Rood & Riddle Q&A: Time for a diet
Hardworking athletes need a high-octane diet. Whether we’re talking about Rocky Balboa and his famed raw-egg diet in the movie Rocky, or a daring racehorse who needs extra grain to fuel that burst of speed down the racetrack, the premise is the same: hardworking bodies require a specialized diet. And when a racehorse is eased from track life and into a less taxing career or even a backyard farm, a critical part of that transition becomes diet. New owners of ex-racehorses often tweak the diet of their new companion, considering how to do it safely without sudden change that can […]
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Swimming with a Thoroughbred recaptures joy
The water rippled and swirled before his pawing hoof. He was unsure. A lake, after all, was not part of the customary scenery for a typical racehorse and Kim’s Rahy, a veteran of the track, wasn’t so sure he wanted to find out what it was. But his rider was sure. With the same certainty that guided Laurie Tuozzolo to choose the former Suffolk Downs racer as her next horse, she knew that if he would just get in, he’d like it. So she hopped off his back, and holding the reins, walked calmly into the water ahead of him. […]
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Ex-racehorse surges onward with armored rider
Left in an Ontario pasture for years, High on the Rye looked wasted. Flaccid muscles that once rippled with strength were barely able to support his weight. His front hooves curved inward, and in order to support his body weight, the once graceful racehorse contorted his back legs so far forward that he stood with all four feet awkwardly close together. Jenny Mutter entered the forgotten racehorse’s life hoping to find a foxhunting prospect. He looked pretty good in the picture she saw online. But on the day they met, he didn’t look nearly so well. “The first thing I […]
