Don't get me wrong: as the announcer of the Thoroughbred Makeover since the annual marquee event for OTTBs was first held at the Kentucky Horse Park in 2015, I've been blown away by the talent that Thoroughbred sporthorses can show in new sports with less than a year of retraining after a racing career.

Like when Rosie Napravnik went into a gallop after a flawless jumping round in the eventing finale aboard Sanimo at the 2019 Thoroughbred Makeover to win the discipline. It was reminiscent of the jockey-turned-eventer galloping out after a flawless ride aboard Untapable in the 2014 Breeders' Cup Distaff, after which Napravnik announced her retirement from racing, only to embark on a new equine career, much like the OTTBs that she now rides.

Sanimo and Napravnik moved up to the Prelim level of eventing in 2021 with two top-three finishes that qualified them for the American Eventing Championships and a return to the Kentucky Horse Park.

Or when Carleigh Fedorka had a breathtaking dressage test to win the discipline at the 2015 Thoroughbred Makeover aboard Called to Serve, a horse ESPN's Gary West once described as “a bull in perpetual search of a china shop” because of his naughtiness during race training.

There have been countless other performances that bring out the immense talent of OTTBs, and I'm looking forward to more when I announce the 2021 Mega Makeover from Oct. 12 to 17.

However, at least as valuable to the goal the RRP has that the Thoroughbred Makeover is “intended to inspire good trainers to become involved in transitioning these horses to second careers” is seeing the rounds in each discipline where trainers create a positive experience for their horses based on where their training is, rather than pushing things to the max.

I smile when I see the barrel racer that trots the barrel pattern rather than sprinting all out. The rider pats the horse on the neck afterward. They both leave the TCA Covered Arena proud of their accomplishment.

I smile when I see the freestyle competitor recognize that their horse is overwhelmed by the atmosphere, adjust their routine, and the horse picks up confidence as a result.

I smile every time riders show gratitude for themselves and their horses that just making it to the Kentucky Horse Park is an accomplishment, regardless of where the horses are at in their retraining, because the Thoroughbred Makeover is only part of a long journey that the horse will hopefully embark on in a new life after racing.

Jonathan and Ashley Horowitz announce the finale of the 2018 Thoroughbred Makeover.

There is no doubt that the Thoroughbred Makeover is an elite competition, with $100,000 in prize money and top-level riders competing across ten disciplines on horses that will go on to be leaders in their new sport. In addition, what makes the Thoroughbred Makeover so special and important is that it is also addresses a cause that all professional sports now have to reckon with — the welfare of their elite athletes after they retire. Thanks to the RRP and the Thoroughbred Makeover, horse racing is moving in the right direction with this.

“Since 2015, the Thoroughbred Makeover has steadily grown into not only the largest Thoroughbred retraining competition in the world, but also the largest gathering of people with a professional interest in Thoroughbred aftercare,” RRP executive director Jen Roytz said. “Since then, we've seen more than 3,000 horses go through the process of transitioning from racing to their sport horse careers by preparing for this unique competition, and now we're seeing our Makeover graduates from years past starting to perform at the upper levels in their new equestrian disciplines.”

After coming together for a memorable week at the Kentucky Horse Park, the Makeover trainers, who have represented 46 states and four Canadian provinces, as well as England, can return to their hometowns and inspire others with what OTTBs can achieve.

“That's what works so well with the Makeover,” RRP program manager Kristen Kovatch Bentley said. “It manages to cater to not only the trainers who use the structure of that first year to prepare horses for careers in the upper levels, or take advantage of the visibility to market a horse for sale at the event, but for the one-time 'bucket list' trainers who are entering this competition with their forever horse. It's rare for one event to be able to bring together so many different facets of the industry in one week, but because everyone has had that same incredible experience of partnering with these amazing horses to undertake this transformative 10-month journey together, the competition becomes a celebration.”

The Thoroughbred Makeover inspired me to learn to ride, and my work with OTTBs has changed my life. My wife, Ashley Horowitz, and I currently run the Super G Sporthorses farm in Parker, Colo., where ten of the 16 horses on the farm are Thoroughbreds. Those ten were bred in seven different states.

“For those who don't have a background in or natural connection to equestrian sports outside of horse racing,” Roytz said, “this allows them to gain a deeper appreciation of not only what these horses can go onto accomplish after racing, but how much time, skill, effort, money and more goes into their care and training as they make this life-altering transition from racehorse to sport horse.”

I'm one of those people and appreciate that I now have gone from “talking the talk” as a broadcaster to “walking the walk” as an eventer on OTTBs thanks to what has inspired me at the Thoroughbred Makeover.

The post Horowitz On OTTBs, Presented By Excel Equine: ‘Victory’ At The Thoroughbred Makeover Looks A Little Different For Everyone appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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How a horse matches up with its rider in an equestrian sport is very much like a director trying to cast the right actor or a chef trying to put the right ingredients between two pieces of bread.

I'm grateful for the talent both my OTTB eventers have, and they also could not be more different in terms of how I match with them.

Since she became my first horse in 2018, Sorority Girl (Jockey Club registered as Grand Moony; Barn Name: Moo) has always been the hotshot talent who knows she's good and questions whether I'm good enough to be her teammate. I could not think of a more perfect horse to make me a better rider when I was just starting to learn the sport of eventing.

My newest project, Rocketman (Jockey Club registered as The Gray Man; Barn Name: Uno), wants to get to know me, hang out with me, and be the best teammate he can be both under and out of saddle. I could not think of a more perfect horse to teach me about how special it can be to bond with a former racehorse.

I competed in events with Rocketman and Sorority Girl each of the first three weekends of August 2021, and the personalities that they brought to the show—really, the personalities they bring to all our rides—affected what I got out of and learned from showing them.

I took Rocketman to his first horse show at the Spring Gulch Horse Trials in Colorado on August 8. We went on a whim. After having a month off with a minor injury and illness in June, Uno returned like a champ in July, happy to work under saddle and eager to try the jumper courses I put him through. So, less than a week before the show, I made arrangements for Uno and me to replace another rider and horse who could no longer compete.

I flew back to Colorado the night before the show after announcing the collegiate box lacrosse national championships in California that weekend. I had no idea how my lovable 4-year-old grey gelding with one eye would handle his first show environment. He was a joy to be around. He warmed up calmly and went in the dressage ring for his first test — which also happened to be the first full dressage test we ever did — willing to do whatever was asked of him.

My goal was to make the show a positive experience for Rocketman, so that he wouldn't be “burning out his fuse up here alone.” After the 16.3 hh gelding still trying to figure out where his feet are tripped during one movement, I rebalanced Rocketman and gave him a pet on the neck. I pet him during other moments of the test as well, telling him he was being a good boy. After we halted, I pet him again…and then remembered that I was actually supposed to salute the judge first. The judge and scribe smiled.

We didn't score that well, with a lot of the reasons for my struggles with dressage falling on my riding shortcomings. However, we received the most flattering feedback from the judge, Cindy DePorter from South Carolina, “Going in the right direction! Tactfully ridden! Good start. Work on continuing the kind hands. Good luck. Have fun.” It also brought a smile to my face that the scribe had noted Uno's “one eye” and put a heart next to it under “Distinguishing Marks.”

Uno loves to jump, and we moved up the standings after stadium jumping and cross country to finish ninth in a field of 16 in the Intro-A division. We also earned The Jockey Club's Thoroughbred Incentive Program High Point Award for the Intro level.

The next week, Uno and I moved up from the 2'3 Intro level to the 2'7 Beginner Novice level at the relaxed mini trial schooling show at Sunrise Equine. Uno jumped clear to finish on his dressage score, placing third in a field of six in the BN-A division.

