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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Kentucky Groups Hope HHR Legislation Allows For ‘Long-Overdue Restoration’ Of Quarter Horse Racing

Two statewide breed organizations, the Kentucky Quarter Horse Association (KyQHA) and the Kentucky Quarter Horse Racing Association (KyQHRA), are united in withholding a position regarding proposed legislation to maintain the status quo for operators of Historical Horse Racing (HHR) facilities.

While there are over 10,000 owners of more than 30,000 Quarter Horses confirmed across all 120 counties, and while Quarter Horses have long been a wholly legal pari-mutuel racing breed in the Commonwealth, no licensed track offers so-called “sprint racing.” As a result, no portion of earnings from HHR terminals is of benefit to Kentucky owners and breeders of Quarter Horses.

The KyQHA is the official state affiliate of the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), the world's largest equine registry, while the KyQHRA is designated by statute as the horsemen's organization for Quarter Horse racing. Yet, in spite of the enormous popularity of
Quarter Horse racing at two Kentucky racetracks in the 1980s, there have been no Quarter Horse racing opportunities of consequence in over 30 years – when a political battle over the right to simulcast (BOPTROT) enabled other breeds to crowd out sprint racing. Given that the Legislature granted Quarter Horses legal status as a racing breed similar to others, this history of a lack of access to racing days for three decades suggests discrimination.

“The Quarter Horse industry has not been afforded an opportunity to review proposed legislation relating to future changes in law pertaining to the legality of HHR terminals,” said Keith Kleine, KyQHA president. “Until such time as the proposed legislation is seen by our industry, and it includes some kind of stake and engagement in the process for our breeders and owners, the KyQHA will not be taking a formal position on HHR.”

Richard Connelley, DMD, the Kentucky Quarter Horse Racing Association president, commented: “At such time as details of the proposed legislation are known by KyQHRA and KyQHA, the determination of our industry to support it will likely be based upon whether the legislation contains any features or language that indicate some clear path to the long-overdue restoration of pari-mutuel Quarter Horse racing to Kentucky.”

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Safety Is The Top Priority? Despite Scrutiny, Los Alamitos Conducts Racing On Rain-Sodden Course

On Saturday, the Los Angeles Times' John Cherwa found himself staring at the live feed from Los Alamitos “in horror” because of the sloppy track conditions on which the horses were running.

“The first few races were OK, and then the rains came and came and the track became sloppier and sloppier,” Cherwa wrote in his horse racing newsletter for the LA Times. “The horses on the short Quarter Horse sprints were clearly slipping and sliding and bumping into each other because they couldn't get traction.”

In the evening's seventh race, a 3-year-old named Gowdy fell coming out of the starting gate and dislodged his jockey. A statement from Los Al's marketing and publicity director Orlando Gutierrez explains that Gowdy “locked up from behind” at the start of the race, causing the fall, but that the horse had returned to his stall and “appears to be doing well.”

His jockey, Cruz Mendez, also seems to have escaped major injury since he returned to ride at Los Al on Sunday's card.

“Why were there horses racing on such an unmanageable track if safety is your top priority?” Cherwa questioned. “The stewards or the track superintendent have the right to suspend racing. In this case, it stopped raining by the eighth and final race. Could racing have been put on hold earlier while the bad weather passed?”

On July 10 last year, the California Horse Racing Board held an emergency meeting to discuss a rash of equine fatalities at Los Alamitos, resulting in a 10-day probationary period. Los Al produced a new plan for equine and rider safety which was approved by the board, including an entry review panel.

CHRB vice chairman Oscar Gonzales spoke out against Los Al's safety record (29 equine fatalities were reported during racing or training from Dec. 27, 2019 through 2020) at the CHRB's December meeting, encouraging his fellow commissioners to grant the track only a six-month license. That move prompted Los Al owner Ed Allred to threaten shutting down racing at the Cypress, Calif. track altogether.

The CHRB's January meeting saw the Los Al license reinstated at a full year, despite two additional equine fatalities recorded on Jan. 17. After the vote was handed down, Gonzales promised increased scrutiny of Los Al's horse safety record.

Read more at the Los Angeles Times.

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Iowa Commission Approves 84 Live Race Dates For Prairie Meadows In 2021

Live horse racing returns to Prairie Meadows Casino, Racetrack, & Hotel on Friday, April 30 when the Altoona, Ia. facility opens its 32nd season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse action.

On Thursday, Jan. 21, the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission (IRGC) approved an 84-day 2021 race meet for Prairie Meadows.

The season begins with 26 days of Thoroughbred-only racing from April 30 – June 14 and continues with a mixed Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse schedule for the remaining 58 race days through Sept. 25.

Live racing will be offered on a Friday – Monday schedule, with post times set for 6 PM CDT on Fridays and Saturdays, and 4 PM CDT on Sundays and Mondays, with exceptions for special race days, events, and holidays.

Horsemen should note that Condition Book 1 and stall application for the 2021 season will be posted online in the Horseman's Information area of Prairie Meadows' website at www.prairiemeadows.com/racing/horsemens-info and is also available in hardcopy form via mail or at Prairie Meadows Racing Office.

Condition Book 1 will include the first 18 days of the 2021 season (Thoroughbred-only racing). Stall Applications will be due in the Racing Office on Wednesday, March 24.

The barn area is scheduled to open for horses on Friday, April 2 and training is set to begin on Sunday, April 4, weather permitting.

Prairie Meadows will offer 32 Thoroughbred stakes races in 2021 (including overnight stakes) worth an estimated $2.92 million. The highlights of the Thoroughbred stakes calendar are the Iowa Festival of Racing on Friday, July 2 and Saturday, July 3 and the traditional Iowa Classic stakes races on Saturday, Sept. 25.

In addition, the track will offer 23 Quarter Horse stakes races in 2021 worth an estimated $1.6 million, highlighted by the Bank of America/Prairie Meadows Regional Challenge Finals on Saturday, Aug. 14 and Sunday, Aug. 15, Prairie Meadows Quarter Horse Championships on Friday, Sept. 24, and Iowa Classic stakes races for the Quarter Horses on Saturday, Sept. 25.

Quarter Horse connections are reminded that Futurity and Derby nomination forms are available online, by mail, or by request through the Prairie Meadows Racing Office.

Payment schedules begin March 1 for the Prairie Meadows Gold Futurity and Derby, Hawkeye Futurity, Cyclone Derby, and Iowa Quarter Horse Stallion Futurity and Derby.

Payment schedules begin April 1 for the Valley Junction Futurity, Altoona Derby, Jim Bader Futurity, and Polk County Derby.

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