Soaking Up the Love!
This is a post from Kim Rigolini, CANTER New England’s Horse Welfare Coordinator. Kim has spent many, many hours helping Annie make the transition from race horse to riding horse and we’re grateful for her dedication…
She came onto the track as Anastasia K. She was destined for great things! If you look at her pedigree, she traces back to some of the greats…on her dam’s side is Northern Dancer and Raise A Native. On her sire’s side you’ll find Storm Cat, Terlingua and the immortal Secretariat.
A dark bay/brown mare foaled on April 16, 2005 in Kentucky she started 14 times, all unplaced.
Like so many other TB’s that don’t get to move on to the likes of Santa Anita or Saratoga, we found her at Suffolk Downs at the end of the 2009 live racing meet in need of a new job. Her trainer simply couldn’t afford to keep her on over the winter and needed to move her out immediately.
Enter CANTER New England and the generosity of people like Ellen Manley at Churchill Stables who for the past few months has opened up her heart and her “home” to this beautiful girl looking for a new job.
When she first arrived at Churchill, she was underweight and in desperate need of some TLC. Along the way, she’s overcome many obstacles and proven to be quite a resilient mare. To look at her today, you would never imagine she is the same horse that arrived just a few short months ago.
I have had the distinct pleasure of spending quite a bit of time with her and after much debate we’ve
She's a Gorgeous Mover!
decided to call her “Annie”. To me, her name is almost ironic. I remember loving the play about “Little Orphan Annie” when I was a young girl and I can remember belting out the tunes over and over…It’s A Hard Knock Life, Maybe and of course Tomorrow.
When I think about the lyrics to these songs today, I cannot help but think about my own ‘orphan Annie’. She’s had enough hard knocks for a lifetime and she is looking for her own “forever” home.
While I would love nothing more than to keep her for my own, it wouldn’t be fair to her because I cannot dedicate the time needed for her to fully flourish. Annie needs someone who will give her the time and education that she wants and needs.
She has become a very loving and kind mare once she learns that she can trust you. One of the most joyous things for me when I’m with her is after we’ve walked around and grazed a little and I take her in to groom her; she puts her face right on my shoulder and just rests there as if the weight of the world has been lifted. I’ve made a promise to Annie “the sun will come out tomorrow” for her.
Although she hasn’t been worked under saddle much we are starting her on the lunge line and the results are what I exactly what I expected…outstanding. As of today, she’s up to 1,033 pounds and is standing at roughly 15.3 hands. Of course, it’s unknown what her full potential may be but I can tell you that she’s willing to give all she has to you once you give her all you have.
If you are interested in meeting Annie, please contact CANTER New England at www.canterne.org or via e-mail at adoptions@canterne.org.