Part 1 of the Retired Race Horse Thoroughbred Training Project with Eric Dierks. 

This guy is like the Bob Ross of horse training

I love the way this guy trains and treats his horses! Especially how he always focuses on soft hands and reins, and only uses softer snaffle bits instead of leverage bits. This guy really focuses on the horses and their comfort zones! Also these videos are very informative for any level rider and I actually learned quit a bit from just this one video. Definitely would trust this guy to train any horse I would ever own, which in the Equestrian world takes a lot of trust and says a lot about the trainer. Love how he handles horses and love these videos. Thanks for posting!

What a beautiful and intelligent mare!!

Just some info about her racing days.... Starts: 36, Firsts: 5,Seconds: 2, Thirds: 10, Earnings: $95,243, Earnings Per Start: $2,646

Just had to Sub.i had 2 rescues.1 was taken w pleasure.Majic loved it.Holly Did not.But that was alright,she followed us! What a Beauty. Thank you Eric.kat,ct.u.s.

Great info for the new OTTB owner like myself..wish I had seen this video back in October when I got my first OTTB...but I feel I am on the right track now...please keep posting..the best 34:12 minutes I have spent on RU-vid in a while...Thanks.

ps- i love the way she turns around and looks at you as if she was saying " HEY this guy isnt too bad" lol such an expression on her pretty grey face

I love OTTB's the first horse I learned to ride English riding on was a 16.3hh nearly 30 year old OTTB gelding named Teddy. Best teacher so kind but just enough of a challenge for me as a new rider that kept me always alert to what he was doing under me ^-^ Then just recently about a month ago I gave a 18.1hh 4 year old his 3rd ride off the track. He is such a lovely horse in fact I'm in the process of buying him right now, so this video was helpful!

Okay so I need this horse in my life.

This is excellent. I always have the feeling, no matter how good the trainer is, that they are practicing for the lessons but when I watch him it shows exactly he's practicing for the horse.

Your channel is the best help that I have found for retraining my OTTB.

Fantastic description of what you're doing at each stage. Thank you!

This video honestly gives me so much confidence back. My trainer and other people at my barn really brought me down because I don’t overtly punish my OTTB. Especially when he mentioned speaking to the horse, I talk to mine a lot too. Just a casual soft conversation. Not feeling confident in how to treat him has resulted in him feeling that loss in confidence. Our improvement has plateaued. Thank you so much for making this.

Wow... the commentary is wonderful... just a ton of information packed in this video. Lovely horse and what a nice, talented trainer. Can't wait to see the results at the Horse Expo :)

Wow she is one beautiful horse!

My horse is also a retrained racehorse and this is exactly what my trainer is teaching me. This video helps me to understand. Thank you~

I love this and what your doing with this or these horses! You gave me great ideas for training my horse and I hope to watch more and see more :]

She's a beautiful horse . Her color is amazing .❤

She is just gorgeous!!!! I love her!! I nicknamed her "Zillian!" She's so dainty and elegant, yet a powerhouse and really shows potential, especially the way she was moving so nicely and settling for you towards the end as she softened. I love the progress you made so far and so fast!! I can't wait to see where she's at in a few months once you've had more time with her and her top line fills out and she bulks on more muscle. She will be a flashy force to be reckoned with!! Will you be starting her over fences? Several years ago my trainer talked me into buying a supermodel 5 year old dapple grey Hanoverian jumper who looked a bit like her. He was the first warmblood I ever had. I had always ridden hot blooded crazy Thoroughbred jumpers in my junior years and always preferred their fiery personality over boring machine children's Hunters!! YAWN!! But this trainer insisted on a very pricy warmblood which was a nice addition in her barn. That raving lunatic cost a fortune and put me in the hospital a few times and ditched anyone who tried to ride him, it made no sense, he had the best of everything, solid training, treated like a king and I tried EVERYTHING but... he just had a screw loose so I had no choice but to sell him!! I wished I had stuck to my hot blooded old favourites instead! I would choose this beautiful girl over an overpriced nutty warmblood any day!! She's going to be great no matter what she decides is her passion!! She's so well put together confirmation wise!! You can tell she has a sweet disposition and good head. She doesn't seem "mare-ish" at all!! Maybe she'll make a great eventing horse!! She's certainly built for speed, endurance and power and is such a pretty mover already for dressage!! She just needs to work on being more uphill. That's always the challenge with Thoroughbreds, they are built to be on their forehand! lol But that's just proper training! All she needs is some time, patience and a skilled trainer like you to help her reach her true potential. Too many great horses end up destroyed because they are pushed too hard, too fast by stupid people!! And then tragically discarded....but I won't go there! You can tell that she has a really good work ethic. She's eager to please, a fast learner with a kind heart! And it's obvious you have the gift, the gentle, kind touch and you're the perfect man for the job! Not everyone understands their complex psyche. It's just a matter of figuring out what makes them tick and the do's and don't. From my many years riding them, which you already know I'm sure, stay off their mouths, always soft quiet hands and legs at all costs, stay light in the saddle, soft aids, NO harsh bits ever, forget spurs or whips, no aggression or temper of any kind, ever. They are far more straight forward and predictable than many warmbloods I've had. It's about time Thoroughbreds make their long overdue comeback as top competitors, they have so much more to offer the equestrian world than racing which I loathe!!! I can't wait to see her amazing transformation!!! I'll be following!! And cheering you guys on!! Best of luck!! LC

Wow he makes it look so easy! Very nice!

