Horse Tales from the LOPE Ranch

Hoof Abscesses

Well, it was bound to happen. After months of drought and rock-hard ground, the rains finally came. And so did the mud -- and the hoof abscesses.

Pogo, Catalissa and Trouble Now all promptly developed abscesses shortly after our first big storms. Catalissa was especially of concern, given his previous bout with laminitis. However, Austin Equine Associates came out and xrayed him -- and there is no further sign of serious problems (whew).

Pogo was very considerate and made sure that his abscess drained quickly (and at the top of the hoof). Catalissa also is improving steadily. Trouble Now is our most challenging abscess case -- with TWO abscesses (he has classic ex-racehorse hooves with thin walls). Fortunately, he loves being in a stall and has been a wonderful patient. He reminds me of those kids who like to stay home sick from school -- so they can watch daytime TV all day.

For our hoof wraps, we use a combination of diaper, vet wrap, Magna Paste and Epsom salts. I used to create elaborate duct tape "booties" to finish off the wrap -- but now I use Soft-Ride boots instead. They keep the vet wrap and diaper dry -- and are much easier to take on and off than the duct-tape versions.

Although abscesses are a chore to deal with, I don't really mind them. After seeing so many horses with more permanent injuries (sesamoid fractures, torn suspensories, etc), I'm happy to work with temporary ailments!

Ex-Racehorse Story Sharing

Jan has been a long time supporter of LOPE. He is very interested in natural horsemanship and horse psychology. Jan recently emailed me an interesting story about his mare Queenie:

"Queenie is six-year-old bay thoroughbred mare. Her racing career was very short; there is some evidence of some old leg injuries. She suffered a severe cut to her left rear foot in a trailer loading accident in 2007, and was nursed back to near-normal by a friend of a friend. Queenie was therefore essentially a three-legged horse for over a year while she convalesced. I adopted Queenie in 2008; I'm at least her fifth caregiver.

Queenie is a very smart TB and fits many of the Linda Parelli ;Horsenality' profile attributes of a Left-Brain Introvert. I've been retraining Queenie using a blend of Pat Parelli, Dennis Reis, and Clinton Anderson techniques.

I just recently adopted another horse, Sienna. Sienna is a 13-year-old bay QH mare. I'm her third caregiver. My initial impressions are that Sienna has some of the Linda Parelli Horsenality profile attributes of a Right-Brain Extrovert.

Now, here's the real reason I'm writing you. In one of Pat and Linda Parelli's DVDs, Linda comments about going out to the horses and the horses say 'Take me, take me!'

For reasons unknown to me, "Queenie" has had an indifferent attitude since I adopted her. Her attitude has been essentially, 'please feed me, but it's OK if you don't want to work with me, I'm content to hang around in my stall.'

My friend who was Queenie's caregiver before me thinks that Queenie's attitude is a result of her severe injury in 2007. Have you or your readers seen similar behavior in the TBs you've taken in who suffered severe injuries and were immobile for a long period of time?

On a positive (and very interesting) note: once Sienna arrived and settled in at our place, Queenie is now the first to say 'Take me, take me!'"

My response: We sometimes have seen horses in rehab become withdrawn emotionally. My thoughts are that this is due to the horses feeling vulnerable -- as if they want to take up as little "space" as possible (both literally and metaphysically) so as not to be noticed by predators. But the horses all did rebound quickly once they felt better and began to heal. I would guess Queenies behavior might be also due to her large number of caregivers in a short period -- she may have decided to not become attached to any one person (since her ownership changed so frequently).

LOPE and Twitter

I’m not exactly the cutting-edge type, especially when it comes to computers and social media. But a good friend talked me into trying Twitter last spring -- and I’ve been truly impressed with the friends and colleagues I’ve met there.

There are many terrific horse people “tweeting” -- both locally and nationally. Some of my favorites include:

@alexbrownracing: Alex Brown is committed to racehorse welfare and also is an exercise rider at Steve Asmussen’s barn at Woodbine.

@juliegoodnight: Julie is the star of The Horse Master, a RFD-TV show about horsemanship.

@Monty_Roberts: The original horse whisperer and author of The Man Who Listens to Horses.

@Featherliteinc: Featherlite Trailers has turned out to be very active on Twitter, often providing great advice on trailer shopping and maintenance.

What I like about Twitter is that you can follow people’s “tweets” without having to tweet about anything yourself. It’s very much like listening in on many conversations at a big party. I’ve found myself following all kinds of horse people from every part of the US. And I also follow nature photographers, rattlesnake experts, lady truck drivers and mountain climbers -- just for fun.

Since the spring, the LOPE Twitter account has collected around 2400 followers. We’ve even placed two horses through Twitter too!

If you’d like to see what LOPE is tweeting about, please check out our Twitter account.

Catalissa’s Fans

Catalissa is our most serious rehab case here at LOPE. Read more about his history and injuries.

Recently, I received a call from Laura, a local exercise rider at Texas tracks. She had heard about Catalissa’s injuries and wanted to see how he was doing. Her voice was emotional as she described working with him at the track -- clearly, Catalissa had been one of her favorites. Laura cleared up the mystery of Catalissa’s very feminine name – she said that his breeder named all his foals after his daughter Lissa.

Then, a few days later, an email came to my inbox from Hilary. She is the assistant to Michael Stidham, a very successful race trainer. Hilary wrote:

“[Michael and I] had no idea about Catalissa; he was claimed from us long ago. But we were shocked when one of the outriders here at Arlington told us of his fate. We would love to help and donate.”

Soon, a check for $400 arrived from Michael Stidham’s racing operation. Hilary also told us some stories about Catalissa -- he was the favorite of the racing barn when they had him. He had a big, confident personality -- and liked to make sure he bucked everyone off (but usually just once -- as a kind of “initiation”).

And last week, Bill, one of our favorite adopters (and silent auction supporters), contacted me. Catalissa had caught his eye -- he had decided to sponsor him!

To top it all off, today I received yet another email about Catalissa. Amber, a former vet tech at Austin Equine Associates, had sent LOPE a donation -- and she wanted to apply it to Catalissa too!

Many people assume that no one cares about ex-racehorses -- especially the injured ones like Catalissa. But as we’ve discovered, Catalissa has quite a fan club from both his racing and rehab days. Thank you Hilary, Laura, Michael, Bill and Amber for supporting Catalissa!

Virga Wins Big at Horse Show

Virga was a cute filly when she came to the LOPE Ranch as a three year old. When Terron adopted her to be a pleasure riding mount, we had no idea just how much Virga would excel at showing. Terron reports:

"I just wanted to give you an update on VIRGA. She and I went to a show on June 27 & 28, 2009. Over the two day period she was entered in five classes, both under saddle and halter classes, and we took home FIVE BLUE RIBBONS! Then to add icing to the cake-she took home the overall Halter Championship against geldings, stallions, fillies and mares. I am so proud of her! I hope that more people will give these amazing Thoroughbreds a chance, because if you do they will give you their all. You guys do an awesome job, keep up the good work."

Thank you, Terron, for giving Virga such a wonderful new career in the show ring!

Success Story: Proper Music

Recently I received an email from Jim and Maeghan about Proper Music, a mare they found through the LOPE trainer listings:

"We just want to share a success story about a horse name "Proper Music" that we found on the LOPE website. Music has now gone thru 6 months training and has become one of the nicest and kind horses one could ever want to be around. She gets some sort of training everyday and gets to play a lot as well.

