“Physically speaking, Jobber is not the right horse for this job… Try telling him that when he’s got the grit to run nose-to-nose with a reluctant-to-load bull…He doesn’t know he’s not built for this job, because he loves this job.” →
Search Results for: race horse to ranch horse
Race Horse to Ranch Horse: Push, Don’t Pull
“The reality that I had learned to accept by Sunday was that my horse simply is not at the point yet to keep up with a truly fast cow, and no amount of me trying to pull his body around by the reins was going to change that fact.” →
Race Horse to Ranch Horse: Positive Associations
“The only way to get better is to surround yourself with better people.” →
Race Horse to Ranch Horse: Cross Training
“I was gratified not only to see him go so nicely for another rider, but to know that my ‘flatwork is flatwork’ mentality with a focus on correct riding really did pay off, no matter what kind of saddle was on his back.” →
Race Horse to Ranch Horse: Minor Milestones
After a year of riding in the open pasture with her OTTB, Kristen Kovatch achieves a minor, yet important milestone. Riders battling demons of confidence, this one’s for you. →
Race Horse to Ranch Horse: Passing It On
Autumn in review: Jobber teaches his first lesson. →
Race Horse to Ranch Horse: Final Thoughts on the Thoroughbred Makeover
“We had all walked very different paths to get to this moment; some of us hadn’t made it to the Horse Park at all. We were here for various little reasons, but our motivation was the same: we were here for the love of the OTTB.” →
Race Horse to Ranch Horse: Stone Bruises & Perspective
“I had wanted to go so badly, and no matter how much I told myself that this show was just one step on the longer road, I was crushed, watching Jobber hobble around the layup paddock. We had worked so hard, and frankly I had been starting to feel that we deserved to go.” →
Race Horse to Ranch Horse: Foundation For the Future
“It’s not easy to admit, but very few of us are perfect horsemen.” Kristen Kovatch loses sight of her ultimate goal with her OTTB Jobber, but finds her way again thanks to the heart of her willing horse. →
Race Horse to Ranch Horse: Seizing the Day
“If you want to go for a gallop on your Thoroughbred in the morning light instead of working on upward and downward transitions for another session, go for a gallop. Enjoy the ride. There’s more to this horse life than tomorrow’s training goal, after all.” →
Race Horse to Ranch Horse: What I’m Doing With My Summer Vacation
Kristen Kovatch shares some of the exercises she’s working on with her OTTB project Jobber to improve his flatwork, as well as his ranch horse life. →
Race Horse to Ranch Horse: On Contact
“The moral of this story, kids? None of us are too good for a trainer, even if that trainer can only come by once a month. Flatwork is flatwork — it doesn’t matter if you’re running barrels, chasing cows or training dressage.” →
Race Horse to Ranch Horse: Patience
“Red taught me a lot of things as a horseperson, but he also put me on a hair trigger… The greatest lesson in patience so far in this retraining experience hasn’t been with Jobber or the weather — it’s been learning to be patient with myself.” →
Race Horse to Ranch Horse: Okay, Fine, Indoor Arenas Definitely Have Their Uses
Kristen Kovatch and her OTTB Jobber Bill, after a winter of alternately struggling in snow or mud, finally surrendered to the weather and headed out for their first field trip together to an indoor facility. →
Race Horse to Ranch Horse: Chunk It Down
How does a mouse eat an elephant? →
Race Horse to Ranch Horse: Cow Pastures & Cornfields
And all the walking you can shake a stick at. →
Race Horse to Ranch Horse: Two Steps Forward…
… and one step back. →
Race Horse to Ranch Horse: Who Is Jobber Bill?
Kristen Kovatch takes a look at the bloodlines and race record of her new OTTB to get a full picture of his career up to the moment. →
Race Horse to Ranch Horse: Talking the Makeover With RRP Ambassador Kyle Rothfus
It’s no secret that the Retired Racehorse Project’s Thoroughbred Makeover has already had a big impact on the OTTB world. Kristen Kovatch catches up with RRP Ambassador Kyle Rothfus to talk about the bigger picture — and where she and Jobber Bill fit in. →
Race Horse to Ranch Horse: Coming Full Circle
Kristen Kovatch is well aware she’s not the first person to ever make a Thoroughbred into a ranch horse — she walks us through the Thoroughbred’s contributions to ranching and the cornerstone of the American Quarter Horse, now respected as the ultimate ranch mount. →
Race Horse to Ranch Horse: Meet Jobber Bill
“The plain ones, the less-than-perfectly-conformed ones and the seemingly ordinary ones all need homes as much as the halter-perfect chromy 10-movers.” Kristen Kovatch takes the OTTB plunge with “Jobber Bill.” →
Racehorses on the Ranch
Off-track thoroughbreds run up against a lot of prejudice–that they’re too “hot” or “unpredictable” to be fully functional in the real world. Heather Benson points to a program that is proving the stereotypes wrong. →
Feds Launch Unprecedented Push To Remove Wild Horses From Western Rangelands
Dr. Joanna Grossman shares her thoughts on the latest push to remove wild horses from the western states. →
American Wild Horse Coalition Calls on Biden’s Interior Dept. to Freeze Cattle Grazing Permits, Protect Wild Horses
More than 70 animal and equine protection groups, wild horse-related businesses, and environmental organizations join in letter to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. →
Haaland Brings Bold Vision to Wild Horse Management
“Haaland brings a bold, refreshing vision to the BLM, which has suffered from stagnation, inefficiency, and, at times, gross negligence. She has cosponsored legislation that would permanently ban the slaughter of American horses … for human consumption.” →