After their racing days are through, some lucky Thoroughbreds find a second line of work. Some go on to be hunters or jumpers. Some gallop cross country fences in eventing or trot down the center line of dressage. And of course some stroll along trails with their new owners.
One story recently posted on OffTrackThoroughbreds.com tells the tale of a snow-white gelding who got his second chance after 11 years on the track.Now in his teens he has become the perfect partner for a 13-year-old boy in Salem, Va.
Alisa Gusterer and Scattering Breezes
But Scattering Breeze’s second chance at a new life off the track didn’t come without obstacles. Another story tells of former owner Alisa Gusterer’s journey with the gelding, who she called Apollo. “The first time I put my foot in the stirrup he reared and ran away,” Gusterere says. “There was another time, when the saddle didn’t fit him properly, that he bucked me off and then bucked all the way around the ring—twice.”
By the time Austin had come across Joey, 5 years after he retired from racing, Joey had spent time with experienced trail riders and had gone through extensive training using natural horsemanship techniques. “We went to see him right before Labor Day, and he was such a mellow horse that when I asked my son if he felt comfortable cantering him, he said sure, and cantered him up and down,” Heather Skeens told OffTrackThoroughbred.com. “We took him to this show the weekend after we purchased him. It was really blustery that day, and he didn’t look at anything, or spook.”
Scattering Breezes, aka Joey, and his rider, Austin, can be seen showing around the region.
Winston Churchhill once famously said, “There’s something about the outside of the horse that’s good for the inside of a man.” A Boones Mill nonprofit, Unbridled Change, is using that bit of wisdom to offer equine-assisted mental health services for children, teens, and adults that need support overcoming obstacles in their life such as trauma, anger management, parenting and bullying.
Horses are a great mirror that reflect back a client’s behaviors, the organization says, allowing for awareness and eventually control and change.
Founder and Executive Director Michelle Holling-Brooks is the only Certified Eagala Advanced Equine Specialist in Virginia and one of only 14 in the country. EAP is a collaborative effort between a licensed therapist and a horse professional working with the clients and horses to address treatment goals. Participants learn about themselves and others by participating in activities with the horses and then talking about feelings, behaviors and patterns.
Unbridled Change offers several different programs to their clients:
A ‘Bit’ of Support – Military Services program works with military personnel, veterans, spouses, and their families to help with transitions, stress relief and mindfulness skills, coping skills, parenting skills, mental health therapy for PTSD & MST and also recreational therapy.
Take Back the Reins is an equine-assisted psychotherapy program that is designed for children, teens, and adults who were victims or witnesses of abuse or neglect with the aim of breaking the cycle of abuse.
Hoof-prints of a Healthy Herd is an equine assisted psychotherapy program that is designed for parenting and family reunification. The program works with both the children and the parents to help address the core concepts of a healthy family unit: healthy boundary setting and acceptance, respect, communication and healthy relationship skills.
Wranglers is designed for children, teens, and adults who struggling with anger management issues.
“Blazing the Trail of Character” combines hands-on activities with horses and six character development concepts: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship. The program is available to area youth groups and schools.
Riders Up! is designed for children, teens, and adults who are working on executive functioning skills, fine tuning self-regulation skills, and self-esteem.
Directions to the farm from Roanoke Airport:
Take I-581 South toward Downtown Roanoke. I-581 will turn into route 220 South toward Rocky Mount, VA . (581 will merge from a highway to route 220 there will be a Lowes, HomeDepot, Walmart and other box stores when it first merges down). Stay on 220 for about 10 miles – cross the county line into Franklin Co and the town of Boones Mill. Just after the light turn an immediate left over the bridge onto Boones Mill Road (at Jack Garst Agency or Southern States). At the stop sign turn right to stay on to Boones Mill Road. Go 2 miles and turn right onto White Oak Road. Go about 1 mile and turn right into the Unbridled Change’s parking lot at the indoor arena site.
