Saving Horses, One Thoroughbred At A Time

[Patuxet]

NY Times article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/17/sport ... wanted=all

[helen in FL]

It's a hard job to do and I only wish I didn't have the small acreage or the small family to do more. But I contribute by buying my thoroughbreds from these rehab farms. My newest mare was listed on ReRun.

[fort_falcon]

Oh, that article made me go all cold and teary...it's so good to know that there are people out there doing something.
The yard I work in, we are so careful about rehoming our retired horses. I mean, we would rather just charge the current owner a reduced fee and keep the horse till a suitable home comes available, than just palm it off onto the first person that comes....

[teb]

I have an ex-chaser named "Frank" who's 13 and going on his second childhood! I got him when he was 9. Somebody told me there was a horse available at a farm that would probably make a good riding club horse. They said he fell over a hurdle in his last race and just needs a couple weeks R&R. As we had just dropped off a mare, we had the trailer with us. I looked into a dark stable filled with shit at a horse who was weaving and whom had vacant eyes. It got worse when they pulled him out. He was terrible underweight, had a huge wound on the back of his knee which was proud fleshy and his near hind hock was the size of a football. He could barely walk but yet when the guy put him out in a paddock he tried to have a buck. So gave your man 500euros but he wanted 1000, loaded him up and took him home. He shook the whole way home. He was probably thinking great more idiots. Got him home and had my vet out who took xrays and we cleaned up the knee. Upon evalutation of the xrays my vet advised us to put him down. He had multiple chips, one of the worst cases my vet has seen, and was unlikely to stay sound. After the phone call I went out to Frank and said look, if you want to live we will do all we can for you, if you can't you will have some dignity in death. So I left it up to Frank who decided, yes I do want to live. We also discovered he had issues with choking, the knee abcessed on us during healing twice, no bute or any pain killers because of his weight and probably stomach issues and a summer of uncertainty. I will say that instead of keeping him in, we gave him a paddock to himself. He only did what he could and the cleverest horse I had ever seen about getting up on 3 legs.

At any rate, he healed enough at the end of the summer to do a job for us. As I only had one foal that year and no weaning company, I thought Frank would be perfect as he certainly couldn't do her any harm. Well she loved him and although he acted like she was just a pain I did catch one moment that made me cry. It was raining one fall day and Heidi was lying on the ground. Frank was standing over her protecting his little girl. I was so glad I gave him the choice. Then a few months later I noticed Frank galloping around the field with Heidi, completely sound. A couple of months after that I started light riding him again. Completely sound. Had my vet come out to see miracle horse I should have put down. He also gets his teeth done for free by my vet.

Needless to say, I have been riding him on and off for 3 years now. He has a heap of jobs around the place. He is the lead horse for the TB babies, his way of giving back. He is chief teaser and also the go to guy for bad mannered colts. He puts amazing manners on them without harming them. And he is head honcho in the gelding brigade. My vet always tells me he thinks he came right because we left him out instead of keeping him in so basically when the chips healed they went to a safe place.

As far as the racehorses we breed now and client horses are concerned, all involved know that after racing they need to be placed in a good home and can reschool too. My husband always says, these horses gave you great days out at the races so the least you can do is make sure they're safe afterwards. And we have placed horses in safe homes and will continue to do so.

Terri

[fort_falcon]

oh my...teb, that is the most beautiful story!!!

[turtles11756]

someday one of those TB babies is going to run (really run). just the way things work out for you helping out FRANK

[teb]

Well he's already helped Soul Sista! She was a winner 2nd time up this year, being second first time up. Even more special as she is our first homebred.

Frank had me in stiches this morning. We were out hacking in one of the big fields and my husband was in the arena doing some jumping on his horse. He decided to come out and join us in the big field. Only Frank was too busy waiting for trucks to come by letting of their airbrakes so he had a reason to spook. So he never saw Gumby coming. Saw him at the last min and had a complete freak out! Like snorting and everything. He's 13 and will be no different at 20! He's just a riot. Windy days are his favorite! Sometimes I wonder who is leading who.

Terri

[Sunday Rider]

We have had 7 rescued ex race horses. All were gelded when we got them. My daughter has rode one to the Washington International and another one to top honors in the VHSA. The last 2 we rescued were mares. One was in foal when we got her. She gave us our first foal 2 years ago her foal is a big beautiful Black filly. The second mare is very special to me. Miss Chaffee had totally shut down at the West Va. track,she would not eat,she had given up on life . We found her just leaning in a filty stall with her head down,ribs showing, hardly able to even walk anymore.Her ankels had splinters from several hair line fractures. I paid 1000.00 for her and myself and 2 daughters managed to get her in the trailer and off the track. My youngest daughter stayed with her day and night hand feeding and loving her. My oldest daughter slowly worked with getting her to trust us. We loved and rested her for a year. She was a maidian. We breeded her with Silvio who is the brother of Shutterfly,the Olynpian champion jumper. Last year Miss Chaffee gave us a beautiful bay filly with a star and her mon's white socks CROME Our Chaffee is now Queen of the barn. She rules everyone. NOBODY eats until Miss Chaffee and her yearling eats first And this was the horse that wouldn't eat Her ankels are healded now and she is a BEAUTIFUL mover She is my "Sunday Rider' trail horse now And of course, we ride only in the front of the pack,no back or middle of the pack for my big girl winner and Queen of the world

