After Racing: Retraining Thoroughbreds

Here is a new video of JC from a clinic I rode him in on Saturday 12/13. The purpose is just to show his way of going and how very laid back he is. He ground ties and is just super well behaved. I think he would be perfect for either an experienced rider that wanted to bring a young horse along (pick your discipline). However, I also think he would be fine with a novice rider that had regular instruction to help bring him along. His temperament is quiet enough for a novice.

I am really thrilled with JC's progress under saddle. He is really starting to understand that when I put my inside leg on, he should stretch down into contact. He also is more than willing to carry himself and lift his back. He is usually good doing so for about 5-6 strides at a time. We're working on figure 8s and he is about 50/50 on being able to stay soft and round through the change of bend. Usually though, it is my fault that he doesn't stay connected as I forget to support him. He remains extremely willing as well as very soft and light in the bridle. Every once in a while he falls out of balance and becomes heavy and stiff. But really, he tries so very hard to do what I ask and I simply can't ask for much more than that at this point. I'm extremely pleased with his progress under saddle. If he is still around (and the weather cooperates) I'm thinking about entering him in the Come Again Farms dressage schooling show in January (intro level).

I have also started lunging him at the canter in the arena. My indoor is fairly small (about 15 meters wide), which is pretty tight for a horse that is used to the big sweeping corners of a race track. For this reason, I haven't asked for the canter under saddle yet. I really don't think that stopping him will be the issue. Rather, he is still figuring out how to canter on the 15m lunging circle, so until he can canter in a somewhat balanced state on the lunge, I'm not going to ask him to do it under saddle. Perhaps if we ride at a larger arena, we'll ask for the "C" word under saddle.

Here are some recent photos of him:

I am happy to announce that Storm Cellar (aka Stormy) has a wonderful volunteer that is coming out to ride him. He needs some long and low work to help strengthen his back and hind end. The volunteer's name is Erin and she is a good rider who is very enthusiastic about riding Stormy and helping him improve. We're hoping that the winter is somewhat mild so that we can get out to do Stormy's favorite activity: trail ride.

Here are Erin & Stormy:

I think Roman has finally decided that he's pretty much at a good place. His whole demeanor has changed in the last couple of weeks. He seems to be quite a smart boy and can size people up very quickly. He is also looking for a buddy. He just wants someone to join up with. In fact, he's quite a sweetheart. I've determined that he can stand quietly in cross ties as well.

He and Stormy are both the bottom of the pecking order in the turnout group they're in, so they have decided that being friends is better than fending for themselves. I'm glad that they have each other.

I haven't been doing very much with Roman in regards to training because he is still so very sore and stiff on the right hind. That is to be expected just two weeks out of racing. I have been massaging the muscles in his right hind and his left fore. This really seems to help him. And he really enjoys it as well. He knows he's not supposed to bite or nibble, but he reaches his head around toward me (when I'm working on his shoulder especially) and his lips quiver as though he wants to groom me. Its pretty cute.

I think turnout is going to be essential for him as well. He's even more stiff in the morning when he gets turned out, but moves quite a bit better by the end of the day when he's been out moving around on it. I'm sure the cold weather doesn't help at all. The true test will be this spring/summer when it warms up and the horses are out all night long.

So anyhow, I also stuck him on the lunge line last night just to see what he knows. He understood about going out to the end of the lunge line and understood to try and trot. He is still very weak (or at least sore) in the hind end and its obvious on the lunge line. However, there has been tremendous improvement in his gait since he arrived and I think that is a good start. I'll continue to massage the muscle and work him very lightly on the lunge line to help him figure out some balance.

I sure am enjoying watching him come out of his shell. He really is a good guy.

At the urging of FFI president Sara Busbice, I signed up to ride in the Linda Heiny clinic that was scheduled for Friday, Nov 21, 2008. I didn't know much about Linda except that she had given some clinics to other FFI foster horse riders and was well liked and respected by them. The clinic was held at Hilltop Farm Equestrian Center, a lovely facility on the SW side of Indianapolis. I was riding 3 horses and showed up at Hilltop around 9:30AM to have time to get all the horses settled in. I wasn't sure if there would be auditors or how strict the scheduling would be.

My first ride was scheduled for 11:00AM. This gave me plenty of time to turn out each of the three horses individually in the arena. I wasn't worried about Jewel as she is a pro about this stuff. But JC and Stormy had never been to a dressage clinic and I wanted to make sure that both had a chance to check out the scenery before I asked them to work. All three horses were just fine. The arean was big and well lit and none of the horses had any issue with it.

Linda arrived around 10:45 as I was tacking up JC. He was being a perfect gentleman and standing quietly in the cross ties. We had the chance to chit chat and learn about each other. It turns out that she is quite an accomplished rider and trainer. And she rode under Walter Zettl, a dressage hero of mine, for a number a years. That was really thrilling to hear! I was very happy to learn that we were on similar (if not the same) pages in regards to riding horses and training dressage horses. It was also a bit of a relief to find another local trainer that trains in a similar fashion to Amanda Pisano, my regular trainer. It was also interesting to hear about her dedication to Thoroughbreds and her life-long love of the breed.

As we were standing there talking, she asked about the horse in the cross ties (JC). I told her that this was the horse that had come off the track just 4 days previous. She couldn't believe how quiet and well behaved he was. She said she knew that a fresh track horse was coming to the clinic and so she was prepared to have a ground work lesson. However, upon seeing him and his wonderful attitude in person, she had no problem with me riding him. And thus our lesson began.