We just had our first messy snowfall and the recent single-digit temperatures here in the Roanoke Valley may have you feeling a bit fuzzy, but that doesn’t mean the horse world has ground to a stop. And now when your own horse activities may have slowed down for the winter is when you just might need that horse fix the most. Here are this weekend’s activities, plus some things to look forward to.
The Stonewall Country Horse Show: This show is USEF “A” rated Hunter and Jumper horse show. This event is owned and operated by the VHCF and managed by Leslie Brown and will be held in the Anderson Coliseum and the East Complex arena. Judges are Phoebe Sheets and Downing Nyegard. Find a schedule of classes on the prize list. Note: Braiding is optional in all classes and divisions. The show will open Thursday at 7 a.m. with Working Hunter classes all day in the Coliseum. On Friday, Working Hunters will be in the Coliseum and Jumpers in the East Complex. Saturday will feature Children’s Hunters and Amateur Hunters in the Coliseum for the morning and afternoon with Open and Junior Working Hunters toward the end of the day. The East Complex will host pony hunters and short stirrup classes throughout the day with much the same schedule layout for Sunday as well. This show benefits the VHCF, an facility that has become incredibly important in the Virginia’s horse industry. This show will repeat on Jan. 30-Feb. 1 at the VHC.
Winter Schooling: If you are simply seeking for a great place to ride during the winter months, the Virginia Horse Center is open for schooling through March 1. Call the Stable Office at 540-464-2966 for reservations.
Maryland Horse World Expo:(4 hour drive from Roanoke) The Horse World Expo will return to the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, Maryland, this weekend. (4 hour trip from Roanoke) Daily admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children aged 6-12. Younger than 6 are free. The Expo includes seminars, clinics, demonstrations, stallion avenue and parade of breeds, and of course shopping. This year’s speakers include Roxanne Bowman on saddle fitting, Olympian (Eventing) Stephen Bradley, Dana Bright on Driving, Kenny Harlow on training and AQHA judge and auction manager Mike Jennings on Buying and Selling horses. For a full list of speakers visit www.horseworldexpo.com/MDbios.shtml.
Kentucky Hunter Jumper AssociationClinic featuringBernie Taurig at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky on Monday. (5 1/2 hours drive from Roanoke)
Dressage Clinic with Britta Johnston, Understanding, Starting and Perfecting the Flying Change: A lecture discussing the flying change will begin at 12:30 p.m., Saturday at Capriole Farms in Catlett, Va. (3 hours drive from Roanoke) Horses working on flying changes will follow. Rides: $90 for a 45 minute lesson $20 for day stall, limited number. Auditors: $10.
LOOK AHEAD
Polar Bear School Show, Feb. 14-15, Virginia Horse Center East Complex
Stonewall Country Horse Show, Jan. 30-Feb. 1, Virginia Horse Center
We just had our first messy snowfall and the recent single-digit temperatures here in the Roanoke Valley may have you feeling a bit fuzzy, but that doesn’t mean the horse world has ground to a stop. And now when your own horse activities may have slowed down for the winter is when you just might need that horse fix the most. Here are this weekend’s activities, plus some things to look forward to.
The Stonewall Country Horse Show: This show is USEF “A” rated Hunter and Jumper horse show. This event is owned and operated by the VHCF and managed by Leslie Brown and will be held in the Anderson Coliseum and the East Complex arena. Judges are Phoebe Sheets and Downing Nyegard. Find a schedule of classes on the prize list. Note: Braiding is optional in all classes and divisions. The show will open Thursday at 7 a.m. with Working Hunter classes all day in the Coliseum. On Friday, Working Hunters will be in the Coliseum and Jumpers in the East Complex. Saturday will feature Children’s Hunters and Amateur Hunters in the Coliseum for the morning and afternoon with Open and Junior Working Hunters toward the end of the day. The East Complex will host pony hunters and short stirrup classes throughout the day with much the same schedule layout for Sunday as well. This show benefits the VHCF, an facility that has become incredibly important in the Virginia’s horse industry. This show will repeat on Jan. 30-Feb. 1 at the VHC.
