Off-Track Thoroughbreds (OTTBs): What to Expect in Your First Year

By Gayle Woods Editors Updated 6 min read

Every year, thousands of Thoroughbreds retire from racing, many of them only three to six years old. Some were too slow to win, some had minor injuries, and some simply reached the end of their racing career. With patient retraining, these off-the-track Thoroughbreds, known as OTTBs, go on to become eventers, hunters, dressage horses, trail horses and family horses.

An OTTB can be a wonderful partner, but it's not the same as buying a horse that has spent ten years as a trail horse. This guide explains what racehorses already know, what they need to learn, and how to give one a good start.

Where OTTBs come from

  • Directly from trainers and owners, who often list horses for sale when they leave the track. Prices can be very low.
  • Aftercare organizations that take in retired racehorses, assess them and retrain them before adoption. Many are accredited by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, which inspects them.
  • Resellers and trainers who restart OTTBs under saddle before selling them. These cost more but come with some retraining and a clearer picture of the horse.

For a first OTTB, a horse that has already been restarted by an aftercare group or experienced trainer is usually the safer choice.

Looking up a horse's racing history

Every registered Thoroughbred racehorse in North America can be identified, and its race record is public.

  • Lip tattoo. Most horses that raced before the late 2010s have a tattoo inside the upper lip: a letter, then numbers. The letter shows the year of birth, cycling through the alphabet. Tattoos fade, so a flashlight and a helper help.
  • Microchip. Newer foals are identified by microchip instead, and many older horses have both.
  • Online records. The Jockey Club's registry and the racing database Equibase show a horse's registered name, pedigree and every race it ran: where, how often, how it finished, and how much it earned.

A long race record usually means a horse that stayed sound through a lot of work. A record with long gaps can mean an injury. Ask the seller about any gap.

What a racehorse already knows

People sometimes assume racehorses are wild or untrained. Most are anything but:

  • They load into trailers and starting gates.
  • They're bathed, groomed, handled by many people and shod regularly.
  • They're used to noise, crowds, loudspeakers and traffic around the barn.
  • They're ridden every day, usually by a light exercise rider in a small saddle with short stirrups.
  • They often stand well for the vet and farrier.

What a racehorse needs to learn

Race training is specialized. Most OTTBs haven't learned:

  • To bend and turn in balance. Racehorses mostly travel left-handed around ovals and at speed.
  • Slow, relaxed gaits. Trotting is rarely used at the track, and a slow, balanced canter may be completely new.
  • That rein contact means slow down. At the track, a rider taking a firm hold of the reins tells the horse to get ready to run. A new rider who grabs the reins can accidentally ask for more speed.
  • To accept a rider's leg against its sides. Exercise riders sit with very short stirrups and rarely use their legs the way pleasure riders do.
  • Mounting from the ground. Racehorses are usually given a leg up while moving.
  • To stand still for long periods, be ridden alone, or ride out on trails.

All of this is teachable. It just needs time and a consistent, quiet rider.

The let-down period

A horse coming off the track has been on a high-grain diet, in a stall most of the day, on a strict routine and in intense fitness. Many trainers recommend a let-down period of several weeks to a few months before retraining starts.

During let-down:

  • Turn the horse out as much as possible, ideally with a quiet companion. Start with small paddocks and short sessions if it's not used to turnout.
  • Shift the diet gradually toward forage, adding fat for calories rather than large grain meals. See how much to feed a horse.
  • Pull the racing shoes or reset them with regular shoes, depending on the horse's feet.
  • Get a full vet exam, including teeth, and catch up on vaccines and parasite control.
  • Handle the horse daily on the ground: grooming, leading and simple groundwork.

The let-down lets the horse's mind and body unwind before you ask for something new.

Common health issues

  • Gastric ulcers are very common in racehorses, because of stall confinement, high-grain diets, stress and long periods without forage. Signs include a picky appetite, weight loss, girthiness and a sour attitude. Your vet can diagnose ulcers with an endoscope and treat them. Constant access to hay and turnout help prevent them.
  • Thin soles and low heels. Many Thoroughbreds have flat feet with thin soles and long toes, and some have been shod in a way that suits racing but not other work. A good farrier can improve the feet over several months. See do horses need shoes.
  • Weight loss. Thoroughbreds are often hard keepers, and the stress of a move can make it worse. See how to put weight on a horse.
  • Old racing injuries, such as bowed tendons, chips in joints or healed fractures. Many don't affect a second career, but a pre-purchase exam will tell you which might. See buying your first horse.
  • Back soreness, often from muscle that was built for racing rather than carrying a rider in a longer saddle.

A first-year retraining outline

Every horse is different, but most OTTB restarts follow a similar order:

  1. Months 1–2: let-down, turnout, vet and farrier care, ground manners, getting used to the new home.
  2. Months 2–4: groundwork, lunging, mounting from a block, walk and trot in an enclosed arena, simple bending and transitions, short sessions.
  3. Months 4–6: steady trot work, introducing a relaxed canter on both leads, hacking out with a calm companion, ground poles. See our guide to English and Western riding if you're still choosing a direction.
  4. Months 6–12: building fitness and muscle, exploring your chosen discipline, small outings to clinics or schooling shows.

Many OTTBs progress faster than this; some need longer. Go at the horse's pace, and get help from a trainer who has restarted racehorses before.

Is an OTTB right for you?

An OTTB is a good choice if:

  • You're a confident rider with steady hands, or you'll have a trainer's help every week.
  • You have time to give the horse a long, patient restart.
  • You want an athletic, intelligent horse and enjoy the process of training.

Look elsewhere for now if you're a beginner who needs a horse that already knows its job. Read how to choose a horse breed for other options.

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Frequently Asked Questions