We started on the ground and she asked me to show her what I had been working on with him. I showed her how I had been working to both desensitize him to the whip and teach him to yield to its pressure. She showed me a couple handy tools to help with this process. After that, I mounted up and she worked with his under saddle. We worked at the walk and the trot in both directions and focused on teaching him that "there is a better way" as Linda kept saying. The better way involved yielding the jaw to the hand and haunches to the leg in order to create submission and lifting of the back. This was right on track with what I had learned from Amanda. The key that Linda pointed out for this exercise was that the horse MUST step under himself when yeilding the haunches, or he hasn't really yielded them. If the horse stops moving the inside leg either pushed out to the side or behind, the haunches are not yielded and the horse is resisting the rider.

Overall, he lacked balance and had a few drunken sailor moments where he wasn't quite sure what direction to go, but for the most part, JC was incredibly willing to learn. And more importantly, once he figured something out and we praised him for it, he didn't forget it. Linda was thrilled at how willing and intelligent he was. She just kept saying "we have to make sure this horse find a really nice home." I concur!! There is a post on here entitled "A Week In The Life of Thoroughbred" which has a video of JC's first week in his post-racing life. In it are some video clips from the clinic.

When we finished working with JC, it was time for Jewel to get ready. We took a little bit longer break and allowed her to get out into the arena and stretch her legs. I bought Jewel off the track in 2003 and have done all of her retraining. She has been through a lot in the last year and a half. We were working consistently at 2nd level dressage and schooling 3rd in the spring of 2007 when she suffered a torsion colic which required surgery. She was just beginning to work in collection again this past spring when an altercation with another horse left a deep puncture wound just above her right hock. These two incidences have affected her physically leaving Jewel underweight with a weak topline and a bit of a sagging belly. She's 1.5 years past colic surgery and finally back to a healthy weight. We are starting the road back to collection and this is where Linda found us.

Linda started by putting us through our paces to see where Jewel was at as far as skill level. What Linda noticed is something that we've been dealing with since coming back to work from the surgery and injury. That is, Jewel doesn't want to lower her croup. She frees her shoulder by lifting them, but is disconnected behind the saddle and doesn't drop her croup. True collection occurs when the horse drops their croup to raise their front end. Jewel had figured out a way around this and I was letting her get away with it. So the majority of our time was spent at a walk and trot working on really engaging Jewel's hind end. We rode squares in a collected walk. We also worked on slowing down the trot and lightening her contact with the inside rein through lateral flexion. Finally, we worked on extending and collecting her strides completly off my seat. I am excited about the tools that Linda gave me and I'm committed to building my mare's hind end strength over the winter. My goal is to have a good medium trot by spring 2009. Linda commented on what a willing partner Jewel was and that while the issues that we worked on weren't HUGE, they were a big deal if we ever wanted to successfully do tempi changes and correct extended and collected gaits.

The third horse I rode was Stormy. Stormy's life since the track has been a little different that the above two horses. Of the three, he is the least built for sport horse disciplines. His neck is short and very upright, but its set on low, so its hard for him to work over his back. For about the first 9 months off the track, he dealt with an old hip injury. The vet guesses that its some sort of bursitis, but unless we do a thorough set of tests with x-rays and other diagnostic tools, we'll never know. And really, it doesn't matter what happened. What does matter is that time and turnout have made it better. Unfortunately, he is a also a pretty severe cribber, which hasn't helped his neck any. His cribbing is controlled by wearing a collar and he must wear it all the time because he prefers to crib rather than eat. Therefore, he is also a bit on the thin side.

Stormy is currently a walk/trot horse. He is just getting to the point where he can canter more than a full circle on the lunge line. We may begin cantering under saddle later this winter as his butt and back muscle up. We'll have to see how he developes. And so this is where Linda found Stormy and I as well.

Our lesson was primarily done at the walk and trot. We worked at helping Stormy to relax over the topline. Because of this conformation and his lack of carrying muscle, it is really hard work for him right now to lift his front end off the ground while his head is down. Plus, because of his cribbing addiction, the muscles on the underside of his neck are very large and tight. These are the muscles that he uses on a regular basis, so they are the strongest. Linda gave me a number of tips and tools to use with Stormy to help him get his head down.

The biggest tool she gave me was the understanding that with a horse like Stormy, who is very independent and willful, is that I needed to make sure that I was creating a puzzle for him to figure out in which the correct answer was the thing that I wanted him to do. In other words, Stormy is very smart, but a little stubborn. So in order for him to get to do what I want him to do, I have to create a situation where Stormy thinks its HIS idea to do the thing that I want him to do. It requires a lot more thinking on my part than working with horses like JC and Jewel who are more willing. However, once I started approaching Stormy's training from this new viewpoint, it has actually become easier to train him. It has become a game instead of work -- for both of us!

After finishing with Stormy, I was exhausted, but very proud of my three mounts. While each is very different from the other, they are all three benefited from the knowledge I gained by working with Linda. The keys for me to remember with each horse are:
- Slow down (I have a tendency to push the speed of each gait beyond what is a comfortable working gait for the horse).
- If they're stuck in the bridle, more lateral flexion from inside leg to outside rein.
- Always ask a question for the horse to answer.

And so on that note, I'll end this entry. I look forward to riding with Linda again in the future.

