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Miss CT pledges to be ambassador for horses

By on July 7, 2014

Acacia Courtney is crowned Miss Connecticut in June. The young founder of 501 c 3 nonprofit Racing for Home, Inc., pledges to be an ambassador for horses. Photo courtesy Steve Smith, vice president, Miss America Scholarship Corp.

Acacia Courtney is crowned Miss Connecticut in June. The young founder of 501 c 3 nonprofit Racing for Home, Inc., pledges to be an ambassador for horses. Photo by Catherine Fiehn

Miss America hopeful Acacia Courtney pledges to bring horse-welfare awareness to a broader audience as she competes this September for the crown.

Fresh off her win in the Miss Connecticut pageant June 14, in which she spoke passionately to judges about her work in horse rescue, and of her professional goals to cover horse racing as a broadcast journalist, Courtney described her desire to become an ambassador of the sport of racing, and of horse rescue.

No stranger to the joys of a rescue horse, Courtney saved her dappled gray ex-racehorse Perfect Love from the Camelot Auction in 2011. (Please see an earlier story in Off-TrackThoroughbreds.com) From the moment she clipped on the lead rope, and walked beside the frightened mare to a waiting trailer, Courtney was hooked.

“Clipping that lead rope to her halter was a big moment in my life,” Courtney says in an earlier interview. “There were so many horses who wouldn’t make it out of there, and there was a big trailer backed up to a loading ramp, ready to take them to slaughter. It was very chilling.”

Shortly after, Courtney founded Racing for Home, Inc., a certified 501 c 3 nonprofit, which has since re-homed 15 horses.

Her passion for horses and racing were topics discussed during the interview portion of Miss Connecticut. She was queried on her opinion of Triple Crown contender California Chrome, and the chestnut steed’s outspoken co-owner Steve Coburn.

But she made sure she got in a word about less famous racehorses, and the fate that can befall some.

Acacia and Perfect Love en route from Camelot Auction House in 2011.

Acacia and Perfect Love en route from Camelot Auction House in 2011.

“The judges asked me about racing, and our conversation had a lot to do with the excitement surrounding California Chrome and they asked what I thought of Chrome’s owner (Steve Coburn) — I told them I didn’t think the rules of the Triple Crown should be changed” as Coburn suggested after his loss in the Belmont Stakes. “But, I told them I also really respected that he apologized on TV” for his animated outburst after his loss. Coburn was widely criticized in the press and social media for being a sore loser when Chrome failed to deliver the Triple Crown.

“We had a great conversation about it. Afterwards, the judges asked if there was one question I hoped they would have asked, and I said I was hoping they’d ask about my nonprofit Racing for Home,” she says. “I explained that not only have I rescued 15 off-track Thoroughbreds, but the experience has taught me to be a businesswoman, a fundraiser, and to market a brand.”

In addition to her equestrian and rescue accomplishments, Courtney, 21, of Hamden, Conn., is a gifted dancer. She performed ballet en pointe during the talent portion of the Miss Connecticut competition, and is also proficient in Jazz, musical theater and international ballroom dancing styles. She has studied at Steps on Broadway, the Joffrey Ballet School, and the American Ballet Theatre. And was a semifinalist out of 90 contestants in the 2009 Youth American Ballet Grand Prix Ballet Competition.

Her win mid-June at Miss Connecticut has her “walking on air” but her work back at the barn, where she stables the beautiful gray mare she saved, keeps her grounded.

“There are so many horses who need a home,” she says in an earlier interview. “Some of the most rewarding moments I’ve had with my horse have been in the show ring, when I tell people that this beautiful horse who looks so flashy is a half-blind ex-racehorse we rescued from a feedlot.”

Off-TrackThoroughbreds.com congratulates Acacia Courtney and will be rooting for her victory at the Miss America Finals Sept. 14!

 

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Blinded Everglades horse ribbons at HITS Ocala

By on July 4, 2014

Prodigioso, abandoned two years ago near the Florida Everglades—blind, burned, emaciated—ribboned at HITS Ocala last month. ESI Photography

Prodigioso, abandoned two years ago near the Florida Everglades—blind, burned, emaciated—ribboned at HITS Ocala last month. ESI Photography

Author’s note: A repeat this morning. Happy 4th of July!

Prodigioso, the burned and battered racehorse who was left to die on a desolate stretch of Florida Everglades, returned to the sunshine state this month to compete at the highly rated HITS Ocala series.

