they are fantastic schoolmasters, and very patient with novice riders and willing for the more experienced. In fact I rode one on our yard the other day as a pick me up after my supposed 'sensible' ISH gave me the most appalling ride during a lesson - the TB restored my faith in my own ability. I'm also helping a friend re school her ex racer and he is a joy to school - very willing to learn a new way. Just weigh each horse for it's suitability and costs etc - that's the best thing you can do when looking regardless of breed - they all have good and bad points.


----------



## love huskies (Jan 20, 2011)

Going to look at the loan of a cross breed today, think its the most sensible way to go for now x


----------

