Presentation is key in practically any form of equine competition, but how does that routine change when a horse shifts disciplines?
On this episode of The Paulick Report's Inside The Grooming Bag, we speak with Joan Reynolds, who trained her horse Town of Towns for most of his 10 seasons on the racetrack, then took him to the 2021 Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makeover to compete in the Show Hunter division, as part of the 2020 class whose event was delayed due to COVID-19.
Reynolds discusses what made Town of Towns a candidate for a second career after racing, what his daily and pre-show grooming routines entail, and what care methods can keep a horse racing to age 11 and competing in the biggest show of his life at age 13.
Town of Towns, a Speightstown gelding, notched 89 starts from 2010 to 2019, beginning his career in Ontario and ultimately spending most of his time in the Mid-Atlantic region. Reynolds claimed Town of Towns for $12,500 out of an optional claiming race at Charles Town in 2014, and won 10 times with him.
Reynolds said her background in showing and steeplechase racing helped guide her philosophies toward grooming her own horses.
“I'm extremely meticulous about the way they look, and they way they should be presented,” Reynolds said. “I think they should be in good flesh, coats shiny, manes pulled, and presented in good form…I've had good mentors through the years that helped me learn how to present a horse.”
The post Inside The Grooming Bag Presented By Midway University: Preparing Thoroughbreds For ‘Show’ And ‘Go’ appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
