Tag: Thoroughbred Makeover

On Aftercare: Second Stride Proves There’s No Limit to the Talents of OTTBS

Kim Smith grew up in Prospect, KY and has ridden horses her whole life. Her already wide network in the Thoroughbred industry grew considerably while she was managing the stable at the Kentucky Derby Museum and exercising the resident Thoroughbred on the track at Churchill Downs.

Smith founded Second Stride, Inc. in 2005 with the goal of helping horses and people in racing by building on those relationships. The Crestwood, KY nonprofit usually maintains 15-20 horses at a time and is located at Moserwood Farm, a full-service boarding and training facility. Smith works hard at making retirement to Second Stride easy for trainers and owners. They even have an agency form so that owners need not do the transfer paperwork themselves. There is no mandatory monetary donation if a horse is accepted and Second Stride takes horses on short notice.

“I’ve been there on the owning and training side,” said Smith. “So, I know that the time it takes donate a horse matters. It’s not because racing people are insensitive or indifferent to the horse, it’s just a factor of the business and how important stalls and timing of the meet goes.”

“Our goal is to help as many horses as possible and so we make it easy to do the right thing,” said Smith. “We don’t require a donation with a horse, but most owners and trainers will offer one. My goal is to build a relationship so that if I take a horse with a tendon that will need a lot of work, I will also be offered the horse that is perfectly sound and ready-to-go.”

Smith accepts stallions and gelds them, broodmares and horses that may need time and extensive rehabilitation before they can be ridden or re-trained. Second Stride excels in getting horses placed with show horse trainers and adopters quickly and efficiently. Smith accomplishes this in no small part because of the many exercise riders and other racetrack connections who work or volunteer for Second Stride. Since 2005, over 1000 Thoroughbreds have been adopted through the program.

“Our riders are gallop riders or the people who go around and break Thoroughbreds for the farms,” said Smith. “So, we are able to get the horses retrained and ready to move on pretty quickly.”

On the adoption side, the Second Stride application is long but potential adopters are appointed an adoption coordinator who knows, and has probably ridden all of the available horses.

“Making the right match requires someone who really knows the horses and can sometimes convince people to try a horse that may not fit the original profile of what they are looking for,” said Smith. “Our return rate is extremely low and I credit the personal care we put into making the match. Many of the adopted horses that are returned, are well-trained and donated back for us to adopt out again for another fee.”

“We hit our stride in 2012 and on average, we adopt out about 100 horses per year,” said Smith. “This year, however we are already at 96 through August so, it is going to be a banner year.”

She continued, “We see time and time again the versatility of the Thoroughbred. We put Western tack on them, ride them through water, take them to cows and see how they adapt to all situations and disciplines. We have placed them in all over the country in every discipline.”

“One of my favorites is a horse named Capote Cat, by Storm Cat out of a Capote mare,” said Smith. “We tried him in every normal discipline–English and Western, but as soon as things got repetitive, he got naughty. So, we tried a mounted search and rescue in North Carolina and he thrived there. He loves that job.”

Amy Lent, of Ramblen Farm in Versailles, KY adopted Delightfully (Redding Colliery) from Second Stride. Due to an injury, the mare was never a show riding prospect. But, under Lent’s expertise, she has excelled in driving and competed in the 2018 Thoroughbred Makeover.

Second Stride sends an average of three to six horses a year to the Thoroughbred Makeover and always asks the previous owner to make a donation to cover the entry fee. If they cannot, Second Stride will pay the fee.

“The Thoroughbred Makeover has done an amazing job in its mission to increase the marketability of Thoroughbreds as show horses and as riding horses in general,” said Smith. “I love the sense of camaraderie and cooperation at the competition and how the year of intensive training gives the horses such a solid base.”

“So much is going in the right direction for Thoroughbred aftercare, including the advances of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, but funding and a lack of sound horses in aftercare charities are still an issue,” said Smith. “I wish that more owners and trainers would donate their horses to non-profits, rather than sell them privately. Sound horses that can be adopted for a substantial fee help organizations balance the cost of horses that need long-term care or more rehabilitation before they are rideable.”

For more information about Second Stride, Inc., go to https://secondstride.org/.

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Thoroughbred Makeover Diaries Presented By Excel Equine: ‘Mistakes Make Equestrians’ And Other Words Of Wisdom

I wish Yogi Berra also rode horses.

