Thoroughbred Logic, Presented by Kentucky Performance Products: Categories of Hot

“There’s the expectation that Thoroughbreds are ‘hot.’ OK, fine… kinda. The thing is, ‘hot’ gets us to one side of the ‘how fast do they move their feet’ spectrum. It doesn’t really tell us anything more than that.”

Welcome to the next installment of Thoroughbred Logic. In this weekly series, Anthropologist and trainer Aubrey Graham, of Kivu Sport Horses, offers insight and training experience when it comes to working with Thoroughbreds (although much will apply to all breeds). This week ride along as Aubrey shares her logic on what it means to have a hot horse.

There’s a comical audio loop circulating the inter webs these days that starts off with “Thoroughbreds, the over-caffeinated drama queens of the horse world… g*d damn Ferraris of the horse world, so fast and flashy and high maintenance they make your ex look chill.” The first time folks sent it to me, I had a good laugh. I probably could pick out at least one horse out of my barn who fits each line.

 

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But it got me thinking … well that and trying to explain sales horses to potential buyers. There’s the expectation that Thoroughbreds are “hot.” OK, fine… kinda. The thing is, “hot” gets us to one side of the “how fast do they move their feet” spectrum. It doesn’t really tell us anything more than that. It slots right in there with words like “green” and “safe” that I have written on in the past — they’re useful to get to a big, vague, general idea, but they don’t really tell us much when we start to try to dredge real meaning out of them.

Uno (Hold Em Paul) is both far from fast and far from hot, but he is still a “hot-blooded” Thoroughbred. Photo by Alanah Giltmier.

Hotblooded horses often include Thoroughbreds, Arabians, Akhal Teke, Barbs and a couple of other breeds whose origins can be traced back to the deserts of the North Africa, the broader Middle East and the Mediterranean (though there is a lot of debate on exact origins and implications). I’d love to dive into the history of this, as it seems there’s quite a bit of discussion around class (the elite vs the bourgeoisie) and the role that both science and the genetics of breeding temperament and speed play in relation to culture and power. However, what we landed on today is an imperfect dichotomy of horses: horses who are hotblooded and those who are not (warmbloods, drafts, etc.).

I occasionally get asked (by potential buyers), “Well how hot are they?” as if we have a standardized scale where 10 means they’ll whiz around your paddock avoiding capture at high speed for hours without rest, tail and nose in the air, and 1 means they have already planted their left front in the dirt they’d like to be buried in. But it’s not that simple, frankly because there is not just one type of hot. This isn’t the “how hot do you want your Thai food” question, where if you say medium, they put a dash of hot pepper oil in, and if you say “Thai hot,” some may die, but really they just keep adding more of the same pepper oil until you might wish you had died instead.

Gin (Ginnsu Warrior) falls on the mild-to-no-spice side of the spectrum. Photo by Lily Drew.

Thoroughbreds (and likely all horses) don’t quite work like that. The types of electricity and movement for each horse are a bit different and some are harder to describe than others. It is not just an easy scale of 1 – anyone can ride it to 10 – you’re an olympian? No, ok, please sign this waiver and hope you have life insurance. So here’s a bit of a taxonomy of hot that gets outside of vague blanket term and a number scale.

Sews (Lord Darnley) holding it together and not being particularly “hot” for his first ride back in ages. Photo by Lily Drew.

Quick Footed

Most would probably think all Thoroughbreds fall in this category… nope. These are horses where when you are in the irons, there’s an electricity that comes with it. It is not a bad electricity, but the feet have to move and keep moving to complete the circuit and hold it in check. Quick footed horses often would rather jig than walk in the beginning of the ride. And they *feel* more explosive than they actually are. They are often light in the contact and catty, but not trying to put you on the ground. These horses can be sensitive and responsive to rider aids, but they just feel like there is a lit fuse under you. You can choose to ignore it and they settle or you can clamp down and see if there is actually any powder in the keg as the fuse runs out.

Neil (Lute’s Angel) being a blur as he puts his quickfootedness to good work. Photo by author.