Winter Schooling: If you are simply seeking for a great place to ride during the winter months, the Virginia Horse Center is open for schooling through March 1. Call the Stable Office at 540-464-2966 for reservations.
Maryland Horse World Expo:(4 hour drive from Roanoke) The Horse World Expo will return to the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, Maryland, this weekend. (4 hour trip from Roanoke) Daily admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children aged 6-12. Younger than 6 are free. The Expo includes seminars, clinics, demonstrations, stallion avenue and parade of breeds, and of course shopping. This year’s speakers include Roxanne Bowman on saddle fitting, Olympian (Eventing) Stephen Bradley, Dana Bright on Driving,Kenny Harlow on training and AQHA judge and auction manager Mike Jennings on Buying and Selling horses. For a full list of speakers visit www.horseworldexpo.com/MDbios.shtml.
Kentucky Hunter Jumper AssociationClinic featuringBernie Taurig at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky on Monday. (5 1/2 hours drive from Roanoke)
Dressage Clinic with Britta Johnston, Understanding, Starting and Perfecting the Flying Change: A lecture discussing the flying change will begin at 12:30 p.m., Saturday at Capriole Farms in Catlett, Va. (3 hours drive from Roanoke) Horses working on flying changes will follow. Rides: $90 for a 45 minute lesson $20 for day stall, limited number. Auditors: $10.
LOOK AHEAD
Polar Bear School Show, Feb. 14-15, Virginia Horse Center East Complex
Stonewall Country Horse Show, Jan. 30-Feb. 1, Virginia Horse Center
“There’s something about the outside of the horse that’s good for the inside of a man.”
— Winston Churchhill
A Boones Mill nonprofit, Unbridled Change, is using that bit of wisdom to offer equine-assisted mental health services for children, teens, and adults that need support overcoming obstacles in their life such as trauma, anger management, parenting and bullying. Horses are a great mirror that reflect back a client’s behaviors, the organization says, allowing for awareness and eventually control and change. Founder and Executive Director Michelle Holling-Brooks is the only Certified Eagala Advanced Equine Specialist in Virginia and one of only 14 in the country. EAP is a collaborative effort between a licensed therapist and a horse professional working with the clients and horses to address treatment goals. Participants learn about themselves and others by participating in activities with the horses and then talking about feelings, behaviors and patterns. Unbridled Change offers several different programs to their clients:
A ‘Bit’ of Support – Military Services program works with military personnel, veterans, spouses, and their families to help with transitions, stress relief and mindfulness skills, coping skills, parenting skills, mental health therapy for PTSD & MST and also recreational therapy.
Take Back the Reins is an equine-assisted psychotherapy program that is designed for children, teens, and adults who were victims or witnesses of abuse or neglect with the aim of breaking the cycle of abuse.
Hoof-prints of a Healthy Herd is an equine assisted psychotherapy program that is designed for parenting and family reunification. The program works with both the children and the parents to help address the core concepts of a healthy family unit: healthy boundary setting and acceptance, respect, communication and healthy relationship skills.
Wranglers is designed for children, teens, and adults who struggling with anger management issues.
“Blazing the Trail of Character” combines hands-on activities with horses and six character development concepts: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship. The program is available to area youth groups and schools.
Riders Up! is designed for children, teens, and adults who are working on executive functioning skills, fine tuning self-regulation skills, and self-esteem.
Directions to the farm from Roanoke Airport: Take I-581 South toward Downtown Roanoke. I-581 will turn into route 220 South toward Rocky Mount, VA . (581 will merge from a highway to route 220 there will be a Lowes, HomeDepot, Walmart and other box stores when it first merges down). Stay on 220 for about 10 miles – cross the county line into Franklin Co and the town of Boones Mill. Just after the light turn an immediate left over the bridge onto Boones Mill Road (at Jack Garst Agency or Southern States). At the stop sign turn right to stay on to Boones Mill Road. Go 2 miles and turn right onto White Oak Road. Go about 1 mile and turn right into the Unbridled Change’s parking lot at the indoor arena site.
Silver Charm stands with Michael Blowen, founder of Old Friends, and Sandy Hatfield, stallion manager at Three Chimneys.
