Louise Atkins: Getting a Star Ready to Re-Shine
Friday, July 02 2021
By Haylie Kerstetter Louise Atkins is a dressage queen with a love for fancy off-the-track Thoroughbreds, so when she met Imperative, winner of $3.3 million on the racetrack, she was worried that he may not be meant for the dressage ring. But, over time, the little bay OTTB was able to win her over, just
- Published in General, Sidelines Feature
McKenzie Cumbea: Mental Toughness, Consistency & Hard Work
Monday, March 22 2021
By Lilly Steger Portraits by Pam Jensen McKenzie Cumbea is plucky and upbeat, and possesses the gutsy confidence that gets eventers into the startbox. “Fake your confidence if you have to,” she advised. A Connecticut native, McKenzie grew up riding with her sisters at a local hunter-jumper barn and fell in love with horses. She
- Published in Sidelines Feature
CANTER Pennsylvania: The Bridge Between Track and Homes for OTTBs
Monday, July 08 2019
By Britney Grover Many Thoroughbreds are born and bred to race. Some of them love to run and would finish a race riderless; others never quite hit their stride on the track. But they all deserve caring homes when they retire from an injury, lack of competitiveness or after a long and successful racing career.
- Published in Sidelines Spotlight
CANTER Kentucky: On the Forefront of Rehoming American Ex-Racehorses
Wednesday, May 23 2018
By Britney Grover Known as CANTER, the Communication Alliance to Network Thoroughbred Ex-Racehorses is now a nationwide effort to help find off-the-track Thoroughbreds (OTTBs) new homes, and has succeeded in transitioning over 25,000 OTTBs nationwide. CANTER is run 100 percent by volunteers both at a national level and in each of the 18 independent affiliate
- Published in Weekly Feature
Susan MacRae: Dedicated to Thoroughbreds
Monday, February 19 2018
By Lauren R. Giannini Horses give us wings. In return, we take care of magnificent creatures that are prone to injury, illness and balky attitudes. The extreme ups and downs of partnership with horses demand bottomless reserves of optimism and strength of spirit; even so, we keep coming back for more because we’re horse-crazy and
- Published in General
New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program: Every Horse Deserves a Home
Thursday, July 13 2017
By Britney Grover Since its founding in 1992, New Vocations has become the largest racehorse adoption program in the United States. It was created to offer safety, rehabilitation, retraining and ultimately new lives to retiring racehorses, whether due to injury or performance. When horses leave racing careers, many are injured and most are underweight. Having
- Published in General
The TAKE2 Second Career Thoroughbred Program
Wednesday, May 31 2017
Rick Violette, Jr. got his start in the equine industry showing hunters and jumpers on the East Coast circuit. He also galloped racehorses part time before opting to make a career at the racetrack. Now, as president of the TAKE2 Second Career Thoroughbred Program, Inc., Rick is combining all of his equestrian experience to help
- Published in General
roving Versatility Coast to Coast – Valerie Ashker Took Her Passion For OTTBs On The Road With A 3,300 Mile Journey
Friday, May 19 2017
By Lauren R. Giannini It sounded like a Hollywood promo for a movie: 60-year-old equestrian and her friend ride two ex-racehorses 3,300 miles coast to coast to prove that off-the-track Thoroughbreds are phenomenal riding horses. It actually happened in 2016 when Valerie Ashker took her passion for OTTBs on the road, literally, accompanied by Peter
- Published in General, Sidelines Spotlight
Cassidy Sitton – Thoroughbreds in Her Blood
Thursday, January 19 2017
By Stacy Bromley Cheetham You don’t need to spend long with Cassidy Sitton to realize why she has such a dedicated group of riders in her barn — her smile and sense of humor are contagious, and her commitment and passion for the sport of eventing are truly special. That sense of humor and passion
- Published in General
Seabiscuit: A Four-Legged California Movie Star
Tuesday, March 08 2016
By Susan Friedland-Smith Scrolling through Facebook, it’s not unusual for me to see pictures of friends posting horse show images, but a timeline photo I saw recently of my friend Natalie jumping a cute bay stopped me in my tracks. “I had so much fun on the movie star Seabiscuit, aka Fred, at the Thoroughbred
- Published in General, Sidelines Feature