Neumann (Bubba Bob), for all his big barreled easy-going-on-the-ground self was like this. So is Neil (Lute’s Angel) They are both electric, but not going to do anything untoward unless you get tight. And even then, I don’t think Neumann would do anything, but I can’t say the same for Neil — he doesn’t suffer fools anyone outside of his chosen style of ride.

When Neumann was for sale, I would describe him as electric, but not reactive. Sensible but sensitive. But that electricity, that energy, was the hard part to really convey in words — you almost had to feel it to have it make sense. He was geared and ready to go, but he would not buck, bolt, rear, go sideways or spook unless given a real reason from the rider to do so… So, was/is he hot? Yes. But I can’t put that on a number scale.

Neumann (Bubba Bob) successfully out doing what he was born to do with his new owner, Ida Rademacher. Photo courtesy of Ida Rademacher.

Toddler Spicy

The fun of running a sales and training barn is the number of often young horses I get to swing a leg over. Some are super mature and ride like adults. Some, however, fall into the common category of “baby brained.” Doofy, full of antics and protest that often come with quick feet, legs everywhere, and slinging heads and necks. These guys make me laugh because all of their goofy-ness is exactly that — it is not mean or negative, it is just a set of potential tantrums and learning how to contain themselves and grow up under saddle.

One toddler (California Emerald) and one not so toddler (Ekati’s Verve) annoy each other on the cross ties. Photo by author.

Toddler spicy versions of hot often includes the occasional exuberant buck or fit of “my friends are over there” throwing down their toys and stomping about in protest. It asks a rider to be able to train in the good moments, knowing that these kids will grow out of this if they are given direction and boundaries. And it asks them to keep their heels down and kick forward when the baby horses choose to proverbially start screaming in the grocery store. You get to learn when to laugh it off and kick on (most of the time) and when to mean it and tell them to knock it the hell off.

Leni (Chooselov) might have some baby brained moments, but man is she good over fences (and pretty to boot). Photo by Lily Drew.

Forrest (Don’t Noc It) was like this when he first came to me in Georgia. He would pitch impressive fits of bucking and spinning, especially when the truck would come by to empty the dumpster (which oddly always seemed to happen when I was riding). Forrest wasn’t ever particularly fleet footed or electric — just a big, doofy, good kid who would have days where he just couldn’t regulate and everything was a reason to come out of his skin. As he got older and the boundaries were maintained that you don’t get to leap and buck because a metal trailer rattled by for instance, those tantrums got less and less common. And now he’s still a lovable idiot — that we can’t change, but he’s not what I would ever say was particularly “hot” (unless you try to run him on cross-country in a simple snaffle, then god-speed).

More blurry photos… but Forrest (Don’t Noc It) schooling at Poplar Place Farm many years back. Photo by the Kivu Team.

Strong 

Oddly, this may have been the hardest one for me to describe recently. Strong can mean many things but for me it is about bearing into the bridle and the propensity to lean into the rider’s aids. It has nothing to do with being sensitive or reactive. A strong Thoroughbred is one who is not fractious, but may be tough to gallop or hold because they may use their weight to leverage speed. A strong horse requires training to get up and out of the bridle, but also is the type that folks end up bitting up because they can’t hold 1200-pounds of force bearing into a snaffle at a good canter. Strong without proper schooling gasses out your arms and core and thighs and requires training to get them to settle, sure, but also just be lighter and more responsive.

Snowman (Bowing Snowman) is not particularly strong under saddle until you get him out doing canter sets in the wind. Photo by Lily Drew.

Ramen (Plamen) is strong. He is also wickedly smart and kind and sensible. I cannot tell you the number of times someone frail or inexperienced would reach out about him. I’d say, I think he’s too strong (use a few more words to describe it) and they would tell me about the flighty, reactive Arab they ride who they manage just fine. Not. The. Same. Type. Of. Hot. Strong and Sensitive are not the same and I really can’t wrap my head around why that has been so difficult to make clear. *Thankfully, Ramen is now off to hunt with one of my favorite fox hunters and will have the life that he has chosen — chasing the hounds and largely free of arena-based circles.