It’s a happy ending for Thoroughbred champion Silver Charm as he has been brought home from Japan to live out his years at Old Friends retirement center. Silver Charm, dual classic winner and oh-so-close Triple Crown near-winner arrived this week in Georgetown, Kentucky, after standing at stud in Japan. The center will hold an open house on Dec. 2 to welcome the 20-year-old champion home before he starts his 21 days in quarantine.
Silver Charm stood his first five stud seasons at Three Chimneys in Midway, Kentucky, before he moved to the JBBA Shizunai Stallion Station for the 2005 breeding season. While his Kentucky-sire offspring included 15 stakes winners, he was not a successful stud in Japan, siring just one stakes winner.
Silver Charm captured the Kentucky Derby by a gutsy head over Captain Bodgit and the Preakness Stakes by a head over Free House, only to lose the Belmont by less than a length in the closing strides to Touch Gold. In 2007, he was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame. He remains today one of the 10 richest North American-bred and -raced Thoroughbreds of all time.
Trainer Bob Baffert privately acquired Silver Charm, a son of Silver Buck out of Bonnie’s Poker, by Poker, as a 2-year-old in 1996 for $85,000 and trained him throughout his career for the late Bob Lewis and his wife Beverly. The Lewises, who campaigned Silver Cham to win $6,944,369, paid for the horse’s flight from Japan to the United States.
Silver Charm is lucky. Not every Thoroughbred champion comes home. The racing world was shocked to learn that Ferdinand, 1986 Kentucky Derby winner who went on to capture the following year’s Horse of the Year title with a dramatic victory over 1987 Derby hero Alysheba in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, was likely sent to slaughter in Japan after an unsuccessful stud career. His demise was discovered after a member of the Howard Keck family that owned and bred the horse inquired about having him returned to the United States. Because of what happened to Ferdinand, many owners are now safeguarding their stallions before they are sent overseas with a buy-back clause to help bring the champions back home.
Ferdinand and jockey Bill Shoemaker.
Silver Charm joins recently retired multi-millionaire Game On Dude, Gulch, 2002 Belmont Stakes winner Sarava, and special Eclipse Award winner Rapid Redux in retirement at Old Friends.
Silver Charm is led by Sandy Hatfield, stallion manager at Three Chimneys and greeted by Michael Blowen, founder of Old Friends.
After their racing days are through, some lucky Thoroughbreds find a second line of work. Some go on to be hunters or jumpers. Some gallop cross country fences in eventing or trot down the center line of dressage. And of course some stroll along trails with their new owners.
One story recently posted on OffTrackThoroughbreds.com tells the tale of a snow-white gelding who got his second chance after 11 years on the track.Now in his teens he has become the perfect partner for a 13-year-old boy in Salem, Va.
Alisa Gusterer and Scattering Breezes
But Scattering Breeze’s second chance at a new life off the track didn’t come without obstacles. Another story tells of former owner Alisa Gusterer’s journey with the gelding, who she called Apollo. “The first time I put my foot in the stirrup he reared and ran away,” Gusterere says. “There was another time, when the saddle didn’t fit him properly, that he bucked me off and then bucked all the way around the ring—twice.”
By the time Austin had come across Joey, 5 years after he retired from racing, Joey had spent time with experienced trail riders and had gone through extensive training using natural horsemanship techniques. “We went to see him right before Labor Day, and he was such a mellow horse that when I asked my son if he felt comfortable cantering him, he said sure, and cantered him up and down,” Heather Skeens told OffTrackThoroughbred.com. “We took him to this show the weekend after we purchased him. It was really blustery that day, and he didn’t look at anything, or spook.”
Scattering Breezes, aka Joey, and his rider, Austin, can be seen showing around the region. There next show will be this weekend (Nov. 8-9) at the Penmeryl Horse Trials in Greenville, Va.
The days have turned sharply colder and this weekend will be chilly with highs only in the 50s and lows in the 30s, but the horse shows continue in Southwest Virginia.But if you prefer to cuddle up on the couch in front of a fire, there are also some great options streaming online too including the AQHA World Show.
