In its second year taking place in Aiken, S.C., New Vocations All-Thoroughbred Charity Horse Show, Presented by Iris Smith Stables, LLC, nearly doubled the number of horses competing and raised over $150,000. All proceeds from the event will go directly to support New Vocations' efforts to rehab, retrain and rehome retiring racehorses.
The 19th annual show—held June 3-6 at Highfields Event Center during New Vocations' year-long 30th Anniversary celebration—brought together more than 165 Thoroughbreds from 15 states to compete in a variety of disciplines including dressage, hunter, jumper, Western and pleasure classes.
“This show is always a true testament to how versatile the Thoroughbred is and how much the show and sport horse communities value this exceptional breed,” said Anna Ford, New Vocations Thoroughbred Program Director. “It was so rewarding to see so many exhibitors travels hundreds of miles to compete, network and celebrate the Thoroughbred.
“We feel very blessed to have the continued support from our sponsors, the majority of which are Thoroughbred owners, breeders and industry organizations,” she added. “We wouldn't be able to put on a show of this caliber without their loyal support.”
Show highlights included:
Winner of the Open Hunter Derby was Atticus, shown by Mandy Lynch. Registered with The Jockey Club as Sir Hector, Atticus is a 2003 Indiana-bred gelding by Bates Motel who raced 2 times and earned $293.
Winner of the Open Jumper Stake was Marrying Kind, shown by Emma Hill. Registered with The Jockey Club as Another Taste, Marrying Kind is a 2010 Maryland-bred gelding by Latent Heat who raced 16 times and earned $23,217.
For the fourth consecutive year, the winner of the War Horse In-Hand class was Recurring Dream, shown by Jace Sexton. Recurring Dream, a 2009 New York-bred son of Lion Heart, raced 12 times and earned $105,600.
At the show's exhibitor party, New Vocations also handed out several special awards recognizing:
The Thoroughbred that earned the most money racing (Twisted Tom, $939,135);
The most recently raced Thoroughbred (Geranium, 4/22/22);
The Thoroughbred with the most starts (FGF Thomas Knight, 99 starts);
The youngest Thoroughbred competing (FGF Richie's Palace, foaled 5/26/19)
The oldest Thoroughbred competing (Fridge, foaled 2/26/94); and
The Thoroughbred sold for the highest auction price (Mustatheef, $750,000).
Planning is already underway for the 2023 New Vocations All-Thoroughbred Horse Show. Dates and additional details will be available at newvocations.org/events as they become available.
Louise Robson was 15 years old when she began riding one of the Queen of England's retired racehorses named Mister Glum. The gelding quickly became the specific reason Robson decided to make horseback riding her life's work.
Robson credits Glum with getting her through some difficult high school years, when she lacked confidence in herself and was too fearful to ride.
Robson and Glum grew up together; Glum gave Robson courage in all areas of her life, including riding. The duo was together through high school and college, then traveled to Germany to train with Monica Theodorescu, a three-time Olympic gold medalist.
When Robson left Germany to return home to England, she created her business Thoroughbred Dressage.
Robson now has a few of Her Majesty's horses, including Quadrille, Prince's Trust, and Forth Bridge. Though she and the Queen haven't exchanged phone numbers, the Queen does ask after her horses regularly and shares stories about the horses as they have grown. Robson notes that their soundness and happiness are the Queen's top priorities.
The Real Rider Cup, a charity show jumping event featuring members of the racing industry competing on off-track Thoroughbreds, announced Thursday its return to an in-person competition format this year, now including two competition legs in Kentucky and Maryland.
The Kentucky leg will take place on July 9 at New Vocations at Mereworth Farm in Lexington, and the Maryland leg will return on Sept. 16 to kick off the Fair Hill Thoroughbred Show in Elkton. Proceeds from the event will once again benefit the Fair Hill Thoroughbred Show, New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program, and the Retired Racehorse Project.
Riders will compete both individually and as part of a team; riders are welcome to form their own teams to ride for a particular stable or farm, or will be placed on a team based on their industry involvement. All riders pledge to raise a minimum of $1,000, either through donations or sponsorships.
All riders will compete on an off-track Thoroughbred over a course of 2'6”, and can choose at which location they intend to compete (they can also choose to compete at both). As a show jumping event, riders are competing for fast time. The leading riders from each leg will compete head-to-head in a virtual event open for online voting to determine the Real Rider Cup Champion. Awards will also be given for top teams and top fundraisers at each leg.
“I'm thankful that we can go back to an in-person event this year,” said Anita Motion, creator of the Real Rider Cup. “Having events in two locations will make it even more competitive and allow more people to get involved. The RRC has grown each year and this year we are anticipating it being the best yet!”
