Thoroughbred Logic, Presented by Kentucky Performance Products: People My Thoroughbreds Are Thankful For
Horses may not think in thank-you notes, but if they did, this list would be their holiday card.
Welcome to the next installment of Thoroughbred Logic. In this weekly series, Anthropologist and trainer Aubrey Graham, of Kivu Sport Horses, offers insight and training experience when it comes to working with Thoroughbreds (although much will apply to all breeds). This week ride along as Aubrey shares her logic on the people for whom her horses are (or should be) thankful for.
People always ask me why I moved north. Georgia was beautiful — warm (or blisteringly hot), full of stunning southern sunsets, and came with a full competition roster that ran literally all year round. When I moved to the middle of New York, folks were like … ummmmmm… are you mad? Probably certifiable, yes. But I didn’t move here for the weather. I didn’t move here for the cold, the mud, or to haul hours in any direction to light up Area 1 warm-up arenas with all my baby Thoroughbreds (though I love the Area 1 folks, and that’s a fun perk).
Oh the warmth… I do miss that. Photo by author.
I moved here for two main reasons — to be closer to the tracks and to be closer to family. This Thanksgiving, with a barn full of more fresh-off-the-track horses than I have ever had, I’ll do what I have not done in nearly a decade: go home. My family is in Connecticut — so it’s about a five hour drive from Lansing, NY. And in the meantime, while I’m fighting traffic through the northern sections of one of the smallest states in the US, my horses will be well fed, well-handled, and well-managed by a small team of super competent young women at home. And for them, I am enormously grateful.
The soon-to-be current snow situation featuring Needles Highway. Photo by author.
And although horses certainly don’t think on the same terms that we do, I’d like to imagine that they are grateful for a whole bunch of things (provided by a whole bunch of humans) that allow them to be happy, healthy, and sane. In no particular order, here’s a list of 10 people that my horses are thankful for (AKA I am grateful for and they vastly improve the lives of my horses):
1. Track Trainers/Connections Who Care About Them
Great off-track horses often have less to overcome when they have fantastic on-track connections. The trainers, owners, grooms, exercise riders and jockeys who love these horses set them up for success in their next career. Well-handled, well-fed and well-ridden Thoroughbreds have an easier time finding great homes.
And, when those connections keep up with them, it not only connects the often very disparate pieces of their lives (racehorse with show hunter for instance), but also provides invisible threads that follow these horses through their lives, helping to keep track of them, keep them safe, and sometimes even offer retirement or a soft landing if ever needed. Many of my horses were lucky to have these folks. And I’m always grateful for when they check in, keep tabs on their loved former racers, send photos from their track years, and celebrate their victories (large and small) in their new careers.
Fingerlakes and Saratoga trainer Dana Saul works to pack the pounds on her horses and rehome them to high quality homes. Taco Flaco (As Good as He Gets) is new to her barn and in her “get fat” camp, but all the while bringing home the wins on the track. Photo by author.
2. Vets Who Get It
A good vet can be hard to find. A good vet that understands racehorses is even harder in some cases. I don’t just mean a vet that looks at ankles with osellets and a) knows what they are looking at and b) doesn’t freak out because they know that when not in the joint, they don’t cause problems. I mean a vet who reaches for the most obvious situation and solution first given the horses’ past. And a vet who doesn’t say “They’ll never be able to …” when dealing with horses who have so much heart that the word “never” hasn’t ever really existed in their vocabulary. We’re lucky having great vets nearby Lansing. This is especially pertinent since during my brief stint in Bath, NY, I found myself in a veterinarian desert. That was terrifying.
My horses ought to be grateful for the care that says, “Let’s go the more usual route first” and doesn’t jump four steps ahead to damning things like kissing spine when there is hind-end soreness and joints that need attention (I’ll reserve that soap box for another day). Who am I kidding, I am wildly grateful for vets, like Dan Carter in Georgia, who did a pre=purchase on a $4000 former broodmare/former race horse. She flexed mildly positive on her ankles, and instead of letting the family escalate that into a panic, he calmly explained her former career, how that was unlikely to limit her given the job she was heading to do with them, and how great it was that it was only one set if joints, not all of them. That mare had a hell of a life with that family and part of that is due to the knowledge and understanding of the vet who got to do her PPE.