Not only do I love this video of Uno from our first BN XC at Sunrise because he was totally game, it also has hilarious commentary by the dad of Ashley's student. It ties in with my next “Horowitz on OTTBs” column in @paulickreport on OTTBs' personalities. https://t.co/xui8VCUPmG pic.twitter.com/TDKszozMJo

— Jonathan Horowitz (@jjhorowitz) August 25, 2021

More than just competing well, Uno relished the show environment. When we were done, but more students from our Super G Sporthorses barn still had to compete, I walked Uno around like a puppy dog, and he happily grazed, rolled in the dirt, and was doted on by others at the show.

This was all unlike what my first shows with Sorority Girl were like, when both she and I were new to the sport of eventing back in 2018. Yes, she had raw talent and I was fairly precocious to be competing in recognized events after less than three years of riding horses, but we struggled. I chronicled our early epic eliminations at shows from too many refusals to falls to dressage meltdowns earlier in this column in “Horowitz Learns That In Eventing, Winning Isn't Everything.”

Unlike Uno, Moo tests her rider. She has her own agenda and has strong opinions about her rider's agenda. As many special moments as we've had together, including her stealing the show during the wedding ceremony for Ashley and me, she lives life on her terms. So, unlike Uno, who wants to please his rider, Moo wants her rider to meet her expectations—stay balanced, set her up properly to jumps, ask her to work with purpose on the flat. Then, we make a great team.

The author with Moo on the cross country course

The personality Moo brought to our partnership when I was first learning to ride fit with what I needed. I wanted to be a legitimate rider and not just the novelty of the horse race announcer that decided to hop on a horse. Moo made me that rider.

So, at The Event at Archer in Wyoming from August 20 to 22, the hard work I've put in on Moo showed through. Yes, we still struggled with dressage, but that's because I struggled and not her. She did everything how I asked. I'm just having panicky brain freezes in the arena in front of a judge.

After that, we turned in double-clear cross country and stadium jumping rounds, making us one of only four in our ON-B division of 18 and one of only six across the whole Novice level of 34 to finish on our dressage score — albeit a dressage score I continue to work hard to improve.

Moo is a joy to ride on cross country. She gets amped in the start box during the 10-second countdown. She has her ears forward and is eager to jump. If she's ever looky, she's responsive to my cues and has catty reflexes. Here's our XC round at Archer.https://t.co/Y5o2rzPT69 pic.twitter.com/FxdwyMsSum

— Jonathan Horowitz (@jjhorowitz) August 25, 2021

Now, Uno has come along as the right horse for my goals because of his personality. I found a horse that wants to bond with and please his rider. It's actually taken some getting used to that I don't have to be on guard for mare-ish tantrums when I hop in the saddle.

Most Thoroughbreds, if they retire from racing relatively sound, can physically do whatever tasks an amateur rider like myself will ask of them in their second careers and beyond. When their personalities come out — a topic I'll explore more in a future column — that's what determines what the experience will be like. Like a director looking for the right actor to cast, a general manager looking for the right player to draft, or a hopeful romantic looking for the right partner in life, I wish that all the people that want to do good finding new homes for retired racehorses will find that magical match.

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Ashley's chestnut mare Tiny Dancer (JC: Emily's Pegasus) would respond, “Yes, I'd love to!” There is definitely an exclamation point on the end of Sussy's response to express her excitement about literally everything. That excitement sometimes results in overjumping a cross country fence by a foot, but she wants to do all the things.

My chestnut mare Sorority Girl (JC: Grand Moony) would respond, “I don't know, can I?” There is definitely sarcasm on the end of Moo's response. This is the response you've probably heard from a smartass child who may not want to do it and points out how the question only asks if she is able to do it, not that the person asking actually wants it done. Moo is opinionated and questions whether she has to do something.

My wife and I celebrated our one-year anniversary this month and are grateful to be living our dreams through our event horses. However, the path each of our top event horses has taken so that we can continue to chase those dreams has been very different. The lesson of this second part of the three-part mini series “Not Every Horse” that I'm exploring through this column is that horses, just like people, have very different personalities and learning styles. It's crucial to take those into account when training a retired racehorse for a new career.

That may seem obvious, but when the evaluations of horses are based on their physical performance, the effects of the horses' personalities on their learning styles may more prominently influence their physical progress than their actually physical ability.

A racehorse may have all the physical talent in the world, but without the desire to fight and go for a small opening on the rail, that horse's physical talent won't come out in its fullest. Most retired racehorses can physically do anything their riders will ever ask them to do. However, a trainer must bring it out in a way that matches a horse's personality and learning style. Otherwise, the retraining will stagnate or possibly decline if horse and rider can't get on the same page.

My wife and I have similar looking chestnut Thoroughbred mares with similar physical strengths. However, how we've each been able to bring them out has been different because not every horse responds to the same training techniques.

For Ashley, Emily's Pegasus retired from racing at Fonner Park in Nebraska as a 4-year-old on May 13, 2020. One week later, she arrived at our Super G Sporthorses farm in Parker, Colorado. One month and one day after her last race, Sussy competed at Intro at the Mile High Derby about 10 minutes from where we live and finished fourth in a field of 21 at Intro in the combined test featuring dressage and a challenging, winding cross country course of 21 obstacles, including water, a ditch, and a bank.

“She had no idea what she was doing,” Ashley said, looking back. “She was just excited to be doing it. I just had to point her at a jump, and she was like, 'Yes! I'll do that!'”

Sorority Girl and Jonathan Horowitz (top) take the same jump at Archer in Wyoming as Tiny Dancer and Ashley Horowitz, but their journeys to this point have been quite different because of their horses' personalities.

Ashley also rode Grand Moony during the mare's first year off the track as a 4-year-old. Like Sussy, Moo showed promise among big fields at the 2017 Thoroughbred Makeover, placing 11th of 83 in Show Jumping and 10th of 44 in Freestyle.

However, Moo was not excited about her retraining before the competition and would sometimes plant her feet and refuse to move. Ashley, although admittedly annoyed, never panicked. She recognized this was part of Moo's learning curve. She would ask me to stand nearby and gently pull Moo's bit when the mare stopped. It was a low-cost way to convince the chestnut mare to move forward without a fight.

I bought Moo and did my first recognized events with her in 2018. Because of Moo's personality as a horse that questions what is being asked of her and evaluates whether or not she wants to do it, we've had our share of setbacks. 

After completing our first recognized event at Beginner Novice at the 2018 Spring Gulch Horse Trials, our next three recognized events included an elimination for refusals at cross country jumps, a fall at a ditch on cross country, and an elimination on dressage after she planted her feet, refused to move, and backed out of the arena while kicking over the “A” block.

Because of these setbacks, she's been a tremendous horse to learn on and has forced me to step up and be a better rider. I'm proud that in six years of riding, I'm now competing at Novice on a horse I used to announce in races and at the Thoroughbred Makeover.

I've learned to appreciate the extreme highs and lows and life lessons that the sport of eventing offers. Arguably my favorite riding picture is from this year's Spring Gulch Horse Trials in May when Moo, unhappy due to the combination that we were doing dressage while other horses were jumping and that I still struggle with being balanced during dressage, decided she was done with our dressage test, made a scene, and planted her feet. Although the judge gave us plenty of time to recover, she eventually honked her horn to signal our elimination…on dressage. However, Moo still wouldn't move. I turned to the judge, smiled, and shrugged, and we both laughed at the scene my mare was making.

Moo is never dangerous and never bucks. She just sometimes acts like her show name of Sorority Girl. On the other hand, she loves to jump and is also an exhilarating ride.