Glossy and confident, Prodigioso carried owner and rider Robin Hannah into the ribbons in every under-saddle class, and also won ribbons in all but two over-fences classes, she reports.

“He did extremely well, especially considering he was the greenest horse in the competition,” Hannah says. “People were amazed when I told them he’d just recently learned to do jumps, and here he was, at his first rated show, jumping 2-foot-6.”

More amazing still was that Prodigioso was there at all.

Two years earlier, the chestnut ex-racehorse was discovered by the SPCA on a lonely stretch of road that slices through sugarcane near the Everglades. Chained to a cinderblock, Prodigioso was freshly blinded in one eye, burned, emaciated, and terrified.

Trembling as he walked onto the rescue van, Prodigioso looked like a lost cause, but his rescuers refused to give up on him. He was taken to Thoroughbred charity Florida TRAC, and for eight months, he received tender loving care from Celia Scarlett and a team of volunteers.

Prodigioso
Sire: Southern Leader
Dam: Spirited Affair
Foal date: March 14, 2007In an earlier interview with Off-TrackThoroughbreds.com, Scarlett recalls how it took Prodigioso six months to shed his nonstop fear.Please see earlier article here.

And when the poor fellow was ready to be offered for sale eight months after his rescue, few wanted a partially blind horse; but the miracles kept on coming.

Adopted by Niagara, Canada horseman Marilyn Lee-Hannah and her equestrian daughter Robin Hannah, the pair looked past his slightly malformed blind eye, , and decided to shout his story from the rooftops.

In addition to the interview with Off-TrackThoroughbreds.com, they granted interviews to a local Canadian television station, and they recounted his story at the Thoroughbreds Makeover National Symposium at Pimlico last year. He was given a hero’s welcome after he trotted onto the fabled racetrack and performed alongside Thoroughbreds who had not been through nearly so much. (Please see that story here).

Prodigioso and Hannah share a quiet moment at during their three-week stay at HITS Ocala

Prodigioso and Hannah share a quiet moment at during their three-week stay at HITS Ocala

At the Pimlico show, Prodigioso stood out because of his story.

At HITS Ocala, Prodigioso stood out for his showing acumen.

“Nobody really knew his other story,” Hannah says. “A few people noticed his eye and asked about it. But the reason he stood out was because he was perfect.”

He didn’t turn a hair when he walked into the ring—nothing fazed him. “He just went right in, jumped every jump—it was kind of shocking, but then again, maybe not, because he is such an awesome horse.”

Prodigioso competed in classes with 10 to 12 other Thoroughbreds, very high-rated show animals who had more experience under their belts, she says, noting that Prodigioso still managed to be in the top four finishers in every under-saddle show, and he ribboned in all but two over-fences.

Prodigioso just returned home to Canada after three weeks at HITS. He will rest up for the upcoming Trillion shows, and if all goes well, will be entered in the A Circuit Baby Greens this summer.

To think that a horse left for dead, scarred and battered, could embrace people again, work for them, shine for them, is a thing that “humbles” Hannah. “It’s shameful what we do to them, and they still love us,” she says in her earlier interview, adding, “I always say that this is the most special horse I’ve ever had.”

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How Valerie Ashker finds 4-star T-breds

By on July 3, 2014

Valerie Ashker at Crow's Ear Farm in California, where she raises and trains Thoroughbred sport horses.

Valerie Ashker at Crow’s Ear Farm in California, where she raises and trains Thoroughbred sport horses.

In three minutes, Valerie Ashker can tell if a Thoroughbred on a racetrack backside is bold enough to become a four-star sport horse.

“When you’re picking a horse out for someone, it’s that first impression that’s so critical, but it’s hard to explain,” says Ashker, proprietor of Crow’s Ear Farm in California, mother of top eventer Lainey Ashker, and Thoroughbred talent scout. “You have to look for a horse that wants to do the Super Bowl. I ask myself when I see a horse, ‘is there a keenness, is the head up and does he look like he’s the cock of the walk?’ ”

Over the years, Ashker has found great T-bred sport horses for some of the best riders, including Stephen Bradley, Kim Severson, Skyeler Icke Voss, Kristen Bond and Doug Payne. And Becky Holder has also worked with Ashker.