If you're not familiar with the Hall of Fame catcher for the New York Yankees, he won 10 World Series titles, more than any player in baseball history, during a career that spanned 19 seasons from 1946 to 1965. He was a three-time American League Most Valuable Player and an 18-time All-Star.

Berra also served in the United States Navy as a gunner's mate during World War II and was part of the invasion of Normandy on D-Day, shooting down enemy planes from a landing craft support boat. He earned a Purple Heart and was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

However, Yogi is remembered just as much, if not more, for a treasure trove of witty sayings. When first reading them, they come across as absurd, humorous, and lighthearted. But, upon reflection, they are a mix of genius and amused wonder about life's complexities.

For example, the Yogism of “When you come to a fork in the road, take it” is also the title of one of several books he authored. Let's break that down: “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” Well, what else would you do at a fork in the road? But should you go left or go right?

“People are always afraid of making the wrong choice,” Berra wrote. “But no matter what decision you make—taking a job, getting married, buying a house, whatever it is—you shouldn't look back. Trust your instincts.”

Sure, Yogi could have just said it that way from the start, as I'm sure many self-help books do, but cloaking the advice the way he said it takes the edge off. Life doesn't have to be so serious to be done well.

However, one of the biggest challenges I face, in riding and in life, is that I take things too seriously.

“You should start your next article with, 'I quit riding again,'” Ashley Horowitz, now my wife as well as trainer for Super G Sporthorses, has said about my last three “Thoroughbred Makeover Diaries.”

She's right. I have quit riding more times than I can count—probably three times since my last article a month ago. But it lasts for a total of about 30 minutes each time.

“You realize you're not going to quit, so stop tormenting yourself,” Ashley says.

She's right. (I've been married for less than a month and am getting good at saying, “She's right.) So, with Yogi Berra as the metaphorical gunner's mate offering support as I invade the eventing world, I've compiled a collection of sayings that perhaps Yogi would have said if he rode horses. I've found something profound in each of them, but they're also lighthearted. 

“Why are you rushing? We don't have all day!”—unknown German dressage instructor

Dressage in Germany is performed with the same precision that goes into making German automobiles and German beer. Germany has won the team gold medal in dressage at every Olympics since 1984 with the exception of a silver medal in 2012. Besides being its own sport and the first of the three disciplines in eventing, dressage serves as a foundation for proper riding that can apply to any equestrian sport.

There is a long checklist of items to keep track of during a dressage test—rhythm, relaxation, throughness, connection, communication with the horse, trust, geometry, and more. There are no shortcuts. So, regardless of how long a lesson or training program is, rushing is not an option, but amount of time is not necessarily related to desired outcome.

Sometimes, progress is quick. Ashley retrained the 4-year-old filly Emily's Pegasus to do her first event one month and one day after her last race. I've had lessons with Cubbie that last 15 minutes. “You're done,” Ashley will say if we do a rhythmic line of jumps and accomplish the goal of a lesson at first asking.

Other times, the progress is slower. I've had lessons with Cubbie that last two hours because of temper tantrums (either by her or me).

The Thoroughbred Makeover is for horses with less than a year of retraining. (Although in 2021, we'll also see horses that were planning to compete in 2020.) It's a relatively short amount of time to retrain a former racehorse, but there are some tremendous performances across all disciplines. Regardless of the amount of time, the expected standard shouldn't waver.

“The slower you go, the faster you get there.”—Nicole Brown, host, USEA Podcast

How is it possible to get somewhere faster by going slowly? Like with the previous quote, focusing on the fundamentals serves as a strong foundation to build toward the desired outcomes we dream of when starting to work with a new training project. Brown and her guests explain more on the USEA podcast about “Producing a Young Horse.”

“Sometimes both their brain cells collide.”—Laura Backus, trainer, Pendragon Stud Equestrian Center

Horses are not machines. It's amusing that the greatest compliment paid to a racehorse was when announcer Chic Anderson described Secretariat as a “tremendous machine” during Big Red's peak performance in the 1973 Belmont Stakes.

The toughest part of the training I'm going through with Cubbie is getting her mental ability to catch up to her physical ability. Cubbie is a 4-year-old filly. She's still trying to figure out how the world works. She has strong opinions. She gets overwhelmed.

Backus said this to me during Cubbie's first eventing competition at Pendragon in June. It helped put Cubbie's progress as a 4-year-old filly in perspective. Instead of focusing on physical victories with her, the mental ones are more rewarding and significant.

