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This is the blog of CANTER New England. The blog will provide Thoroughbred lovers with: • Information on retirement, and transitioning horses to life post-racing Thank you for visiting! A traditional clinic with an OTTB twist! We are thrilled to announce an exciting partnership with the Southern New Hampshire Dressage and Combined Training Association (SNHDCTA) on their upcoming Steuart Pittman, Jr. Spring Eventing Clinic on May 19 (8:30 am – 5:00 pm) and 20 (9:00 am – 4:30 pm) at Green Acres Stables in Madbury, NH. Eventers will recognize Steuart as an advanced level eventer and certified Level II Instructor through the USEA. Off-track Thoroughbred enthusiasts will recognize him from the Retired Racehorse Training Project which highlighted the versatility and adaptability of the OTTB and created quite a few equine stars! We’ve teamed with the SNHDCTA to put a decidedly OTTB spin on the weekend by highlighting the work that Steuart has done with his Retired Racehorse Training Project and featuring a CANTER NE connected horse or two. Participants who own OTTBs and have already registered are encouraged to contact us and let us know your horse’s racing name. Although all riding spots for the clinic have been filled, auditors of all levels are welcome and encouraged to attend what is sure to be two informative days. SNHDCTA is excited to provide fundraising opportunities to support both of these great organizations—interested parties will be able to sponsor either a stadium or cross-country jump, and donations will be accepted during the clinic itself. There are a limited number of spaces open for a small dinner with Steuart Pittman in Salem, NH after Saturday’s clinic. We are asking for a suggested donation of $10 for this chance to hear Steuart speak about the Retired Racehorse Training Project, OTTBs, and Rolex. If you are interested in attending please email us at canterne.events@gmail.com – spots will be filled on a first-come-first serve basis; confirmation emails will be sent out Thursday. Please join us for an educational weekend as we celebrate the OTTB! For more information on the SNHDCTA, and to sign up as an auditor, please visit http://www.snhdcta.org/index.html For more information on Steuart Pittman, Jr. and the Retired Racehorse Training Program please visit http://www.dodonfarm.com/ and http://www.retiredracehorsetraining.org/ For jump sponsorship opportunities and for more information on auditing the clinic please email Lisa Smith at diamondgirl0596@gmail.com For more information on the clinic, CANTER NE, to attend the special dinner, and to submit your OTTBs name, please email Jennifer Montfort at canterne.events@gmail.com One of the great things about volunteering at the track is seeing all the great horses ready to move on to their next careers. One of the downfalls is we’re often left wondering what happens to horses when they leave the track; especially those special few who really make an impression. Thankfully, when a horse is taken into our adoption program we’re able to see them as they progress from race horse to whatever their next career is! Last weekend, armed with my camera, I headed out to visit with some CANTER horses past and present who’ve made deep impressions on all of us! The first stop was to visit one of our longtime foster moms Rachel Grant to see her ponies—what a treat! The highlight was finally meeting Blue, her OTTB who I’ve heard so much about. Blue is, simply, a doll. He happily came over to check us out and get some peppermints, and it was a blast to sit there and watch him as Rachel talked about taking him home from the track and how he’s progressed. After a while we jumped in the truck and headed off to Letter Perfect Farm in Uxbridge, MA to go see the star of the day, Grif’s Corner, aka Griffin. The last time I had seen Griffin was two years ago on the track, when we took her into our adoption program. It was wonderful to see the horse I had taken a listing on thriving off of the track; it’s clear that Griffin is a happy mare who is really settling into her new job well. As we groomed Griffin I found her to be incredibly curious and it’s clear she has intelligence to back up that curiosity. Griffin has been in training with Kelli Mason for months now, and it was great to get a firsthand account of Griffin’s progress. Kelli reports that Griffin is an extremely willing and honest mare; she likes to bond with her person and the partnership that forms is very strong. I was struck at how observant Griffin was during our visit; she likes to know what’s going on and who’s around her—when we had her out for her new conformation shots she was very interested in what was happening at the house across the street—but she willingly brought her attention back to the task at hand when asked. She didn’t turn a hair when a motorcycle came down the street. This mare clearly has a very level head.
Griffin has been training in dressage and she’s really proving to excel both mentally and physically in the work. Although I wasn’t able to see her under saddle due to a perfectly timed thrown shoe, Kelli reports that she’s progressing really well with her training. She’s a very forward mare, with lovely movement. So far Griffin’s diagnosis of kissing spine (read more here) isn’t affecting her training; in fact the classical dressage movements are helping her to strengthen her back and encourage her to really use her hind end. This mare will go places with the right person!
