okok ok Mags here's your story...
there may be another chestunt TB joining the online family.. and this is a very... VERY VERY VERY big maybe..
But first, a quick comment about tonight.. gotta send jingles out to a female jock who went down during the BF family's horses race (for those newbies, my BF's dad trains at the track i was at tonight and he was running his assistant trainers horse). Esp. after the Rene Douglass incident at Arlington park this week everyone is praying shes ok! I took a look at the replay online and it looks like she hit another horse while trying to get ahead on the rail, bounced bakc and forth between them and then the two horses got their legs entangled and she and her horse went down (the other involved continued on). She was taken away by ambulance and as per the last track update was in hospital. on a slighly good note the horse she was riding bucked away from the scene as the saddle had slipped back almost around her back legs adn she was walked off the track and appeared, for all intents and purposes, to be a-ok. As soon as i know more re; the jocks condition i'll be sure to post.
ok now onto the super exciting/happy news; one of my bf's co-workers is a board-member (and iirc a co-creator) of the toronto based tb retirement group called LongRun (here) and she has 13 horses, all retired racers, on her property. on a couple previous occasion the BF and i have gone up to look after her farm and house when she's not home. this past weekend, my BF wasnt able to do so as he was working all weekend so she, knowing my love/history with horses, asked if i would.. and as part of my compensation she'd let me ride one of the horses who was 100% sound, as he was retired from racing because he had a bleeding problem (for those not in the know, a LOT of racehorses suffer from bleeding - where they bleed into the lungs.. hence the use of Lasix, a dieretic (SP???) during races) He was an exceptionally bad case, but it DOES NOT prevent him from being hacked and doing normal horsey type activites as long as there isnt prolonged excessive speed taking place.
So weekend comes around and I go up and the BF joins me over night to make sure im safe (har har har) and i got up on the CRAZY OTTB saturday evening.. uhm yeah whoever things letting a TB be a horse for a few months after his/her last race is going to make them unrideable you deserve to be kicked. ha.
ANYWAYS Co-worker (who we shall call M.) suggested i lunge this chestnut (who has been re-named Studly HAHAHA) before i got on him just in case he went bonkers.. well 1) he doesnt know how to lunge (thank you round pen!!) and 2) he didnt know what anything above WALK was.. flicked a buggy whip at him and he was all "uh... CRAZY human WTH are you doing?" so... walk it was. I took him in and tacked him up.. expecting there to be MONDON explosion as hte last time he was saddled was for racing.. uh yeah i dont use a racing saddle.. i have a heavy synt AP... BUT he didnt bat an eye.
got out in the makeshift outdoor arena (which is really being used as temp housing for 2 horses but they got to go in for some inside hay while i rode) and the BF legged me up and again.. not a flinch. he took his time, walked around, sniffed poo (he isnt kept with the 2 horses in the arena much at all) and took everything in stride.. trotted him around a bit (homg comfy trot to sit to!!) and kinda took him around to see what he knew. All i can say is M's brother in law (who owned and trained this guy) did a FANTASTIC job with him! he had an idea what i wanted when i asked for leg aids (and did i say he hadnt been ridden since last october?? oh yea lol) and had all his stearing down-pat.
In short, I saw M. again tonight at the races (yay i won!! hehe) and she has offered to 1) let me come up and ride him ANY TIME i want (sweeet) and 2) offered to hold onto him for me until I'm done university and has essentially gifted me this horse.
NOW before i get SUPER carried away, a LOT can happen in a year. I have NO idea what i'm doing next year or even if i'll be in the same province BUT if things look really good and i can find a way to swing it, i MAY and this is a very, very super huge big MAY have my own redhed TB next summer around this time (GLEE) but im not getting carried away yet. but there Mags, your story. ;)
oh and thats his pedigree.. he looks a TON like his dad (if you click over to his sire's pedigree there's a little icon up next to his name of a horse click it and a photo will appear ;) ) apparently hes got some super breeding... im not too familiar with it but he ran for the better part of 7 years and was pretty darn competitive. last race came 4th
http://www.pedigreequery.com/fix+bayonets2
soooo yeah its been quite a night... oh and of COURSE i got pics of him before i left! not the greatest but will post soon!