Getting to be a part of the eventing community through a clinic with upper-level rider Courtney Sendak at Spring Gulch Aug. 17

“Here's to you having an unremarkable performance!”—Dorothy Trapp Crowell, World Equestrian Games silver medalist and winner of first-ever U.S. national four-star championship

Crowell, who made eventing history with the OTTB and USEA Hall of Famer Molokai, is currently giving back to the Thoroughbred industry through her involvement with the We Are Here Initiative based at the Kentucky Horse Park.

I had told Dorothy about my ups and downs with Cubbie, such as the seven stitches I got during a dressage lesson the week of the Spring Gulch Horse Trials in July.

Her advice was to use each phase of my first recognized event with Cubbie as an opportunity to learn and bond with my horse. The best result would be one that we could build upon through a simple, straightforward ride. On a horse that's given so much excitement, having a drama-free event would certainly help us grow more.

“Equestrians don't make mistakes; mistakes make equestrians.”—Daniel Stewart, Sports Psychologist, Pressure Proof Coaching Academy 

Eventing is an unforgiving sport. Baseball players get three strikes during an at-bat and at least three at-bats if they play an entire game. One swing and a miss will be forgiven, even forgotten, if the next swing leads to a home run, or even just a single. However, a swing and a miss at a jump could cost an eventer a ribbon or even lead to elimination from an entire competition.

Therefore, it becomes enticing to dwell on mistakes. Stewart explains on a USEA podcast about sports psychology that mistakes should be viewed as learning opportunities for which to be thankful.

“They make us bigger and braver and bolder and brighter,” he said.

These quotes were all said by accomplished riders as advice to help greenies like myself grow. When I first started riding horses five years ago, I was so worried that each mistake I made would show how much I didn't belong. However, the mistakes I've made have given me the chance to grow and fit in more. Eventers root for each other. Thoroughbred Makeover participants root for each other. Mistakes weirdly help us all become winners and part of our own special community.

The post Thoroughbred Makeover Diaries Presented By Excel Equine: ‘Mistakes Make Equestrians’ And Other Words Of Wisdom appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Retired Racehorse Project’s Makeover Marketplace Transitions To Virtual Event

While the in-person horse shopping and adoption experience at the Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium may no longer be possible this year with the postponement of the event to 2021, the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP), thanks to a generous grant from the ASPCA, will continue to produce the Makeover Marketplace and promote transitioned Thoroughbreds as premier sport horse prospects online.

Expected to feature dozens of restarted Thoroughbreds, the ASPCA Makeover Marketplace catalog will once again be offered in print as well as digitally. Sign-ups are now open to receive the catalog, which will be printed in the Fall 2020 issue of Off-Track Thoroughbred Magazine, the RRP's award-winning quarterly publication. The catalog will be printed in color and feature each horse's Jockey Club name and basic details, price or adoption fee, home location, description and photo, as well as trainer contact information. Each advertisement will also include a QR code that will direct smartphone users to the horse's full online listing, which may include additional information and video.

“The ASPCA Makeover Marketplace has become one of the country's premier horse shopping and adoption opportunities for equestrians looking for well-started sport horse prospects,” said Jen Roytz, Executive Director of the RRP. “Traditionally, horse shopping includes extensive travel, often going to multiple farms in different states in order to consider horses, but changing mandates and travel restrictions during the pandemic are limiting those opportunities. The Marketplace lets you browse from the comfort of your couch and peruse dozens of photos, videos and descriptions of equine athletes for adoption or sale who have had the proper care, nutrition and training to make a successful transition to a competitive or recreational career after racing.”

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Dewey Square, 2015 Thoroughbred Makeover Marketplace graduate, now owned by Nicholas D'Amore and in training with Kate Chadderton. Photo by Amy Dragoo

The ASPCA Makeover Marketplace has become an adopter's or buyer's trusted source for Thoroughbreds for sport or pleasure. Though the Thoroughbred Makeover competition will not be taking place this year, each horse entered in the Marketplace catalog will have undergone preparation for the event, with emphasis placed on a healthy transition from the track and training for a big show environment. Past ASPCA Makeover Marketplace graduates have gone on to successful careers in eventing, hunter/jumper, field hunter, western performance, pleasure and trail riding.

