Pikulski: All horses matter, deserve happiness
Diana Pikulski’s unwavering commitment to 825 ex-racehorses in the care of the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation is, in part, an extension of her core belief in the sanctity of animal life, a powerful feeling dating back to childhood and a memory of lamb slaughter. She was 12 years old when she and her family visited a farm to buy ducks, and she unexpectedly saw lambs being slaughtered. Decades later, she vividly recalls the scene that changed her life. “I became a vegetarian after that, because once I made the connection between what I saw that day and the food on my plate, I said, this is not food for me,” […]
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Three Angels, a horse for whom love conquers all
With funny ears and a habit of placing her muzzle on her owner’s face when being spoken to, a racemare who spent her racing years in obscurity has emerged into the spotlight. Three Angels, a 12-year-old bay who ran primarily at Suffolk Downs in Boston before retiring together with her former groom Laurie Pagliarini Tuozzolo, recently participated in an OTTB breed demo at Equine Affaire. In and of itself, the flatwork and the venue were hardly the stuff of the Olympics, but the path to that show ring, fraught with uncertainty and a life-threatening illness, was worth far more than […]
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Mission Complete: OTTBs near end of USA ride
As the days dwindle down and the finish line of a 3,300-mile ride to prove the valor of the off-track Thoroughbred draws near, Valerie Ashker’s eyes fill with tears. “Every time I think about this ride, I really start crying,” says Ashker, who expects to complete her journey on horseback, from California to Virginia, this Saturday. Along with riding partner and friend Peter Friedman, the pair has climbed mountains and sustained falls and broken bones on a trip that started on clear day in May. “Looking back on the entirety of this, I’d say it’s been the ride of a […]