As talented as Sussy is as well, she also has her challenges. She has made scenes in dressage, too, but those have come from overexcitement that manifest themselves differently than Moo's metaphorical eyerolls. Ashley has received comments that judges have written on her dressage tests of “buck leaps” and “I bet she loves to gallop” this year in her first full year of competition.

Yes, she does love to gallop, and Sussy is now turning in double clear cross country rounds at Training level as a 5-year-old. She and Ashley are headed to the upper levels, but Ashley also realizes that Sussy is still learning. 

Although I'm still waiting until my dressage is more consistent before I move up to Training, Sorority Girl and I have joined Tiny Dancer and Ashley in taking lessons and schooling Training cross country and stadium jumps. As much as I questioned whether Moo was the right horse for me during our early struggles, I appreciate that adapting to her personality and learning style is paying off.

Ashley restarted both of these mares, and if she insisted on a single route that both of them had to follow, neither of them would be as successful as they are today. Like OTTBs, no two snowflakes are alike. By adjusting to when a horse's personality starts to come out and they begin to express their opinions, there's a better chance of creating an effective partnership where horse and rider enjoy the ride and have fun and a few laughs in the process.

The post Horowitz On OTTBs, Presented By Excel Equine: Like OTTBs, No Two Snowflakes Are Alike appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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In the year and a half since I started sharing my adventures, the direction of my column has been full of many twists and turns, highs and lows, and rewarding and frustrating moments. It's been about what the character Ferris Bueller says in the 1986 classic Ferris Bueller's Day Off, “The question isn't what are we going to do. The question is what aren't we going to do.”

Putting “Thoroughbred Makeover” in my GPS has inspired a route that includes learning about the mind and body of the Thoroughbred sporthorse, learning about life lessons that OTTBs teach us, learning about the awesome and humbling responsibility we have to these special animals and how the racing and aftercare industries sometimes meet it and sometimes fall short, and learning that we're not in complete control of where the journey leads.

Because I've tried to follow Ferris Bueller's most famous advice from the movie, “Life moves pretty fast; if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it,” I'm rebranding this column to reflect how the Thoroughbred Makeover represents so much more than the Thoroughbred Makeover.

Welcome to “Horowitz on OTTBs,” where I'll continue to explore the many roads of aftercare. To start, this will be the first in a three-part mini-series called “Not Every Horse.”

In Ferris Bueller's Day Off, the main characters' day that ultimately changes their lives includes going to a Chicago Cubs game. The journey I started retraining a retired racehorse was with an Illinois-bred named after the Cubs, the 2016 bay mare Cubbie Girl North.

My goal was to event with Cubbie at the Thoroughbred Makeover. There was never any doubt about her physical ability to do that. She jumped over the 4-foot vinyl fencing that lined our arena the first time we free-jumped her in January 2020, one month into our retraining. (See “Mind Over Matter.”)

I've documented that our challenges were mental. I wrote in “Riding An OTTB Isn't So Different From Playing Poker.”

The extreme highs and lows have come on top of each other, like when Cubbie busted my chin open and gave me seven stitches three days before we would go on to surpass Ashley's and my expectations by completing our first recognized event.

Cubbie has zero patience for gray areas when she's being ridden, but I'm still learning. I'm not a professional like Ashley and don't have the same tact and skill set for dealing with a horse that wants to become dangerous when things don't go her way. After a disagreement in dressage warm-up for our last event in October, my goal went from success to simply survival. We did survive dressage — with the second-worst score across all levels and all divisions at a show with 195 riders — and even managed to go double clear with no jumping or time faults in cross country and in stadium jumping. But our communication has broken down.

The last time I rode Cubbie was during our stadium jumping round at the Windermere Run Horse Trials in Missouri in October 2020. During our warmup, Cubbie got angry when I asked her pick up the right-lead canter. So, I was relieved knowing that the jumper course started to the left. Cubbie did switch to the right lead over the jumps when we changed directions. We had a clear round, but the good result was insignificant compared to the challenges we faced in our journey.

OTTB Cubbie has found a new partner in Nicole

I subsequently had our veterinarian do extensive evaluation on Cubbie to determine that the issue was anger and not injury. It was becoming clear that Cubbie and I were not an effective match. I decided to give Cubbie a chance with a young, up-and-coming eventing trainer, Nicole Dayberry, a senior at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs majoring in business management with minors in marketing and psychology and hopes of starting her own equine business. I leased Cubbie to Nicole in January 2021.

Over the next few months, Nicole would send me updates about how she and Cubbie were doing, and I decided to visit them at MaeBree Ranch in Larkspur, Colo., on June 21.

There are differences between Nicole and me in the approaches we took to Cubbie. With the Thoroughbred Makeover as our intended destination 10 months after Cubbie and I started working together, I pushed Cubbie and myself to reach certain benchmarks at certain times. Nicole has not pushed it when it comes to working with Cubbie. She spent months adjusting Cubbie's diet and doing bodywork on the mare. She put Cubbie on a magnesium supplement and gave her chiropractic and MagnaWave treatments. She's bestowed on Cubbie a number of nicknames, like Miss Girl, North, and Ladybug.

“I like spoiling her as much as I can,” Nicole said.

Nicole said she had only jumped Cubbie “maybe twice” prior to working her at the walk, trot, and canter on the flat and then popping her over a jump during my visit.

“She's so quiet for me, and she's been so workable,” Nicole said. “She's happy and fun to work with, and everything comes as it comes.”

Nicole was happy. Cubbie was happy. And, as someone who truly loves Cubbie, I was happy.

The big lesson from my story with Cubbie is that the first home a retired racehorse has off the track may not be the best match. I wish that Cubbie and I could have continued our journey to the Thoroughbred Makeover and beyond, but that would be selfish to put myself and my horse in a position where we weren't able to effectively grow. I found another path for Cubbie with Nicole that is more suitable for her, and it put a smile on my face to see the mare I love find success off the track, even if it wasn't how I originally scripted it.

“I couldn't imagine my life without her,” Nicole told me when I asked if she'd be interested in buying Cubbie after the lease.

Not every horse thrives in every home right off the track. Yes, I wanted to be that home for Cubbie, but for people that truly love their horses, the focus should be on what's actually best for the horse. That may very well be a second home or a third home. We can make a difference by being part of a horse's journey, even if we're not the final destination.

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Two miles from Churchill Downs is the University of Louisville College of Business, and that's where horse racing can find some of the answers the sport desperately needs to keep it relevant and thriving in the 21st Century.

I was the guest speaker at the EQIN 304: Equine Marketing class that is part of the College of Business's Equine Industry Program on March 17. Although I was there to answer questions about the horse racing and aftercare industries, as well as about my broadcasting and riding, it was the students asking me the questions that I believe have the answers.

Before I even spoke to the class, I had a good feeling that I would learn as much from them as they would learn from me. University of Louisville offers the only undergraduate equine program in the world that is part of an Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accredited business school.

Sarah Memmi, who teaches the equine marketing class and contacted me about being a guest speaker, has a sure-thing exacta box of qualifications as an assistant professor of marketing combined with a background working with horses.

During the week before I joined the class, Memmi sent me a list of questions that the students created as the basis for our discussion. The very first on the list: “How do you see the industry moving forward from outside pressures other than 'We love our horses'? How important would a national campaign be?” I could tell we were going to get right to it.

I enjoyed our discussion, but what I found even more valuable was learning about the semester projects the students were in the process of creating. Although she said she could have chosen other topics, Memmi chose aftercare as the focus of EQIN 304.

“Number one, aftercare is an important ethical issue in racing, and anyone that is going into this industry as a career needs, not only to be aware of it, but to understand it,” Memmi said. “It's also important to marketing the sport of racing.”