“Creating opportunities for more equine enthusiasts to find their Right Horse is a vital component of our work,” said Dr. Emily Weiss, Vice President of ASPCA Equine Welfare. “The RRP continues to support us in shifting the perspective of who a retired racehorse is and showcasing the incredible potential they will bring to their next homes. While we will miss seeing all the event-goers and talented competitors this year, we celebrate this innovative virtual Marketplace experience that will help transition more great horses to their next chapter.”

The digital catalog will be released at tbmakeover.org the week of August 10, and individual horses will be featured on the RRP's social media. Watch the RRP's Facebook page for additional virtual spotlights of Marketplace horses this fall.

Sign up now for the print catalog at tbmakeover.org/catalog. Catalogs will be printed and mailed in mid-September.

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Thoroughbred Makeover Diaries Presented By Excel Equine: First Stitches And First Recognized Event

I've never worked so hard for or gotten my butt kicked so much by anything else in my life. I've also never felt so proud.

Cubbie Girl North, the 4-year-old Thoroughbred filly that I've been retraining with the hope that we'd compete at the Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makeover, just completed a roller coaster run of five horse shows in six weeks. During this time, I realized the real reason why I've gone through the ups and downs of eventing with a young ex-racehorse. What's ironic is that the reason why I originally began this journey no longer exists because of the postponement of the 2020 Thoroughbred Makeover to 2021.

After three schooling shows in Colorado at Pendragon, Mile High, and Sunrise Equine, Cubbie and I were ready to try our first recognized event at the Spring Gulch Horse Trials on July 5. Well, not quite, because the week before at the Sunrise Equine Big Mini Trial we may have broken the record for worst eventing score. Since it was a schooling show, officials decided not to eliminate any horse and rider for refusals at jumps. Cubbie and I were like the golfer whose ball has a magnetic attraction to bunkers, water, and rough.

During our stadium jumping round, Cubbie and I accumulated 36 jumping penalties, the result of nine refusals or rails dropped, plus 120 time penalties, the result of a scrupulous timekeeper that kept the clock running for the five minutes we went beyond the optimum time allowed. Cubbie's nerves were maxed out by the height and positioning of some early jumps to the point where, following a combo, she decided she would not jump anymore, even though we were getting to arguably the easiest and most inviting jump on course. She stopped, went backward, and spun around with the same determination of one of my favorite racehorses, the Australian sprint star Chautauqua, when he decided he wouldn't leave the starting gate at the end of his racing career.

During our cross country round, we added 60 jumping penalties for three refusals, including another epic meltdown at the water. The organizers let us school the water afterward, and I convinced Cubbie to channel her best Michael Phelps as we did laps across it in preparation for the water we'd have to go through a week later at Spring Gulch. Adding some time penalties and our dressage score, we finished on a 266.2. The winner had a 32.8. Eventing, like golf, is won by the lowest score.

The truth is, I was actually quite proud of how we did. I wrote in a previous article for this series that overcoming the mental challenges is harder for athletic ex-racehorses than the physical challenges. Yes, Cubbie threw a few tantrums, but that's inevitable, especially with an opinionated 4-year-old filly.

“She's going to have to do it, and you got her through it,” said my fiancée and trainer, Ashley Gubich of Super G Sporthorses.

Dealing with Cubbie's theatrics is exactly like dealing with a tantrum from a 4-year-old child, except the horse weighs about 1,000 pounds and doesn't understand English. Whenever Cubbie decides to make a scene, it can be terrifying to ride through, especially for someone who's an amateur and only started riding five years ago at the age of 30. The truth is I keep waiting for Ashley to throw in the towel for me and bail me out. But she doesn't, so I keep at it because I won't actually quit myself.

Then, three days before the Spring Gulch Horse Trials, Cubbie gave me seven stitches, the first I've had in my life. It was a during a dressage lesson of all things. She reared up when I asked her not to lock on the bit. When she came down, she crow-hopped, and her head busted open my chin.

“Looks like you and your horse butted heads today,” said Dr. William Boroughf, who kept me in good spirits while stitching the wound.

As comments started popping up after I posted before and after photos to Facebook, I realized how supportive the Thoroughbred community is.

“Battle scars!!!!! Now you['re] officially one of us,” wrote Heather Collins, a race trainer.

“Badge of horsemanship,” wrote Ellen Zachary, a race owner.