She will be now starting to do some light dressage type of work and we are looking forward to see how that goes.

We would like to share the progress with you and hope it helps more people feel good about your program. Thank you for the good work LOPE does for ex-race horses."

As you can see from the photos, Proper Music clearly loves her new home. Thank you, Jim and Maeghan, for giving her a great new home and second career!

Update on Catalissa

Catalissa has been one of the most serious rehab cases we've had at LOPE. In his last race, he fractured his sesamoid on his right front. Catalissa didn't like to put pressure on the injured leg -- instead, he kept shifting his weight to his other legs. He then developed laminitis in his left front.

It was a potentially dangerous situation -- Catalissa had to be kept in stall rest, to limit his movements. And we took extra steps to keep him comfortable: his stall actually has a cushioned stall "mattress," (provided to LOPE with a generous discount from Lucas and Liebe) and we would often keep his front hooves in Softride comfort boots.

After months, Catalissa was then was approved to be in a small pen, only about twice the size of his stall. Slowly, his laminitis receded and his sesamoid fracture stabilized. However, his left front still had a very thin sole, leaving it susceptible to possible abscess and inflammation. So Catalissa had to stay confined in his small pen for week after week, as we waited for his sole to thicken.

Catalissa never once showed resentment or frustration, even during the most painful phase of his rehab. He was always cheerful and calm, making us all into his fans. The other horses also like Catalissa, often crowding around his stall's dutch door to "talk" with him. We like to joke that Catalissa secretly has a tacqueria stand and that's why the horses always hang out with him -- they're placing orders.

Last week, Austin Equine Associates X-rayed Catalissa's hoof. The news was good! His sole had grown out substantially -- and he was approved for a much larger turnout area. Two of our favorite volunteers, Melinda and Tom, came out Saturday and helped us expand Catalissa's space. We tripled the size of his turnout pen and attached it to the barn -- Catalissa can now go out of his stall directly into his deluxe-sized turnout. It's quite the bachelor pad -- the other horses (especially Pogo) seem a little envious.

It was a big weekend for Catalissa -- he seemed so happy, as he walked around his big pen then in and out of his stall. At feeding time, he nearly trotted to his bucket -- after months of tight quarters, his muscles are finally able to stretch and move more.

Congratulations Catalissa!

Success Story: Tricky Storm

Tricky Storm was one of our favorite horses here. A true racing "warrior," he retired at age 10 with lifetime earnings of over $400K.

We wanted Tricky to find just the right home, with an owner who would appreciate his handsome looks, illustrious race career and sweet temperament. Recently, he was adopted by Leslie, a trail rider and all around horse lover in Georgia. When Tricky arrived at his new home, Leslie had this to say:

"Oh my gosh, Tricky is absolutely AMAZING and B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!! I still can't believe he's here!

A little recap of the day's events: He was a perfect gentleman his entire ride over here and seemed to be in a bit of a hurry to get settled and unpacked in his new digs. He wasted no time digging into his hay and taking in his new surroundings. He was quick to make friends with a little two-year-old Paso Fino mare, and seemed to take note on which pasture she was hanging out in. After about an hour and a half, I guess the traveling got to him and he went down for the count!!

He's all together too cute!! At one point, Tricky watched as I walked back and forth tending to another horse. He would making sure to whinny my direction as to say "Hey Lady... come back here and pay attention to me!!" And then a "Hey Lady, where does a horse get some food around here?" I do have a question for you... are you SURE he's a TB?? He's so docile and laid back... even after the long drive he just had and all the unfamiliar surroundings, he's a cool customer!!

Today was such an awesome day!! Thank you soooooo much for making Tricky a part of my family!! I'm looking forward to the days ahead, and making lasting memories with him. He is truly a gift!"

We think Tricky has found the perfect home -- and so does Leslie. Thank you, Leslie, for giving Tricky a second chance at a new career (and for appreciating him the way we do).

First Rides at LOPE

I don't always have the opportunity to ride the horses at the LOPE Ranch -- sometimes they get adopted too fast. But usually I'm the one in the saddle during their first post-racetrack ride. Many people assume that these rides must be pretty wild and crazy, with lots of excitement for everyone (me, the horse, any spectators).

It's really not like that at all.

For example, last week I rode Pogo, a three-year-old gelding here. Pogo's last ride was in fall 2008 during his very first race. He chipped his knee during the race and came to LOPE (read about his surgery from Austin Equine Associates).

After a very successful post-surgery rehab and rest period, Pogo was ready to begin work again. As I led him into the round pen, he pouted -- clearly he had become used to the couch potato lifestyle here at LOPE. But after some ground work and free lounging, Pogo settled into the "in school" mode. He tuned into the cues, his face relaxing into a calm, attentive expression.

Even though it had been months since his last ride (as a two-year-old), I decided to mount Pogo. Actually, I decided to "try" to mount Pogo and just see how things went. I'm not a professional trainer, so I do a lot of the "let's see how this goes" approach. Pogo had this cheerful look of expectation in his eyes -- I felt like I'd be somehow letting him down if I didn't at least put my foot in the stirrup.

Once my foot was in the stirrup, it seemed like a shame not to hop up once or twice, and then maybe even lean over Pogo's back. Pogo stood quietly, his head lowering. Then it seemed downright silly to not mount him. I was already there, hanging over the saddle, petting the right side of his neck.

So I then I swung my leg over and sat in the saddle. Pogo seemed comfortable with that and so we walked around the round pen a little. He steered pretty well for a green ex-racehorse, wasn't spooky about my legs, and (best of all) he stopped when I said "whoa." Pleased with how relaxed we both were, I decided to dismount Pogo and call it a day.

Our ride was short and completely unexciting. Just the way I like a first ride to be here at the LOPE Ranch.

AP Dashin On My Mind

AP was donated to us in January. Sure, he has a few minor challenges, like an arthritic knee and turned-out front toes. But AP has another problem – a condition so disturbing that it may scare away all but the most committed adopters.

He has a mullet.

That’s right, an equine mullet.

And what’s worse, AP likes his hairdo. He displays his NASCAR style with pride in his eyes (and says things like "that was a sweet crash, yo").

All we can do is hope that AP is adopted into a loving family that can talk chassis rolls and weight jacking with him.

A Week at Tom Curtin's Winter Camp

A few weeks ago, I went to Tom Curtin's horsemanship camp in Florida. And so did Lightening Ball and Sally, two LOPE horses here (thanks to Equine Express, one of LOPE's sponsors)

I had three other camp mates: Ginny, Kriestin and Linda. We shared a comfortable bunkhouse (just like "real" camp) and spent a lot of time laughing (and eating).

It was a great adventure! Each day, we'd be up at dawn to feed the horses and get ranch chores done. By 8:30 am, we'd be in the saddle and out on a ride with Tom.

I never was sure what each day would bring. One morning, we herded cattle. Sally was pretty excited about that, but settled down quickly. Within a couple of hours, she and I were even cutting a few cows from the herd (though very slowly). Our next challenge was opening gates from horseback. I was the one that got excited about that (but Sally helped me get over it).

Another afternoon, we rode for hours out in the pastures and woods, crossing many different farms. Lightening Ball got worried during the ride, but, thanks to Tom's coaching, I eventually learned how to help Lightening Ball relax. By the end of the week, he was an old pro at trail riding -- I was so proud of him. And Lightening Ball even moved cows too (he'd stalk up to the herd, towering over the cattle at 16.1H and glare at them till they sidled away).