Roman is a 2004 chestnut Thoroughbred gelding standing just shy of 15.2 hands. He came off the track on Monday, November 17, 2008. He is one of "Tony's ExRacers" and is supported financially by a grant given to Friends of Ferdinand, Inc. from the Tony Stewart Foundation. Roman has been evaluated by the vet and farrier. He has also had his shoes pulled. He is getting some well deserved time off and pasture turnout to learn how to be a horse again. He is sore on three feet due to severe thrush and contracted heels. He'll be evaluated again in a couple months once his hoof issues have resolved.

Personality wise, he is just looking for someone to trust. He LOVES getting massages and really relaxes into them. I'm looking forward to helping this guy come out of his shell. I think he's going to make someone a really nice horse!

The following video click was created to show just how versatile, sound and sane Thoroughbreds can be. This is literally 5 consecutive days in the life of one of my new foster horses. This guy is looking for a home! Enjoy.

I'm taking 3 horses to Hilltop farm in the morning for a dressage clinic. I'm really looking forward to riding them. I'm taking two FFI horses: JC and Stormy. I spoke with the vet about taking JC and she thinks its a great idea. Stormy just needs to get out and get some more long and low work. I'm also taking Jewel. I figure I might as well get some insight into her needs, even though she's quite a bit more advanced than the other two. It should be fun and I'll report back my findings!

Just a quick post to share a couple photos and say that JC was a superstar today. I rode him and it was a total non-event. Yes, of course he has regular race horse steering and balance issues. But, he's extremely willing and VERY quick to catch on to what I want him to do. A super sweetheart!

I'm am thoroughly impressed with JC. Not only is he well built, but he has a great mind. I decided to actually do some work with him yesterday. I started out with a lunge line. He picked up on lunging very quickly. I think someone may have done some natural horsemanship type lunging with him because he understood to go the direction I pointed and to halt when I pulled on the line and said "Ho." In general, he was w/t/c on the lunge, both directions, in about 10 minutes. And the best part, he never once tugged on the lunge line or used it for balance. He just stayed out at the end of the line and went around me. His trot was rushed and his canter was very quick and unbalanced, but he was willing to do whatever I asked in both directions.

So because he figured that out so quickly, I added sliding sidereins to the equation. I figured he could actually do some work if he already understood lunging. These were just no big deal. At first he bumped his mouth trying to pick up his head, but very quickly figured out that it was most comfortable to go around with his head stretching down and out. Pretty soon, his trot slowed down to a real nice rhythm and his stride lengthened. I could see his topline muscles working on the top of his neck and along his back. He looked GREAT! I was thrilled with how quickly he picked this up, especially for being 2 days off the track.

After lunging for about 25 minutes, I decided to move on to something else. One of the best things I ever taught my mare to do was to come to me at the mounting block and stand for mounting. I can get on the mounting block (or truck tailgate, or log, etc.) with her pointed in any direction and she will sort of parallel park herself into place so that I can get on her. Its pretty cool, not to mention very helpful. So I decided to work on this with JC. It starts by finding out how they react to a riding whip (I used a dressage whip). He was a little nervous about it, but I rubbed him all over his body with the whip and praised him every time he chewed or took a deep breath. Pretty soon it wasn't a big deal to tap him with the whip.

At that point, I started having him move away from the whip at whatever point I touched him. This is really key to teaching them to move towards you on the mounting block because you might need to tap the outside hip and have it move towards you. He quickly figured out this game as well and I had him yielding to the whip in any direction in the arena. He is such a smart fella!!!

So then I got on the small mounting block and had him move around me. I then quit driving him around me and waited for him to stop. He did and then I praised the heck out him. We did this a few times and then I worked on getting him to step up to the mounting block. It wasn't too long before I could get him into position so that I could have mounted had he been tacked up. He stood patiently while I rubbed him all over and praised him.

I said it above, but I'll say it again now. I'm REALLY impressed with this young gelding. He really aims to please and is a very quick learner. With some consistent work, he will make someone an awesome riding horse!

So the vet was out yesterday to give the horses a basic exam and see where they are after coming off the track. She looked at JC first. He was a very good boy and stood quietly during the exam. He also trotted along side me needing little persuasion so that the vet could see him go. The vet really likes him and mentioned that he was one of the nicer horses to come through the FFI program. He was declared sound and could begin light riding. The vet did mention though that although JC is tattooed an papered as a 2004 -- which would make him 4 1/2 years old, his teeth say otherwise. His 4 1/2 year old teeth haven't yet come in, which made the vet think he is only 3 1/2 years old. We're going to keep an eye on his mouth and see what developes. He may just pop those teeth later than normal.

Roman was seen second and he was a bit more on edge. After some discussion, we think he may have been given Equipoise at the track, so it may be a while before he's back to himself. At any rate, he is sore on both the left front and the right hind. The right hind is sort of a given with track horses since it is the leg that does the most work -- in the left lead, they push off of it the most. However, the vet couldn't find any reason why the left front is sore (no heat). There is an old splint that was popped some time ago, but its not warm. Roman is approved for turnout, but no work. We're going to give him a month or so to see how he does on his left front.

Both horses will have their shoes pulled tomorrow.

JC was approved to head to a dressage clinic with me on Friday. I'm looking forward to working with him there and seeing how he does. It may be his first post-race ride.