No, he just was not worried about the diagonals, he was focused on improvement of the horse

That was SO NICE ERIC! Thank you for the commentary and showing the effects of correct, feeling schooling! BRILLIANT!

I have only ever owned ex race horses in my life, and it's so nice to see that not everyone regards them as loonies. They're the most amazing horses if you give them time and patience.

I'm very impressed with your knowledge of hot blooded horse's, and your ability to work with them. You're so gentle with her and you're easy to understand.

I hope you find her the joy you have given her in whom ever is lucky enough to have her! She is gorgeous,and your passions is heavenly!

I enjoyed watching your video! It's so nice to see someone training a horse with so much patience! We break in our young horses in the same way and this way you get the most honest and trusting horse! Greetings from The Netherlands!

my OTTB lunges, walks, trots, and canters on voice cue's, does showmanship (able to do with no lead rope), hugs, and bows when shes told, and comes when shes called :) i love her!

I have a wonderful off the track Thoroughbred for 7 years. I love your technic.

I wonder if standing between the mounting block and the jump reminds her of the starting gate?

This is absolutely wonderful!

I would love to work with this guy. He is a real joy to watch with a horse.

Excellent video, training, and teaching. Thanks very much for your hard work and for sharing.

This is a very helpful video. I like the running commentary while being able to see the horse and rider together.

What a great mare and trainer! Pleasure to watch!

Incredible! Can’t wait to try this! I was not bored at all watching this video, he kept it interesting for the horse and the viewer! Fantastic, thank you so much!

This is the absolute best help I have yet had for my ottb. Thank you.

I had the same mounting issues... if you bend the horses neck towards you and the stirrup, the won't go forward. If they start doing circles they'll eventually stop because it's hard work.

Thank you for doing what you do! I did this once upon a time!

l love the way he treats and trains horses. She is a beautiful mare.

He should have lunged her to right first. She is crooked the other way. By lunging to the right, the right hind is strengthened which will make bending to the left more comfortable This is a theme that is missing from his approach. This is well known to classical trainers. Refer to Steinbrecht, Gymnazium of The Horse for further reading

I so loved this instructional video! The training is clearly effective and builds confidence in the horse about the rider/leader in his life. I expect this horse has a very solid base to become a whole new kind of athlete.

great advice and help - really helping me a lot with training tewchniques with my TB - thanks again!

This was fantastic. I can't wait to see how she looks later on in training!

Excellent job! I loved watching you ease her into this! It taught me a few things! Very pretty TB!

Brilliant Video. Thank You For Sharing. Good Advice If I Ever Get Another Ex Racer My First Was A Pain In The Bum. Bolting And Rearing And Throwing Me Off This Was Back In 2003.

This is excellent! Thank you! I

You can't take him seriously because he's on the wrong diagonal? Are you kidding me? I've seen a lot of riders who can pick up the correct diagonal every single time, but I have not seen a lot of riders who can be this patient, calm, and understanding with a horse, and who have such a good grasp of classical principles. Get your priorities straight and don't comment if the only thing you can pick up is a superficial error.

Great video and so detailed! thank you

Here, in New Zealand, we have retired racehorses competing everywhere.

Hi Eric! Your videos are very informative. I am also working with two ottb's that show some great potential! It's been quite a few years since I've started one right off the track so I am enjoying your videos about teaching your mare to soften and stretch into the contact.

In the start of this video she looks a little bit like my OTTB gelding right after he came off the track! :)

loved it! A really well explained and very informative video. thank you.

Thank you for this detailed instruction!

Love this! I hope to see more of this mare soon!

Thank you for sharing this video and your advice. I found it inspiring! I just got an OTTB mare that's the same color!

I use the same bit. My horse raced in that bit. It is the best bit for him. Any more force would make him very angry. This bit is very effective on him.

Wow! What a gifted trainer. As the owner of 2 OTTBs, I love to see a trainer with such an understanding of softness and patience. Hope to see many more videos featuring Brazilian Wedding!

Eric, you’ve saved my sanity ! I’ve a tackroom full of gadgets ....side reins, chambons, balancing systems, draw reins and was totally confused. Luckily I have t used any of that Crap on my new guy....who looks a lot like your girl. Today is day 2 lunging in my jump field...not the round pen ! THANK YOU !

a "rhythmical conversation"......so well said !