I've been to local clinics with Tom in Texas -- but I was amazed at how much more effective the camp setting was. It was like the difference between taking a Chinese class vs. traveling in China -- the immersion of living at Tom's ranch, surrounded by master horsemanship, taught me so much more than I expected.

I can't wait to practice what I learned on the other LOPE horses here.

Especially Wooden Phone.

Black Diamond & Blake

Black Diamond & Blake by Deborah Blumenthal is a terrific children's book about the bond between an ex-racehorse and a prison inmate. Once the fastest horse in his racing stable, Black Diamond falls on hard times and is sent to a retirement farm at a penitentiary. There he meets Blake, his assigned caretaker and soon-to-be best friend.

I was especially impressed with how well the book captures the horse-human relationship. Both Blake and Black Diamond are down and out when they meet. But together they find a way to move forward into a brighter future.

The book is beautifully written and illustrated in a rich, almost vintage style technique. Although it's a children's book, I was touched by the story -- it made me think of all the "Black Diamonds" that have come to the LOPE Ranch.

Please check it out on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Ray Hunt, 1929-2009

Ray Hunt was the best horseman I've ever known. In the early days after founding LOPE, I watched his colt starting DVDs over and over, hoping to learn more about horse training. Although I run a racehorse adoption ranch, my training credentials at that time were woefully thin. I needed a crash course and Ray's videos seemed like a good start.

Ray was a holdover from another era, when horses were valued partners in the rugged work of large-scale cattle ranching. His imposing height and sardonic humor belied his gray hair – Ray was an impressive physical presence on camera. In his clinic tapes, he barked at the riders, recited poetry, squinted off into the horizon and gentled every equine rogue, no matter how wild or crazy. Ray was supremely confident in his skills, never once showing worry or fear – he'd just laugh and say something cryptic like "You got to take the bitter with the sweet," or "It's best to stay on the edge of trouble, not in the middle of it," or "You got to adjust to fit the situation."

I was fascinated with his mix of gritty machismo and zen-like slogans. Summoning up my nerve, I put in a request for LOPE to host a clinic with Ray in 2006, and he agreed.

That clinic changed everything for me.

Ray's sharp eyes, crusty Yoda-like comments and deep respect for the horse made a profound impression on me. I turned away from horse training – and towards horsemanship.

It was a seemingly small shift – but like Ray says, "It's the little things that make a big difference." He taught me to recognize the smallest change, the slightest try in myself as well in the horses.

Because of Ray, I might not know where I'm going, but I'm sure not lost.

Thank you, Ray.

Pogo's Successful Knee-Chip Surgery

Pogomeister, an adorable three-year-old gelding, had blazing speed in his workouts at the track. But in his very first race, he chipped his knee, ending his racing career. His breeder donated him to LOPE soon after, hoping we could find him a new, less strenuous job. Pogo was the perfect candidate for our Homestretch Heroes program.

When Dr. JoLynn Joyce, the equine surgeon at Austin Equine Associates (LOPE’s veterinary sponsor), heard about Pogo’s knee, she and Austin Equine Associates generously sponsored a surgery to remove his knee chips.

Pogo’s surgery took place in Austin Equine’s new surgery clinic in Driftwood, where he received top-notch care in a brand-new, fully modern operating room.

Pogo’s chips were removed in January. After six weeks of stall rest and daily handwalking, Pogo is 100% sound. In another week, he’ll be ready to start back into light work. Thanks to Dr. Joyce and Austin Equine Associates, Pogo now has many more career options available.

If you are interested in learning more about how to adopt Pogo, please visit LOPE’s adoption page.

Texas Wrangler Darlins

A couple of weeks ago, a group of Texas Wrangler Darlins came out to the LOPE Ranch for a volunteer day.

They came early, worked hard and left behind a clean barn, swept tack room and well-groomed horses. Zuper especially enjoyed all of the attention.

Thank you Texas Wrangler Darlins!

Mardi Gras Gets Adopted!

One of our recent arrivals here was Mardi Gras Dancer. A bay two-year-old gelding, Mardi Gras had the pedigree of a race champion. But he had the heart of a couch potato – Mardi Gras just wasn’t fast at all.

After ten races, he showed such little interest racing that his owner decided to donate him to LOPE – so he could find a home with less speedy requirements. Anna soon visited the ranch and fell in love with him.

As Anna walked around our pastures, meeting each of the horses, Mardi Gras was watching her. When she came to him, he dropped his head into hands and closed his eyes – a picture of peaceful contentment.

Of all the horses here, Anna chose Mardi Gras to be her riding horse and special pet. Here is a photo of Mardi Gras with his new friend, "Punkin" – as you can see, he is very happy with his new home!

Pogomeister and His Knee Chips

Pogomeister (aka "Pogo") was all set to win his first race. Even though he was only 2 years old, he'd shown great speed in his workouts. His sire was the champion Texas stallion Holzmeister, and his dam, Princess Pogo, had produced many promising racehorses too.

Pogo was a confident youngster, full of fire and ready to blaze down the homestretch ahead of all the other horses. Even though he was kind of small (15H) and not very flashy (plain chestnut), Pogo flew around the track, certain he was the best horse there.

But in spite of all that, Pogo didn't win his first race. Instead, he hurt his knee, chipping it badly enough to need surgery. The injury was serious enough that his breeder decided he should never race again, even if he had surgery.

So, she donated him to LOPE – coincidentally, right after Dr. Joyce and Austin Equine Associates told us they'd like to help us with chip removal surgeries.

Pogo will be the first LOPE horse to receive a sponsored knee chip surgery from Austin Equine Associates. After his chips are removed, he'll have a some stall rest in our barn – and then a nice long turnout in our pastures.

After a few months, he'll be ready to be a riding horse again, to do trail riding and flat work. With his "big horse" personality and his endearing habit of making faces for the camera, we think he'll have no trouble at all finding home when his knee is healed!

Austin Equine Associates' New Surgery Clinic

LOPE’s veterinary sponsors, Austin Equine Associates, just opened a beautiful, state-of-the-art clinic and surgery center in Driftwood, TX! And Dr. JoLynn Joyce, an equine surgeon, has joined the practice as well.

Austin Equine Associates already sponsors LOPE for vet care, giving the LOPE horses a hefty discount on any care they may need. Austin Equine makes a huge difference to all the LOPE horses, but especially the ones with long-term rehab needs.

So, imagine our surprise and gratitude when Dr. Joyce told us that she would like to help LOPE with discounted equine surgeries! We see so many horses with knee and ankle chips -- but have rarely had the means to give these horses chip removal surgeries.

Thanks to Austin Equine Associates and Dr. Joyce, LOPE can now commit to chip removal procedures for a few special horses each year!

And the first horse has just arrived a few days ago too -- details coming soon...

Beau's Town and Amy

Beau’s Town came to LOPE in 2008. A handsome 10-year-old gelding, Beau won almost $700,000 at the track before retiring a couple years ago. But Beau was bored just being out in pasture, so his race owner donated Beau to LOPE, hoping we could find Beau a new vocation.

Beau immediately impressed us with his calm temperament, good looks and elegant movement. And we soon discovered Beau was an absolute ham -- he loves to be admired and will definitely “work” any audience until he hears applause.

When the Equine Expo of Texas invited LOPE to be its featured charity and perform in the big arena, we knew Beau would just have to be the star of our act.

