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First Lieutenant: Fashion Model And Family Man

After three starts at Penn National, a handsome bay gelding suffered a slab fracture, thus ending his career on the track. First Lieutenant made his way to TAA-accredited After The Races with a record of 0-0-0 and earnings of $3,900.

In 2015, Alison Shaw contacted the Maryland-based aftercare organization in search of a dressage prospect and all around family horse.

“(First Lieutenant) was shown to me by Bonnie, the founder of After the Races, and suggested as a good fit for my goals,” Shaw said. “He had a slab fracture as a 2-year-old and it didn't fully heal so he was only cleared for flat work. He was such a clown when I went to meet him, pulling blankets off the stall doors and playing with his lead rope. I knew I had to have him.”

The son of Officer was just four years old at the time of his adoption, so Shaw wanted to take things slow and focus on the basics.

“His restart was slow and steady, lots of ground work, and maybe six months later we got on him for the first time,” Shaw recalled. “He was so quiet and unfazed by the whole situation. There really have been no lows with him.”

As Shaw's family grew, her dressage aspirations were put on hold. Even so, First Lieutenant, now known as “Bodhi,” was always made to feel like part of the family. Shaw's eldest son is especially taken with the Pennsylvania-bred一it won't be long before Alison's ousted altogether.

“Bodhi has had it pretty easy as we've had two kids since adopting him, but he is half leased to a woman who simply adores him,” Shaw said. “All my kids can lead, groom, and ride him on the lead line. My oldest son who is nine regularly tells Bodhi he will be his one day and I should get my own horse.”

Bodhi truly hit the jackpot with his adopted family and vice versa. No matter what they ask of him, Bodhi takes it all in stride.

“He is down for whatever we ask一whether it be wrapping him in wrapping paper and lights for our annual Christmas card or having him do our gender reveal with blue balloons and a chalkboard around his neck,” Shaw said. “He is a gentle, loving clown and comes running every time he's called.

“He is our heart horse, even though I don't really ride much anymore being a busy mom of four, plus running a pet care business,” she said. “We joke he's our favorite child. I hope to get back in the saddle soon.

Not only is Bodhi a wonderful family horse, he's quite the model as well.

“He did a photo shoot for Ralph Lauren back in October of 2020 for the men's spring line,” Shaw said. “I was told to keep an eye out on all social media platforms for the pictures. He was such a professional and relaxed being around a crew of 30 or 40 people and at the Inn he was trailered to.

“Some of the models had never handled a horse but soon felt so comfortable that they were snuggling him on breaks and he wormed his way into every shot,” she said. “He was having a blast stealing one of the model's hats. They adored him and even said they may reach out again in the future.”

But, Shaw's family isn't done growing yet. Up next she anticipates another OTTB in their future.

“He is the best addition to our family and I'll likely plan on adopting another horse from After the Races in the future, as my kids have stolen my horse.”

Read more at Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.

This story has been reprinted with permission from the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. Learn more about the TAA and its work at thoroughbredaftercare.org.

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Off-Track Quarter Horse Now Dancing In Dressage Ring

The versatility of a racing Quarter Horse might not be more apparent than in a royally-bred gray gelding named Feature Mason B raised for the racetrack and now busy dancing in the elegant sport of dressage with his owner Lisa Montgomery of Dallas, Texas.

The well-bred Feature Mason B was bred by Bielau Oaks of Weimar, Texas, and is sired by Feature Mr Jess, the Grade 1-winning runner who has sired the earners of almost $30 million. Of course there's the racehorses he has gotten, like legendary runners Heartswideopen ($1,885,283) and Jess You And I ($1,851,691), but also performance stars like Jess Featureme Quick, an earner of $687,155 on the racetrack and more than 37 points in the show arena.

Feature Mason B is out JA Codas Pride, a daughter of all-time leading sire and American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame member Dash For Cash, and the dam of runners such as JA Fast Lady ($146,946) and Cascada B ($51,759).

Feature Mason B made seven career starts on the racetrack, including contesting the trials of the prestigious Rainbow and All American futurities and notching a win at the historic Hialeah Park in Florida. He retired in 2013 with earnings of $3,975, and was acquired by his current owner in 2017.

