How to restart an ottb?

It's a chilly but bright and quiet Sunday morning in February 2020 at Nashwan Stud, part of Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum's massive Shadwell Farm operation.

It seems there should be more excitement for what is about to happen. A sleepy driver and a sleepy mare arrive in a double horse trailer. Miss Hopper is a maiden with no idea of what's about to happen and she will move from pillar to post in the next hour.

The 5-year-old mare had a poor career on the track. She had two wins and $38,365 in total earnings.

She has plenty with fillies and mares. Her sire, Grasshopper, was on the board in 13 of his 21 starts, and earned $848,852. He won the Mineshaft Handicap in 2008 and was placed in six graded events.

My Girl Bess, the dam of Miss Hopper, had a poor career on the racetrack, winning one of ten starts and earning just $24,640. Miss Hopper's maternal grandfather has won over a million dollars, despite missing out on previous performances.

There were two Grade 2s and a Grade 3.

The 60 mares he will breed in 2020 and $7,500 for the farm's coffers for each of them, will bring the stallion just short of a million dollars. He won the Lambholm South Holy Bull Stakes and the Fountain of Youth Stakes, two important Kentucky Derby prep races. He ran fourth in the Derby.

It's a crapshoot and one with educated guesses on the different types.

The constant in breeding is consideration of how much to invest on a stallion fee, and the objective is to blend speed and stamina in pairs.

Speculation on breeding ability is highest with Kentucky Derby winners in America, but running ability is not a good predictor of offspring. Kent Barnes said that more Derby winners have failed at stud than have been successful.

Even the greatest racing career can be trumped by pedysiy.

Sunday Silence, who won the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and theBreeders' Cup Classic, was not popular with breeders because of an absence of a good sire. He became one of the world's greatest sires after being sold to Japanese interests and relocated there. California Chrome could be another horse that got away from us, like Sunday Silence, who was shipped to Japan for reasons similar to that of California Chrome, remarked Barnes.

Miss Hopper is a good fit for late February breeding. This is the time when maidens and barren mares are bred.

"You're going to have a lot of select mares starting to come now," said Barnes. The busiest time is mid-March to the end of March. There are still maiden mares that haven't been bred yet, and they're slow coming around on their cycle. You have the influence of barren mares that have already foaled.

Barnes says that the start of the breeding season is more tradition than fact.

The exact start is dictated by nature. Barnes said that they try to stick to February 14th, but that it isn't by a calendar. The tenth of February is the earliest.

The process of breeding Miss Hopper to Mohaymen would have begun the day before with a vet checking a follicle that will produce the egg to be fertilized.

Barnes, a 30-year veteran in breeding sheds, said that it is likely to go in the next 24 hours. Miss Hopper arrived at her for her date at Shadwell.

The chances of her having a baby are in the 60-65 percent range. It's a good chance she will have to return to the farm for a second breeding.

The same percentages are used for a returning mare. "Then we'll get a smaller percent coming back a third time," said Barnes. There will be a few seas that come back.

You might have a few mares that have to come back for four.

A filly or mare's ability to have babies is only a part of the equation.

War Emblem, the late Kentucky Derby winner, is one example of a stallion not taking to breeding. He did breed an occasional mare, but it was one every 50 or 100.

Young stallions are more likely to have inexperience.

Barnes traveled to another farm for a young stallion that was more interested in being aggressive with his partner than breeding. We put a muzzle on this horse and it worked. The muzzle took away his ability to bite at the mare, and it kind of focused his attention behind, and he was able to drop down and breed.

Barnes said, "Trial and error, you try to remember things you've done over 30 years."

After leaving the trailer and walking into the breeding shed, Miss Hopper is backed up to the stall door by a stallion. It is hoped that his interest in her will prompt an appropriate response from her.

The crew notes that there was no response from her, except for curiosity as to why this strange horse is interested in things.

A signal for a male horse or mare in heat to urinate is a sign for Miss Hopper to get into foal.

When nature calls on a horse's bladder, farm workers teach the cue to whistle. Automatic responses to whistling and urination are a time-saver for horses being drug-tested after a race.

She is loaded into a padded enclosure just outside the stall, which is open to the front but low enough to provide access to her region. She will get a scrub in that area as thoroughly as she would for a human surgery.