It was great to see Griffin so obviously flourishing in her new job; now we just need to find her a person! It’s clear she’s in good hands until that person comes along; she’s with a great group of people who are really committed to her success. First and foremost, Rachel Grant has given Griffin a home and helped to facilitate her training and veterinary care while she’s been in her care; she is truly irreplaceable. Kelli Mason and the folks at Letter Perfect Farm have been generous in their time and their expertise, raising money to support Griffin’s continued training. Dr. Liz Maloney of Equine Therapies in Franklin, MA has donated time and treatment in order to get Griffin on the right track. And Tim O’Brien of Douglas, MA has donated his farrier services to keep Griffin’s hooves in tip-top shape.
We at CANTER are so thankful to the many people who generously give up their time and resources to help the horses in our care, and Griffin has been fortunate enough to have several people go above and beyond to get her on the right track in her new career. She’ll make someone very lucky when they take her home! For more information on Griffin, please visit her listing here or contact our adoption coordinator. To support Griffin’s training, please support the Letter Perfect Farm tack sale on May 19! We’re happy to announce a tack sale on May 19, 2012 at Letter Perfect Farm in Uxbridge, MA. All proceeds will go to support Grif’s Corner in her dressage training!
A trio of champions! Support CANTER now and receive a beautiful tribute to three great fillies — Horses of the Year Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta and Havre de Grace!
Longtime CANTER supporter and award-winning photographer Patricia McQueen will provide this 8×12 photo to any CANTER supporter making donations of $75 or more. Patricia is a regular contributor to the Thoroughbred Times and has had photos appear in The Blood-Horse, Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred, The Horse of Delaware Valley, California Thoroughbred and others. She created this tribute to recognize the first time in history that fillies have won three consecutive Horse of the Year titles. To get this wonderful tribute please, make your donation today!
It’s early. Sunrise is not even a faint glimmer in the Eastern sky. Horses begin nickering and moving in their stalls as their caretakers arrive to begin the morning’s activity. Yes, the day at the racetrack begins early.
 Training hours are typically 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., depending on the time of year. Trainers with a lot of horses have to start early to get them all out in time. Others simply like to be out early while the racetrack traffic is light and the track is still fresh. Each horse is examined by the groom and trainer to make sure nothing is amiss before being saddled and sent to the track with a rider up.Most days, horses have a routine gallop under an exercise rider to maintain fitness levels. A horse being kept racing fit or being prepared for specific races will go through timed workouts every few days, where they asked for more speed by the exercise rider or jockey aboard. These workouts help trainers know how well their horses are doing and if they are ready for a race.
 Upon return from the gallop or work, the horse is given a bath and walked for 30 to 45 minutes to cool out. Any special needs will be addressed at that time. And if the stable area has grass, horses will often be allowed to graze for a short time, depending on the schedule and staff of the trainer. When everything is done, the horse is returned to a roomy stall, which has been cleaned and freshened.Unless the horse is racing that day, that is pretty much the extent of the daily activity. Again depending on the trainer’s staff and schedule, horses are often walked around the shedrow in mid-afternoon to stretch their legs, or taken out to graze if grass is available.
On race days, the horse is prepared at the barn with whatever equipment is necessary, such as leg wraps and the racing bridle.
 Depending on the rules at a given track, horses are either brought to a holding/receiving barn or taken directly to the paddock, usually anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour before the race. In the paddock, horses are saddled and paraded around for the fans and bettors to evaluate. Then it’s “riders up” and they head to the track for the post parade.Jockeys warm up the horses, making sure that each horse is moving well and in top shape. Racing officials and track veterinarians are also on hand to monitor the warm-ups. If all is well, they reach the starting gate and then they are off!
Down the stretch, the horses give their all – it is what they have been bred for over centuries. There is no breed with more heart than a Thoroughbred, and they are all winners in our book. But one lucky horse (short of a dead-heat) will hit the wire first and earn that trip to the winner’s circle, the Holy Grail of horse racing.