In the same way that the development of racehorses doesn't start when they arrive at a racetrack because breeding and raising yearlings is an integral part the sport, horse racing is starting to embrace that it also doesn't end when they leave the track.

“Aftercare is not charity; it is part of the life cycle process of a Thoroughbred,” said Jen Roytz, the executive director of the Retired Racehorse Project, who also spoke to EQIN 304. “They can't race forever, so they need to have a purpose after racing, and they need to have a value associated with that purpose, whether it's breeding, sporthorse, or recreational.”

That first question that I was presented with about moving the industry forward is something the students began to answer through their Marketing Plan Project Assignment.

Madison Jackson and Reagan Mestre thought of a “Trainer Aftercare Awareness Certification” that incorporates aftercare awareness into the licensing process for trainers at the state level.

“Many times, racehorse trainers are not aware of the ways to properly rehome a Thoroughbred after its career, nor are they aware of the vital role they play in this process,” they wrote.

Sean Collins and Davis Klein proposed “CK Aftercare” in order “to promote aftercare awareness and education in low-tier and low-income tracks within the United States.”

Alyssa Carinder, a 2021 graduate of the University of Louisville, is launching her career as Farm/Development Manager at the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation's sanctuary farm at Chestnut Hall in Prospect, Kentucky. At UofL, Carinder double-majored in Equine Business and Marketing and competed on the hunt seat team.
Photo courtesy of Sarah Memmi/UofL Equine Industry Program

“This issue has come to light in recent times where trainers and owners have had a 'one more race' mentality instead of retiring their horse,” they wrote, adding, “We will create an on-track presence and form personal connections with both the horseman on the track and the different local organizations that may take the horses when their racing careers are over. These personal connections will help educate horsemen on the different options and create trust with our organization.”

But because aftercare must address the range of horses coming off the track, Adrianna Lynch and Emily Charnota proposed that prominent auction houses such as Keeneland and Fasig-Tipton could create a “select sale” that would promote higher-end Thoroughbred sporthorses.

“Aftercare is really complicated and fairly new, so that means you have a lot of room to innovate,” Memmi said. “I was really impressed with the work that they did. They came up with some really interesting ideas, and looking back on it, what I'm happy with is that the future leaders in the industry are getting this ethical piece of the sport. They're into it because they care about horses. They want to do right by the horses.”

The month of May has brought many issues in horse racing into the mainstream. Trainer Bob Baffert gave enough material to the writers of Saturday Night Live to make a mockery of himself and the sport. Then, one day later, Michael Blowen of Old Friends gave enough material to the writers of CBS Sunday Morning to show how moving aftercare can be.

With Churchill Downs suspending Baffert, the city of Louisville may not be as welcoming a place to him as it once was. But, with the growth of the University of Louisville's Equine Industry Program, including the addition in the fall of a graduate program connected to an MBA, the city is welcoming some bright minds and future leaders that can revolutionize horse racing if they're given the chance.

The post Thoroughbred Makeover Diaries Presented By Excel Equine: The Next Generation Sees Aftercare As The Future, Not A Charity appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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To the outside observer, or at least those unfamiliar in the nuances of dressage, the lessons I did on my OTTBs Grand Moony (barn name Moo, show name Sorority Girl) and The Gray Man (barn name Uno, show name Rocketman) would have looked like they were “about nothing.” All we did was walk and trot on the flat at a time in our evolution that I've been jumping bigger on each horse.

I can almost hear you saying, like the TV executive character Russell Dalrymple did on Seinfeld, “Nothing? What does that mean?”

George responds, “Nothing happens on the show. It's just like life. You eat. You go shopping. You read. You eat.”

George eventually walks out. “This is the show, and we're not going to change it,” he insists, although the TV executives don't actually care.

However, the joke is actually on the TV executives. In real life, the whole brilliant series of Seinfeld, one of the most influential in television history, is critically regarded as an entire sitcom about “nothing.”

It was April 14, and I started that Wednesday in a somewhat foul mood with a lot of work and distractions. At midday, I needed a break and decided to ride my horses.

Since the start of the year, I've embraced the importance of emphasizing a strong riding foundation by focusing on dressage and not just trying to up the jumps or the excitement. I've also learned to appreciate the moments whose significance I don't understand at the time and that “Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither are OTTBs.”

With that in mind, my wife and trainer Ashley guided me through walking and trotting on Moo and Uno. Optically, those gaits seem like the “nothing” part of riding. You don't even see them in two of the three phases in eventing, as riders canter, gallop, and jump on cross country and in stadium jumping, rarely ever breaking to the trot or walk.

Because the walk and trot also happen to be the hardest to master, Ashley was really using this opportunity to introduce a whole new theory to implement into my riding during these lessons.

Up until this point in my five-and-a-half-year journey going from broadcasting horses to riding them, I had evolved from “hold on” to “backseat driver.” By the former, I mean that I would sit on a lesson horse and get a feel for what it's like to ride a horse at the different gaits and then over my first jumps. By the latter, I mean that I would try to influence what the horse did.

However, in neither of these situations was I actually the one in control. It takes years just to develop balance on and adaptation to the variety of movements that a 1,000-pound animal with a mind of its own is capable of, especially a Thoroughbred.

Moo and the author in the midst of an exhilarating cross country round at Spring Gulch

Now that I've started to get the feel for riding horses and the ability to follow their movements, Ashley felt I was in position to begin to raise my game to being the “leader.”

“You want to be like a friendly dictator,” she said. “You influence and support every movement. Is the horse doing what you want in that moment? If they are, you don't just give it away but continue to tell them to maintain it.”

The first steps toward leading that Ashley insisted I maintain were establishing contact with the outside rein, then bringing the horse up to the contact through my legs and hips, then maintaining a frame and not letting them fall onto the contact.

It was a lot to manage, and that's why we worked the entire time at the walk and trot. It's kind of like how much genius went into the one of the greatest TV shows of all time that ultimately critics agree was about “nothing.”

The upshot of all this focus on the two gaits that I don't even use on cross country and in show jumping was that those phases got better.

Four days after these lessons, I went cross country schooling at the Spring Gulch Equestrian Area. At the end of last year, Moo and I moved up to the novice height of 2-feet-11, and she and I have appreciated the bigger jumps and faster pace. That Sunday at Spring Gulch, I started staring at some of the training level jumps that have a maximum height of 3-feet-3.

“You're going to do them,” Ashley said, sensing how intently I was studying them.

And we did. There's still room to improve my rhythm and form for me to be proficient at the higher level, but what I'm most proud of is that my focus on the basics is what actually made this opportunity to grow possible.

Then, one week later on April 24, Moo and I had an exhilarating cross country round during our first show of the year at the Spring Gulch Combined Test.

These are the parts of my XC at the Spring Gulch CT that my great Super G teammates filmed. I'm writing my next @RRP_TBMakeover article for @paulickreport about how my winter focusing on dressage helped with XC. The rub is my dressage needs more work, but dressage always does. pic.twitter.com/ocv82BtHh6

— Jonathan Horowitz (@jjhorowitz) April 25, 2021

We were competing at novice, and we blazed around the course with no issues. We even had to slow down fairly significantly at the end of the course to avoid incurring speed faults. There are still aspects of my form that I can improve, and those will come by going back to basics.

I also reaped the benefits from the focus on foundation when schooling Uno on cross country at Spring Gulch on April 26. He won't even be four years old until May 3, but he took a number of beginner novice jumps, the first United States Eventing Association recognized level at 2-feet-7, with eagerness. He felt proud of himself afterward. Before this, the times I jumped Uno were often marred by micromanagement on my part. This time, I was there to support and nurture his talent, and it showed through in spades. I did “nothing,” and that made all the difference.

