Q: I’ve just moved onto horses, and my new OTTB is incredibly strong and runs at every opportunity. How do I find the brakes?!
A: Racehorses are trained to run into contact. Therefore, one of the most significant parts of retraining them is teaching them how to soften over their backs, necks, and poll and come into a softer outline, where they work more with their hindquarter and lift their stomachs.
With a new Thoroughbred, you’ll need to use your legs to help teach your horse to bend through his ribcage, and you’ll want to do lots of direction changes and transitions in your training. Lots of direction changes are particularly helpful, as most OTTBs are initially stiff to turn, and direction changes will soften their bodies, remove the brace and make it easier to engage their hindquarters. Transitions are great for engaging the hindquarters. As an added bonus, both direction changes and transitions will help keep your new horse’s concentration on you.
Putting pressure through the reins when they are becoming tense, distracted or stressed is the worst thing you can do! The only way to keep them calm and listening is to ‘change the subject’ by getting them to focus on something else or something they find easier. Taking hold of the reins will literally create more speed and more tension!
Over time, as you progress in the re-schooling process, you will see improvements, and the contact will no longer be something to pull against. However, in these early days, rely on your weight and leg aids, and avoid the hands wherever possible! If your horse runs, simply ask for some changes in bend and direction, try and do transitions through your seat and focus on remaining calm. If you must use the reins, make sure you give and take, not maintain any kind of constant pressure.
Note
Retraining an OTTB is often a difficult job and it is worth speaking to someone who has done it many times before. If possible, we would advise asking this person to come and work with the horse a little bit or give you lessons on the horse to start you off on the right track.