So we hired Amy, a talented local trainer to work with Beau and get him ready for the Expo. She taught Beau all kinds of things and introduced to him to many new experiences -- like trail riding, crossing water, meeting cattle and donkeys and even standing still while she tossed a rope from the saddle.

At the Expo, Beau exceeded all of our expectations. Even though it was his first show ever, he took it all in stride and was a huge hit with the crowd. He and Amy were a great team in the arena demonstration -- Beau loved all of the attention!

Thank you Amy and Beau!

Burnt Mill Road

Burnt Mill Road had an incredible racing career. He ran for 12 years, retiring just a couple months ago as a 14-year-old. He even won his last race this year too! Burnt Mill ran 158 times in his career and earned almost $347,000. His last race win in 2008 was for the same purse money as his first win in 1996. This January, the Texas Thoroughbred magazine featured a nice article on Burnt Mill's career.

A Texas bred, Burnt Mill was known for his calm disposition on the track. We were immediately impressed with his gentle personality here –- not to mention his terrific good looks. Although he has been off the track just about a month, Burnt Mill is already learning how to ride Western and go on trail rides. And he even has an adoption pending with a wonderful horse family!

Catalissa

Catalissa was our first stall rest rehab horse for the LOPE barn! A handsome Texas bred, Catalissa was an exciting horse to watch –- he loved to win and had a big following here, especially at Sam Houston racetrack. He was bred by Stonerside Stable and has the elegant movement and kind temperament we've come to associate with Stonerside horses.

Toward the end of his career, Catalissa was racing in Delaware. He fractured his sesamoid and could no longer race. His race trainer agreed to donate Catalissa to LOPE –- the only snag was the long distance between Delaware and Texas. But then Stonerside Stable heard of Catalissa's situation and immediately donated transport funds –- so that LOPE could bring Catalissa home to Texas (and our new barn).

Catalissa has been amazingly gentle to handle -- even after weeks and weeks of stall rest, he showed only patience and good manners. He is slowly and steadily healing –- if he continues at this rate, he will be available for adoption by the end of the year.

Thank you Stonerside Stable for sending Catalissa to LOPE!

Lights On Broadway

Lights On Broadway has had a racing career worthy of his name. He was the Texas Horse of The Year in 2001. And he won over $500,000 on the track -- wow!

He is still racing at 11 years old in Oklahoma. His race trainer/owner has agreed to sell him to the Fans of Barbaro, a forum of racing fans and horse lovers. The Fans of Barbaro want to buy Lights On Broadway so they can retire him from racing. He would come home to Texas to his breeder's ranch or to LOPE.

Although donations to the Fans of Barbaro fundraiser aren't tax deductible, it is still a very worthy cause. If you would like to see a great racing warrior retire safely from racing, please check out the fundraiser!

Equine Expo of Texas

LOPE is the featured charity for the Equine Expo of Texas! On Sept 13-14, the Expo will be at the Will Rogers Memorial facility in Fort Worth, TX. LOPE will have some wonderful horses for adoption -- including two horses with professional training, Beau's Town (pictured here) and Big Boy Slew! And some of LOPE's "celebrity" racehorse residents will be at the event too, like Wooden Phone (winner of over $833,000).

LOPE will have an arena demonstration to show the horses for adoption and will have a large booth display with racing tack and memorabilia. We’re looking forward to the event and hope to see you there!

More posts are coming soon about the horses for adoption too!

Barn Assembly - Day Four

Wow, the barn is finished! The Tri-County Barn crew did a fantastic job. Today, after they installed all the final pieces, they spent hours power washing the roof, the exterior walls and the stalls.

And the barn even came with a wash rack! They installed it on the front porch -- that will definitely come in handy for doing hydro-therapy on the rehab horses.

We still need to wire the barn for electricity and tie in the water for internal plumbing. And Denis is coming back to smooth out the foundation and blend it into the surrounding pasture. He will also add more dirt to the south side of the barn, where we hope to soon attach small pens or traps to the stalls.

The LOPE Ranch has always been a pasture-only facility -- for the past four years, we've had to say no to horses needing stall rest. It's so exciting to see the LOPE barn standing in the pasture, waiting for the first injured horse to arrive.

The barn won't have to wait long either -- a horse with a sesamoid fracture is due to arrive here on Saturday. Stay tuned for more details -- this horse is very special!

Thank you again to the Malone family for donating such a wonderful rehab barn to LOPE!

Barn Assembly - Day Three

The Tri-County Barns crew put in a busy day here installing the roof -- now it really feels like a barn. Tomorrow is the final day of construction, and will include some big pieces -- such as installing all the stall doors and the barn doors, and some smaller pieces -- such as the wash rack on the porch and the saddle racks in the tack room.

Barn Assembly - Day Two

On the second day, the Tri-County Barns crew put up the framing for the roof. It's fun to see the raised center aisle now. And the side lean-to has its roof framed now -- we think this will be an excellent place to store hay.

Barn Assembly - Day One

This morning, a crew from Tri-County Barns came to start installing our barn! Several trucks drove up our driveway, with flatbeds full of stall partitions, roof panels and support beams. Within a few hours, the stall and the tack room walls were in place. It was fun to watch!

After the crew left for the day, Lightening Ball and I took a walk around the barn site. I led him up the barn aisle and let him sniff all the roof panels stacked on the ground. Lightening Ball was interested in everything, showing lots of curiosity (and very little nervousness).

The crew will work on installing the roof and support beams over the next couple of days -- stay tuned for more updates!

Barn Foundation in Place

I've learned much more about barn foundations than I ever expected. After our dirt pad was installed, the next phase was to frame and pour the concrete.

Our donated five-stall barn will come with a center aisle, tack room and a front porch. My biggest decision was whether to put concrete in just the tack room or also put it in the center aisle and front porch. Since the barn will be for rehabbing injured horses, our vets will be examining the horses at the barn regularly. So it's important to concrete the center aisle to provide a clean area for vet procedures.

And if the covered front porch had concrete, we could store hay there much more easily.

So we decided to put concrete in the tack room, center aisle and the front porch. R&M Concrete, who regularly works with Tri-County Barns, was our concrete contractor and was very familiar with the requirements of our barn model. They spent many hours carefully measuring, framing, laying plastic and rebar. Within a few days, our concrete was poured -- it was very exciting to see the big mixer truck pull into our pasture!

Here is our finished concrete -- you can really see the outline of the barn stalls, aisle, tack room and porch.

The next step is actually installing the barn -- and that is going to happen this week! Stay tuned for more updates....

Barn Donated to LOPE

A 2003 Barnmaster barn has been donated to LOPE!

We are really excited about this gift and want to thank the Malone family for their tremendous generosity. LOPE can now start the Homestretch Heroes Rehabilitation Program. With the new rehab barn, LOPE can take in more seriously injured racehorses that need stall rest and longer rehab care.

In conjunction with this donation, LOPE is focusing its 2008 Capital Campaign on raising funds for the barn foundation, installation and electric wiring, while also starting a special surgery fund for racehorses with knee and ankle chips. Please visit the 2008 Capital Campaign page to learn more.

The barn has five stalls, plus a tack room, front porch and side lean-to (for storing farm equipment). Thanks to Tri-County Barns, the barn has been disassembled and is waiting to be delivered here — once we've completed the foundation and concrete work.

When I heard that such a nice, big barn was being donated to LOPE, I was thrilled! But then I realized all the things I didn't know about barn construction. My head was spinning just thinking about foundation construction, concrete work and barn moving logistics.

