OTTB Success Stories

Posts Tagged ‘First Canter’

Just one month off-the-track Thoroughbred - Cortableau attends his first hunter pace.

Hey E and B,

What a great day Saturday – great weather,  food,  horses and,  especially,  friends.

I have to admit that I was a little nervous before we started out just because it was Cortableau’s first time out in the big world and he’d only been off the track for a month.  That plus my having started riding “later in life” made for a few butterflies.  But “Cor” did beautifully. He danced around a little at first,  I’m sure because of me,  but once we got going,  he was fine.

He handled being in an unfamiliar place,  new horses and different terrain with no problem.  We actually had our first canter ever a few minutes into the ride,  and we did a couple of canters up hills.  So I got braver and,  when we got to the really big field,  we cantered again.

Wait,  that’s not quite accurate.  I’m thinking canter;  he’s looking at that wide open space and thinking “we can go faster than that!”.  And he did.  We galloped all way to the end of the field where he slowed up and said, “That was fun”.

Then we came to the gully with the rocks (not a typical track feature).  He looked at it then walked down and up right through it.

When we passed the steeplechase track,  he looked over at it and hesitated.  I assured him that those days are over!

Cortableau wins a pink ribbon at the hunter pace just one month away from the race track.

When we got back,  we hosed him off and walked him,  then he stood tied to the trailer very calmly while we had our picnic.  Cortableau is an absolute gem – calm,  polite,  easygoing.  Several people commented on his behavior (and looks!) and were impressed with him being so recently off the track.  I always direct people to Bits & Bytes Farm if they want to find the perfect horse for them.  I can really vouch for this since you guys have done so for me many times.

Looking forward to next time!

- Laura

Read the related story about the In Unison Farm Hunter Pace on the Bits & Bytes Farm Web site.

Cortableau at the hunter pace photo gallery.

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Chipawild has gone to college with her new mom. They are both learning new life/career skills.

I sent you some photos from the Walmart website that Courtney’s trainer took of her two first rides on Chipawild. She is doing great! Walk, trot and canter on the lunge and walking and trotting under saddle. She is getting used to having “traffic” in the ring with her. Courtney gave her a bath the other day and she was well behaved which is good because like most grey horses she loves to sleep using her manure as a pillow!

I hope all is well with you,
Sara O’Connell

Forgot to mention – Courtney has to PUSH! I just talked to her trainer and Courtney has cantered her and she has to push the whole time to keep her going. I guess you never can tell…
Sara O’Connell

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I haven’t gotten on Rap It Up yet. By the time I got home Sunday evening, it was too dark to let him get much exercise, so it was yesterday afternoon before I could let him out for a good romp! And boy did he romp! We just missed snapping a pic of him when all fours were LITERALLY 3 feet off the ground! I will be on him in the next day or two, I want to make sure he is good and settled in and has had plenty of time to relax. I did tack him up and work him in the round pen a little yesterday after he had time to play for a while. That went well, so I plan to do that again today and probably get on him this afternoon depending on how he does.

I’m glad to hear you found a good home for Banker. He looks like an awfully nice horse!

I’ve attached a few pics from his first time in the paddock on Monday. He thoroughly enjoyed himself and was much more relaxed afterwards.

I’ll keep you posted on his progress.

David

I asked my friend Mags to write something about Vicky. She is so special to me and it is a joy to share her with Mags. Mags has helped us immensely in our time of need. I asked Mags to ride Vicky when I became injured and since have not been able to ride. I am so proud of Vicky and Mags for having the courage to trust our precious OTTB Vicky Vicky Vicky. It is a joy to watch her confidence increase and learn so much from each other.

Thank you for updating Vicky’s page!!
in peace,
Robin

This horse has such a great work ethic, which was obvious from the first ride on her. Click on the image to see more photos of OTTB Vicky Vicky Vicky.

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Robin and Debbie have given me the opportunity to enjoy this lovely horse that has come into their lives, such a blessing for me.

I have been riding Vicky since January and at first was quite concerned, bringing my own baggage to her, wondering how I would fare on this OTTB. This horse has such a great work ethic, which was obvious from the first ride on her. I was quite timid and if the weather was against me, ie windy, I would just walk her. Read the rest of this entry »

I realize now how amiss I am that I’m letting my story be turned in so long after the event, but I’ve been trying to take every minute of time I have here to enjoy it before I head home. . . Miss Sydney is coaching Alex on what to write . . . "Tell them about cantering for the first time . . ."

Howdy Finally!
So Aly boy and I have two big accomplishments to report! First of all, the first canter day before yesterday; and yes, I realize now how amiss I am that I’m letting my story be turned in so long after the event, but I’ve been trying to take every minute of time I have here to enjoy it before I head home.

Cantering Tucks St. Aly for the first time.