I'm excited to offer a huge welcome to two new FFI horses: Roman and JC. Both of these horses are considered part of "Tony's ExRacers" which means that they are being funded by a $20,000 grant received by Friends of Ferdinand, Inc. from the Tony Stewart Foundation. I don't have great pictures of either right now, although I'm planning to take some today. Here is the scoop on both:

Roman (registered name Shedroe Warrior)
2004 Chestnut Gelding
Roman is a bright coppery red with a white star. He was fairly anxious yesterday about arriving to the knew barn and seems to be quite full of himself. I think his let down period will take a little longer and I'm interested to see what type of personality he really has once he lets down his guard. He has decent enough conformation. He is a more compact type with thicker body and neck. My guess is that he stands about 15.2 - 15.3h. I haven't had the chance to really do much of anything with him, so I'm looking forward to getting to know him.

JC (registered name Jimmy Kool)
2004 Bay Gelding
I don't know much about JC either, but he seems to be a very sweet guy. He is plain bay with no white markings, but he makes up for his plain coat patterns with a very regal presence. He has a beautiful, refined head and very nice conformation. He was also very willing to please, entered the barn quietly, although was a little looky at thing. He lead easily without a chain and stood quietly for blanketing.

The vet is coming today to check them both out. I'm looking forward to hearing what she has to say about them. Pictures will follow!

I am very pleased to announce that I met a wonderful woman who is a new volunteer with FFI. She is going to become Stormy's primary rider and will be working with him under my supervision. I met Erin, the new volunteer, on Wednesday night. Although a tad rusty, she obviously has quite a bit of experience handling horses. I was pleased to see her comfort level with Stormy and how well she handled him both on the ground and under saddle. I'm looking forward to good things from her!

As we make room for two new thoroughbreds at the barn, it will be wonderful to have some assistance in working with Stormy to make sure that he continues to progress and learns to trust yet another human. Keep checking back here as I will definitely add photos and hopefully some video of Stormy and his new human. :) I'll also be adding pictures and information on the two new horses we are scheduled to take in on the 17th!

We're making room for new foster horses at the barn. Next week, after the Paddock Sale at Hoosier Park, we're expecting two new horses fresh from the track. I'm looking forward to helping transition these horses to new lives and careers.

...so says Stormy. Stormy is really happy just being out on the trail. He is happiest moving at a walk. He will trot and canter if you ask correctly, but pretty much prefers to take it easy. A confident rider is necessary, not because he is tricky, but rather because he can lack confidence if his leader lacks confidence. He has been taken on public trail rides (see the post below) and did VERY well. Not only did he take great care of his rider, but he didn't even get nervous when they lagged behind a bit and he couldn't see other horses. He does have some bursitis in his hip which means that he shouldn't be ridden on hills or jumped. But other than that, he's good to go.

So if you know of anyone who is looking for a low-key trail horse, please let them know about Stormy!

Sara Busbice (the president of FFI) and I decided to participate in the B&O Trail Ride fund raiser at Natural Valley Farms. She rode Stormy and I rode Jewel. The third member of our TB contingency was made up of Sue Pratt and her TB gelding Printout. Although we knew that Stormy had been trail ridden extensively before he came to my barn, we still wondered what he would do.

It turns out that he was awesome. Not only was he confident, he really had no qualms with needing to be near the other horses. In fact, Sara says that there were a few times when he thought it would be great to just go down a different trail. She reported that most of the day, she rode him on the buckle. He would trot off a few times to catch up with the group, but in general was just awesome!

As far as soundness is concerned, he had an issue with jumping up the bank to get out of the creek. Oh yeah, we rode through a creek too. Because of the bursitis in his right hip, he was sore after being required to jump up the bank in order to get out of the creek. I gave him bute for a couple days after the ride and it seems to have helped. Due to a cold I've been dealing with, I haven't been out to the barn in a few days though. Assuming he stays on fairly level ground, I think Stormy has found his calling. Here are a few pictures from the day:

Well, Stormy has been an interesting character to work with. He's definitely going to take someone with confidence, who knows what they're doing. But, aside from that, I'm really quite pleased with how he's coming along. I think he really understands the concept of the bitting rig. I rode him today for the first time since starting to work him in that rig and he was like a different horse. He still has stiffness issues, but he was eager to seek out contact with the bit and we got upward and downward transitions (walk to trot and trot to walk) wit his head down and stretching forward. I could actually feel his back lift! Yippee! Yes, he was on the forehand, but considering where we had been (giraffe land), I'm very pleased with today's ride.

As for my initial comment, he's a bit obstinate. I think he has been both a bully and was bullied. He will put up a fight if you let him, but at the same time, he responds very well to praise. A confident owner and handler will be key with this cute fellow.

Today Stormy had his first lesson in the bitting rig. As far as I know, this was his first lesson in sliding siderein. The bitting rig is a little different than just a sliding siderein because it has a padded elastic strap that goes around his hind end which encourages him to step under and carry himself. I must say, its great to have a round pen, where I don't have to worry about a lunge line affecting his balance. I like being able to let him figure it out for himself. I think it was the first time he ever had something like that around his butt because he gave a few good bucks and it took him a bit to figure out that it wasn't coming off and it was easier to just accept it and move on. I was excited to see him actually chewing and trying to figure out how to stretch down into contact instead of fighting against it.

When he stretches down, he really does have a nice trot. Every once in a while, he takes a funky step with his hind end. I think its from the bursitis in his hip, but its also that he is still terribly on his forehand. That will get better, and did get better after working in the bitting rig today, but its a long process.

