Witty Bill breathes life into bereft barn

Bill makes the scene in blue

What Sue Hutchinson remembers of those last moments spent with her 29-year-old Thoroughbred Presidential Way, has the sharp focus and detail that comes from reliving the day, again and again.

“It was a Wednesday last July, and he was in the barn like he always was, waiting to be fed. He usually went in around 5 a.m. to wait for someone to feed him. If somebody didn’t come by 6, he’d start hollering,” she says. “When I walked in on this morning, he was in the founder’s stance.”

A foundering horse, or one who has developed laminitis, a leading cause of premature death in horses, characteristically stands in an exaggerated fashion to alleviate pressure on the affected hoof.

When Hutchinson saw how P Way, as she calls him, was standing, she knew immediately. It had been about a month since he started additional grain in his diet in attempts to put weight on him. But weight was difficult to keep on him since he developed Cushing’s Syndrome the year before. “He just got old really quickly,” she recalls.

Time seemed to go in slow motion after she found P Way that morning. The wait for the veterinarian to arrive seemed interminable, and with each passing moment, P Way’s pain got worse.

Stat Box
Race Name: Witty Bill
Sire: Conveyor
Dam: Smartenette
Foal date: March 4, 1998
“When the vet arrived he had me walk him over to the fence” a short distance from the barn, and with skill and kindness the animal’s suffering was put to an end.

“That day was just so terrible. He was so special to me,” Hutchinson says.

Over the next year, the Vermont nurse got on with life, working for a nearby health clinic and keeping busy with everyday routines. Not to mention, she still had her other horse, a Standardbred mare named Franc, to ride.

But her daughter Randee noticed Hutchinson was still so sad after losing the horse she’d owned for 10 years. So her only daughter, and fellow rider, took matters into her own hands.

She started looking for another Thoroughbred for her mom, and discovered ex-racehorse Witty Bill listed on CANTER New England’s Facebook page.

The 11-year-old ex-racehorse had spent the last five years in a nearby Macrae’s Farm in Concord, N.H., where he received “wonderful care.” It was just too convenient not to at least go have a look at him.

“I knew when I met Bill that he was right for us,” she says.

She took Bill home on May 22 and is teaching him to take relaxing trail rides on snow paths through her hilly neighborhood. Bill is figuring out how to walk, trot and relax on the shadowy trails, and Hutchinson is learning her horse’s little idiosyncrasies. “He doesn’t like mud, unless he’s rolling in it. And he doesn’t like a fly mask. Put one on, he’ll take it off,” she says, noting that it’s still a mystery how he gets the mask off in tact.

Having grown up with a Thoroughbred bought for her as a little girl, Hutchinson waited a long time to rekindle that love.

You can lead Bill to water

And while she’s quick to point out that she loves her mare, there is just something about a Thoroughbred. “They’re demeanor is like a big, playful dog. “ Presidential Way rekindled the childhood joy she felt riding Thoroughbreds, while he quietly taught just about every kid in her neighborhood how to ride.

Now Hutchinson’s barn is again filled with the antics and new life of another off-track Thoroughbred, but P Way left some pretty big shoes to fill.

Recalling that last walk together, Hutchinson describes the Herculean effort the horse made to follow his owner to where the vet stood waiting.

“He had to walk about 400 feet up a grassy knoll, so that he would be on the side of the barn and not in the front,” she says. “He gave me all the effort he could to walk up that knoll, no question. He gave 100 percent, like always.”

9 responses to “Witty Bill breathes life into bereft barn”

  1. Natalie Keller Reinert

    Oh Thoroughbreds! They truly fill a horse-shaped hole as nothing else can.

    1. Susan Salk

      A horse-shaped hole that nothing else can fill. Wow. You are a gifted writer. 🙂

  2. Wendy Landin

    Presidential Way raced an amazing 145 times. ‘Gotta love those iron horses!

    Every horse has something unique to offer us. Nothing will ever replace P Way or the relationship you had with him, but in forging a new friendship with Bill and focusing on what makes him special, over time some of the pain of your loss will be eased.

  3. ALSPharmD

    Wonderful story. I dread the day I have to make the same decision Sue did with one of my beasties. I’m glad she decided to give another deserving OTTB a home.

  4. TBDancer

    Can’t beat an OTTB for their heart, their joy, their heart full of “try.” If I had the time and facilities, I’d have a barnful. Witty Bill has fallen into a tub of butter with Sue, and he won’t let her down.

  5. Sharla Sanders, Founder The Second Race

    Lovely tribute to a fallen friend. Cheers to the new budding relationship as well. Love the ex-racers!

    1. Susan Salk

      Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment. I would love to write about The Second Race on the blog at some point.

  6. Blue Blue Sea

    Love this article! It is so true about the TB breed.

    1. Susan Salk

      Thank you kindly.

Leave a Reply to Susan Salk Cancel reply