[Sunday Rider]

We have had 7 rescued ex race horses. All were gelded when we got them. My daughter has rode one to the Washington International and another one to top honors in the VHSA. The last 2 we rescued were mares. One was in foal when we got her. She gave us our first foal 2 years ago her foal is a big beautiful Black filly. The second mare is very special to me. Miss Chaffee had totally shut down at the West Va. track,she would not eat,she had given up on life . We found her just leaning in a filty stall with her head down,ribs showing, hardly able to even walk anymore.Her ankels had splinters from several hair line fractures. I paid 1000.00 for her and myself and 2 daughters managed to get her in the trailer and off the track. My youngest daughter stayed with her day and night hand feeding and loving her. My oldest daughter slowly worked with getting her to trust us. We loved and rested her for a year. She was a maidian. We breeded her with Silvio who is the brother of Shutterfly,the Olynpian champion jumper. Last year Miss Chaffee gave us a beautiful bay filly with a star and her mon's white socks CROME Our Chaffee is now Queen of the barn. She rules everyone. NOBODY eats until Miss Chaffee and her yearling eats first And this was the horse that wouldn't eat Her ankels are healded now and she is a BEAUTIFUL mover She is my "Sunday Rider' trail horse now And of course, we ride only in the front of the pack,no back or middle of the pack for my big girl winner and Queen of the world

[Strategic Maneuver]

Thank you one and all for the uplifting stories. Years ago, I raced in NY and they had a check off on your license application for the TRF. I thought it was a fantastic idea. I think the time has come for the tracks, owners, jockeys, and trainers to step up to the plate. I would like to see a national program put in place where the above mentioned have the option when they apply for a license or renewal to commit a percentage of their purse earnings go to Thbred retirement foundations. Consider it "social security" for our race horses.

[turtles11756]

a long overdue "social security"

[mini's mom]

here's one for the list of rescue stories

I was working at suffolk downs in 2005 & a woman named tammi campbell was talking to me about a mare that she rode for mike gill - the mare's name was famous woman. Famous was on her way to the meat dealer as gill had ruined her. She had a fractured p2 & p3 on her right side and a case of work induced founder on the left side - she had an 8 degree rotation of the coffin bone. I really could not afford another horse so I bought her and started to make her better. I promised famous that she would not die on the end of a meat hook as mike gill wanted her to do. She spent that winter in a double box stall so her injuries would heal up. I had the farrier out to trim her feet - she went to the clinic at new england equine in dover nh (dr mike davis) who x rayed her, put her on bar shoes & checked her out. It was not easy doing this as I have never had a horse that had foundered let alone needed special shoeing. At that time my vet told me that she would never be sound and to just put her down - she was not ready to go yet so Ihelped her a little more. My vet now can't believe that she is galloping around like a race horse should be. He told me that by her x rays she should not be standing. He couldnot tell me how long she will be sound but for now she is eating like a horse and running around like one - green grass and all . I take care of her if she looses a shoe beteween shoeing appointments & she does not go out to pasture if she looses one . It is her call on that one if she feels like going out with the other horses. she's the boss.

I had someone help me out with her medicall bills and ne equine was good about keeping the bill to a reasonable amount. I often wonder if I did the right thing by saving her but she has turned out to be a wonderful mare - hopefully I can get her bred and pass on that big heart of hers

thanks to all of us who save them

mini's mom

[soundfast]

Famous Woman has a very nice pedigree. Her dam Wayne's Woman is SP with 10 wins. www.barretts.com catalog June 2006 Hip #131 is her 1/2 brother. It shows her first 3 dams. Her sire Western Fame is standing in CA for $5K. see www.applebite.com . I recommend breeding her to Sundance Ridge if possible. His stud fee is only $1K and his average earnings per runner are $56K with 12% stakes winners to foals and over 50% black type to runners and his runners average 27 starts lifetime so they are sounder than average. He stands at Smokey Valley Farm in Dover,MA.

[mini's mom]

that is funny - I had tried calling them a couple of times butno one ever called me back - with her ankle the way it is and the shipping time involved eltish was out of the question - sr is the only stallion that I have found that was free of nd or mr p -

even with her injuries she can still run like the wind - I think that she would make a wonderful mom - dover is not that far from townsend mass where she, mini & betty live

thanks for the reply

mini's mom