I have some pictures and short video clips from today's work out. I'll post them when I have the chance. I also put some new pictures of him on the FFI website, so be sure to check those out! :)

Jimmy has found a new home. His adoption is pending and all looks well and is moving forward for him. And so, I have a new foster horse to play with. This new guy is Storm Cellar (aka Stormy). Stormy is a solid bay, just shy of 15.1h. He is very sweet and willing with a very comfortable walk and trot. Here is Stormy's page at FFI: http://horse.friendsofferdinand.org/index-%20three.html

Stormy arrived at the barn on Saturday and is fitting in very well. I rode him for the first time on Tuesday and he was very sweet. He stood well in the cross ties, although I'm not sure he entirely likes them. He stood quietly for grooming and picked up all four 4 feet. He also stood quietly for tacking. He doesn't seem to have any vices when it comes to these tasks. The only thing he needs working on, in regards to grooming/tacking, is bridling. He has a bad habit of locking his jaw and throwing his head in the air when its time to bridle. We're working on this. Today I coated his bit with Karo syrup and it helped, although he still lifted his head quite a bit. Its a good thing he's not any taller than he is or I'd be in trouble. :)

Our ride was pleasant enough. Although he was trail ridden a lot at his previous home, we stayed in the indoor arena. I prefer to get to know a horse before I ride them outside. Anyhow, Stormy is quite sensitive to the riders seat. All I had to do was think "Halt" and he did. He also would move forward well off my seat. Like a typical ex-racer, he is very hard in the mouth and stiff throughout his neck. His conformation is a bit down hill and ewe-necked. Therefore, he has a tendency to hold his head up very high (like a giraffe). In other words, he carries and uses himself very upside down. He pulls himself around with his front end instead of pushing with the hind. When I rode him, we worked on flexing one side or the other, just to get him to release the poll, the neck and/or the jaw. Its going to require a confident rider to help him learn to be soft in the jaw and poll.

Today I free lunged him in the round pen with side reins on. I usually work new horses in the bitting rig and surcingle, but I left the bitting rig at home so I just used sidereins. I don't particularly care for non-sliding sidereins because I feel like they have a tendency to bang unsteady horses in the mouths unless they are cranked in tightly. I much prefer to use the sliding siderein (which is what is on the bitting rig) so that if the horse moves their head around or up/down, they slide around in the siderein without losing contact with the bit. Anyhow, because of Stormy's habit of pulling his head up, I chose to attach the sidereins to the underside of his girth and run them up between his front legs. This way, there was only pressure on the bit and poll when he lifted his head up. He was immediately rewarded for moving forward with a lowered and relaxed neck and jaw.

When I first attached them, he was certain he wouldn't be able to move. He tried to rear once, but quickly decided that was a bad idea. After a couple of minutes of standing and walking slowly, he seemed to figure out that it was easier to go around with his head down, rather than up like a giraffe. His trot to the right is a little funky due to the weakness in his hind end, but his trot to the left looks quite nice and even. I believe this will continue to improve as the strength in his hind end and topline improves. Even when free lunging, he is currently very much on the forehand. But this too will improve as he is encouraged to work long, low and over his back.

I plan to take my camera next time I go out. I want to get pictures as well as video clips of him working in the round pen. I'll have those posted on this site, as well as on his FFI page as soon as I'm able.

I am happy to report that Mynard Road, aka Jimmy, has a an adoption pending! We wish him and his adopter a very happy life together! :D

Well, it turns out that Jimmy has a soler abscess. While he is much more comfortable on the bowed leg now that it is wedged up with two wedge pads and a shoe, he is still NQR on the abscess foot. Due to the long term healing process (daily soaking, etc.), Jimmy has gone to another foster home south of Indianapolis which specializes in daily care. He'll be able to get the attention he needs in order to heal the foot. And when he's cleared for working, he'll be back to my barn for under saddle training.

In the mean time, I may or may not be getting another horse in. We'll have to see what comes through the doors of FFI. :) Stay tuned!

It looks like we're finally on the mend. We've been waiting for the abscess to clear up, which I think it *finally* has. I'm still packing the hoof with iodine soaked cotton pads in order to keep it clean, but there is no heat in the hoof wall and Jimmy tells me through his actions that he is feeling GOOD!

Now that the abscess is taken care of, we're going to shoe him and put a wedge on the bowed leg to offer some support to the tendon. The farrier is due out on Tuesday. After that, if Dr. Angie thinks things are going well, we'll be ready for some limited turnout and perhaps light riding again! Yippee!

Well, the abscess has once again reared its ugly head. This darned thing just won't go away. I thought it had, and stopped wrapping his foot and a few days later - BAM - its back. The vet put him on another round of Tucoprim, which this time, he's not real keen on eating. We're also soaking his hoof and keeping it wrapped all the time to keep it clean until we're sure its gone.

In addition to all this, because the abscessing foot has been sore he has been carrying a lot of his weight on the bowed leg. Therefore, the bow is warm again. It hasn't rebowed, but it is definitely tender and is warm to the touch. We gave Jimmy a temporary wedge pad using baby diapers, vet wrap and a special boot. Once the abscess heals and he can have shoes on both feet, we'll have the farrier out to put a wedge pad on the bowed leg and provide relief for that tendon. In the mean time, he'll be wearing the temporary wedge. The good news is that he seemed to be immediately more comfortable with the temporary wedge in place.

Keep jingling for Jimmy!