The way for Mohaymen is clear because of her tail de ella.

After being led from the scrub-down to the breeding shed, the scene changes dramatically for Miss Hopper. She wears felt boots on her rear hooves to protect her from harm if she kicks back.

She walks very much like a camel, raising her rear hooves in an attempt to shake them off.

My 8 year old off track Thoroughbred has been with me for the better part of a year and a half. I'm sure a lot of people with more experience than me would have no problem taking him out on the trails sooner. I'm not a professional. I'm not a professional but I'm willing to work hard.

We've worked hard to build a relationship, working around cows, walking through a police de-spooking clinic, and putting in loads of sand time.

He's still a little green and occasionally makes it a point to prove some OTTB stereotypes, such as hot headed, pushy, or a little jumpy.

There's nothing wrong with that, but there's only one way to get where you want to go: time and practice.

To build a trusting relationship, to be exposed to all the things that might scare us, and to practice at managing our reactions when things get uncomfortable for either of us.

I'm a better rider and trainer and he's become a better horse because of this time, practice and work.

After retiring from the track, I took Indy, the horse formerly known as Sure Prize, on his first long trail ride.

On the trails behind our farm, we went out with my fiancée Lisa and my friend Tracy, with Indy and I sandwiched in between two experienced horses. Indy was almost a perfect gentleman for the entire ride despite a few challenges at the beginning.

We spooked once on the way home, but it was enough to startle the other horses. All three horses came to a standstill in a split second after doing a complete 180. We moved 2 feet. Not bucking.

After a few seconds, Indy stood with the group and I was very happy with the response.

Why? Even though he spooked, he didn't let his mind run away with him.

He didn't know if he was going to act like a complete fool or run home. He stood with the other horses, but he trusted me enough to make a decision.

I used to go hiking with Lisa every weekend in the woods behind our farm. We'd go off for a few hours at a time, covering anywhere from 4-7 miles with my horse Bob and her horse Gypsy. It was a ritual that I looked forward to every weekend.

I had to hit the reset button when my friend Bob, the first horse I'd ever owned and loved, pulled up.

In one trip to the clinic, my friend Bob retired to pasture and I started all over again with Indy.

OTTBs are defined as horses that don't have to make a lot of starts on the racetrack. Some OTTBs have made more starts than others. There are a variety of reasons why horses retire from racing and training. Some horses don't want to compete on the track and some have injuries that make it impossible for them to race.

It's not always a good sign that a horse will be successful in a new career after retirement. OTTBs are successful at reaching high levels of competition in other equestrian disciplines. There are 81 accredited aftercare organizations that offer rehabilitation programs.

Some horses have injuries that end their racing careers but are not limiting their careers off the track.

Stormin Eddie had a bowed tendon and is now competing in dressage, while Big Deuce had a rare muscle condition but was rehabilitated and retrained for the hunter/jumper ring. An OTTB can be potentially capable of off the track if it's worked with an experienced vet and an accredited aftercare organization.

OTTBs are great mounts for a number of equestrian disciplines.

The key characteristics of thoroughbreds are speed, heart, and athleticism, which makes them very suitable for other equestrian disciplines. OTTBs have become five-star eventers, champion hunter/jumpers, competitive barrel racers, and reliable trail partners due to theirVersatility.

OTTBs can find success off the track through accredited organizations.

OTTB adoption fees can range from hundreds to a few thousand dollars. A variety of factors contribute to the adoption fee of an OTTB.

Don't let the price tag be the only indicator of which OTTB is right for you. After leaving the racetrack, OTTBs need time to adapt to their new lifestyle. OTTBs can blossom in second careers that might have seemed unlikely for them when they were fresh off the track with the proper care and patience.

Adoption programs are offered by 81 accredited aftercare organizations. Considering adopting an OTTB?

Speak to the organization about your goals.

OTTBs have many myths about their temperament and suitability for careers away from the racetrack.

Thoroughbreds are a variety of colors, sizes, and temperaments. The breed can be people pleasers and has a competitive drive. Every horse has its own quirks.

OTTBs are ideal equine partners for a variety of riding disciplines and equestrian activities. The way in which to find new homes and careers for these horses is led by accredited organizations.

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