VIRGINIA HORSE CENTER
The Virginia Horse Center will host the Southwest Virginia Hunter-Jumper Association Finals. The 26th Annual Show and Medal Finals includes a $1,000 Invitational Hunter Derby. View the Prize List for the show. The show will open Friday at 8 a.m. with Green Hunters Over Fences. The Invitational Hunter Derby will be Friday not before 4 p.m. The classes (see the schedule here) will continue through Sunday.
FRANKLIN COUNTY
Dove Valley Farm Stables, about 15 miles south of Rocky Mount, will host a Blue Ridge Horse Force -sanctioned show, the Franklin County Equestrian Equestrian Club’s Stars and Stripes Horse Show, on Saturday, Nov. 8. Roger Moore will judge the show, which starts at 10 a.m. Championships and Reserve Championships will given in Western, Walking/Racking, English,Gymkhana in Novice,Youth & Adult. Proceeds benefit Unbridled Change Take Back the Reins Combat PTSD Program. For more information, contact Patricia Wray at (540) 420-8169.
ONLINE
The American Paint Horse Association World Show is streaming live from Fort Worth, Texas, through Nov. 15 on iEquine.com. Saturday’s classes show plenty of variety with Showmanship, Hunter under Saddle, Barrel Racing, Pole Bending, Halter, and Longe Line all on the schedule. See a full show schedule here.
The American Quarter Horse Association’s World Show begins streaming live from Oklahoma City on Friday, Nov. 7 on iEquine.com. More than 3,610 entries from the United States, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Germany, Mexico and Switzerland are competing for 100 world championships. The show opens on Friday with Barrel Racing and Pole Bending preliminaries. Saturday will include more barrels and poles (Finals with World Champions being crowned) and also add working hunter. Sunday will crown world champions in working hunter and jumping classes and Western Riding will hold it’s preliminary. Coverage will continue through Nov. 22. Find a schedule of classes here.
The U.S. Dressage Finals will be streamed live from Lexington, Kentucky from Friday through Sunday on usefnetwork.com. The national, head-to-head competition showcases competitors in adult-amateur and open divisions, at Training Level through Grand Prix.
LOOK AHEAD
Next spring, save March 21-22 for a clinic by Mary Babick of Knightsbridge Farm in New Jersey. Babick’s students have earned countless state, zone and national championships over the years — from the small pony to the national equitation finals and the junior and amateur-owner jumper divisions. Visit www.swvhja.org/clinics.htm for more information.
Have a show or other horse-related event going on this weekend within an hour of Roanoke, Va? Send it to diane.deffenbaugh@gmail.com to have it included in the weekend roundup of events and be seen by hundreds of readers across the region.
As we fall back this weekend for daylight savings, the shorter days have many a rider wishing for the return of warmer weather and more sunshine. But it’s not time to hibernate quite yet, there are still equestrian events in and around the Roanoke Valley this weekend.
VIRGINIA HORSE CENTER
The horse center is hosting the Virginia Horse Trials this weekend from Friday, October 31 through Sunday, Nov. 2. The Virginia Horse Trials, which is an abbreviated version of a three-day eventing competition, draws several hundred eventing riders from around the country.
GREEN HILL EQUESTRIAN CENTER
The Cross View Farm Open Show will be held Saturday and Sunday at 9 a.m. (See a show flyer.) The show includes English, Western and Gaited classes plus Game classes beginning at 1 p.m.
Have a show or other horse-related event going on this weekend within an hour of Roanoke, Va? Send it to diane.deffenbaugh@gmail.com to have it included in the weekend roundup of events and be seen by hundreds of readers across the region.
I know many of us who love pleasure horses have sat in the very situation I found myself in once again today as I was watching the live feed from Quarter Horse Congress at my computer. A colleague strolled up and asked, “What are you watching?” Relishing some interest in my passion, I happily responded, talking about the huge show in Columbus, Ohio, that takes place each year. Looking at my screen his face screws up in confusion, and I know what’s coming next as the western pleasure futurity horses lope down the rail. I’m already scrambling for an answer when he asks, “Now, why are they walking like that? Are they sick? They look so sad.” Sigh.
