It only takes a moment of meeting Merrilyn Ratliff and listening to her sing the praises of her OTTB, Koda Bear, to realize how strong their partnership is. We had the great fortune of watching Merrilyn and Koda Bear while auditing the Lucinda Green clinic at Loch Moy Farm, home…
*** The full episode starts at the 3:55 mark, we were having such a great recap of Devon Arena Eventing before we started and wanted to share it with everyone!*** In 2017, Kirsten Schuitema accompanied a friend who wanted to try a couple of OTTBs that our hosts, Emily and…
Join us for another installment of our OTTB on Tap - Retired Racehorse collaboration! In this episode, we chat with Virginia-based trainer, Chelsey O’Brien, about her 2024 RRP Makeover horse, Unbeknownst to Me, or “UBie” as he is known in the barn. UBie raced 15 times and earned a little…
Can an amateur rider with a full time job still have time to train a fresh off the track OTTB? Julianne Pangal certainly can, and does, as her own website, OTTB Makeover, demonstrates. For the 2024 RRP Makeover, Julianne has teamed up with longtime friend, Ashley Olin, to train and…
Take a trip down memory lane with Niamh and Emily as we discuss 4 memorable OTTBs from our past. We discuss Thoroughbred pedigrees, conformation, temperament, and more, along with the horses’ back stories, why we chose them, and what made them special to us. Maybe even a couple were “the…
Join us to catch up with Niamh and Emily about OTTBs in the big events this spring: Kentucky and Badminton. They also chat about the Kentucky Derby, William Fox-Pitt's retirement, and a sneak peek into our upcoming episode about riding OTTBs in a Lucinda Green clinic. Finally, they recap about…
Join us for another installment of our OTTB on Tap - Retired Racehorse collaboration! In this episode, we chat with Lauren Garrett-Bond about her OTTB mare, Tizbit. Lauren grew up down the street from Pimlico Racetrack in Maryland and would watch the horses work on the track daily. Her love…
Welcome to the first installment of our OTTB on Tap - Retired Racehorse Project collaboration! On today’s show, we have Annika Greaney-Stanger who has two OTTBs that she is retraining for the 2024 RRP Makeover in some varied disciplines including Ranch Work, Barrels, Trail and maybe some Western Dressage. Both…
Join us for Episode 19, where we chat candidly with Heather Gillette, 5-star event rider, graduate 'A' Pony Clubber from Spring Valley Hounds PC in NJ, USEF Licensed Eventing Dressage Judge and Technical Delegate, Co-Chairperson of the USEA’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and Co-Founder of Strides for Equality Equestrians.…
Have you ever wondered if there was a shortcut to saving up to buy your dream horse? Well... maybe there is no shortcut, other than winning the lottery. But, you can buy and sell a series of horses in order to build enough capital to make that big purchase. In…
OTTB On Tap host Niamh O'Connell sits down with legendary rider William Fox-Pitt at the end of his clinic series in the US to talk about OTTBs. Listen to learn what William loves about thoroughbreds, the importance of TB blood in modern-day eventing and he tells us about a few…
William Fox-Pitt needs no introduction to Eventing fans: The British 3-Day Event Rider’s many awards include multiple Olympic, World Equestrian Games, and European Championship medals. In 2011, he became the first rider to win five different five-star events, having won the Burghley Horse Trials a record six times, Rolex Kentucky…
In today’s episode, we continue with Part 3 of Emily’s story as she tells it to co-host Niamh about training and competing her OTTB, Alexander, up to the Advanced level of eventing. While still a Young Rider, she rode him at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event in 1999. We’ll…
This is what we are all here for right? The big splash! Lol, well maybe not quite like that... Sadly we had a parting of the ways and I landed on my butt in the infamous HOL at Kentucky. Covered in mud, what happens next? Check out OTTB on Tap…
After a long gallop, we approached the first water jump on course. This consisted of fairly substantial rails with a bit of a drop into the water, followed by a skinny bounce out of the water. I was very proud of the way Alex patted the ground on the approach…
Huge ditch and brush at Fence 4 off a downhill approach. @OTTBonTap To listen to the accopanying episode, listen to @OTTBonTap Episode 16, wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts, or follow the link in our bio. -- #ottb #thoroughbred #RolexKentucky #eventing #equestrianpodcast #threedayevent #eventer #podcastepisode #OTTBOnTap #equestrianjourney #horsepodcast #podcastclips…
This bank was very imposing as I galloped up to it on my OTTB, Alexander. There as a big ditch in front of the first bank, you had to bounce up two substantial banks, gallop across the top of the bank, then jump over a log, down a massive drop,…
What's in a price? Let’s talk about the taboo topic of pricing an OTTB. Join us as we dive deep into the world of Off-the-Track Thoroughbreds (OTTBs) and the often misunderstood practice of buying from resellers. Hosted by Niamh and Emily from OTTB on Tap, this episode features a candid…
Episode 14 of OTTB on Tap is out now, and we're thrilled to introduce our latest series: "OTTB on Tap: RRP Trainer Chronicles – Where the Journey to Greatness Begins." In this episode, we're diving into the world of the Retired Racehorse Project Makeover 2024! Get ready to meet our…
Welcome back to OTTB on Tap, where we uncork the stories of off-the-track Thoroughbreds and the adventures they share with their devoted riders and trainers. In today's episode, we continue on the saga of Emily and her beloved OTTB partner, Alexander. Step back into the late 1990s and join Emily…
In this episode, you meet the hosts of the OTTB on Tap podcast, Emily Kocubinski, and Niamh O'Connell -- two lifelong horse girls who connected over their passion for OTTBs. We tell you about how we met and our individual backstories. Learn more at https://ottbontap.com/ #offthetrackthoroughbred #OTTBpodcast #Equinestories #Secondchances #Aftertheraces…
This week's episode features an interview with Emily by Niamh, digging deep into the background of how she acquired her upper-level horse, back in the 1990s. Buying horses of any kind 30 years ago looked a lot different from the luxury of online shopping today. Listen in to hear about…
In this week's episode, we join forces with Jessica Redman from Benchmark Sporthorses and discuss how to become a reputable buyer through the eyes of one of the most prolific resellers in the US. We go over some of the characteristics that resellers in a busy program would like to…
In this week's episode, we talk to Emily (my cohost) and hear about her very first Classic Long Format (which just happened to be the NAYRC Championships) with her OTTB, Alex. We break down the elements of the long format and the training and preparation needed to compete in the…