In this week’s Clubhouse Q&A, Ashker talks about her first great Thoroughbred sport horse Eight Saint James Place (Jockey Club: Catch the Sand Man) and how her affiliation with the great competitor informed a life spent championing her daughter’s stellar career, and helping other superstars find their Thoroughbred match.

Q: One special Thoroughbred made you a true believer in the value and talent of the breed.

Eight Saint James Place (JC: Catch the Sand Man) was the Thoroughbred sport horse who put the Ashkers on the map. Here he is with Lainey Ashker. Photo courtesy Valerie Ashker

Eight Saint James Place (JC: Catch the Sand Man) was the Thoroughbred sport horse who put the Ashkers on the map. Here he is with Lainey Ashker. Photo courtesy Valerie Ashker

Eight Saint James Place put us on the map. He was my horse and when I moved east with Lainey, she begrudgingly took the horse to Groton House. She didn’t really like him at first, but he was all I had, and so she said, “I guess I’ll ride him.” But after, she came back with a huge smile on her face. That horse took her all the way to Rolex, twice.

He died of an aneurism in 2007 at age 16 after completing Jersey Fresh. (Please see Lainey Ashker’s blog entry here).

That horse was all heart and he raised the bar for us. Everything Lainey learned as a rider they learned together. She wasn’t advanced when she started on him, and she’s the rider she is today because of that horse.

Q: How do you find the diamond in the rough when looking for a Thoroughbred sport horse?

Valerie and Lainey Ashker, a mother-daughter team who cherish the heart of the Thoroughbred sport horse.

Valerie and Lainey Ashker are a mother-daughter team who cherish the heart of the Thoroughbred sport horse.

One thing to remember is that you can’t judge a book by its cover. By that I mean they are not necessarily the horses with the best breeding. I’ve taken three backyard-breds to Rolex, and I’ve had horses I’ve gotten for people who some people, quiet frankly, wouldn’t want. When I found Jaime at Pleasanton Fairgrounds in California, all I saw was his faces sticking over the stall door with a big star.

The first thing I look for is that keenness. They need to have an attitude, they need to be bold, as if they’re saying, ‘Hey, look at me!’

Q: Once a Thoroughbred demonstrates the personality, you need to see them shake a tail feather.

I never want to see them lunging. I always ask to see them turned out so I can see how they move on their own. A good mover is critical for Eventing today. You need to have a horse with natural movement that can put them in the top 10 after the first day, because it’s too hard playing catchup (gaining points) after a poor Dressage test.

People are breeding for Dressage movement today, so it’s important to find a horse who has a open, reach-y, ground-covering movement with a push-from-behind trot. I have to see that in the Thoroughbreds I choose, and I also have to see an uphill carriage.

Q: Sometimes you see a horse so naturally gifted you can’t sleep at night.

Office Space in flight. Photo courtesy Skyeler

Argyle (JC: Office Space) in flight. Photo courtesy Skyeler Icke Voss

I got this horse for Skyeler Icke Voss. He’s a gray, rather hot, gorgeous mover named Office Hours. She renamed him Argyle. When I saw him turned loose about a year ago, he was such a gorgeous mover that I actually went to a claiming race at Los Alamitos to claim him. It was a huge ordeal. I befriended a trainer to help me, and we claimed that horse on the evening he won. I was so excited you’d think we’d won the Derby. Then I brought him up to my farm in California and worked with him. He’s fabulous today. He’s one of Skyler’s top horses.

Q: What is your overall impression of how Thoroughbred sport horses are perceived today?

Thoroughbreds are my passion, and you’ll never see me breeding anything other than an American Thoroughbred. Because what stands up to all other breeds is their heart. You can’t X-ray the heart to see what’s in it. You have to nurture it.

And because of the work by people like Steuart Pittman (Retired Racehorse Project), who I love and adore, and riders like Lynn Symansky, who just got picked for the US Team, people like that are helping to shine a light on the Thoroughbred sport horse along with the Jockey Club’s TIP (Thoroughbred Incentive Program). These horses from day 1 all need to have a second career in their futures, and now awareness is growing that there are some really good (sport) horses out there in the ranks of retired racehorses.

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Author’s note: Off-TrackThoroughbreds.com launched e-commerce site Off-TrackProducts this month. We offer two saddle pad styles and a show cooler with a sporty logo, which features an oval, symbolic of a Thoroughbred’s race career, and the horse running free. Please check it out if you wish. And thank you for enjoying the blog!

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