Rider entry is now open for both legs of competition. Sponsorships are also available for the Real Rider Cup at both the Kentucky and Maryland locations. All interested parties should visit therealridercup.com for more information.
All proceeds benefit the Retired Racehorse Project, New Vocations Thoroughbred Adoption and the Fair Hill Thoroughbred Show.
Fair Hill Thoroughbred Show is a 501c3 organization supporting riders of Thoroughbreds by providing affordable show fees, scholarships, stakes classes and prizes in every division. By supporting their riders, we are helping more OTTBs find second careers.
The Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) is a 501(c)3 charitable organization working to increase demand for off-track Thoroughbreds in the equestrian world. In addition to producing the Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium the world's largest and most lucrative retraining competition for recently-retired racehorses, the organization also publishes Off-Track Thoroughbred Magazine, produces the Master Class retraining clinic series, and presents programming at major horse expos and events around the country. The RRP maintains an educational library of content to empower more equestrians to ride a Thoroughbred.
Founded in 1992, New Vocations has grown into the largest racehorse adoption program in the country. Its mission to rehabilitate, retrain and rehome retired Thoroughbred and Standardbred racehorse has led to the placement of over 7,000 individuals, with 500 retirees entering the program each year. With facilities in Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania, New Vocations serves over 40 racetracks, working directly with owners and trainers in need of aftercare options.
I've been a sports fan for as long as I can remember. I didn't play sports in high school or college, but at the age of 37, I did finally get the chance to take on some of the best riders in the Rocky Mountain region in the equestrian sport of eventing because of the Arabian racehorse AA Two Face (“Dos”) that I used to announce and now ride. I introduced him in this column last month.
Through my broadcasting and writing, I've covered some of the best athletes and coaches across the world in a variety of sports, but deep down, I've also wanted to be in the middle of the action that captivates me when I announce. That's one of the reasons why I started riding horses seven years ago. Although I had goals of becoming good at it, starting at the age of 30 with my previous experience coming in the form of kids pony rides and family trail rides didn't exactly set me up to take the equestrian world by storm.
So, I had a tremendous sense of pride being part of the first ever Young Event Horse (YEH) 4‑Year-Old competition that took place in the United States Eventing Association's (USEA) Area IX at The Event at Archer in Cheyenne, Wyo., on June 2. That was one day before the seven-year anniversary of my very first riding lesson with my trainer-turned-wife, Ashley Horowitz.
I competed against Ashley, as well as Kim Wendel and Dani Sussman, both of whom have ridden at the Advanced level, the highest offered for USEA national competitions. They all rode Warmbloods, generally the breed of choice for eventing, with Ashley and Kim on Irish Sport Horses purpose bred for eventing and imported from Ireland and Dani on a Dutch Warmblood. I rode AA Two Face, who is still in race training while also eventing with me and being ridden by our 8-year-old son, Chase Gubich.
The idea of me and Dos taking on these upper-level riders and upper-level eventing prospects all started as a joke. About two months before, I decided to get snarky during a phone call Ashley and Kim were having about their fancy Irish imports competing in YEH and exclaimed that I would take my Arabian and kick their ass. They initially laughed, but then Kim got serious, “I think you should do it.”
Although I know that my riding skills pale in comparison to Ashley, Kim, and Dani and that AA Two Face's eventing future will not include the highest levels of the sport like it may for his YEH competition, we were doing the foundational flatwork and jumping that is part of the series designed to provide eventing prospects with a positive first showing experience. The first exposure I had to YEH was announcing the 2021 West Coast Championships at Twin Rivers Ranch in Paso Robles, Calif. I loved seeing the talent and precociousness of the young horses. My goal was to finish in the top four — out of four — and somehow fit in, even though one look at us revealed how much horse and rider differed from the rest.
One of the great things about sports is when the regulars that love the sport get to take on the athletes they admire. Soccer teams that play in lower leagues have advanced to face Premier League teams in the FA Cup in England. Emergency goalies in hockey, usually an amateur or sometimes even the Zamboni driver designated for the unlikely scenario that both goalies become injured and cannot continue in a game, sometimes get to play in the NHL.
So, there I was, warming up to go into the dressage ring and then out on cross country taking in that AA Two Face and I were part of a group that is going to make an impact in the sport.
And you know what? We held our own.