Ramen (Plamen) enjoying a gallop at the Ithaca Equestrian Center in the fall of 2024. Photo by Lily Drew.

Fractious Hot

Fractious horses are those who haven’t quite gotten the whole “feet stay near the ground” thing down yet. They are often very sensitive to rider aids and low-grade explosive. They might also be Toddler Spicy, but this fractiousness can continue on as a trait long after they pass six years old if the training isn’t there. There is often a lot of leaping, attempts to parody the Black Stallion, and a general lightness on their feet as they manage to avoid settling into a clear rhythm due to the antics. These are horses who often need to learn that a rider can put leg on and gain soft contact and they can settle and go forward. Forward is the name of the game. But it takes an experienced rider to be able to ride through the leaps and bucks and spooks to get them settled and moving off in a straight line.

Crafty Charger has always been one of my favorite fractious horses. He had medical reasons for his behavior, but still such a lovely horse. Photo by the Kivu Team.

Fractious hot horses are those who often ‘get over it’ with some “get forward” leg-on training. But if the behavior persists, that level of disruption can point to other reasons beyond the apple just not falling far from a genetically “over-caffeinated” tree. Pain is often a factor in fractious horses who don’t work out of their antics. And with Thoroughbreds being assumed to be blanket “hot” and sensitive, sometimes things like ulcers, hind end pain, eye sight issues (ahem, Crafty) reproductive pain and others can be missed — overlooked due to expectations of being hard to ride… so a call to a trainer and a vet might be a good course of action.

Sensitive Hot

Finally, the sensitive horse. This one is just quick off the aids, can be fleet footed, but really just needs the inputs dialed back. A sensitive ride can’t handle a hot seated rider, or a someone who clamps and pulls. They require a bit of tact, and when folks don’t apply said softness of aids, they get labeled as hot or fast or disorderly. But, a sensitive Thoroughbred can also be calm and smart and spend most of their under saddle life with their feet near the floor, behaving properly. But if a rider wants to go forward, or sideways, or woah, they have to learn to whisper, not yell.

This adorable chunk (Butters – Justintimeforgold) is actually a reasonably sensitive ride. Photo by Lily Drew.

In comparison to Draft horses or many crossbreds or good easy going Quarter Horses, etc., Thoroughbreds are by default sensitive. Sure. Fine. That’s that whole hotblooded category thing. But the sensitive rides don’t want you to kick or sit deep. They simply require a bit more finesse from the rider and an awareness that every action has an equal and opposite reaction (Thanks, Newton).

Rhodie (Western Ridge) and Butters (Justintimeforgold) tend to resemble these descriptions. They’re smart and want to get the answer right, but they also keep a rider honest with their reactions. Oh, we’re 10 feet to the inside, guess that was too much outside leg… leap into the canter? Not enough finesse. Want to check the accuracy and whisper-ability of your aids? Find a sensitive Thoroughbred and go for a test drive.

Rhodie (Western Ridge) fully falls into this category. Photo by author.

Not Particularly Hot, Just a Thoroughbred

And then there are the Thoroughbreds who are just that. They’re almost always going to demand a level of ride that is accurate and comes complete with independent aids. But they’re not any particular form of hot — they’re just a Thoroughbred. They’re not whisper-sensitive or ready to jig off under you, but they probably do their best thinking when their feet are moving. They’re not going to buck and bolt when something rattles by, but they will shift into sixth gear and make time out on XC if you ask. They’re forward but need supportive leg, they’re light in the bridle, but not poorly behaved. They are uncomplicated, smart, happy and switched on and the type of horse I hope all riders learn how to successfully pilot.

Major Spin seems to want only one thing under saddle – to make the rider happy. He’s not “hot” in any real way, but he still rides like a Thoroughbred. Photo by Lily Drew.

OK, we’re over 2,000 words and clearly I have more to say, so I’ll pull up for the morning and get on with the rest of the day. Enjoy your rides, folks, whatever version of hot or over-caffeinated they may be.


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