I think that Jimmy finally seems to be near the end of his battle with the abscess. Ryan broke it open again on Tuesday and I packed it with Betadine for a couple of days and now I'm using a gentle Iodine. Ryan also trimmed the front feet. He said that the back feet were nearly worn down to nubs, and didn't feel that there was even enough to trim. He also mentioned that the front feet did not look like the soles had been cut away due to white line disease. He also mentioned that all of Jimmy's feet were WAY out of balance. He doesn't know how much correction he'll be able to make in the few months that Jimmy is with me. It will be vitally important for whoever owns him to work with a shoer or trimmer that will properly balance the feet. This will be essential to him staying sound on that bow and work in comfort once he's in regular work.

Back to the abscess...I know its draining because the smell is pretty awful when I unwrap the foot. Jimmy is barely limping anymore. I put him on the lunge yesterday just to see what his walk looked like. He kind of stabs that right front (the abscessed foot) into the ground when he walks. He offered a little trot and was pretty stiff in his hind end. He creeks a lot when he first comes out of his stall. I think he's definitely got some arthritis in the hocks and perhaps the hind pasterns. I think getting outside will do him some good. If the weather is decent tomorrow, we're going to turn him out in the grass outdoor arena. He'll have a chance to blow off some steam. It will be his first time in a large turnout area (he'll have his boots on), but I think the grass will offer some deterrent from running and jumping. He has a whole lot more attitude now that he's feeling better and still confined to the stall. He's still sweet, but he's very obviously bored and has a hard time standing still. The bow remains cold (or at least no warmer than the non-bowed leg) although he does rest it frequently. I think though that it may have become a habit during his recovery period to rest that leg. Who knows?

It appears that the abscess had closed again, so Ryan (my farrier) reopened it and it is now draining well. I'm packing the foot daily with betadine soaked gauze padding to help it heal. While he's still sore on the foot, it is much better than it has been and is obviously feel better. He's quite board with life on stall rest and ready to get outside! We'll be turning him out in the outdoor arena in the next week or so (as the foot starts to feel better. Throughout this time, he has remained cold on the bow, which is very promising! I'm hoping to get on him again in the next week.

Jimmy appears to be feeling much better! While he still favors his right front, it doesn't seem to be near as sore as it has been. When I got him out of his stall today, he was favoring the RF, but not 3-legged lame like he had been. Plus, his attitude seemed to be much more positive. He really seemed like he wanted to jump around, but didn't because of the sore front. He did toss his head around and give off a tiny squeal of joy a few times to let me know that he was feeling good. I was also finally able to get to his other feet. Unfortunately, because he has been firmly planted on his other three feet (not allowing me to pick any of them up until today since the beginning of the abscess), I found that he has a rather nasty case of thrush in all three. I'm treating them with Koppertox, which should clear it up quickly. The farrier will be back on Tuesday for a trim. Hopefully we'll be able to get back into some regular work here pretty soon!

Ryan Clarke, my farrier, was out today and was able to find the abscess in Jimmy's heel. Fortunately, Ryan didn't have to do too much digging to find it and pop it open. He did say that it was pretty far up, but didn't have to create too much of a hole. Its packed with an antibiotic padding and wrapped up. Tomorrow I'll change it out and hopefully find that it has continued to drain. Between the drainage and the antibiotic, I expect Jimmy to be feeling much better in the next few days. :)

I've started calling Jimmy "Gimpy" or "Gimpy Boy." It seems to suit him. For as big as he is, somehow you'd think he'd be tough. But really, he is very sweet and sensitive -- and he gives you this look with these puppy dog eyes that seem to say "please make the ouchy go away." :(

All of you out there in blog reading land will be relieved to know that Jimmy appeared to be much more comfortable today. While still fairly gimpy, he was at least putting weight on the right front. He did have banamine again today to help him stay comfortable. It will be interesting to see how he does tonight and tomorrow without it (Linda's out of it). I was happy to see that the duct tape was still holding the sugar-dine solution to his foot as well. Angie Blackwell, Jimmy's vet, also provided him with some antibiotics, to make sure that he has all the help he needs in fending off this infection. I'll soak and repack his foot tomorrow night and that should hold until the farrier is out on Monday morning.

Hang in there Gimpster! :)

Well, Jimmy seems to have an abcess that has caused an internal infection. Last night he was so lame on the RF heel that he could hardly walk on it. He also had a fever and was significantly hot to the touch. I gave him a gram of bute for the pain and after talking with the barn owner, called the vet for further recommendation. She suggested 12cc of Banamine and packing the foot with a sugar-iodine mixture. We did both. He was very thirsty and drinking lots of water, which made me feel somewhat better. We're going to get him started on some antibiotics today so that he can get some help fighting the infection.

Linda, the barn owner, and I have theorized that he has an abcess. He was sore a few days ago, but then he was fine for a couple of days. We've theorized that it must have popped and relieved some of the pressure/pain. However, we think it must have popped internally because there never has been discharge from the heel (or anywhere on the foot). We also think that there must be two abcessed pockets in the heel because he was fine for a couple days and then yesterday, could hardly walk on it. Of course, we don't know how badly it really hurts or if Jimmy is just kind of a wuss and a drama queen when it comes to pain. It was clear that he was very uncomfortable though. If if it is still all internal, then that makes sense why he would have a fever (his body if fighting infection).

I was relieved to find that there was no abnormal heat in the leg with the bowed tendon. He has been putting a lot of pressure on the bowed leg, as well as his hind legs (shifting his weight back and forth onto the hocks from his front end). He actually spends a lot of time laying down, which I think is his comfortable position. I was told that he did a lot of laying down when he initially bowed the LF. He's not dumb! Laying down has got to be more comfortable on all the legs than standing on 3 of them.

Jingles for Jimmy in making a swift recovery!