Dr. Helen Iannitti listens to Generation’s heart before injecting his ankle with Arthramid. Photo by author.
3. Farriers Who Are Patient
Everyone please take a moment to thank your farrier. Send them home with alcohol or their favorite food — or just a solid holiday bonus. Please. These folks literally break their backs under our horses and I am (and my horses should be) so so so grateful for the work they do. I have encountered some super sh*tty farriers in my time and I wish them on no one’s horses. My horses really ought to be grateful that they have one highly committed, intelligent, capable blacksmith currently and have had the luck to be in the hands and forge of two others in the past. They have no idea how lucky they are to have a professional bent under them who not only can read the foot, their soundness levels, break-over and needs, but also who can read the horse above them. Do they need to go slow, put the foot back down in between nails? Do they need to sooth or growl at the unruly critter above them. A farrier is never guaranteed to be a good horseman, but the best are both. And damn if I tell you that my horses are so extraordinarily lucky to have Grace Putnam here in New York and to have had both Patrick Roth and Eric Gilleland in Georgia.
Grace Putnam goes slow to hot shoe Catan (Kingdom Force) for the first time. Photo by author.
4. A Trainer Who Understands
I have no idea if my horses are grateful that I “get” Thoroughbreds, but I’d like to hope they are. But my odd Thoroughbred Mecca aside, I hope that each horse (not limited to TBs, of course) has a trainer who understands “their type” and enjoys their challenges. When Thoroughbreds land with other breed-specific trainers, especially those who do not love working with fast-footed horses, problems start to rise. Is it pain or behavior? A trainer needs to be one of the first stops on that train to helping get them right. So from the horse’s imagined point of view, I want to believe they’re grateful when they luck into a situation where they make sense — where their challenges come with simple, known solutions, and where patience and knowledge abound. And from there, when a trainer does not know and feels they are grasping at straws or near giving up, that they refer the horse and rider or reach out for help. Yep, Id like to think all horses are grateful for this.
Emmett (Oboy) is one I’m proud to say is part of my team despite all of his dents, dings, and annoyingly imperfect X-rays. Photo of him competing in Show Jumpers at this year’s RRP by Atalya Boytner for Erin Gilmore Photography.
5. Owners Who Prioritize the Horse
On that note, I think these horses are grateful for owners who prioritize them. These horses cost us our sleep, our vacations, our income, all of our nice things and probably our soul. I like to hope they’re thankful for some of that. Sure, I imagine that they’re grateful for the handfuls of peppermints and daily grooming, for the turnout and for the attention. But more than that, they have reason to be thankful for owners who recognize when they need to move barns, change the situation, or even admit that maybe their beloved horse isn’t right for them and take the steps to get them responsibly to the right home. Here’s imagining that horses are thankful for the priority of the horse over and above the goals of the rider. So, to everyone who scrimps and saves and spends every last penny to make sure their horse has everything it needs, thank you from both rehomers like me and, I bet, from your horse.
I have loved watching this mare (Tiz So Fine) shine in the ever-responsible hands of Rachael Peacock Crews. Photo by Christine Quinn.
6. Buyers Who Are Rational
Horses are never going to think to be thankful for rational buyers. But those rational buyers make rational owners, so maybe there in the peppermints and quality boarding opportunities, in the appropriate expectations and tailored riding programs, they might be thankful or at very least, happy. Rational buyers assess the horse in front of them and think — can I partner with this horse and are we both appropriate for each other? This isn’t the case of a beginner or return-to-riding adult looking at a fresh, upper-level prospect, thinking yes, this is the horse I want to relearn how to trot softly on.
I’d like to think these horses are grateful when their potential future human is realistic about the horse’s capabilities versus what blemishes their X-rays might hold. That they are understanding of limitations — like hey, for his longevity, Spin’s knee probably doesn’t need to jump. And when they understand that the match is more important than say, buying the color, height, or cute face.
