Unlocking the secrets of a Craigslist t’bred

Steady Smiler is a Stakes Placed T'bred who was sold from Craig's List to a woman who took the time to unlock his secrets. Hint: he likes to stare at mountains.

Steady Smiler is a Stakes Placed T’bred who was sold from Craigslist to a woman who took the time to unlock his secrets. Hint: he likes to stare at mountains.

It was such a low place for a classy and complicated horse to wind up.

Steady Smiler, a graded stakes placed warhorse who raced past age 10, but was sound as a bell and statuesque at 17 hands, was just another horse listed on Craigslist when Amy Grayson happened to spot him among the backyard breds and cow ponies.

“I figured out that by the time I bought him in April 2010, he had passed through seven race owners,” Grayson says. “I bought him from someone who hadn’t had him for very long, and who listed him on Craigslist when he didn’t work out with another home.”

Soon after getting him home to Richmond, Indiana Grayson understood why the beautiful animal didn’t stick with his last home. He was aloof, distant, and refused to be pushed into anything new. “He would melt down if I tried to take him off the property,” she says.

Steady Smiler
Barn name: Steady
Sire: Repletion
Dam: Song and a Smile
Foal date: March 28, 2000
Earnings: $322,980, 75 starts
Finally, unable to figure out what made Steady click, she tracked down his original owner Shawn Maybin and she delightedly explained Steady Smiler’s unique approach to work.

In his racing heyday, Steady Smiler didn’t breeze until he said it was time to breeze. And this was typically after he’d meandered out onto the track and taken a good, long look around. “Shawn told me he’d go to the end of the track and stop and stare at the mountains.

Sometimes he stood there for 20 minutes just taking it all in,” she says. “When he was done, he went right to work.”

Like a master key, that little bit of information unlocked the door to training her new Thoroughbred!

Amy Grayson and Steady Smiler figured each other out and learned to trust.

Amy Grayson and Steady Smiler figured each other out and learned to trust.

Rather than push her horse into doing something that made him uncomfortable, she eased him into it. To coax him to venture off property, she took him out everyday, a little further each time, until finally, they had the trust in each other that would put them in line to begin showing. She started competing him in the fall of 2010 and they won a very small show their first time out.

He even competed last month at the Hagyard Mid South Team Challenge under a different rider, who filled in for Grayson as she recuperated from an appendectomy. That he trusted another rider was testament to the slow and steady training and the bond they built, she says, noting that once she had the key, her big horse learned to approach each challenge with boldness.

“He now jumps anything I point him at. He will go anywhere I ask him to. But, had I not slowed down and given him the time to connect with me and trust me, I don’t know if he ever would have become the big, bold and confident horse he is,” she says, adding, “I think about him ending up on Craigslist. There are times I think he deserved to find something bigger than what he has in my backyard.

“He’s the kind of horse who’s like a person who just fills a room with their presence. He’s so brave and athletic. I’m just glad I found him and took the time to figure him out.” ♥

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13 responses to “Unlocking the secrets of a Craigslist t’bred”

  1. Lynne Jones

    What a great thing for a great horse. HE deserved to find the right person to work with him and take the time to figure him out. Great beginnings for both of you and I wish you many winnings in your future endeavors.

  2. suzy armacost

    I have two Thoroughbred fillies off the track, ready for their new forever homes. I am on Face Book. My farm is, Pleasant Meadow Farm New Oxford PA. 443-974-3211

    1. Nancy Turmell-Richards

      Thank you for not advertising the fillies on Craig’s list. I work with an anti-slaughter group and we are working hard to identify KB’s showing interest in a horse and send an emergency email to the owner identifying the interested buyer as a KB. Owners are thankful we alerted them. Unfortunately, it’s an ongoing struggle. Thanks again, and Merry Christmas!

  3. Johnna drazetic

    I’ve been working with CANTER for 4 years now and have had the privlage of working with several war horses. They are so very special, each has their own set way approaching their new lives. Finding that key is often hard we have also had to call prior trainers for some tricks! But their heart makes it so worth everything. Thank you for making a home for such a wonderful boy.

  4. stephanie

    I have found the best horses on Craigslist! Nice to see someone giving him a chance!

  5. jane

    your backyard is obviously big enough for what he needed.

  6. Shannon

    Amy, it sounds like he couldn’t have done ANY better than ending up in your care. What a lovely ending for this beautiful horse. From one OTTB owner to another, so happy for you both.

  7. Stephanie Morse

    I’m also glad YOU found him

  8. Michelle Y.

    I am sure he is so happy to have landed with you!!

  9. Lia

    Thanks for taking the time with a horse no one wanted. Such a shame that he earned someone all that money, and he ended up on Craigslist. Happy you found him & thank you!

  10. Mary Butler

    I am sure that he thinks that he hit the jackpot with you and your backyard!
    Great job and great story

  11. Julia

    I read her blog all the time! She and Steady have come a long way. She’s proof that patience pays off!

  12. Jon

    Beautiful jumper.

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