I worked Jimmy on the lunge yesterday. He seems to be feeling better. At first, he was a little gimpy on the front right, but when I asked him to trot, he didn't have any problems aside from his usual stiffness. It takes him a good 5 minutes or so to loosen up.

He worked in sidereins yesterday and did quite a bit of trot work. We also worked on canter transitions. His canter is improving, but his departs are pretty crappy. He tends to race off for a few strides, then come down to a more relaxed tempo, but he can't yet sustain it -- especially on a 20m circle (lunge line). He doesn't yet push from behind as much as he pulls from the front. I also noticed that he would only do the canter depart when circling around to the long side of the arena. When he would canter towards the short side of the area, he would always slow to a trot. I think strengthening the hind end and back will help him be able to sustain the canter on bending line. Right now that is very difficult for him.

I got a call from my barn owner that Jimmy is sore on his right front leg (the non-bowed leg). He was fine this morning, but is sort of gimpy on it this after noon. Linda checked his feet for stones and found only that his grooves are very deep and his heal seemed tender. There was no heat or swelling. She did apply some coppertox just in case there was any thrush growing in there, although she said she didn't smell anything foul when she picked the foot out. We both think he might have an abscess coming. She's going to give him a gram of bute and see if that helps him feel better. We're going to play it by ear and see how he does.

I had my first ride on Jimmy today. I took my time tacking up to make sure there were no bad habits or behaviors that he might have. I was not surprised to find that he stood still throughout the grooming and tacking process. He does toss his head a little bit when bridling, but I believe this will stop as he figures out the routine. I have also found him much more sensitive to men than to women. While he is very aware of hands moving around his face, he is much more reactive to it when its a man's hands.

On to the riding part...we started out getting used to the mounting block. Because I am rather short and Jimmy is rather tall, I used a small kitchen step ladder for mounting. He wasn't too sure about it, nor about my dressage whip. I did spend a good 10 minutes rubbing the whip all over him to assure him that I was not going to hurt him. However, I ended up ditching it before I got on because he is extremely sensitive to it and I didn't want to end up accidentally tickling him once I was on. I will be working on the sensitivity issues to the whip with each ride so that he understands he won't ever be punished with one again.

Jimmy stood quietly while I mounted, but as soon as I took contact with the reins, he charged off at a quick walk. I immediately started working on yielding him to one rein at a time. He quickly learned that when I take one rein, if he stops moving his feet and lowers his head, he gets to have the rein back. After he was consistently stopping his feet, I required that he give the bit. This took him a bit longer to figure out and I don't think he's quite 100% yet. Through this process, I quickly discerned that he is very hard mouthed and extremely stiff through his body. At first, it was very difficult for him to even bend his neck to the right, let alone relax or flex at his poll.

In addition, because of the bow on the front left, he has become accustomed to keeping the majority of his weight on his right front leg. This makes it VERY difficult for him to lift the right shoulder or not fall in to the right when walking. It is EXTREMELY difficult for him to walk in a circle to the right while moving his shoulders outwards (expanding the size of the circle). He just wants to spiral inwards to the right. We worked mostly to the right because he was so stiff this direction. Towards the end of our ride, he was able to shift some of his weight to the outside (left front) and take small steps outward on the circle. He definitely needs work to the left as well, but as to be expected, he is definitely more fluid to the left.

While we only walked on this ride and only rode for about 20 minutes, I found Jimmy to be very quick to pick up what I was asking. I also realized that when he's confused, his tendency is to shut down and stop. Whenever he wasn't sure what I wanted, instead of rushing forward, he would come to a stop and wait for me to tell him what to do. As soon as he was clear on what the command was, he was happy to try his best to complete the task asked of him.

I was able to spend a bit more time working with Jimmy on Friday. Paul had mentioned that Jimmy didn't really care for cross ties, so I clipped the ties to the bottom ring of his halter instead of the side rings. He didn't mind this at all. He was very sensitive to pressure on his head when he would step forward, but was happy to stand still once he found a comfortable position. It was the first time that I gave him a complete grooming since he arrived on Wednesday night. He seemed very happy to be curried and brushed. He's still shedding, so I'm sure it felt good! He did try and groom me a couple times when I was currying his shoulder, but I simply told him a quick no and he stopped.

After grooming, I tacked him up with my surcingle and fitted a bridle to him. I did have one bit that was large enough for his mouth: a D-ring french link snaffle. He stood quietly with the bridle removed and although he did shake his head up and down a couple times when I initially went to unhalter him, he quietly accepted the bridle and bit. I must say, he looked very handsome in the bridle! Next time I'll take my camera with to get pictures of him. Overall, he was very polite and quiet while being groomed. I did find that he has a pattern to having his feet picked. LF, LR, RF, RR. I'm used to Jewel who will pick up both front feet regardless of what side you're standing on.

Because of the glorious weather we had, I decided to lunge him outside. I also figured it would be a good opportunity to see how he would react to traffic, other horses in the pasture, people stopping by at the garage sale across the road, etc. He was so sensible. Even when tractors or motorcycles went by, he just took it all in stride.

As for actually working on the lunge, he's pretty stiff to start out with. His hind end is fairly weak from not doing anything for the last 8 months and it takes him a while to get loosened up. I started out with the sidereins on the longest setting to allow him to just get used to them. After a few minutes and traveling both directions, I shortened the reins a few wholes just to give him something to think about. He bumped against them a few times, but then relaxed nicely into them and eventually softened his poll and dropped his head. Considering this is probably the first time he ever worked in sidereins, I was very please with him. We worked most at the trot for about 10 minutes in each direction.