A recent radiograph that scared some buyers off, but also, when in the right hands, simply directed the horses’ maintenance needs. Radiograph by Early Winter Equine.
7. Body Workers Who Are Skilled
Horses ought to be grateful for their humans for paying for bodywork in the first place. But more than that, I’m thankful (and imagine that they are, too) for bodywork that is knowledgable and effective. It is so easy to be a body worker in most states — take a quick online course, study up, and so on. But for those who truly dive in, learn all the things, and approach each horse as an opportunity to help (and truly have the knowledge to do so), that’s amazing. And for you vets who then in turn chose to specialize in chiropractic work or in acupuncture. THANK YOU.
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, I had Holly Breaux adjusting all my ponies (while others got shod). Miss you, lady! Photo by author.
8. Barn Staff That Is Competent
I cannot overstate how important good barn staff is. I like to think that my horses are grateful for the kind, boundary-holding, effective, smart care they receive whether it’s from the human cleaning their stalls or the human leading them to and from their field. Barn staff who notice a slightly swollen leg, catch the first signs of colic, or notice when a horse seems less happy in their current stall arrangement, thank you. Barn staff who move through the world with a quiet confidence that keeps horses comfortable and relaxed, while able to inhabit clean, comfortable environments, thank you! This barn is run in the hands and on the backs of some extremely intelligent young women. Things change too much here to slip into a routine or to not be switched on, even if “only” cleaning stalls. And I think my horses are grateful for the competence and care they receive. I can tell you that I absolutely am.
Lily Drew has become the right hand of this operation. I’m grateful for her help daily as well as that of Marlie Lukash, Izzy Gritsavage, and new team member Tess Fjord. Thanks, ladies! Photo by author.
9. Haulers Who Are Kind
Here’s one we don’t often think of — shippers. As a sales and training facility, we put horses on rigs or take them off of them weekly. I have an ever-growing list of haulers that I recommend to folks when someone buys a horse. And all of those haulers are kind, capable, safe and knowledgeable. I have never worried so much as when one buyer used a very, very young man in a semi to ship her horse from GA to PA. He had no idea how to fill a hay net, didn’t want to handle the horse, and had to dig about when I asked if there was a bucket to offer the horse water at hauling breaks. The horse made it safely, but that was terrifying.
I am enormously grateful for haulers as much for how they watch the horses and provide them the care and comfort as they go, as for their choice to drive gently on the roads and avoid the hazards, the hard braking, and the bad routes. I might be in the middle of somewhat nowhere up here, but the list of wonderful haulers who make it to and from the farm safely with happy horses (who never lacked for hay or water or a soft place to stand) just keeps growing. And for each of those hauls, I like to think my horses are grateful.
Meg Hems and this rig have brought so many horses to and from my farm safely. THANK YOU. Photo by Meg Hems.
10. Feed Store and Hay Folks Who Are On Time and Stocked
And, finally, my horses would never think to thank anyone up the supply chain, but I’m grateful (in their stead) for the folks who make sure that their stores are stocked and that my farm is never lacking for feed, hay, or deliveries. I’m grateful for the heads up when products are hard to order or when things might take a little longer. And I’m grateful for the “we’re on our way” texts that bring the thousands of pounds of feed to the farm each month. Thoroughbreds eat the Thanksgiving equivalent here daily — between their Timothy, alfalfa, grain, forage mash, and supplements. And the ability to provide that falls on the labor and work of the folks who bale and deliver the hay and the people who stock their feed stores and run the trucks to deliver. My horses might not know to thank them, but I can guarantee they’d be complaining (and I’d be scrambling) without them.
Banks (Bay Bank) says “thank you!” Photo by Lily Drew.
OK, I’ll cap the list there. I’m sure there are more categories of folks to add. But enough for now, go enjoy your horse, your chosen human company, and the ability to give thanks over delicious food. Happy Thanksgiving, folks.
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