Horse Tales from the LOPE Ranch

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.

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.

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!

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.

Vocation Vacations

LOPE is part of a terrific outfit called Vocation Vacations. Recently featured on the Today Show, Vocation Vacations allows people to "test-drive" their dream job - by offering their clients ("vocationers") one-to-three day, hands-on, dream job vacation experiences.

If you secretly wonder what it's like to be an actor, a sports announcer, an alpaca farmer - well, you can take a Vocation Vacation to explore those unusual careers – and enjoy a fun, unique learning experience.

And LOPE is one of their "vacations." In 2007 so far, we have already had three vocationers come to the LOPE ranch to learn about running a racehorse adoption agency. And because I had an unusual career change (see the first post on this blog), I really enjoy the opportunity to share what I learned along the way.

Two sisters, Rebecca and Cassie, came together in March. Both were so much fun to work with - the vacation was over before we knew it! Cassie was especially interested in learning round pen techniques - she did a great job, even though she didn’t have much experience with horses.

And Kelly was the best sport ever. Traveling here from NY, she came to Texas during one of the rainiest weekends in the spring. In spite of the torrential rain and peanut-butter-like mud in our pastures, she had a terrific time. And she was a wonderful apprentice, helping with racehorse photo shoots at the track as well as riding green horses. Kelly even put together a photo slideshow of her experience here.

We are proud to be part of the Vocation Vacations "team" - though during these rain-soaked days when I am covered in mud, slogging through the liquid manure coating our pastures, I smile at the thought that somewhere out there, someone is reading all about the LOPE "dream job" on the Vocation Vacations website!

Welcome to the LOPE Ranch Blog!

We have had so many questions from folks about our work with the racehorses, about our nonprofit adoption program here at the ranch.

A blog seems like the best way to share the horse stories from the LOPE Ranch - to tell the tales of the racehorses that come here, with their fascinating histories and vivid personalities.

Over 115 horses have come here in just three years! We have seen all types: from the unbroken 2-year-olds donated by their breeders; to the early washout youngsters who show zero aptitude for racing; to the hardworking racetrack warriors, who gallantly win $50K over dozens of races; and even the hardworking racetrack pony horses, the older ones nearing retirement.

I’m kind of like a career counselor for the racehorses. Here at the ranch, I rehab their injuries, assess their personalities and even restart them under saddle sometimes. It’s my job to match these wonderful equine athletes to their perfect new jobs and loving homes.

We think ex-racehorses are winners even after their racing careers end. They have so much heart, athleticism and intelligence – all they need is a chance to find that second career and new life after the finish line. They just need some help making that transition, some time, some patience. Because it can be hard at first to change careers.

I can sympathize with that. See, I used to be a accountant in Washington DC. If you had told me then that I would run a racehorse adoption group in Texas, I would have thought you were crazy. Interesting, but crazy.

Stay tuned!