I didn’t expect that we would canter so soon, but I was really excited, and I know I was extremely tensed up and I could tell Aly was being a bit pushy for one of the first times since I’ve seen him, when we were trotting on the longe line, waiting for me to be ready. It was so incredible for me to see how after we got into that first canter, how he calmed down, back to the business-like, happy boy that he is. He KNEW that we were ready to step up to the next level, and he didn’t want any backing out on my part! Read the rest of this entry »

Huey can't shake the "Admiration" of his Lab pal

Wanted to send some quick pictures we took over the weekend of “Huey” aka Admiration, since I’ve been promising them forever. This canter is the first time we’ve really cantered – I’ve let him gallop some just to get some energy out, but this time he actually sat back and collected. It was wonderful!

As you can see, my trusty lab follows us the whole time I ride – “Huey” is really easy about that too. Other horses have felt “chased,” but he’s really nonchalant about everything. It makes me glad that he’s a racehorse and someone else exposed him to everything while he was at the track!

Whitney

OTTB Huey poses for his winner's circle mug with mom Whitney

Familiar Ghost aka Casper has cantered on the lunge line but today he cantered with mom Lesli on board

Cantered Casper today, both ways of the arena! He’s a little unbalanced, but has a delightful, “up” canter and is quiet, quiet, quiet. He is absolutely fabulous.

Lesli

I’m forwarding some pics my daughter took of me and my new groom.

Lydia Dequine and her "Groom" - OTTB Eleanor's Groom

I’m having a wonderful time with him. We had our first canter today! He is very quiet (hasn’t done anything stupid at all!), smart and willing. In fact, I’m reading the book “Beyond the Track” and he doesn’t fit in at all!

We are having a fabulous long fall and I’m so pleased to be able to spend lots of time with him. He’s even growing some hair in preparation for winter and gaining some weight. With front shoes he is much less tender and seems to be moving much better. He’s turned out 24/7 with nine other horses, has learned to drink out of the lake and seems to think he’s died and gone to heaven. The book talks about stress (and I’m sure some of these guys are) but my Groom is happy and mellow! Thank you. And I’ll stop raving now.

I look on the website frequently and love reading all the good info…thank you. And thank you for Eleanor’s Groom!

Lydia Dequine

Lydia Dequine and her "Groom" - OTTB Eleanor's Groom

See new photos of Eleanor’s Groom in his OTTB Success Stories Photo Gallery.

OTTB Bato Loco and new mom Melissa are working hard several days a week

Loco is coming along great. I am at the barn at least five days each week; two days round pen, three days ride. We’ve made a lot of progress. Loco stands perfectly still at the mounting block for me and comes in from the pasture when I call him.

He has really “gotten it” in the round pen. He can lunge! In the ring, we are focusing on bending and making smooth turns. Lots of figure eights. We are doing well at the trot. It helps to be at the end of the ring, going side to side so the fence can help keep him turning. Cantering figure eights is a BIG challenge. He is doing better cantering half the ring, but even that is tough. I know once he builds up some new muscles, it will get easier.

Loco and Melissa occasionally use the fenceline as an aid when working on bends

Yesterday, we got in eight or ten strides of a beautifully paced, collected canter. Sounds small, but it was a huge accomplishment.

Earlier this week, to keep things interesting, we left the ring and hit the trails! Loco couldn’t have been any better. We walked past streams and a couple of small lakes. He was fantastic!

He has started going out with some other geldings. I felt like a mom putting her child in daycare for the first time! There were a few kicks and pinned ears, but they all got over it, and everyone is happy. He seems to look forward to time out with the boys now.

Loco and I are getting better every week. I am proud of the many milestones we have turned in such a short time. To think he was on the race track just over a month ago is crazy!

Melissa

Read more updates on Bato Loco and see more photos in Bato Loco’s photo gallery.

“Gus” (Construction) is so incredibly happy with his new career and new home at Bits & Bytes Farm. His personality comes out more and more everyday and I absolutely adore him.

Meredeth Coburn and her off-the-track, laid-back Thoroughbred Construction aka "Gus".

He has recently perfected the art of rolling (every single inch of his body gets covered with dust) and decided he has a LOVE for carrots. He started nickering when I walk to his stall (he also nickers at Richard!), which is so amazing to hear. We are still working on meeting halfway in the pasture, as he would much rather hang out with his two pasture buds eating grass and hay! He has filled out beautifully and I noticed last week that he has some dapples on his rear!

Our riding is going great as well. The very first time we went for a trail ride in the woods he crossed the creek! It was quite a leap, but we made it over! I try to go into the woods as much as I can, so by the end of our second week he was walking through the water rather than leaping over it.

We started canter work, still doing lots and lots of trot work, he is learning to lunge without pulling me across the arena, and we have even jumped small cross rails, a small coup and logs in the woods!

I hope to have many, many more updates and some good pictures to come!

Meredeth

Meredeth and "Gus" check out her sorority sister's new horse Leaderboard

Elizabeth’s Note: Melissa Hopkins found Leaderboard and her former sorority sister on the Bits & Bytes Farm Prospect Horses For Sale page. We mentioned that Leaderboard was as quiet as Construction and when Melissa followed the link to Construction’s information she found Meredeth. It seems like Melissa and Meredeth have the same taste in horses: big, beautiful, quiet, chestnut Thoroughbred geldings.