My Soapbox for Equestrian Writings
In January, I wrote about trainer Joe Herrick and his filly, Lovely Finish — both survived the Lilac Fire that swept through San Diego last December that killed 46 race horses. Both were recovering from severe burns. A few days ago, the Washington Post wrote an update story on the two, Through the Flames. Looked […]
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Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens has retired for the third time and ruled out further comebacks after an MRI showed his C-4 vertebra up against his spinal cord. The 55 year old jockey’s career included 5,187 wins in 29,442 starts. The horses he rode won more than $258 million. Stevens was injured in the […]
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Yesterday I wrote about a racehorse that didn’t want to race any more. Today, I’d like to share a video of Freedom, playing in his pasture. Thank goodness he never bucks like that under saddle. I can handle the galloping but the bucking might be too much. One of the funniest parts of the video […]
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I always shake my head and smile when I hear people saying that horses shouldn’t be forced to jump. Obviously, there are people who will try to punish a horse into submission (the Big Lick Walkers come to mind), but ultimately, the horse has a vote. The first horse I owned was a failed school […]
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A halter worn by Triple Crown Winner Justify and autographed by trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Mike Smith is being auctioned for the benefit of Remember Me Rescue — a thoroughbred aftercare alliance organization and a 501(c)3 charity. Since it was founded in 2008, Remember Me Rescue has successfully retrained and re-homed more than 750 […]
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Justify, this year’s Triple Crown winner, was headed for the Breeders Cup. It would have been his final race and yet another jewel in his crown. But right now his racing future is uncertain. The handsome chestnut gelding has had repeated filling in his left ankle. “Justify had some filling in his left front ankle […]
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Wow. I’m so glad I got to watch that live. Justify ran a fabulous race, ridden brilliantly by Mike Smith. After a clean break, Justify followed Smith’s plan — they broke first, then settled into a good rhythm and just kept going. At the end, Smith was fanning his whip, but Justify was still galloping […]
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