Western pleasure has been under fire for decades. The peanut rollers of the 1980s brought inhumane methods such as bleeding and tying up of horses’ heads to create that lethargic look. AQHA responded in the 1990s by issuing requirements that the horse’s poll not be below his withers and ruling that light contact should replace draped reins. (Whatever happened to that anyhow? Did the growing popularity of the spur stop make them simply change their minds?) These days, judges call for a “moderate extension of the jog” as a regular class gait. But often there is little perceivable difference in the gaits. It seems more of AQHA’s way of saying “well we told them to move faster. What can ya do?”
Talk rages among even AQHA members about the class as the horses seem to get slower and slower. On one side you have the argument that the horses are bred to move this way. I agree, to an extent. With level toplines, foals lope across the arenas next to their mommas with the deep hocks and flat front leg that will make them successful in the show pen. But on the other hand, as western pleasure becomes more and more competitive, the lope becomes more and more artificial. Western pleasure horses are practically a gaited breed at this point, and you need a trainer to help you maintain that gait. Overly-canted to the rail — when the hind end is pushed toward the center of the arena, helping the horse reach ultimate collection and stay slow — are now the norm, when once upon a time straightness was emphasized.
Horses canted to the rail is uniformly observed in western pleasure classes.
Watching the warm-up pens and horses being worked at shows has become painful, even for those of us that understand what all those draw reins and ‘bumping’ on the horse’s mouth is for. And more than a few horsemen, once competitors in the class and supporters of western pleasure, can no longer stomach what the class has become. So what would the general public think if they were to come across one of our warm-up pens? It’s doubtful we’re drawing them in and making them want to ride western pleasure, that’s for sure. Who wants to ride the “sad,” “sick” horses?
We’re seeing this play out in real time as pleasure classes get smaller and ranch horse events, including on the rail, gain popularity.
The pleasure futurities are the worst. I applaud efforts to create more maiden events for 3-year-olds. But watching 2-year-olds try their best to lope that way is doing no one any favors, least of all the horses. All but the very top babies don’t seem to know what in the world to do with their legs as they are told to lope, but barely move. They hesitate at the oddest of times. They jerk their feet down. Their steps are uneven. There is absolutely nothing flowing or pretty about them. Not to mention the physical damage that is being done to their hocks and other joints. What they really need is just the permission to flow forward ever so slightly. Would this be such a crime? Dressage horses aren’t expected to start out performing passage poorly around the arena. They are worked up to the collection required. Western pleasure should be no different and forwardness in a 2-year-old should be rewarded.
So what’s to be done? I actually think it’s fairly simple. One, look to the western riding horses. The speed they maintain through their patterns is hardly roaring around the arena, but it is, frankly, more reasonable. The horses’ expressions are often more alert and pleasant. The way of going is more natural. The topline is still flat. The movement is still lovely to watch. It’s such a small correction, but it is one that would make a world of difference.
And two, judges need to finally take a stand. No one is going to stop doing it if it’s what wins. I don’t care who is sitting on the back of that horse, if it’s going too slow, give it the gate. Even if no one is left in the end. This step is a pipedream, but it is the only way change happens.
While I agree there are a top few that can successfully pull off the extreme slow speeds now seen in western pleasure, most are being slowed to a point that their gaits fall apart. So why not move them forward to look their best? And I’d also argue that even the insanely talented ones would still look even better if they were moving forward with a more flowing stride.
Our horses are of better quality than they have ever been. It is truly awe-inspiring to see just how many excellent horses there are out there showing today. But we can do better. Let them do what we bred them for. Let them move.
Want other opinions? Check out these related stories:
Equine Chronicle: Correctness, Cadence, and Redefining the Purpose of Western Pleasure Take the Spotlight in 2015.
Go Horseshow:We Ask the Judges: Has the Western Pleasure Class Regressed? (2012)
Roanoke Equestrian 