This horse isn't going to be 4-years-old until May 3, but Uno is coming along so well. He loves to jump and was so proud of himself after our cross country schooling at Spring Gulch today. pic.twitter.com/OxGBLCHxt0

— Jonathan Horowitz (@jjhorowitz) April 27, 2021

Those moments are amazing and are why the hard work and heartaches that come with riding horses is worth it. But afterward, it's important to get back to real life. “You eat. You read. You go shopping.” No TV show did it better, and no approach to riding is better than the one that emphasizes how significant what seems like “nothing” can be.

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I started “Thoroughbred Makeover Diaries” because the plan was to compete at the Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makeover, an event I had announced for the previous five years, in 2020 with my 2016 bay OTTB mare Cubbie Girl North. The idealistic side of me thought this would be a space to showcase a fairytale George-Plimpton-esque journey of an announcer-turned-rider that would help an important cause to me in Thoroughbred aftercare.

The journey hasn't been a fairytale; it's been very real, filled with the most extreme highs and lows I've ever experienced, like when I got seven stitches and completed my first recognized event with Cubbie in the span of a week.

We didn't reach our destination because the 2020 Thoroughbred Makeover was postponed, as many sporting events of the past year were, because of COVID-19. Also, the extremes moments can be a blessing and a curse when working with retired racehorses straight off the track, especially if you're an amateur rider. Those extremes became more than I cared to experience as someone who's been riding for less than six years.

When the 2020 Thoroughbred Makeover was postponed, I decided to give Cubbie a break. I began working again with my first horse, the 2013 chestnut OTTB mare Grand Moony, whom I started showing under the name Sorority Girl in 2018. She had successfully competed in the Thoroughbred Makeover in 2017 with Ashley before becoming my first horse. The challenges of retraining a retired racehorse straight off the track that I experienced with Cubbie helped my journey with “Moo,” and we had our best results at events, even successfully moving up to the Novice level of 2-feet-11 at the end of 2020.

I decided that I wanted to continue progressing with Moo in 2021 and put my Makeover goals on hold. This year will be a “Mega Makeover” that includes the classes of 2020 and 2021, and announcing is my first priority. So, Cubbie is now on a free lease for the year with a caring, kind, up-and-coming trainer, Nicole Dayberry, and I hope I get to announce them at shows in Colorado and the surrounding area this year.

As I was arranging for Cubbie to go to Nicole, I told Ashley that I wanted to take a break from working with green OTTBs. So, naturally, as my wife and trainer who truly knows what's best for me, she found a retired racehorse that I should buy.

Kim Wendel, an upper-level eventer based in Colorado and a fellow board member with the organization that runs the Spring Gulch Horse Trials, was selling her 2017 grey OTTB gelding The Gray Man. “He'd be perfect for you,” was the sentiment of both Ashley and Kim.

“Well, s***, he's too nice to pass up,” I thought.

Long story short, a friend that rides at our barn, Rageena Price, and I decided to buy The Gray Man together. With his cool backstory and personality, a barn name of “Uno” because he only has one eye, and an eagerness to learn, this OTTB is full of potential for good times ahead. At the same time, he's a young horse full of playfulness and can be a lot to handle as a 16.3 hh big baby.

It's safe to say that Uno has a lot of personality, whether it be with his rider or with the Super G barn cat Archie. Photo by Ashley Horowitz

It's that balance that's exciting and terrifying. I imagine a scale where I weigh the pros and cons of OTTBs. On one side is the talent, the journey, and the reward for helping a racehorse successfully transition to a new life after retiring from racing. The Thoroughbred provides opportunities unlike any other horse breed. Weighing that down from the other side of the scale are the difficult learning moments for horse and rider, the miscommunication as they figure each other out, and, especially for a young OTTB, an exuberance that can be difficult to handle.

Unfortunately, I've fallen into the trap of looking at this scale before, during, and after every ride and then deciding whether it's all “worth it.” That's exhausting, and it leads to what I'm experiencing as “trainer fatigue.” It became worse as the big goal of competing in the Thoroughbred Makeover loomed.

So, what's the solution? After reflecting on everything I've written about, which is the most personally beneficial part of “Thoroughbred Makeover Diaries,” I've arrived at “change.” Change is difficult to implement, difficult to observe, and difficult to appreciate—at least for me.

Uno has shown an aptitude for jumping, but, as a young, energetic horse, he can also be a lot of handle. It's figuring out that balance that's a key to working with OTTBs. Photo by Ashley Horowitz

Not all OTTBs are alike. Now I'm working with a gelding instead of a mare. Cubbie would hold massive grudges. Uno does not. But, I have to appreciate that change and not fall into the trap that the journey with Uno will be the same as it was with Cubbie. I've changed my goals. It's not “Makeover or bust.” It's “What will make for a positive step forward, big or small, today?” And, hopefully, I will embrace that a backward step does not mean the end of progress or the journey.

Uno is excited about life and has a lot of energy. I would initially see that as a bad thing because his overeagerness is difficult to handle. However, that eagerness, once it's channeled, will be beneficial to taking big jumps on a cross country course. That's going to take time, so in the meantime, I lunge him before each ride. If he's hasn't been ridden in awhile, I'll close the doors to our indoor arena and let him run around. It used to freak me out, thinking, “I'm supposed to ride that,” but now it's cute.

Uno got to stretch his legs in our arena for the first time since the big blizzard. I used to think, “How am I supposed to ride a horse with all that energy?” Now I'm amused by it. Having the right attitude with OTTBs will be my next @RRP_TBMakeover Diaries for @paulickreport. pic.twitter.com/AMyyBsP7MB

— Jonathan Horowitz (@jjhorowitz) March 23, 2021

I once told a corny joke while warming up on Uno and started laughing. At the sound of my laugh, he leapt in the air with all four feet off the ground, and I flew up with my four limbs above the saddle. I managed to stay on and one-rein stop. It was terrifying, but I changed my perspective that the best way to deal with it is to go with the flow. Uno wasn't being mean-spirited in the moment, and neither should I.

I still struggle when Uno wants to go forward, thinking he'll run off with me. I'm trying to find the balance between accepting where he's at with his progress and asking for a little more, the difference, for example, between just getting the trot and getting him to work at the trot. And, I need guidance on knowing when to end the lesson and not push the issue.

So, I'm not saying that I've figured out the answers to my challenges, but hopefully I embrace the idea that “Rome wasn't built in a day,” and neither are OTTBs. That's why Ashley won't just give me the blueprints but instead empowers me to go through the struggles, with her playing the role as trainer, foreperson, therapist, and inspiration, to create my own journey, wherever it may lead.

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I love a good picture of a jockey, trainer, or owner kissing their horse after a hard-fought race as much as the next person, but the “We love our horses!” rallying cry in response to when outside pressures have questioned the sport's safety is not enough.

Saying “We love our horses!” serves a purpose, but the horse racing industry needs to show it.

Love can be expressed in many ways. Gary Chapman's book The 5 Love Languages that has sold more than 12 million copies and been a New York Times bestseller for a decade discusses five: words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service, and physical touch. Understanding these “love languages” and how they express love in different ways unlocks “the secret to love that lasts,” as Chapman claims as the subtitle to his book.

So, I'd like to introduce “The 5 Love Languages for Racehorses” and share how one racehorse trainer I admire has fluency in all of them. In no way am I suggesting that this is a comprehensive list or that I am an effective love linguist like Chapman. However, love for the horse drives my equine broadcasting career, my work with OTTBs, and my aspirations as an eventer.

Meet Kim Oliver

Kim Oliver is a fifth-generation horse trainer.