Montgomery is an experienced horsewoman who was getting back into horse ownership after a hiatus due to other life demands, and found him listed with the SPCA after his then-owners had fallen on hard times.

“I have been around horses my whole life, and I'm the right kind of person to take on a project,” she said. ”He was obviously de-conditioned, but I could tell there was really good conformation under there. Then I went and met him and that was pretty much it.”

The two were instant friends, and she got the horse she calls “Theo“ back to full health.

“He is possibly the most polite horse I've ever interacted with,” she said.

The highly willing horse always tries to please his handlers, and is very smart, she said.

She remembers a cold day last winter when she put his cooler on him to keep him warm as they walked out to the arena to work. When she prepared to mount, she removed the cooler and placed it on the arena fence. He grabbed the cooler with his teeth and swung his head around, indicating he wanted it back on.

“So I had to put it back on until he'd warmed up a little bit,” she said with a laugh. “That's a prime example of his communication skills.”

They board at a dressage barn in the Dallas, Texas, area, and Montgomery does most of the riding with the help of regular lessons with an instructor. They are currently competing at Training and First Level.

“I appreciate his Quarter Horse brain and his 150 percent work ethic,” Montgomery said. “We have a great time.”

In addition to their work in the dressage ring, Montgomery takes him trail riding, dabbles in jumping and just finds ways to enjoy him, and encourages others to not overlook a horse that might seem imperfect from the outside, but are perfect on the inside.

“I've never ridden another horse that has made me feel more safe,” Montgomery said. “We have a lot of fun. It's a great time and I have a wonderful friend.”

This story, which is part of the Second Career Stars series, originally appeared on the American Quarter Horse News website and is republished here with permission. Second Career Stars is an ongoing series on retired racing American Quarter Horses in new careers. If you know of a horse that should be featured, write to acaudill@aqha.org. AQHA News and information is a service of the American Quarter Horse Association. For more news and information, follow @AQHARacing on Twitter, “like” Q-Racing on Facebook, and visit www.aqha.com/racing.

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Study: Does Light Therapy Assist With Wound Healing?

Different forms of light therapy have been touted to have many benefits for equine health, including assisting with healing soft tissue injuries and infections, as well as addressing sprains, strains, arthritis and swellings. But can it assist in healing wounds?

Drs. Peter Michanek, Tamás Toth, Evelina Bergström, Helena Treffenberg‐Pettersson and Anna Bergh used eight Standardbreds to test the effects of pulsating visible red light and near infrared light on skin wounds.

The research team made small, circular wounds on each side of the study horse's neck. The wound on one side was given one light treatment; the wound on the other side was left untreated. The light therapy was given by the same operator throughout the study and followed a standardized protocol: treatment was given five days a week for four weeks.

Healing was monitored by someone who was unaware of which treatment, if any, the wounds had been given. The research team found little difference in the treated and control wounds in any phase of the study. The treated wounds took longer to completely heal than the untreated wounds.

The team concludes that in this study, pulsating visible red light and near infrared light do not speed healing of experimental skin wounds.

Read the study here.

Proper Training Doesn’t Just Make Horses Faster — It Changes Their Organs

Proper training of the equine athlete can produce results in more than just muscle mass: it can and should create physiological changes in the lungs, spleen and heart.

Proper athletic conditioning can increase the actual size of the heart, which is a factor in cardiac output. Cardiac output is a combination of heart rate and stroke volume. The more blood that pumps through the heart, the more oxygen arrives at the muscles.

A horse that has been trained properly will have healthy lungs, which can take in more oxygen. The oxygen is then carried by the blood and distributed to the muscles. Called maximum oxygen uptake, this process provides power for a longer time. If all other equine systems are in order, the horse's performance level is directly related to maximal oxygen uptake, which can increase by 35 times between rest and intensive exercise.

Athletic conditioning also affects the spleen, which acts as a filter for blood and a blood storage area. Correct training increases the spleen's capacity to hold blood. It also makes the spleen more efficient at contracting during exercise, which forces more blood cells into circulation.

Proper training also enlarges the capillary network within muscles, allowing more blood to be delivered in a shorter amount of time.