Then I talked with Kay at Lucas and Liebe — she explained that the first step is to build a foundation or dirt pad for the barn. Joey at Tri-County gave me the specifications: about 8 inches high and at least 10 feet wider than the barn itself (which is 48 ft by 48 ft). And he recommended the type of dirt — caleche, which is a local material here in Texas.

Armed with this information, I started calling dirt contractors. They all had different information for me. One would take several days to do the job, as his dirt source was far away, requiring long round trips for delivery. Another recommended crushed limestone instead of caleche. And a third had multiple trucks available for delivery, but was having trouble locating a calache source near us.

All of them agreed on one thing: the job was going to be more expensive this year, due to diesel fuel costs.

We decided on a local dirt contractor, Denis, to install the foundation. He was fast, knowledgeable and liked our ex-racehorses, too! Plus he was recommended by one of our neighbors, Hycourt Farm, as Denis had completed their barn foundation and arena footing.

He brought his heavy equipment and smoothed down the barn site, prepping it for the massive quantities of dirt to come. Then he carefully measured to see how level our site was — he explained that he'd build up the foundation on one side to create a perfectly-level barn pad.

Over the next two days, twelve giant truckloads of dirt arrived. After each load, Denis would smooth and pack the dirt into a symmetrical surface.

I was impressed by the result — our completed barn foundation is strong, level and drains well. For the first time, the new barn seems truly "real."

As you can see from the photo, the horses here are ready for their new barn — in fact, one bay mare is getting downright impatient!

Wooden Phone

Wooden Phone is our most famous racehorse here. He won over $830,000 -- his biggest win was the $500,000 Strub Stakes in 2001. Jim and Marilyn Helzer and Tom Durant donated him to LOPE. With his incredible history, Wooden Phone is staying here -- he is a wonderful "spokeshorse" for LOPE.

But like many big-money winners, Wooden Phone can be somewhat of a diva. Before he came here, he had a reputation for being difficult -- especially with other horses. It took awhile, but we finally figured out the right group of gelding buddies for Wooden Phone. The good news is that he now easily mingles with other horses in the pasture.

The bad news is that he has become a little herd sour -- he becomes upset when separated from his friends.

So it's time to start working with Wooden Phone more. Because he hasn't been ridden much since his racing days, I decided to go slow and start with some groundwork.

A couple of days ago, I haltered Wooden Phone and led him out of his pasture. Although he nickered a few times at his buddies (who ignored him completely), he led pretty well. But when we got too far away (in his opinion), he puffed up like a big dragon and began prancing around, squealing for his best friend (Vienna Circle, who was too busy cribbing to notice).

Anyway, I ignored Wooden Phone's dragon moves -- fortunately, we were close to the round pen, so I could lead him in there. He flew around the pen, agitated, calling more loudly for Vienna (who was still cribbing).

After watching Wooden Phone canter frantically for several minutes, I climbed into the round pen with him. To my surprise, he focused on me right away. Although somewhat excited, Wooden Phone seemed to come to me for help -- which I really appreciated, since the dragon imitation had been kind of scary.

He round penned well, slowing his gait when asked, maintaining a respectful distance and halting quietly. When I invited him, he even walked into the center of the pen with me.

Impressed with the change, I haltered him and ended the session with some grooming (which he loved). He led quietly back to his pasture and stood politely when I took off his halter.

Wooden Phone is an interesting horse -- sometimes he seems to throw conflicting signals. But he is very intelligent and I am beginning to understand his diva moods better.

I'll be posting more about Wooden Phone as we continue working together -- stay tuned!

Pony Club Visit

Members of the Hill Top Pony Club visited the LOPE Ranch recently. They volunteered their excellent grooming skills — the LOPE horses received extreme beauty makeovers, thanks to the Pony Clubbers! Afterward, three vet techs (Anne, Meredith and Julia) from Austin Equine Associates gave a great presentation. They demonstrated vet exam techniques, did a full lameness assessment on a horse, and showed off their formidable bandaging skills. It was a fun and educational day for everyone — thank you, Hill Top Pony Club and Austin Equine Associates!

Virga's First Blue Ribbon

Virga was donated to the LOPE Ranch in 2006, where she spent a couple of months letting down from the track after a short and unspectacular racing career. She was a pretty bay filly with a sweet personality, but despite her Seattle Slew bloodlines, her heart just wasn't in racing. Terron saw her photo on our website and fell in love with her. So she adopted Virga to be her special pet and show-horse prospect – shipping her all the way to Florida. We recently received an update from Terron:

"Virga and I have been to our second horse show and we took our first BLUE RIBBON! This along with our two second place finishes that day. We had a great day! Virga truly shines at the show – she knows that everyone is there to see her! She has definitely made a great transition from the track."

The LOPE Award for "Most Addicted Adopter" Goes to a Doctor!

Dr. Alan and his terrific family have adopted seven LOPE horses -- plus they have taken in at least four other ex-racers.

They have a lovely ranch with lots of grass and turnout -- as you can see, the horses are very happy there.

Dr. Alan gets a big kick out of looking up their pedigrees -- he enjoys seeing great-grandchildren of Seattle Slew and Secretariat grazing in his pastures.

A big thank you to Dr. Alan and his family for giving such a great home to so many ex-racers!

First Show

This is Ivy on John, a handsome bay gelding who came to the LOPE Ranch in 2005. And John brought his family with him -- eight other horses! His breeder was getting out of the business and decided to donate all of her favorite young horses and broodmares to LOPE.

John still hadn't been started under saddle when he arrived here. But he was handsome, intelligent and loved attention -- and of course was adopted right away.

Thanks to Donna, his first trainer, and Ivy, John has come a long way since his days at our ranch.

Congrats to John and Ivy on your first show together!

Boring Days at the Ranch

Sometimes we have boring days at the ranch. Those are the days when I go to the feed store, stack hay, do paperwork or clean out the water troughs. There are lots of especially mundane chores that go into the ranch work here -- and every once in awhile, an entire day (or week) gets filled up with them.

But whenever I start to complain about a "boring" day here, I remember that sometimes "exciting" isn't always fun either. Like the time I was mistaken for a feed bucket. Or the windy day I nearly rode a horse right into an angry rattlesnake (I couldn't hear the snake in the wind -- fortunately my horse did and talked me into changing direction). Or the time the county water main broke in our front pasture -- on a 22 degree day, right as the sun was setting on Christmas eve.

So sometimes boring is good!

New Arrival at the Ranch: Beau's Town

We recently had a special horse come to the LOPE Ranch. His name is Beau's Town and he won over $700,000. Beau was a terrific racehorse, and still holds a course record at Santa Anita. He has been retired for over a year - but is getting a little bored with pasture life. So we will soon be placing him up for adoption. Beau is so talented and gorgeous, we think he'll be a wonderful riding horse (or maybe even a show horse). See his pedigree here.

Beau is 10 years old and is one of the most handsome horses we've ever had here, with his big blaze and three stockings. He is good friends with Trick Bag (see blog entry below), and is the boss of his pasture.

Beau was donated by David and Kathy Hulkewicz - they love Beau and often call to tell me great stories about his racing days.

Stay tuned for more of Beau's career highlights!

Outlaw: From Racetrack to Riding Trail

Outlaw was a hardworking pony horse at the racetracks. He would patiently pony young horses during their morning workouts. And then at night, he would help pony racehorses to the starting gate. Being a pony horse is a big job and lots of hard work. Outlaw's owner decided to donate him to LOPE, so he could find a good home as a riding horse. After all those years of service, he thought Outlaw deserved a nice, easy job.

