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Barkinspider had a body score of 2 out of 10 when he was found on the Louisiana roadside.

Roadside-rescue colt is children’s show pony

Nobody was looking for Barkinspider the day the shockingly thin colt was collected from a Louisiana roadside like a heap of discarded trash. Just another unwanted ex-racehorse of no particular value, the petite gray T’bred’s coat had fallen out in patches where the rain rot had gotten to it, and his eyes had dulled with a look of defeat. When horse-rescue personnel from the Lafayette Parish Animal Control led him onto a trailer to drive him to safety, he offered neither protest nor fight. It was as if the energy to hope for a better life had been drained away by that […]

Maker's Mark  Sponsorship during the 2014 Keeneland Spring Meet with Wise Dan. Photo courtesy Rood & Riddle

Rood & Riddle to fete Wise Dan’s comeback

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital has announced that an award honoring the remarkable Thoroughbred champion Wise Dan will be presented at Hats Off Day on July 30 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. The Rood & Riddle Comeback Award is given to an equine athlete who overcame a major health complication and returned to elite competition. “We are pleased to present the inaugural Rood & Riddle Comeback Award to Wise Dan. Wise Dan exemplifies the characteristics of an outstanding athlete who suffered a major health issue and returned to compete successfully,” said Tom Riddle, DVM. Wise Dan, owned by […]

Valerie Ashker and her entourage has crossed into Colorado on horseback. She is attempting to cross the USA riding or walking her OTTBs.

OTTBs log 1,000 miles on cross-country trek

Navigating tricky terrain and nursing broken bones, Valerie Ashker and her off-track Thoroughbreds crossed into Colorado this week, logging nearly 1,000 miles on a cross-country trek to prove the merits of the mighty ex-racehorse Thoroughbred. Primitivo and Solar Express, opposite horses in so many ways, have had their ears pricked forward in shared enthusiasm for a daily walk or jog toward the east coast. “They’re doing incredible,” Ashker says. “It was really perfect to take the two of them, because they’re both so different. Solar is rangier and comes from the Damascus/ Buckpasser line. Tivo is smaller and has a […]