“I have many memories of my grandparents and great grandparents racing,” she said.

However, Oliver initially chose a different career path for herself. She received a bachelor of science in exercise physiology from Arizona State University and a bachelor of science in nursing from the University of Northern Colorado. She became a registered nurse in intensive care units and in homes and started a non-profit to assist her community in western Colorado.

All the while, Oliver would help her family's racing stable from ponying on the track to hauling horses from the family farm to the racetrack. In 2012, she decided to get her trainer's license.

Oliver has trained racehorses around the country, from Arapahoe Park in her home state to the Southern California circuit to Turf Paradise in Arizona to Canterbury Park in Minnesota to Oaklawn Park in Arkansas.

She has also become an advocate for Thoroughbred welfare. She started an aftercare committee within the Colorado Horseracing Association and serves on the board of CANTER USA.

“Aftercare, especially in the last decade, has gained legitimacy that it never experienced before, and a big part of that is people like Kim taking an active role in their horses' aftercare and well-being and being a vocal advocate for those horses,” said Jen Roytz, executive director of the Retired Racehorse Project.

Kim Oliver with Mr Wild Kitty at Arapahoe Park in Colorado on the day she donated the horse to CANTER USA.

Racing Love Language #1: Showing Affection

This is the easiest form of love that racing connections can express. Oliver always has a tub of Mrs. Pastures horse treats on hand. Her horses look happy and have good manners in return. Like politicians kissing babies, it serves its purpose, but it's just a starting point toward having a lasting impact on the welfare of horses and the horse racing industry.

Racing Love Language #2: Preparing for the Future

The market for retired racehorses has grown, as organizations like Retired Racehorse Project and events like the Thoroughbred Makeover shine a spotlight on the potential of Thoroughbred sport horses across a variety of disciplines.

“People always think of the Thoroughbred industry as the breeding, sales, and racing sectors, and I really feel like in the last 10 years, more and more, aftercare is becoming one of those sectors,” Roytz said. “The industry is taking the welfare of its athletes much more seriously.”

Retraining a horse straight off the track is not easy and not for the faint of heart. However, Oliver makes that process more accessible by instilling manners and skills for her horses that are not necessarily needed for life on the track but are must-haves for off it. They're simple things like standing while mounting or responding to leg cues, but they go a long way.

“We train them knowing that they're going to have a career after we finish racing them,” she said.

My wife, Ashley Horowitz, rode the 2015 grey gelding Mr. Frosty that Oliver trained on the track in the 2020 Makeover Master Class, and the horse's first ride off the track exceeded expectations because Frosty already had an off-track education while on-track.

“Kim's horses come with tools that make it so much easier for them to transition off the track,” she said.

Racing Love Language #3: Knowing When to Retire Your Horse

In addition to planning what races to compete in and what her horse's goals on the track will be when a race meet starts, Oliver also thinks about her horses' futures after the season.

“This will be his last season, and then we'd like him to find him a new home,” Oliver said to me about the 2011 chestnut gelding Mr Wild Kitty at the start of the 2019 season at Arapahoe Park.

She had also said the same thing about Mr. Frosty.

Mr Wild Kitty ran twice that season, both sixth-place finishes, in a Colorado-bred stake and in an allowance race. Rather than dropping the classy stakes winner that had made $127,258 over a 48-race career into claiming company or pushing for “one more race,” Oliver donated the son of Kitten's Joy to CANTER USA, the aftercare organization that I've been president of for two years.

The horse came to our farm and became the star of a video about the organization. It's easy to see Oliver's love for one of her stable stars.

Racing Love Language #4: Giving Back

There are many great aftercare organizations like Thoroughbred Charities of America and the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance whose work racetracks and horsemen's associations will support through donation of starter fees and other fundraising efforts. Oliver helped the Colorado Horseracing Association launch the committee Retired Racehorses of Arapahoe Park that directly supports the horses that raced at the track.

RR of ARP shares stories about former racehorses on social media. The committee coordinated for the racetrack to sponsor a special award for the top-finishing former racehorse from Arapahoe at the Thoroughbred Makeover. The committee sponsored the 2020 Makeover Master Class that showcased Mr. Frosty's first ride off the track. Start fees were donated to local events like the Spring Gulch Horse Trials and the Arapahoe Hunt.

“We want to help the people that are caring for our horses,” Oliver said. “We want to support the places where our horses now compete. Thankfully, we get great support from the racetrack and other horsemen to do this.”

In response to creating an award recognizing the top-finishing Arapahoe Park racehorse at each level at the Spring Gulch Horse Trials in August 2020, the horse show posted on its Facebook page, “We love this! Arapahoe Park wants to acknowledge all the horses who go on to new careers after racing in Colorado!”

Efforts like these bring the racehorse and sport horse worlds together.

Trainer Kim Oliver celebrates with jockey Scott Stevens after victory in the 2017 Aspen Stakes at Arapahoe Park in Colorado.

Racing Love Language #5: Staying Involved

More recently, Oliver has taken a more direct personal responsibility for the training of her horses after they retire. She sent Olivia the Star, a half-sister to Mr Wild Kitty, and Pink Chablis, a half-sister to Mr. Frosty, to our farm in October 2020 to be retrained. She's retained ownership of those horses since they've retired and invested in their development off the track so that they can find good homes.

Oliver checks in with us regularly about her horses. She tells us how special those horses were to her stable and backs up her words by staying involved in their lives once they've left.

“She's the kind of person the industry needs to spotlight,” Roytz said.

Jonathan Horowitz is a long-time fan of racing who went from announcer to eventer with the help of off-track Thoroughbreds (OTTBs). See more of his columns in this series here.

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In fact, she facilitated it.

You see, before Ashley became my wife on July 23, 2020, she was my trainer for learning to ride horses. I took my first lesson with Ashley on May 30, 2015, and immediately fell in love with eventing on OTTBs. A few years later, I fell in love with her.

Ashley has remained my trainer, and, in some ways, the trainer-student relationship can be trickier than husband-wife. For Christmas and Hanukkah, Ashley arranged for me to take dressage lessons with other trainers.

As I've started to move up the eventing levels, my Achilles' heel has been dressage. That's the first discipline in eventing based on the movement and rhythm of the horse on the flat that sets a rider's initial score. After dressage, penalties can be accumulated for jumping or time faults in the cross country and stadium jumping phases.

I've placed in the ribbons in three of my last four events, even while moving up from the Beginner Novice level where the jumps are at a maximum height of 2-feet-7 to the Novice level of 2-feet-11. I've always been at or near the bottom of the standings after dressage. 11th of 16, 11th of 18, and 10th of 11. However, after clean jumping rounds in cross country and stadium jumping, I've improved those placings to 7th of 16, 6th of 18, and 5th of 11.

“His jumping has progressed so much, and dressage is what's keeping him out of the top placings,” Ashley wrote when she reached out to four different trainers in the area. “He is finishing on his dressage score; it's just a bad dressage score.”

“Dressage is the ultimate expression of horse training and elegance,” the FEI, the international governing body for equestrian sports, describes on its website. “Often compared to ballet, the intense connection between both human and equine athletes is a thing of beauty to behold.”

How is this achieved?

That's 23 things! And we haven't even gotten to the actual movements in a dressage test, like a 20-meter trot circle, a free walk across the diagonal, or a serpentine. How am I supposed to “just relax”?! Not cool, Dressage Instructors Network.

Dressage serves as a foundation for proper riding that can apply to any equestrian sport. Putting in the hard work to establish a foundation will pay dividends in the long run for building a relationship, whether it's with horses…or humans.