Soon after, John came to visit Outlaw. He liked Outlaw's kind eye and stocky build right away, so he adopted him. We are so happy for John and Outlaw!

John recently sent me this photo of Outlaw on the trails. He says:

"Outlaw is turning into an excellent trail horse. He is confident and he thinks through everything. He does not spook easily and he does not lose his head. He certainly is looking good, don't you think?"

We here at LOPE agree with John - Outlaw is looking very good (and happy)!

New Arrival at the Ranch: Trick Bag

Trick Bag, one of most enduring racehorses in Texas, was recently donated to LOPE. The 10-year-old gelding made his final start at Retama Park on September 28, 2007, finishing fourth. After he came out of that last race with swollen ankles, his owner and trainer both decided it was time to retire him.

Trick Bag raced a whopping 110 times, with 23 wins, 27 seconds and 20 third-place finishes. He raced 47 times at Sam Houston alone, not to mention all the times he ran at Retama Park and Lone Star Park, too. His overall earnings were $189.870 on the track.

Known for his intrepid spirit and big heart, Trick Bag was a real favorite with Texas race trainers and fans. An athletic bay with a kind face, Trick Bag has settled in easily at the LOPE Ranch - as you can see from his photo, he is really enjoying the pasture lifestyle here.

His ankles will require pasture rest and turnout - but a vet exam shows that he will be a good candidate for trail and pleasure riding after some time off.

Trick Bag is very intelligent and gets along with other horses. He is now available for adoption on the LOPE website.

Tom Curtin Colt Starting Clinic

Recently, I attended a Colt Starting clinic taught by master horseman Tom Curtin and held at Hycourt Farm. I brought Lightening Ball (actual spelling), one of our favorite older racehorses here at the LOPE Ranch. While Lightening Ball of course already knew how to be ridden (after racing for 7 years and winning $300K), I thought the Colt Starting class would be a good experience for him.

Sometimes racehorses are started quickly under saddle, often having full-time racing careers as two-year-olds. Because of that, they can have gaps in their foundation work – for example, they might never have learned to stand still while being mounted (since jockeys don't mount from the ground).

And Colt Starting clinics are also good for older horses that might have problems with spooking or bucking or other troubled behaviors.

Tom Curtin grew up in Montana and has had a long career working with some of the most famous ranches in the US (King Ranch, The Four Sixes, Johnson Ranch and 7D Ranch). He counts such horsemanship legends as Buster Welch and Ray and Carolyn Hunt as his mentors.

Tom is adamant about getting along with the horse instead of punishing the animal for doing wrong. He states simply that if you have a job for your horses to do, you have to cooperate and if you fight against your horse it will eventually sell out on you. "When I work with a horse, I want my ideas to seem like good ones to the horse." he says "I approach him in a manner that makes sense to him. I don't go against his instinct. I work with him and not against him and I try to fix it so that my ideas are his ideas." This communication between horse and human is a key point for Tom and is easily seen in all he does with his horses. Tom explains, "My main goal is to have my horse want to help me, to want to be around me."

Lightening Ball is a terrific horse, but he occasionally gets nervous in new situations, sometimes tensing up and spooking slightly in place. And while he and I always had good rides together at the farm, I worried how he might react to new places and situations. He and I had fallen into a bit of a rut, always riding the same pastures, never really stretching ourselves.

So I decided the clinic would be a good "growth experience" for both Lightening Ball and me. And I was right: I learned how to be a better, more confident leader for Lightening Ball – so I could help him through scary situations like walking toward Tom and his flapping training flag.

Lightening Ball was not happy about that flag at first. And I was pretty wary myself, as he started to back up rapidly, trying to escape that dangerous, horse-eating flag. But with Tom’s help, Lightening Ball and I both steadily worked through our nerves – until finally, Lightening Ball successfully (and voluntarily) walked up to the flag and touched his forehead to its flapping fabric.

Lightening Ball and I had many training breakthroughs (and a lot of fun) at Tom's clinic – it was a wonderful learning experience for both of us, thanks to Tom Curtin and the great people at Hycourt Farm!

LOPE in Texas Co-op Power Magazine

Please check your mailboxes for the December issue of the Texas Co-op Power magazine. (This is a complimentary magazine sent to you by your local electric cooperative.) The cover story is about Bob Phillips, host of the Texas Country Reporter television show.

In that article (starting on page 7), LOPE has several mentions plus some photos of the horses here at the ranch. Bob and Texas Country Reporter were filming a story about LOPE when he was interviewed for the Texas Co-op Power article.

If you missed the issue, you can download a pdf from their website.

LOPE Holiday Auction and New Year's Celebration!

We are excited to announce that LOPE will be launching our annual holiday auction in mid-December. The auction will begin online and culminate with final live bidding on New Year's Eve at Sam Houston Race Park.

Sam Houston's New Year's Eve Zoom & Boom Celebration will include live racing, fireworks, BBQ - and the final bidding on LOPE's silent auction. Please check out their exciting festivities and plan to come to Sam Houston to celebrate New Year's and support LOPE's auction!

The LOPE holiday auction will include stallion seasons (Lil's Lad, Sand Ridge, Special Rate and Tinners Way) from Key Ranch, a stallion season to show horse sire Tawakoni (see pedigree), special racing memorabilia and much more.

Seeking Silent Auction Items

If you would like to donate something for the silent auction, please contact Lynn.

Scarlet: A Dressage Star in the Making

I just got an email from Patti in New Mexico. Recently, she bought a horse from the trainer listings on the LOPE website:

"I wanted to give you an update on 'Scarlet,' who I purchased from a Texas race trainer about 3 months ago.

"Based on a single photo and a phone conversation, I immediately knew Scarlet was 'the one.' My husband and I packed up the trailer and our three dogs in Albuquerque, NM two weeks after seeing Scarlet's photo. We road tripped 12 hours to the south of Dallas to pick up Scarlet. It was obvious from the second I met Scarlet that she had been well-cared for. She was easy to work around and absolutely a doll as just a 4-year old.

"'Scarlet' is a dream in every sense. She had a minor suspensory tear from racing when her race trainer decided to list her on the LOPE website. He told me he felt she had too much potential in other areas to ruin her future. He was absolutely correct! After just three months, Scarlet is doing basic dressage: turn on the forehands and leg yielding. She takes away most peoples' breath as they watch her floaty trot.

"I have no doubt that by early Spring, Scarlet (show name: Ma Petite Chere) will be making a splashy debut in the baby green hunters of New Mexico. Thank you, Cliff Dodson, for giving Scarlet such a great beginning and recognizing her other potential outside of racing!"

- Patti

Tulsa Mambo

Back in 2003, I had just opened the racehorse placement program. Each weekend, I walked the tracks, looking for horses that need new homes, trying to build relationships with race trainers. I love the track and all its vivid personalities, both equine and human.

One August day that year, Keith, an engineer-turned-race-trainer, led Tulsa Mambo out of his stall at Retama racetrack. Tulsa was a dashing black thoroughbred with two white hind ankles. His face was wise and he carried himself with a certain bemused air, as if he found everything entertaining.

Keith was worried that Tulsa wouldn't find a home before the race season ended. "He won't pass a vet exam, with his racing ankles." Charmed by Tulsa, I jokingly comment that I'll take him if no one else does. Keith looks relieved…and thoughtful. Tulsa nuzzles my arm for a peppermint, making Keith smile.