But first, a quick comment about tonight.. gotta send jingles out to a female jock who went down during the BF family's horses race (for those newbies, my BF's dad trains at the track i was at tonight and he was running his assistant trainers horse). Esp. after the Rene Douglass incident at Arlington park this week everyone is praying shes ok! I took a look at the replay online and it looks like she hit another horse while trying to get ahead on the rail, bounced bakc and forth between them and then the two horses got their legs entangled and she and her horse went down (the other involved continued on). She was taken away by ambulance and as per the last track update was in hospital. on a slighly good note the horse she was riding bucked away from the scene as the saddle had slipped back almost around her back legs adn she was walked off the track and appeared, for all intents and purposes, to be a-ok. As soon as i know more re; the jocks condition i'll be sure to post.
ok now onto the super exciting/happy news; one of my bf's co-workers is a board-member (and iirc a co-creator) of the toronto based tb retirement group called LongRun (here) and she has 13 horses, all retired racers, on her property. on a couple previous occasion the BF and i have gone up to look after her farm and house when she's not home. this past weekend, my BF wasnt able to do so as he was working all weekend so she, knowing my love/history with horses, asked if i would.. and as part of my compensation she'd let me ride one of the horses who was 100% sound, as he was retired from racing because he had a bleeding problem (for those not in the know, a LOT of racehorses suffer from bleeding - where they bleed into the lungs.. hence the use of Lasix, a dieretic (SP???) during races) He was an exceptionally bad case, but it DOES NOT prevent him from being hacked and doing normal horsey type activites as long as there isnt prolonged excessive speed taking place.
So weekend comes around and I go up and the BF joins me over night to make sure im safe (har har har) and i got up on the CRAZY OTTB saturday evening.. uhm yeah whoever things letting a TB be a horse for a few months after his/her last race is going to make them unrideable you deserve to be kicked. ha.
ANYWAYS Co-worker (who we shall call M.) suggested i lunge this chestnut (who has been re-named Studly HAHAHA) before i got on him just in case he went bonkers.. well 1) he doesnt know how to lunge (thank you round pen!!) and 2) he didnt know what anything above WALK was.. flicked a buggy whip at him and he was all "uh... CRAZY human WTH are you doing?" so... walk it was. I took him in and tacked him up.. expecting there to be MONDON explosion as hte last time he was saddled was for racing.. uh yeah i dont use a racing saddle.. i have a heavy synt AP... BUT he didnt bat an eye.
got out in the makeshift outdoor arena (which is really being used as temp housing for 2 horses but they got to go in for some inside hay while i rode) and the BF legged me up and again.. not a flinch. he took his time, walked around, sniffed poo (he isnt kept with the 2 horses in the arena much at all) and took everything in stride.. trotted him around a bit (homg comfy trot to sit to!!) and kinda took him around to see what he knew. All i can say is M's brother in law (who owned and trained this guy) did a FANTASTIC job with him! he had an idea what i wanted when i asked for leg aids (and did i say he hadnt been ridden since last october?? oh yea lol) and had all his stearing down-pat.
In short, I saw M. again tonight at the races (yay i won!! hehe) and she has offered to 1) let me come up and ride him ANY TIME i want (sweeet) and 2) offered to hold onto him for me until I'm done university and has essentially gifted me this horse.
NOW before i get SUPER carried away, a LOT can happen in a year. I have NO idea what i'm doing next year or even if i'll be in the same province BUT if things look really good and i can find a way to swing it, i MAY and this is a very, very super huge big MAY have my own redhed TB next summer around this time (GLEE) but im not getting carried away yet. but there Mags, your story. ;)
oh and thats his pedigree.. he looks a TON like his dad (if you click over to his sire's pedigree there's a little icon up next to his name of a horse click it and a photo will appear ;) ) apparently hes got some super breeding... im not too familiar with it but he ran for the better part of 7 years and was pretty darn competitive. last race came 4th
http://www.pedigreequery.com/fix+bayonets2
soooo yeah its been quite a night... oh and of COURSE i got pics of him before i left! not the greatest but will post soon!