News | Horse Racing Free Tips

Pasture Renovations Will Help Spendthrift Farm Implement Rotational Grazing

Spendthrift Farm is one of Lexington's iconic Thoroughbred breeding and racing operations. Due to recent expansion, the farm wanted to renovate some unused fields and develop them into pastures to use in a rotational grazing system. They turned to forage experts with the Horse Pasture Evaluation Program in the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment for their recommendations.

“The Horse Pasture Evaluation Program is a good tool for all horse farms to use,” said Robbie Moreland, Spendthrift maintenance manager. “It gives us options and guidelines that we can use to develop the land to suit our needs.”

Spendthrift Farm has worked with Krista Lea, UK research analyst, and Ray Smith, UK forage extension specialist, for a number of years to evaluate and renovate fields on their main farm through the program.

“They have done a good job of implementing grazing rotations, as well as removing fescue from some key broodmare fields and having good success with over seeding,” Lea said. “This was our first endeavor with them trying to completely re-establish a pasture.”

The pasture renovation that began in summer 2019 includes 130 acres of an adjoining property the farm purchased a few years back but had not fully incorporated into their operation.

“The land was physically rough, and the grass was consumed by weeds. We decided the best thing to do was just to start completely over again and develop a grass pasture,” Moreland said.

Farm management wanted to establish pastures that were healthy and beneficial for their horses and good for the natural environment. In 2019, they opted to kill off the existing vegetation using tillage, rather than a traditional field burndown with glyphosate. They reseeded the fields with a mixture of bluegrass, orchardgrass and perennial ryegrass. Even though Central Kentucky experienced a drought last fall, the seed germinated and created a lush stand of grass.

Moreland said Spendthrift plans to start fencing the renovated pasture and building a barn this fall, with the goal of allowing horses to graze in the pasture in the spring. Moreland said it was important to the farm to slowly and methodically prepare the ground for grazing.

“We would like to keep these pastures lush,” Moreland said. “To do this, we are going to use it as a pasture rotation with our main farm. The new pastures and barn will be used for our mares and weanlings.”

Spendthrift Farm is just one of the farms the Horse Pasture Evaluation Program advises each year. From its beginnings in 2005 to 2019, the program conducted more than 250 evaluations on horse farms of all sizes and breeds. In 2020, Lea and her student interns have evaluated nearly 30 farms. This is the highest number of operations they have serviced in any one year.

“A high-quality pasture is beneficial to both horses and the environment,” Lea said. “It allows horses to select the best possible forage and stay away from undesirable weeds. We know that good quality pasture maintains a lot of cover, and that reduces soil erosion, prevents nutrients from leaching off that pasture and maintains the soil that is there.”

More information about the program is available here.

Pharoah, Justify Halters On Offer to Benefit Ronald McDonald House

The Ronald McDonald House of the Bluegrass in Lexington, Kentucky will be holding a drawing to win framed halters worn by Triple Crown winners American Pharoah and Justify.

The halters, donated by Coolmore’s Ashford Stud, where the pair stand, are professionally framed in museum-quality shadowboxes by Frames on Main in Paris, Ky., and come with a letter of authenticity.

The funds will raise money for the Ronald McDonald House of the Bluegrass, which allows families to stay close to their children while they are receiving the medical care they need. At the House, families who are away from home to be with their children at local hospitals are provided home-cooked meals, laundry facilities, bedrooms with private bathrooms, indoor and outdoor play areas for children, special suites for children with suppressed immune systems, recreational activities, and transportation to and from local hospitals three times per day.

Much of the House’s work is done by dedicated volunteers. Volunteers serve as van drivers, help with yard work and cleaning projects, conduct fundraisers and serve on a variety of committees.

A minimum of 60 tickets must be sold in order to hold the auction, which will be streamed live on the charity’s Facebook page September 30, with the winner to be notified no later than that evening at 6 p.m.

The auction was made possible by Coolmore America and Bobby Shiflet of Frames on Main, with special thanks to Brian Tormey, Bruce Rintoul and The Vollet Family.

Visit https://rmhclexington-halters.square.site/ to enter the raffle.

The post Pharoah, Justify Halters On Offer to Benefit Ronald McDonald House appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Reports Of Riot, Horse Death At Fairview Racecourse

A riot at Fairview Racecourse in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, on Thursday morning has resulted in the death of at least one horse while others were injured, according to published reports.

The reasons behind the protest vary somewhat between publications, but the most commonly-cited factor is that grooms were standing in solidarity with a groom that had been fired from the yard of trainer Yvette Bremner months earlier-some publications citing that the groom in question had been fired for stabbing a horse.