Sure enough, Tulsa didn't find a home in time (I suspect a conspiracy between Keith and Tulsa), and suddenly I was the unexpected owner of an ex-racehorse.

Tulsa arrived at the LOPE ranch soon after. He was magnificent, full of energy, and liked to gallop around the fields for fun. At the track, Tulsa had a reputation for running away with his exercise riders - but only the ones he didn't like. It took me weeks to work up the nerve to ride him.

Slowly I inched my way from lounging to saddling to mounting him, while Tulsa dozed out of sheer boredom at my snail's pace. When I finally rode him, he was kind and willing. Sometimes he was spirited during the pre-mounting phase, but more due to his twisted sense of humor than true misbehavior.

You had to be able take a joke, a pretend spook as you stepped into the stirrup, in order to ride Tulsa. Once in the saddle, he was a perfect gentleman. Still, I remained alert, his amused eyes and reputation as a runaway always in my mind. I didn't fully trust him.

Until one ride - on a windy October day - when Tulsa spooked violently, then balked, as I tried to urge him forward along a path with a brush pile. Tulsa refused to move, looking over his shoulder at me, then pointedly staring at the brush rustling in the wind. I stared at him from the saddle, perplexed. Then I finally looked at the brush - where a rattlesnake was undulating in strike position, full of rage, its rattling lost in the wind.

Right then, I resolved to keep Tulsa forever - he is mischievous, has weak ankles, and is the most unlikely of Lassies. But he is the first horse to ever save me from a rattlesnake.

And hopefully the last.

Bridge Place

"Can you fit another horse at your place?" The race trainer sounded casual, but I could detect a pleading note under his laid back drawl. He knew we were sending a trailer to pick up a horse at Sam Houston Race Park - and he was hoping to add a second horse to our transport.  "He's a really good colt, easy to handle." The pleading note was stronger now. "I'll even get him gelded for you. He'd make a great riding horse, if someone would just give him a chance."

And so Bridge Place arrived at the LOPE Ranch, slipped into a transport at the last minute. Bridge Place was a gorgeous bay fellow, with great conformation and a cheerful look in his kind eyes. Bred in Britain, he was shipped to the US with high hopes for a big racing career - he was regally bred, very expensive and full of talent.

Sadly, he developed a slab fracture in his knee at age three - his race owners sent him for surgery to pin the knee, hoping to save Bridge Place's racing career. But his knee just couldn't take the pressure - after a few weeks of training, he was sore. And so he found his way to LOPE.

Bridge Place swaggered off the trailer, looking for attention and treats. He carried himself like a football star, and seemed to be looking for admiring cheerleaders. Clearly he thought highly of himself - the only problem was that he was all of 15H tall. Beautifully conformed, athletic, cocky and…well…kind of short.

The other gelding who came with him was tremendously tall and slim, a supermodel of a racehorse. By contrast, Bridge Place looked like a warmblood, all stocky and sturdy, with round hindquarters. I smiled at the Mutt and Jeff appearance of them - especially since Bridge Place took it upon himself to boss the other gelding all over the pasture. It was hilarious to watch Bridge Place's confident leadership over the much bigger horse.

Soon after, I began riding Bridge Place, now nicknamed "Billy." He rode well, and seemed to love the attention. With his breeding and speed, I was expecting sass from him - but he seemed content to go slow, picking his way through pastures and over logs like he was an old ranch horse. If anything, Billy was lazy - I had to kick him into the canter, setting off a sigh and a pout from him.

And I loved Billy's "short guy" ethos - he truly seemed to believe he was 18H tall. He would carefully walk around hanging tree branches (that were several feet over my head), clearly concerned that his mighty height would put my head at branch-whacking risk. He was a bit of a dandy too - he hated getting muddy and always managed to be the cleanest horse on the farm.

One day, Cheryl came to the ranch to look for a lesson horse and trail riding mount. As she rode Billy, she marveled at his laid back attitude, his responsiveness to voice aids and his happy, beagle-like personality. She adopted him on the spot - he now teaches little girls to ride near Houston. Although a far cry from being a high-end, imported race champion, Billy loves his new job - to the delighted surprise of his former racing colleagues!

Horses and Treats

I used to give treats to horses while I was working with them. A treat for being caught, a treat for opening their mouth for the bit, a treat for standing while I mounted. My pockets were filled with sweet feed – leftover grain "mulch" would regularly spill into the washing machine from my jeans.

Several professional trainers, from cowboys to dressage divas, warned me off this practice. "Horses won't respect you if they take food from your hand," they all said, shaking their heads.

They also thought it was dangerous. I decided to believe the professionals and stopped using treats. And I did notice a difference – the horses no longer crowded my space, looking for a handful of grain or a horse cookie.

Was that really such a big deal though? After all, the horses and I knew each other well – I couldn't imagine that they would hurt me, even if they occasionally crowded me.

I was wrong.

One of the horses had been raised as a foal by inexperienced horse people. They loved their colt, the first of their breeding crop – and treated him like a puppy. He was hand-fed and taught cute tricks and fussed over. He loved people and would trot up to them, eager for treats. The colt would follow his owners right on their heels, nudging their backs with his nose, until they paid attention to him, feeding him carrots and other goodies.

He was a sweet, friendly, cute baby. And he grew up to be a sweet, friendly, cute gelding. I loved working with him – he was fun to ride, liked to follow me around the pasture and even tried to climb on the porch with me. He was one of my all-time favorite horses.

Until he bit me on the chest.

What happened? He was following me too closely while I carried a feed bucket – so I turned to shoo him away. That day, he decided he was 1000 pounds, fully grown and really ought to be the herd boss. And he did a rapid, snake-like move with his head and bit me. Who was I to shoo him away, anyway?

Of course, he immediately regretted that bite – as shrieking noises, the bucket, and a halter all suddenly rained on his head. To this day, he isn’t allowed to come within ten feet of his feed bucket until after the grain is scooped.

So – who is at fault here? The horse? Me? The breeders?

The answer is me.

Because I ignored warning signs that he was being disrespectful on the ground. To me, he was just being playful - I could trust him. After all, I knew him well.  His puppy-like personality seemed so sweet, so non-threatening – I didn't see the spoiled horse beneath the cute antics.

The gelding and I learned a valuable lesson that day about horse-human dynamics – and we both are much wiser (and happier) because of that.

But I'd hate for anyone else to have to learn this "the hard way" - like I did.

So please be careful about training with treats. You never know what you might be setting in motion - what might literally bite you (or someone else) in the butt one day.

Mickey’s Birthday

Mickey is about to turn one year old. He was bred to be a show horse and lives on a beautiful farm in Fredericksburg with his dam and sire. Mickey is extra special to LOPE because his dad, Tawakoni, was a LOPE adoption horse.

Tawakoni came to the LOPE ranch in 2004. A gorgeous dark stallion, he had regal bloodlines and a Kentucky Derby winner as his sire (Grindstone). Knee chip surgery had slowed Tawakoni's racing career – he just couldn't run at top speed any longer.

The day he came here, several people warned me that stallions would be dangerous. One neighbor even told my husband that all stallions attack women. A friend advised me to geld him immediately, just to be safe, to protect me and the other horses.

But Tawakoni was a gentle giant, a true gentleman. And his conformation was outstanding – he was beautifully proportioned and moved elegantly. His head was especially striking, handsomely sculpted with an intelligent expression and dark, alert eyes.