We have the same admirable concept in the UK

my horse is an ex trotter im retraining him now, they are almost exactly alike !

i trained my OTTB my self and shes great! im sending her to a trainer to slow up her gaits a bit.

I really want a TB as well lots of people don't like them but I L O V E them they are beautiful!

What a beautiful ex-race horse! I wanna ride her... :D

Additional comment, his general approach is excellent

I'm going to do this on a ottb at my barn that was trained wrong this would help him soooo much

oh my my!!! what a looker! my new mare is also a grey OTTB 6 year old ... this mare reminds me alot of my girl. I see your using a D ring ... is that your bit of choice? my girl is in a loose ring and im having a hard time from getting her to stop throwing her head in the air ... when she gets her head down and into a frame she is beautiful but then she likes to toss her head around and play with the bit ... any recommendations?

You are a great trainer! :)

I love the attitude you have! I think far too many people only think about their comfort whilst riding rather than the horse's too. The improvement is amazing! How long had she been off the track?

Wonderful! Thank you!

BEST HORSE EVER!!!

hello you mentioned the bit could you say a little more please as there are so many now out there and it is confusing thank you helen

"you moose" omg this made my life!!!

Why is he rolling his heels into her at around 17 mins? And how is he making her over step? Thanks!

Have you checked the mouth recently? Tossing with the head like that, especially if the toss comes after lowering the head into a certain position is often a sign of problems with the teeth. If the horse is recently checked you can try to just softly push her forward with your legs when she toss her head. If you just keep a soft steady contact with the mouth and urges the horse to use a little more energy most horses will find their balance and stop tossing.

He was on the inside diagonal when he rode her to the right and said she didn't bend as well that way. I think he was on the inside diagonal on purpose. Rising on the inside diagonal encourages the horse to bend to the inside of the curve.

Great work! She's a sweet girl.

How interesting. Also, as an Englishman, this chap’s accent was curious: not harsh or flat - instead, easy on the ear. On certain words it would alter?

Not to be cheeky but when you were riding that mare to the right you remained posting on the right diagonal instead of switching to the left diagonal. Is there a reason for this? Are race horses only used to being ridden on a certain diagonal. This is a great video by the way.

Nice mare. Trained TB's for over 40 yrs now. Love them... In regards to pulling down with the hands...some of your viewer's are more educated...

Hey guys I am trying to start up my own equestrian channel. I am not just any horseback rider with a camera. I didn't start riding until 3 years ago but i have completely fell in love with 2 horses. Riding them made me shoot for the stars and set a goal for the olympics. I ride a solid paint named Mia and a 3 year old appaloosa named Justice. I am going to start vlogging and making progress videos. If you could just come over and take a look that would be great! Thank you!

She is the spitting image of my tb mare.

When you say, at the end of the video: “When she stretches the neck out of her shoulder, the back can relax and then she uses her core muscles to carry the rider’s weight and then she can easily swing from her haunches to propel her weight forward.” => How do you achieve this?

This was super informative but is it bothering anyone else that he had the wrong diagonal the entire time he trotted to the right?

eventing was designed for off the track thoroughbreds, except they changed it to a short format with out roads and tracks so less OTTB's get rescued and rehomed

I wish you would have made videos right her first ride! Nice job.

At 21:00 is there a reason why you were on the left diagonal going to the right? I would figure that it could make her feel off balanced and uncomfortable, at 21:35

I'd love to hear your theory behind this.

It would have been useful for you to discuss Mares v. Geldings.

Tarp is very small ? Is thus done on purpose? Why not stretch it out so they can take a couple of stripes over rate?

How much trained Thoroughbred jumper can cost? 10years old

if he is retraining a racehorse, possibly even to sell he needs them to be balanced no matter who the rider is and how good they are. Also he sounds slightly nervous because he is talking / filming im sure he is just a bit nervous

when was he ever on the wrong diagonal?

Great video! Same work I was guessing to do before watching your video but your video is a lot more informative lol. I have a question though!! My thoroughbred responds differently to rein contact, as almost like western style. He's hard to guide into a circle without loosening the rein and literally dropping the rein like western style! I'd like to keep contact and lead him into a circle without doing that. Do you have any tips or recommendations? Thanks- Danielle

I am riding a retired race horse and I am not squeezing all the time. I have to hold him back and just release to make him go faster.

I wish he would be my mentor even for just a day lol

How much time did you give her for a "let down" from racing? About how many rides did you have on her prior to this video? She is doing great. Do you have current video of this mare? What is your goal for this mare?

Great video, but actually most people at the track who gallop the horses are his size or bigger, they only have light weight on them when they run....

Her name would be Brazillian wedding because she was a racehorse, and she would be a Thoughbred

Can I ask what the purpose of the tarp is? Sorry if its a dumb question.