YAY, Dino!!!

Dino's page on the Thoroughbred Adoption Network, courtesy of Maker's Mark Secretariat Center.

Dino was also the "Secretariat Descent of the Day" on Secretariat's Meadow. (Please scroll down to see the mention. :)

I am on this personal mission to get Dino's story out to as many people as possible. Hopefully in doing so, would let people know that off the track thoroughbreds are not 'ruined' and can be re-trained for second career. Which is why I write this blog.

A month ago, Eclipse Awards put out a question on their facebook page, "If you could make a new category for an award at the Eclipse Awards what would it be and why?"

This was my answer: A former racehorse who's made an impact outside of racing. Whether he/she is a showhorse (4H to international level), is used in search and rescue, or found a new life as a rehab mount (for mentally or physically handicapped children and/or adults). This is also something that should be voted on by the Turf Writers Guild AND the public. They get nominated by the guild, but the public chooses. Much like how CNN has their Heroes Award. Submitting can be via Youtube along with a 1,500 word essay. The winner gets their own Eclipse and a feature story (including cover) on the Blood-Horse. This would be a great way to give attention to the retired thoroughbred racehorse. Boost adoptions and maybe even give incentives to trainers and owners for their horses; make sure these horses get a second lease on life after racing.

I firmly believe in this and hope to see it become a reality one day.

Equine Affaire

I've been going to Equine Affaire every year for over a decade now. I love it and it is the one thing I really look forward to doing every spring. For me, it the symbol that spring has arrived, even when it's held in March! A few years back, I decided to take the plunge and apply to ride with the best. I applied with both Angel and Sancho, but it was with Sancho that I was selected and coincidentally enough every time I apply with Sancho, I get accepted -- as long as its a gaited clinic. Steffen Peters and George Williams had no interested in me, but one day I will ride with Mr Peters and there is talk of our dressage group joining forces with another and having a clinic with Mr Williams, so my fingers are crossed.

Anyhow, applying to, and being selected, to ride with the best at Equine Affaire is a wonderful experience. For one, you are learning from a nationally recognized (sometimes worldly recognized) clinician/trainer, you are getting at least 45-minutes of their time telling you how to better your ride and most of the time this is in a semi-structured lesson (at least two riders). This alone always makes it worth it to me.

Now the stress is major. The best I can compare it to is like qualifying and showing at Nationals. The schooling ring is a ride-at-your-own-risk experience. You have people who are there just to learn how to stop their horse. You know, instead of running their horse into things, like me. When you go to a major horse show, like Nationals, you know how to ride, you know the other riders know how to ride. At Equine Affaire, and let me be blunt here, some of these people have never been out of their backyard. I'm not kidding. One time I saw this girl lunging when there were at least 20 other riders in the ring, and this is a good size ring (see picture), this girl is lunging her horse at the end of a dog leash (a slight exaggeration) and her horse is in a full out gallop. He was dragging her and clearly out of control. Another time, this girl was getting on and the horse started spinning - viciously. She wasn't even on, just clinging to the side of her saddle in a fetal position!

So I developed a Master Plan; 1)I don't ride in the afternoon, I ride first thing at 7am and 2)I don't ride in the schooling arena, I ride in the arena where my clinic is scheduled this way my horse and I become familiar with the layout, and we avoid other riders.

The other stress, and this is a biggie, is not only riding with the nationally recognized (sometimes worldly recognized) clinician/trainer, but its the crowds. Those milling about, walking alongside the arena, getting up abruptly their seats and the non-horsepeople who came out to see the horses...and pet them without asking.

A minor stress is the weather, you never know what to expect come March/April. Our first year we had 20-degree weather that couldn't decide between the snow and sleet. Poor Sancho was clipped (my bad) and our clinic was held in a covered outdoor arena, which you had to cross the parking lot to reach. Another year I was in shorts and last year it was nice mild weather, of course, because I didn't take a horse.

So several weeks back, I heard a rumor that Larry Whitesell was going to be there this year. I got sooo excited when it was finally confirmed. I've been wanting to ride with Mr Whitesell since I first got involved with Paso Finos, he is well known for his classical work with gaited horses and never compromising the gait. I immediately thought, "Sancho you're coming out of retirement!" But then my Dad got wind of it and basically told me to forget it, "Will you just leave the horse alone? He's too old to being doing this and you're probably just going to give him ulcers from the stress." And then it became, "When was the last time you even rode him?" "I rode him last year...well last spring...and just once." It appeared that I admitted defeat...again, appeared.

Yesterday I was again checking the roster for any newly added clinicians and my heart stopped....they added Jane Savoie!! The audio on Ms Savoie's website, concerning confidence, was the key to getting me comfortable on Dino. What I wouldn't do to have her insight and opinion. So now the wheels are in motion, should I apply Dino and myself? Would I be setting us up to fail, and fail miserably? Is this a disaster in the making to even the most layman? If it did turn out horribly, would I be undoing all the hard work I've accomplished in building confidence for Dino and myself? Is Dino even ready to handle Equine Affaire or would he revert to his old 'racing' self and have a major melt down before we even got in the ring? Could I even have him ready in time? (Like how I'm just assuming we'd even be selected?!*lol*)

Okay, so basically I'm in the process of talking myself out of even thinking of applying Dino. And really, I'm putting the cart before the horse because I don't even know what type of clinics (forget how many) Ms Savoie is even putting together. Hopefully within the next week or so, they'll have the clinic schedule up and I'll see if we (Dino and I) even qualify for anything. Here's to hoping Ms Savoie puts together an in-hand clinic, we'd be all over that one!!

Sancho and I participating in our first clinic at Equine Affaire. The weather couldn't decide on snowing or sleeting, the clinic was held in a covered outdoor ring, poor Sancho was body clipped, and I wore LAYERS and still froze. But I had a great time.

Looking Forward

Looking back on the past year has me eagerly looking forward. I find myself counting down the days until Equine Affaire, which inevitably leads me to counting down the days until my next vacation. Bump that back to the sooner I can do my taxes and get my return the better, because that's my annual spending money at Equine Affaire.

Besides that, I'm looking forward to a break in the weather so that Dino and I can get back to work. This year I'm hoping to take him to his first show in April. Not to show, mind you, I'll tie him up to the trailer or get a stall, then school him in schooling ring and walk him around. I know Dino and I know once he becomes upset, there's no reasoning with him. As I have said all along, every experience has to be a good one which is built upon.

Then we'll go to our first show, we'll start at intro level and at our second show, if all goes well at our first, we'll do training level. Before we know it, time for dressage camp will be upon us again. Four days of fun in the sun (well, indoor) and a lot of learning. By the end of the summer, early fall, I hope to begin first level.

Could I push Dino to start doing shoulder-fore, shoulder-in, haunches-in, haunches-out, half-passes, and leg-yields? Yes, of course, but what good is it if Dino's not connecting over his topline from his hindquarters, if he' not maintaining contact with my hand. It should start simply with leg-yields, where Dino would travel both sideways and forward at the same time; his body is straight with a slight bend to the outside. This, to me, is basic riding and not just dressage.

I learned a long time ago that short-cuts do not pay off, they never have and they never will. So come on spring, hurry up and get here!!