Although Dos, as an Arabian, does not have the same natural fancy dressage movements as an Irish Sport Horse or Dutch Warmblood, we were in first place after dressage. Well, that's only half true because we later learned that the results were posted incorrectly. However, for the three or so hours where our names were at the top of the standings, the other riders actually accepted that as a reality. The judging for dressage in YEH is based on quality of gaits and rideability of the horses, and Dos was as relaxed as any of the other horses.
The results were corrected, but I did take a screenshot of the incorrect ones and pulled the incorrect scoresheet out of the trash to save.
Then, during our jumping test, a combination of five stadium jumps and 10 cross country jumps plus a gallop at the end, we actually had the best stadium jumping score based on an aggregate of how the judge assessed the quality of jump at each fence on a scale from one to five. Adding up all the stadium and cross country jumps, our score was tied for second-best.
My weekend at The Event at Archer in Wyoming with AA Two Face was the most fun I've had at a horse show. Here's a clip from Young Event Horse, where we faced some outstanding horses and riders. Then, we placed 6th of 25 at Starter. I'll have more in my next @paulickreport column. pic.twitter.com/wyMZqE9BFd
However, in the overall evaluations of rideability, rhythm between fences, cross country gallop, and general impressions as a potential 4-star or 5-star event horse, we took a backseat.
So, at the end of the day, Kim Wendel and MBF Reality finished first, Ashley Horowitz and Monbeg Salt Fever and Dani Sussman and Bacana tied for second, and Jonathan Horowitz and AA Two Face finished fourth. I love that I could be included that last sentence I wrote and in the group photos we took with such fantastic riders and horses.
For those of you that have gotten to this point in the article, thank you for supporting what was such a fantastic experience for Dos and me, but the plot is now going to change. That's because I'm not an upper-level eventer, and Dos is a unique type of horse that is combining eventing and racing because he loves the variety of activities to which we've exposed him.
The night before entries for The Event at Archer were due, Ashley and I discussed this dynamic and came up with a plan that I would enter YEH to fulfill my sporting dreams and give Dos the positive horse show experience that YEH offers, and I would also enter the Starter level of the horse trials that would take place across the next three days. The significance of the latter is that it was a step down in height and difficulty from the Beginner Novice level at which I competed with Dos three weeks prior at a schooling event at Archer.
Because Ashley, Kim, and Dani are professional riders, they will likely move a horse up a level whenever that horse is ready to do it. However, Ashley did not think that would be the best fit for me.
“You should go out there and have fun,” Ashley said. “Just because you both can physically do a higher level doesn't mean that's the best experience for you or Dos.”
Not having to max out took the pressure off. And so did being part of a large group of 25 horses and riders in the Starter Senior division because I could focus on growing as horse and rider and not on how we placed. My competitive nature and fewer entries would lead to wondering too much about what color ribbon we would get, but more entries decreased the likelihood that we would get a ribbon at all.
The author and Dos come off the cross country course
I've never had more fun or been more pleased with how I did at a horse show. Because Dos was getting more comfortable with the show environment each time I rode him and because I was getting more responsive with the aids I needed to give him, we turned in our best dressage test ever. Although I know areas where we can and will improve, it was a great showing for where I and my baby 4-year-old are at. It was one of the few times I've ever exited a dressage arena pleased with how the test went. I couldn't help but smile that the first comment written by the judge on our scoresheet was “Handsome duo.”
Sitting in a tie for 12th, we turned in a double-clear cross country round the next day to move into a tie for seventh. Amusing moments included passing the rider in front of us because Dos is still a racehorse and how that meant the show photographer missed getting pictures of us because he didn't have the time he thought he would between riders to change out the memory card on his camera.
The next day, we turned in a double clear stadium jumping round to finish on our dressage score in sixth out of 25. Finishing in the top quarter of the standings is the best I've ever done at an event. It's a funny catch-22 that not obsessing about doing better usually means you will.
I took a break from announcing the event each time I rode and then brought my two passions together by announcing the awards ceremony on horseback with a wireless microphone.
The victory gallop, which for us went a little longer and at a brisker pace than the other horses and riders, now leads to the next part of our journey. Thanks to Jeremias and Cristian Castro, the trainers of reigning Arabian horse of the year Hiab Al Zaman, I now have a racing bridle, and thanks to Ashley Carr, an eventing trainer that used to exercise racehorses, I now have a racing saddle to take with me and Dos to Bally's Arapahoe Park to gallop as we prepare to enter a 6-furlong maiden race on the opening day of the 2022 season on July 3.
As an announcer of horse races and horse shows, I've always had a front seat to the action. Thanks to the opportunities that having horses has provided me, I now actually get to be in the action. It gives me more appreciation for those that I announce, and it allows me to live out my dreams on what has become an incredibly rewarding journey.