Our next lesson will be getting him used to the mounting block. I'm excited to get on him too. :)

Paul, Jimmy's former foster dad, delivered him to the barn last night. Jimmy was very looky and sniffed at everything, but settled in quickly. We offered him some grain and hay which he happily munched. Many thanks to Paul for taking time from his evening to bring Jimmy over!

After fussing with my own TB mare, Jewel, I got Jimmy out of his stall to see what he knew regarding ground work. He stood ground tied in the groom stall and let me pick up his feet. He also allowed me to measure his height. I have an "official" stick with a level and was shocked to see that he is officially (only) 16.2h. I would have guessed closer to 17h. Jewel is just shy of 16.2h, but she looks much smaller than he does until you're standing next to her. However, her height is in her legs. Jimmy has shorter front legs, but a massive chest and shoulder. He's very evenly built and has a very large hip and hind leg as well.

After measuring his height and picking his feet, I decided to see how well he led. Without using a chain (just a nylon halter and rope lead) we walked around the indoor. I started jogging and after a couple strides, Jimmy began trotting right along with me. He did shake his head a little as if to let me know that he was feeling good. After that, I decided to see if he would move his haunches and shoulders over. I swung the end of the lead towards his haunches and he quickly figured out to step them over. Then I swung the lead towards his shoulders. This was a little more tricky for him, but after a few minutes, he figured out how to step over versus stepping back.

Because he seemed so responsive and polite, we decided to venture outside for a bite of grass. The outdoor arena is a grass arena and makes the perfect grazing spot in the evening. Jimmy was very polite about walking around the outdoor and only stopping to nibble for grass when I stopped. Even with traffic whizzing by and kids playing ball across the road, he was very sensible. He was able to get a view of the other horses on the property when we were in the outdoor. He called to them a couple of times, but never got upset or worried. I even introduced him to my dog Landry, and he took it all in stride.

Below is a picture of him from last night.

As of tomorrow night, Jimmy, a 9 year old 16.3h bay TB gelding will be under my care. His registered name is Mynard Road. He raced and was also used as a pony horse. He has recovered from a bowed tendon which happened last fall. He was rescued because his owner was either going to euthanize him or leave him to starve because there wasn't room on the trailer to take him home to Arkansas. Thankfully, Friends of Ferdinand intervened and Jimmy was saved. FFI will be covering all expenses for Jimmy while he is in my care for retraining.

I went to visit Jimmy last night as his current foster home where he's been as part of the rehab process. His foster family is very nice. They take great care of their horses. Both Jimmy and Cheers (also an OTTB) were in very good weight - especially for coming out of winter.

Paul, the foster "dad," got Jimmy out so I could take a look at him. The bow is nasty looking, but appears to be cool and doesn't seem to bother him too much. He occasionally rested the left front (the bowed leg) but it seemed to be more out of habit than soreness. After had a good look at him, Paul lunged him for me. Jimmy looks to be a bit stiff in the hind end. The to the left, he carries his left hind underneath him and steps a little short on the right hind. I'm not too worried about it since the diagonal pair to the RH is the LF, which has the bowed tendon. Plus, he hasn't really been asked to work at all in the last 6 months due to the recovery process. When going to the right, he carried himself much more evenly. He has a lot of thrust and a nice, springy trot

His canter is a bit funky. The rhythm is pure, but the tempo isn't consistent. I think it will improve has he as the chance to be outside regularly and rebuild some of the carrying muscles. He's a little full of himself when asked to move out on the lunge, but that is to be expected given the rehab time he's incurred.

His ground manners were very nice, although he did have a chain under his chin during our meeting. I plan to fit my rope halter to him and see how he works in that. I don't like to use chains unless they're warranted for safety measures. Jimmy doesn't seem to be rude or obnoxious when being handled, so a rope halter may be all he needs. We'll see.

His current foster family will be delivering him to the barn tomorrow night. I'm very much looking forward to working with Jimmy and helping him through the retraining process.

Greetings all! My name is Amy Latka and this blog will be dedicated to the Second Chances horses that I will be working with. Second Chances is a retraining program created by the Thoroughbred rescue organization, Friends of Ferdinand. www.FriendsofFerdinand.org

I'll be posting pictures and training updates on any of the horses that are sent to me for training. My hope is that through this blog, the horses on these pages will be able to find good, permanent homes where both horse and owner will thrive.

Friends of Ferdinand, Inc. is an Indianapolis-based 501 (c)(3) organization founded in 2005 to provide options and alternatives to Indiana’s horses that are no longer able to fulfill their intended purpose. FFI took its name from a championed racehorse named Ferdinand, who won both the Kentucky Derby and the Breeder’s Cup and was named Horse of the Year in 1987. During his career, Ferdinand earned four million dollars and was retired to stud in 1989. In 1995, he was exported to Japan where he was led to slaughter.

“Second Chances” is a self-sustaining retraining program for retired racehorses that is truly unique to the state of Indiana. It promotes a practical concept for organizations and advocates involved in the welfare of retiring racehorses. Instead of merely rescuing these horses from their current situation, FFI plans to provide them with a new skill set that will allow them to transition more easily and permanently into new lives as riding horses.

I invite you to read through this blog and learn about the horses that are available. For more information on any of the horses available through Friends of Ferdinand, Inc., please visit their website at Friends of Ferdinand, Inc.