The SA Police Service tweeted that 150 to 200 protestors had freed 28 horses at the racecourse on Thursday. The Sunday Times reported that one horse died as a result of being stabbed while others were injured in that manner; industry publication SAH Racing, however, reported that one horse died as a result of injuries sustained after running into a fence.

Racehorse owner Michael de Haast told Sunday Times, “We want action now. We are calling on all trainers and other yards to stop all racing immediately until [racing authority] Phumelela take responsibility for what is happening and protect these horses. What is worrying is that the trainer at this yard is a woman and she is being threatened with physical violence if she tries to protect the horses. Gender-based violence, a scourge in our country, is able to rear its ugly head in this situation too. Something has to be done.”

“It is a very sad day in this country when innocent animals are slaughtered and abused due to greed and hate. As Gandhi said: ‘The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated’–and I fear that our nation has lost its way unless we take a very big stand against this.”

The post Reports Of Riot, Horse Death At Fairview Racecourse appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Lost And Found Presented By LubriSynHA: First Pharoah Didn’t Rule The Track, But He’s On To Something New

The eponymously-named First Pharoah has a distinction shared by no other Thoroughbred. As the first offspring of Triple Crown hero American Pharoah, the colt made headlines soon after he was born on Jan. 3, 2017. Three years later, First Pharoah has displayed more of a likeness to his dam rather than favoring his sire, who quickly proved himself as a source of quality runners.

First Pharoah showed little promise in training, so late last year owner/breeder Oussama Aboughazale (of International Equities Holdings and Sumaya U.S. Stable) sent him to Brooke Schafer and Tay Wienold to redirect his talent. The Lexington-based business partners are experienced in schooling off-track Thoroughbreds in general and members of the First Pharoah clan in particular. The women were first introduced to the family when a friend recommended them for First Pharoah's dam Kakadu. A well-beaten ninth as a 2-year-old in her only start, Kakadu retired to the broodmare ranks but she experienced reproductive problems and never produced another foal. With Schafer handling the ground work and flat work and Wienold doing the jumping, Kakadu made a seamless transition to show horse. Now seven, Kakadu's specialty is eventing, combining refined movements of dressage with jumping in open fields and arenas.

Aboughazale was so impressed with the refashioned Kakadu that he channeled First Pharoah and Kakadu's half-brother Lock Keeper (by Quality Road) to them. Schafer and Wienold transformed Lock Keeper's laid-back personality and athleticism into a willing pleasure mount and sold him to an amateur rider who enjoys dressage with him. As a racehorse, he was unplaced in two starts as a 3-year-old in 2019.

First Pharoah's evolution has been slower than his relatives because of his physique. He is built like his dam with a stout body reminiscent of larger breeds so he was given plenty of downtime to develop into his frame.

“We ride him lightly just to keep him reminded about his job and to slowly mold him into the sport horse we know he is capable of becoming,” Schafer said. “Tay rode him first and he rode beautifully. She said he is one of the most comfortable horses she has ever sat on. She looked at me grinning during the first ride and said 'I could sit this trot all day.' ”

First Pharoah, pictured in late August

During this growing phase, First Pharoah mostly has been doing a whole lot of nothing while socializing with pasture mates and human friends.

“He is like a playful teenager who enjoys challenging his buddies to a game of tag when he's feeling frisky,” Schafer said. “He loves his horse companions dearly and gets very attached to every horse we put with him. He lives outside 24/7 in a field with a large run-in shed but loves to come in on hot days and take a nap in his stall. He gets checked daily and gets lots of treats from the neighbors.”

Schafer and Wienold balance their sport horse business and recreational riding with full-time jobs. Schafer is a speech pathologist in a Central Kentucky public school system and supplements her income by selling her customized painted drinking glasses and other equine-centric artwork. Wienold is an accountant who moonlights with a monogramming service. In their OTTB endeavors, they have established a reputation for transforming their projects into reliable mounts for other activities and placing them with suitable owners. Both strive for the perfect match and offer advice for those obtaining an OTTB with fundamental retraining.

“Take your time and start with the basics,” Schafer said. “Most Thoroughbreds are started in professional programs and know how to tie, lunge, get bathed, stand to be mounted, etc. But just because they do, don't assume they know how to do that in a new environment. Take the time to get to know the horse before you give them too many new pieces of information.

Behind the ears of First Pharoah

“Horses love routine and the more you can work with them on a daily basis, the better. I like to learn about my horses by working with them on the ground before we ride them. I like to know their personalities and what they are comfortable with. By knowing this, I feel like it gives Tay and I a better expectation of what we may encounter under saddle.”

The post Lost And Found Presented By LubriSynHA: First Pharoah Didn’t Rule The Track, But He’s On To Something New appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post