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 […]
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Limelight shines on OTTBs at Equine Affaire
Their coats glistening, their tack polished, nine off-track Thoroughbreds took center stage this past weekend beneath the lights of the Equine Affaire Coliseum. During a brief appearance they demonstrated their prowess at a variety of disciplines showing no signs of, in some cases, very troubled pasts. As they trotted around the large indoor arena, moving in rhythm with their riders, a broodmare and racemare who each escaped the slaughter pipeline moved out with the grace of any other show horse attending the three-day equestrian event. “I think it was great,” says Christina Sawelsky of Sharon, Mass. She was one of […]