I couldn't help wondering what kind of foals he might sire. And although LOPE normally gelds all stallions that come here, we made an exception in Tawakoni's case.

And Mickey is very glad we did!

Stay tuned for another blog entry soon about Mickey and Tawakoni.

Update on Tristano

Tristano is a handsome four year-old gelding who came to LOPE with an ankle injury (see previous blog entry for more background on Tristano). He was recently adopted by Lucy to be a pleasure riding horse. She fell in love with his photo and had him shipped all the way to sunny California.

Lucy recently emailed us some photos and an update on Tristano.

"I wanted to let you know that Tristano is settling in really well to his new home! He has several girlfriends already! Nobody can believe he's only four years' old and off the track. He is so calm and sweet and just takes everything in stride."

Lucy knew Tristano hadn't been ridden regularly since his injury. She was careful to take her time and let him ease back into work. "I did some ground work with him to start off, then led him by hand on the trails and now we ride out about four times a week. He loves it!"

And even Lucy's daughter is helping "retrain" Tristano. "He is very proud to let my three-year-old daughter, Thalia ride him in the ring - she's ridden him a couple of times."

Congratulations to Lucy and Tristano – they are a great team!

Racehorse Myth #1: Racehorses are Crazy

Most people think racehorses are difficult and nervous. Back when I rode in the Washington DC area, my barn friends didn't like the ex-racehorses. They thought all off-track horses were crazy, hyper or pushy. There was little sympathy or understanding of the racehorse's context, where it came from, what it was used to doing.

Probably the most important thing to remember about racehorses is that they are professional athletes at the track. Racehorses have an intense workout and training schedule - they are usually thin, extremely fit, tautly alert and ready to race.

At the racetrack, the horses are kept in stables (called shedrows) all the time - except when they are being exercised, cooled down or racing. When they are out of the stalls, the racehorses know what is expected of them - the exercise riders want a good workout, the jockeys urge them to race and to win.

So the racehorses dance and jog with anticipation, fighting the bit - because that is what they are praised for doing, as a prelude to a burst of speed, a pushing of their muscles in a hard workout or fast race.

Like all professional athletes, racehorses need a special, super-octane diet to fuel their powerful physical performance. So their feed is full of protein and energy nutrients, like "power bars" for people.

Remember Lance Armstrong during his last Tour de France? He was lean, muscled and very intense. Can you imagine trying to get him to take a nice slow walk with you then? He would have seemed hyper, driven, unable to relax and slow down.

A racehorse fresh from the track, full of high-energy feed, muscle and eagerness to race is a 1000-pound version of Lance Armstrong on his 7th Tour competition.

The racehorses just need time and a bridge from their old career to their new one. That's where LOPE comes in - we provide the transition, the time they so desperately need, to go from the racetrack to the riding trail.

At our ranch, we change their feed (to Nutrena SafeChoice) and turn them out in pastures with a herd, giving them some time to just be horses again. Only then do we restart the racehorses back under saddle, teaching them to do basic things all over again.

Only this time not at full speed.

Sugarfoot

Sugarfoot was known for two things at the racetrack: an endearing habit of licking her groom's bald head and her incredibly slow speed. A small red filly with gentle eyes, Sugarfoot was oddly put together, like a toy assembled in a rush. Her front hooves turned out, her knees were crooked and her drooping hindquarters didn't match her long back. But her kind face, with its big dripping star, made up for all those imperfections.

She was donated to the LOPE Ranch as a three-year-old. Many horse people wince at the thought of a chestnut filly or mare. Like red-haired women, they are assumed to be difficult, high strung and moody. Sugarfoot put all these myths to rest, with her mellow disposition and willing attitude. She was easy to ride and loved the outings when we rode around the farm, a contented look on her face as she ambled through the tall grass.

Many people were interested in adopting Sugarfoot. A local show rider looking for a new prospect. A Colorado trainer, with a teenage student in need of a quiet mount. An intermediate trail rider in search of a reliable horse for himself and his wife.

Sugarfoot performed earnestly for all of them, riding easily in the hot summer sun, walking over logs, nuzzling each potential adopter hopefully. But none of them adopted Sugarfoot - she wasn't tall enough or energetic enough or flashy enough.

But one day, a nice family contacted me – they were looking for a gentle horse for their daughter, Desiree. She was twenty years old, but developmentally disabled - Desiree couldn't speak and gestured wildly to communicate. Riding helped her coordination and soothed her troubled nervous system.

They came to see Sugarfoot - Desiree sat on Sugarfoot while her father led the filly around the pen. Excited, Desiree began to wave her arms and cry. Sugarfoot stopped dead - no amount of tugging on the lead rope could convince her to move forward.

Desiree's mother went to comfort Desiree, and discovered she had slid off center in the saddle. As soon as Desiree's position was adjusted back in balance in with the saddle, Sugarfoot began to walk forward again - with one ear tipped back, listening for Desiree.

It was clear to all of  us that Sugarfoot was protecting Desiree, that this little red filly with the funny build had a true, deep vocation to be a therapeutic riding horse. Awed, we watched as Desiree and Sugarfoot walked together, with Sugarfoot always listening, always careful to keep her steps slow for her special rider.  This story caught the attention of the San Antonio Express-News, which ran a nice story about Sugarfoot, Desiree and LOPE a while back, and you can still read the full article online.

Barbaro Article in Vanity Fair

There's a great article about Barbaro in this month's Vanity Fair - by one of my favorite nonfiction writers, Buzz Bissinger (author of Friday Night Lights).

Although Barbaro's story has a sad ending, I think of him as a bold, confident winner - even during his long rehab at New Bolton, you could his sass as he eyed the camera crews around him, trying to figure out if he could take a nip out of an unwary reporter or two.

He inspired me because of his courage during all those surgeries - a classic champion, he knew when it was important to be calm, to be focused, to give 100% in the homestretch, whether at Churchill Downs or in a post-surgery recovery sling. His bravery motivated me to write about him in our annual capital campaign letter.

Bissinger's article includes excerpts from Gretchen Jackson's journal. As Barbaro's owner, she wrestled with whether to euthanize him for months. She describes how it was Barbaro's spark, his fire during the months of surgeries that compelled her to give him every chance possible. Until finally the day came when his eyes were subdued, in pain, no longer able to push for the finish line. That was the day he was put down, surrounded by his greatest admirers, by the people who loved him most.

Bissinger's article is moving and well-written. My only quibble is with how he describes Thoroughbreds as moody, difficult and unlikely to be good patients for veterinary care.

I have personally worked with 115 ex-racehorses here over the last 3 years. Some were QHs, one was an Arabian - but the vast majority were Thoroughbreds. Many of them required rehab, some for serious injuries - I have worked with knee fractures, EPM cases, bowed tendons, torn suspensory ligaments, shattered sesamoids, hoof surgeries, tracheotomies and even a near-critical rattlesnake bite.

I also have restarted several back under saddle, often being their first rider after a long layoff from racing.

Although I am not a professional trainer or a veterinarian, the TBs have always seemed willing to meet me halfway, to work with me, even when they are in pain or learning something new. The Thoroughbreds have impressed me every time with their intelligence and eagerness to please.

It really is a myth that Thoroughbreds are inherently moody, crazy or difficult.

I'd like to invite Buzz Bissinger to come see our decidedly non-hyper racehorses here at the LOPE Ranch - they rarely move faster than a trot, happily waddling through our knee-high green grass (thanks to the Texas monsoon season).

Stayed tuned for my upcoming blog entries about racehorse myths!