Simone Windeler, The Elegant Rider 

My first dressage lesson in this experiment Ashley arranged with other trainers was with Simone Windeler on Dec. 27.  Simone arrived at our farm promptly for our 2:15 p.m. lesson, walked into our arena as I was finishing warming up my chestnut OTTB mare Sorority Girl (Jockey Club name: Grand Moony), and zipped up her blue “The Elegant Rider” puffy jacket with the same confidence that Superman would have used to put on his blue suit, ready to save the world — or in this case, me.

The author with Simone Windeler

Windeler's credentials also happen to match the aura she exudes as a dressage superhero. Classical German training. Graduate studies at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland. Board member for the Rocky Mountain Dressage Society. Well-respected judge for dressage and western dressage. Windeler judged dressage tests of mine at the Mariah Farms schooling show series that represented my very first horse shows in 2016.

Windeler began our lesson by asking me to ride around the arena at the walk, trot, and canter to assess. After about five minutes of just observing, she called us into the middle of the arena. Her diagnosis: I ride with tension that inhibits my ability to communicate effective signals and cues for what I would like my horse to do. The tension affects my mare's ability to develop a proper frame and rhythm, and that ultimately will limit our ability to reach our full potential together.

Although Windeler was focusing on my dressage, her diagnosis applies my life in general.

So, Windeler went to work on me. We focused on breathing exercises and balance exercises. My hour lesson was ridden almost exclusively at the walk, with a few minutes of trot at the end. Nothing fancy, but instead focusing on how a solid foundation helps build a strong house and not a house of cards.

Windeler walked either next to or right behind Sorority Girl and me for most of our lesson. She helped me become less tense by having me follow a breathing technique of taking in multiple breaths through the nose and letting out that number of breaths plus one additional one through the mouth. She helped me become more balanced by having me imagine that the sensation of my two seat bones touching the saddle was like squeezing two pieces of whatever fruit I imagined. Then, based on my assessment of where those two pieces of fruit were positioned in relation to my body and the saddle, we adjusted my position.

It was all subtle, but so is riding a chestnut OTTB mare, where one slight shift in weight can make a big difference for the horse.

“You think you're leaning forward, but you're really just straight,” Windeler said during one of our better trot circles toward the end of the lesson.

Windeler helped build me up to a position that, while feeling different for me, was actually better for the partnership with my horse. My mare showed her appreciation for my ability to be a better partner.

Sara Storch, SS Equestrian

“That's a great wife; I wish my husband took dressage lessons,” Sara Storch said as our lesson on Jan. 12 at 2:30 p.m. began.

Now, I'm definitely a believer that these dressage lessons have more to them than just dressage.

Storch is a high-level dressage rider, recognized by her earning United States Dressage Federation bronze and silver medals. She trains at Happenstance Barn in Parker, Colo., and the four-mile drive there from our farm represented the first time I've ever driven Ashley's truck and trailer. Now that's some serious trust by my wife.

The lesson with Storch was about building a toolbox and pulling out certain tools to address situations that come up during our riding. What was educational and encouraging for me is that none of these tools force a result. Rather, they are actions that guide the horse toward the desired outcome.

Sorority Girl looks slightly skeptical of Horowitz's lesson from Sara Storch

For example, one was giving my reins, which encourages the horse to seek contact and round into a proper frame. I had been trying to force the contact and frame by pulling on the reins. Another was using the inside leg during a transition to guide the horse's body to steady contact on the outside rein.

My mare, whose name of Sorority Girl accurately represents her approach to being told what to do, responded positively to the signals I was giving. You can't actually force a 1,000-pound animal to do something they don't want to, such as when one of my favorite horses, the legendary Australian sprinter Chautauqua (hyperlink: ), ultimately refused to leave the starting gate in the final race of his career. So, what's more effective is figuring out how to build a relationship and take action together as a team.

Kim Wendel, Kim Wendel Eventing

Up until this point in my dressage lesson medley, my two lessons had been with dressage-specific trainers, meaning that their equine focus is dressage. However, dressage is just one piece of the eventing puzzle, and sometimes it's an overlooked one.

“When I was riding in the lower levels, I felt like [dressage] was something we had to do before we jumped, and it was a little bit of a burden,” Kim Wendel, my next trainer, said. “As time has gone on and I'm able to do some of the more interesting or technical moves, then I feel like I really start to enjoy dressage as its own discipline.”

Wendel has risen up the eventing ranks with her 2011 grey Thoroughbred gelding, Happily Twisted, whom I announced in his lone racing victory on Aug. 2, 2014, at Arapahoe Park in Colorado. Although she has more than three decades of riding experience, Wendel only began eventing in 2010. After buying Happily Twisted off the track in 2016, the pair has risen as high as the CCCI 3* level with goals of higher in 2021.

“For better or worse, he's my creation and I'm his,” Wendel said about how her relationship with “Happy” is more like family growing up together.

When Wendel came to our farm on the morning of Jan. 13, we spent about 10 minutes before our lesson engaged in a quasi “Dressage Anonymous” meeting where we shared about how we've come to appreciate dressage more through our struggles with it. On the other hand, non-horse people have an easier time appreciating what happens when a horse soars over a 3-foot jump than lengthens their stride at the trot, although the latter can actually be more difficult to achieve.

A lesson with Kim Wendel

“Dressage is kind of like the part everybody fast forwards when watching the [Kentucky Three-Day Event],” Wendel said. “When you splash through the water, wow, everyone likes the photo on Facebook, but then you put up a picture of you doing a nice half-pass, you get half the likes because it's not as dramatic.”

It's similar to how it's easier to define a couple's relationship by how they are at parties or on vacations around the world than how they are cleaning the house, or, in the case of Ashley and me, feeding horses and mucking stalls.

Wendel's lessons focus heavily on foundation.

“The beauty in it is knowing the details, but that's a hard sell,” she said. “For me, the biggest thing is we all want to be better riders. In order to be better riders, we have to affect our horses positively. In dressage, in learning how my riding affects the horse's balance is a really big one.”

During our lesson, Wendel's focus for me was on how I could impact my horse's balance — from front to back, back to front, side to side, going to the left, and going to the right. She showed me how subtle movements — like opening my hand to the inside, giving the inside rein, and more — can make a big difference.

“She's super because as soon as you pushed your hands forward, she relaxed,” Wendel said during one part of the lesson.

Ryleigh Leavitt, RTL Eventing 

With my final lesson in this series of four with Ryleigh Leavitt on Jan. 22, I realized that all of the trainers were giving me similar advice but saying it in different ways.

“As a guy, I'm glad I'm hearing the same thing several different ways because now it will sink in about how important it is,” I joked, getting a laugh out of Leavitt, as well as my amused wife, who has appreciated the effect these lessons are having on me.

Leavitt is a native Coloradan now competing at the highest national eventing level, Advanced, aboard her 2007 bay Dutch Warmblood gelding MoonLight Crush.

“You want to look like you're sitting there looking pretty and making the horse do everything because that's the goal of dressage to show off the training,” Leavitt said. “You're doing a lot, but you're not showing it.”

Relationships with horses—and humans—are hard to build. When Ashley and I were married, our officiant joked, “You may now salute your bride,” and with that, I entered the dressage arena of marriage.

One of the presents Ashley got me during the holidays was a dressage lesson with four different trainers. I'm writing about it for my next @RRP_TBMakeover Diaries for @paulickreport. This video contains highlights, including my first time hauling a trailer and a graceful fall. pic.twitter.com/MpVxo9IRWB

— Jonathan Horowitz (@jjhorowitz) January 26, 2021

The post Thoroughbred Makeover Diaries Presented By Excel Equine: Dressage As Relationship Counseling For An OTTB And Her Human appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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“As long as I have a chip and a chair, I'm still alive in this event,” said Jack “Treetop” Straus, who discovered one chip hidden under a napkin to remain in the main event at the 1982 World Series of Poker, eventually won poker's most prestigious tournament, and inspired a motto for all players' dreams.