Today’s post is from CANTER NE Board Member and Adoption Coordinator Kim Rigolini. As a CANTER volunteer that has accompanied many prospective buyers to barns around the backside at Suffolk Downs I cannot tell you how many times I’ve heard the same response to my question of “What type of horse are you looking for?” 9 out of 10 of the people I meet answer me with “NOT a chestnut mare”! I’ve been lucky enough to be around many, many OTTB’s and yes, chestnut mares can be a bit “over-the-top” but; guess what? So can a bay gelding or gray colt. It doesn’t matter what color they are, they all have quirks and idiosyncrasies that we eventually learn to love. Some days are better than others no matter what color they are! So, why am I trying to put the myth to rest? Her name is Castle (Jockey Club registered name “That Just Happened”). Castle is a 6 year old chestnut mare standing at 16.2 hands. She is by Maria’s Mon, out of a Storm Bird mare. Oh, and did I mention…she’s a chestnut mare. When I say chestnut, I mean chestnut…you cannot find a spot of white on her! Castle has, for me, de-bunked the myth that chestnut mares are crazy. As a matter of fact, she’s quite the opposite. Castle left her life as a race horse in July of 2011; we were notified of her whereabouts and, with the help of Suffolk Downs management and trainer Matthew Clarke and his wife Anne, were able to take her into our care. Anne Clarke hooked up one of her trailers, picked up Castle in Vermont and took her back to Fitchburg where she would be taken care of until she could be further evaluated. Castle was given some much needed rest and in late November it was decided to move her to the barn that I work at in Bedford, MA. When she can, Ellen Manley at Churchill Stables has generously opened up her stalls to CANTER horses on many, many occasions and when a stall recently became temporarily available I explained to Ellen that I’d love to get a better idea of what kind of horse Castle is so that we could market her appropriately but, because she was in Fitchburg it was difficult for me to get there due to the commute. Needless to say, Ellen stepped up yet again! I must say, she was a little bit hesitant when I told her she was a chestnut mare but, she welcomed her anyways. The day that we picked her up I had already pre-judged her and had resigned myself to the fact that there would be a lot of work on the horizon. Little did I know that none of what I thought about her would be true! I backed her off of the trailer and she was ever so calm. I walked her around her new “home” and she was ever so calm. She was watching other horses working in the rings and she was ever so calm. I kept waiting for the explosion but, it NEVER happened. We lead her to the smaller riding ring and let her loose so that she could stretch her legs a bit. We literally had to chase her around to get her to move but once she did…WOW!!!!!!!! I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, she was lovely in every sense of the word. She was sane!!! And when she moves, you cannot help but watch because it is a sight to behold. About a week after her arrival (and many compliments about the lovely new foster horse) we had our farrier, Dawnelle Hayden (who is a rock-star farrier), out to put front shoes on her and we had the equine dentist, Tom Moss (also a rock-star) out to give her a much needed float. BOTH of them made it a point to tell us that whoever ends up with this horse is going to be one lucky person! I couldn’t agree more! Since Castle has arrived, she’s put on some much needed weight (roughly 70 lbs already) and has just impressed everyone that meets her. She’s become a peace maker for some of the horses that tend to play face tag a little too roughly over the fences in the paddocks. So, there you have it all of you neigh-sayers, proof positive that chestnut mares are NOT CRAZY! If you would like more information about Castle, or any of our other horses available for adoption, please visit our adoption page here or contact CANTER New England at adoptions@canterne.org Well, it’s finally here! Showcase is this Sunday, from 9-12 on the Suffolk Downs backstretch. We’re still getting ready, taking a few last minute listings, gathering supplies, and making the final touches on our program. We’re excited for the event and for people to see some of MANY lovely prospects available at the track. It promises to be a great day. We’ve been lucky the past few weeks to have a lot of great coverage on the internet highlighting some of the horses available at the track and Showcase itself, and we’ve compiled them all here. Thanks to our many supporters who took the time to promote Showcase! First off, a look at Showcase! Our own Railbird notes there’s something for everyone. Susan Salk has written several Showcase-related success stories: Natalie Keller Reinert wants them all: Teresa Genaro looks back: Katie Hill picks a few horses out: September marks the beginning of the busiest season for us here at CANTER NE. As the Suffolk Downs racing meet winds down the amount of horses for sale increases dramatically. Trainers are making their plans for the winter and determining what horses are ready to retire. While it’s a busy time for us it is also a very rewarding time; it’s wonderful to see so many horses find excellent homes and new careers! The main event of this very busy season is of course our Suffolk Showcase on Sunday, October 23 from 9 am to noon on the backstretch. It is always a fun event, drawing a big crowd of interested buyers to look at over 80 horses available for sale. It’s a great chance to see all those horses on our trainer listings page live and in the flesh. This year the Showcase is only two weeks from the end of the meet, so the need for new homes is more urgent than ever. In the coming weeks we will ramp up our communications regarding Showcase, so look for some fun stories and other features to appear here and elsewhere. But, in the meantime….. We need your help! Word of mouth is EVERYTHING to this event, it’s essential that we bring as many interested people as we can to see the horses. We would, of course, love for you to attend. But if you can’t, and are in New England, please download our Showcase Flier here: showcase.flier.public11 and post it in your local tack and feed store. Spread the word! Find us on Facebook , pass along our event page and follow us on Twitter. With your help we hope to make this the most successful Showcase ever! |
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