With only days until our first recognized event, Ashley stepped in and brought Cubbie back to being a workable horse. There's a language for communicating to horses that she's more proficient in than I. I wrote earlier in this series about the benefits of “Jumping In The Deep End With Lifeguards At The Ready.” Eventing is an individual sport on paper, but it truly takes a team to make a rider and horse successful. That's what Ashley has instilled to our Super G Sporthorses team.

I woke up at 4 a.m. on Sunday, July 5, to feed the horses on our farm, give Cubbie a bath, and make sure our tack was organized in the trailer. Thankfully, no blood had dripped on the brand new black and gold dressage bridle that we used for the first time during our death-defying dressage lesson.

“Hey, the next time you use your fancy dressage bridle, your ride will definitely be better,” said Ashley, always finding those valuable moments to lighten the mood.

I headed to Spring Gulch for a full day of announcing and riding. My favorite equine moments are when I get to announce and compete at the same event. Announcing is where I'm comfortable, and it calms my show anxiety.

If eventing had a “Group of Death” like soccer's World Cup, it was the Open Beginner Novice C division that Cubbie and I were part of at the Spring Gulch Horse Trials. We were Australia going up against Spain, Netherlands, and Chile. Our competition included two other 4-year-old OTTBs, the youngest age at the show, but they were ridden by two upper-level riders. There was Brit Vegas, a finalist at last year's Makeover, riding Mr. Park, a horse I announced in races at Arapahoe Park. There was Dani Sussman, who's competed at the CCI2* level, riding Vera (JC: It's Kisses). And, there was Madeline Backus, who ribboned at the CCI4* Kentucky Three Day Event at the age of 21 in 2017.

Cubbie with Horowitz (L) and Vegas with Mr. Park (R)

Our dressage test was decent, and I love how the judge, Beth Wheeler, summed it up in her comments on our scoresheet, “Promising pair!! Horse has to be more attentive to the aids.”

The stadium jumping course of 11 jumping efforts with a max height of 2-feet-7 was technical, including three lead changes, two bending lines, one combo, and a partridge in a pear tree. We made it all the way around, dropping one rail, a huge improvement from our stadium jumping effort the week before at Sunrise Equine.

Finally, to cross country. To be honest, both Ashley and I didn't think I'd make it through the course of 15 questions that included a ditch and water, the two tinders that have ignited a fire within Cubbie on cross country courses. Adding to the challenge of the ditch was that a new T-log jump was placed four strides before it. Any change to a familiar setting can be alarming for horses.

The T-log-to-ditch combo turned out to be the defining moment of our first recognized event. We started with a refusal at the T-log, as Cubbie weaved from side to side trying to figure out why something so scary looking now appeared in a place she had been several times before. I circled Cubbie back toward the combo.

“You got it, Cubbie,” I said to her. She picked up her knees over the jump. “Alright, let's do the ditch. Come on, Cubbie. Come on! Yeah!” Ashley and the other Super G riders there to support us cheered. The moment of exhilaration over the ditch in this video made the hard work and stitches worth it.

 

The rest of the cross country course was a rush. We cleared the water, opened up to a gallop between fences, and took jumps at stride. We managed to finish our first recognized event. Perhaps we may have placed better and earned a ribbon at the lower Intro level, but I found it more rewarding to complete the Beginner Novice level as part of such a strong group of riders I admire with a 4-year-old filly. I'm incredibly grateful for the special memories from the show.

Being a green rider with a green horse, I now realize and appreciate that the victories are the moments when Cubbie and I are in rhythm. As we continue to progress, these moments will hopefully happen more frequently.

It was exactly one year prior to the date that this article was published that Cubbie stepped off the trailer from Illinois to our farm in Colorado. I didn't know her, she didn't know me, and neither of us knew what we were getting into. I'm getting a bit emotional as I write this, reflecting on how far we've come and that we've done it together.

Cubbie and Horowitz looking determined on cross country

Now, where are we going? When Ashley and I first came across Cubbie's listing on CANTER's website, the destination we set was Lexington, Kentucky for the 2020 Thoroughbred Makeover. Earlier this month, Retired Racehorse Project made the difficult but prudent decision to postpone this year's event to 2021. I was bummed because of how much I've invested in reaching the destination. That's when the strong two-legged and four-legged women in my life taught me a lesson I previously would nod my head to in agreement but never got to practice fully until now.

“You realize nothing about what you and Cubbie are doing changes,” was Ashley's reaction to the news.

I actually get to embrace tennis great Arthur Ashe's famous quote, “Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.”

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