Like that one chip, an OTTB offers the dreams that one of the most affordable investments in the equine world can lead to future ribbons, special moments, and a potential lifelong bond between horse and human. On the path to achieving those goals, the big financial and emotional investment comes later, like in poker, after seeing your hand's value once more cards are revealed on the flop, turn, and river.

What's the best way to play an OTTB poker hand? Cue the late, great Kenny Rogers in “The Gambler”

You got to know when to hold 'em,

Know when to fold 'em,

Know when to walk away,

Know when to run.

You never count your money

When you're sittin' at the table.

There'll be time enough for countin'

When the dealin's done.

I'm relatively new to riding OTTBs, but they're the only horses I've ridden since I began my journey from broadcasting to riding in 2015. The three horses I've owned have each taught me different lessons about how Rogers' wisdom applies to training retired racehorses—and to life in general. 

You got to know when to hold 'em

“Are you sure this is the right horse for me?” I asked over and over and over again.

In 2018, I bought my first horse, a 5-year-old chestnut Thoroughbred mare who I announced when she raced at Arapahoe Park in Colorado in 2015 and 2016 and when she competed in Show Jumping and Freestyle at the Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makeover in Kentucky in 2017.

The fact that I gave Grand Moony the show name of Sorority Girl should tell you everything you need to know about what she was like to handle and ride. Or, if you're an equestrian, the fact that she's a chestnut mare already told you that.

My trainer, Ashley Horowitz, picked Grand Moony for me. She was the first to train “Moo” when she came into CANTER's retraining program right after retiring from racing. She competed with the talented and precocious filly at the Makeover. Ashley knows how to scout talent. If you need any proof of that, she married me two years later.

Ashley didn't recommend Moo as my first horse because she'd be easy. Although, I admittedly had what I later realized were unrealistic dreams of winning horse shows right away. That would be like expecting to make the final table at my first poker tournaments.

Ashley recommended Moo as my first horse because she'd make me better. Moo was tough. We had runouts at jumps when I didn't ride confidently. We had bucks when I became unbalanced.

That's why I kept asking Ashley, “Are you sure this is the right horse for me?”

Ashley always patiently said yes and that I just didn't see it yet.

Sorority Girl steals the show at Horowitz's wedding

Like inexperienced poker players, I didn't know how to assess the chances of winning with my cards. Ashley knew my first hand would get better as the metaphorical equine community cards were dealt.

Sorority Girl and I have competed together for three years. We're developing a partnership as we move up the levels in eventing, but more importantly, we're developing a special relationship. Sorority Girl even made herself the center of attention at our wedding in July. Winning our first ribbon at a recognized event was even more rewarding when it came at the same event where we suffered our first elimination one year earlier.

Know when to fold 'em

The most promising hold 'em hand can be beaten by a lesser starting hand depending on how the community cards fall and how each player chooses to play their hand.

I was really encouraged by the next equine poker hand I was dealt in OTTB Cubbie Girl North. The 2016 bay filly that I found in a CANTER listing after she retired from an unremarkable four-race career in her home state of Illinois has been the protagonist of this “Thoroughbred Makeover Diaries” series.

But Cubbie has also been an antagonist. The extreme highs and lows have come on top of each other, like when Cubbie busted my chin open and gave me seven stitches three days before we would go on to surpass Ashley's and my expectations by completing our first recognized event.

Cubbie has zero patience for gray areas when she's being ridden, but I'm still learning. I'm not a professional like Ashley and don't have the same tact and skill set for dealing with a horse that wants to become dangerous when things don't go her way. After a disagreement in dressage warm-up for our last event in October, my goal went from success to simply survival. We did survive dressage — with the second-worst score across all levels and all divisions at a show with 195 riders — and even managed to go double clear with no jumping or time faults in cross country and in stadium jumping. But our communication has broken down.

Despite my emotional connection to Cubbie, I'm open to the reality that we may not be a good match.

Ashley and a good friend, Rageena Price, are now riding Cubbie. She's becoming more agreeable, and maybe they can exorcise the darkness that has sent Cubbie into dangerous rages. Or maybe not.

Ultimately, it's important and valuable to realize that reaching our goals with our dream horse may not be in the cards. And, we have to be OK with the part of “The Gambler” that isn't so fun.

I haven't given up on Cubbie, but I'm lucky enough to be married to a trainer who I can literally hand the reins to. The mare still holds a special place in my life, and I hope our stories reconnect and our hand improves when the dealer turns over the next cards.

There'll be time enough for countin'/When the dealin's done.

I'm now at the end of my first year of retraining Cubbie, the first horse I've worked with where I've been the first person to ride her off the track. The roller coaster of our journey has provided valuable learning experiences, and I'm proud of the rider I've become.

That said, I wanted to take a break from working on project horses. Essentially, I wanted to count my money…but the dealin' wasn't done.

“You have to look at this horse,” Ashley said as she showed me a sales video for The Gray Man, a 2017 16.3 hh gray Thoroughbred.

I looked at the video. Impressive movement by a horse with an impressive story I was already familiar with. The Gray Man has the barn name of Uno because he has one eye. He lost the eye after he became tangled with some fencing when he was eight days old.

I bought a new horse, a 3-year-old gray Thoroughbred gelding named The Gray Man. His barn name is Uno because he only has one eye. I wasn't looking for a new horse, but sometimes the best opportunities come when not expected. I'll have more in my next @paulickreport article. pic.twitter.com/Z5j3InzpxW

— Jonathan Horowitz (@jjhorowitz) December 18, 2020

“Sometimes the best opportunities come when you don't expect them,” Ashley said.

Uno came to our farm on Dec. 13 for a test ride. I've never seen a cooler OTTB. Kim Wendel, an upper-level eventer, was selling Uno because she had just imported another horse from Ireland. She said Uno had been ridden six times since retiring in July following a two-race career in his home state of Indiana.

He hadn't been ridden or turned out in a week and a half before he came to our farm. The inactivity, combined with trailering to a new location, combined with being in an indoor arena for the first time in his life, made Uno justifiably nervous. Did I mention he has one eye?

Seeing how he processed his new surroundings looking in both direction with his right eye and seeking human connection for guidance made this a hand not only worth playing but one that I would kick myself if I didn't try to play.

Ashley rode Uno. I rode Uno. Rageena rode Uno. The three of us loved him. It was one ride, but we each experienced gorgeous movement and a brain that is full of curiosity, is eager to learn, and desires to please.

This is my last “Thoroughbred Makeover Diaries” in 2020, and I've truly enjoyed writing this series. Writing each article is like a therapy session where I get to process the lessons I've learned from the Thoroughbreds in my life. From my first article in January to this article in December, I couldn't have predicted what the journey would be. Of course, nothing between January and December 2020 was predictable.

Writing these articles has been personal, and I appreciate the support I've received from the many readers and subjects of these articles that have witnessed my journey. I know there are other paths in the equine world, but as I listened to Kenny Rogers sing about “the ace that [he] could keep,” I realize I've found mine.

I have a chip (well, a horse) and a chair (well, a saddle), and I'm excited for whatever cards are dealt in 2021. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year.

Horowitz will continue his Thoroughbred Makeover Diaries series through the 2021 Makeover event, thanks to ongoing support from our sponsor, Excel Equine Feeds.

The post Thoroughbred Makeover Diaries Presented By Excel Equine: Riding An OTTB Isn’t So Different From Playing Poker appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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