Posts Tagged ‘racing’
The Saga of the 52 Thoroughbreds
I must begin this blog entry with this information:
I know some of you just got this, but the horses have been placed. There is no need to post about them ANYMORE. It is over.
In case you SOMEHOW have been in a coma for three days and missed it, here is the original posting
Now, let’s review the whole clusterfuck of a situation and discuss what we think is true and what isn’t. I have determined the following: Someone is lying. I’m smart like that. 
Indisputable fact #1: Dr. Stearns really did die. R.I.P.
Indisputable fact #2: Dr. Stearns really did have a lot of Thoroughbreds, and his survivors were uninterested in continuing his breeding program.
Now the story begins to diverge. The person who takes responsibility for the posting is Lynn Boggs, per this article today in The Horse. The story Boggs tells is that Dr. Stearns son did indeed intend for the horses to go to auction if they weren’t placed within a week:
“After Sterns’ son dismantled his father’s breeding and racing farm, he gave Boggs and her boyfriend, Jerry Noss, a week to find homes for the 52 horses. He planned to send any unadopted animals to auction.”
Man, he dismantled that farm FAST if his dad died on January 27th!
Boggs then backpedals (probably because Dr. Stearns son is ready to sue her ass, how much do you want to bet?) and says she never mentioned slaughter. But she doesn’t seem to have a problem with the fact that this made its way into the posting as it traveled around the ‘net, and seems to have decided the threat of The Truck was a pretty damn good marketing method.
“Although Boggs avoided mentioning “slaughter” in her original posting, subsequent posts by other concerned parties mentioned this as a possibility, should the horses not find new homes. “I didn’t want to say slaughter; I hate that word,” she said, noting she didn’t believe they would have that end. She thinks the post gained even more momentum when the word “slaughter” entered the description.”
1. I hate the word? Um, I hate the act. How can you hate the word? That’s stupid.
2. Of course they were gonna ship to kill, they were a whole shit-load of Thoroughbreds that were going to go to auction in Ohio in the middle of winter. Where the hell else were they gonna go- the garden shed? Maybe a handful would have gotten into actual homes.
3. You think it gained momentum when the ax was raised over the horses’ heads? Yeah, so do Chri$ty and $am. You guys ought to hold a horse marketing seminar.
The problem with threatening slaughter if horses are not placed is that somebody has to be the bad guy. In an attempt to learn the actual truth, Katie Merwick of Second Chance Ranch called the vet clinic old Dr. Stearns used to practice at and asked them. They told the following version:
“They ALL went to other owners/trainers and members of the racing community. These were very well bred, healthy horses. All have good homes. They were never, ever at any risk of slaughter. The son has worked tirelessly with the community to get the horses into safe homes. This is per the manager of the veterinary clinic.”
So the reason I am blogging about this today is so that we can play the eternally popular game: WHO IS THE LIAR HERE? Is it Ms. Boggs, who slandered Mr. Stearns by painting him as an eeevil guy about to send his deceased father’s horses to kill and painted herself as a heroine? Or is it Mr. Stearns, who really WAS going to send the horses to kill except for Ms. Boggs’ Internet blitz which saved their lives? I know that if we talk about this long enough, the insiders will crawl out of the woodwork and the truth will come out — it always does!
Here’s what I really want: I want a list of the Stearns horses, so we can Internet stalk them and see if they wind up at Sugarcreek or another auction after all. Who has got that? One possibility that has come to my mind — maybe I’m just a skeptic — is that these horses are being quietly shuttled off to auction anyway. I mean, how the hell do you place 52 horses in a couple of days? Really? Who has them? Can we track this? Where did they go?
I know everybody wants to believe the fairytale that FACEBOOK SAVED 52 THOROUGHBREDS! but you guys know, I live in the land of reality and skepticism…and I want to hear what really happened here!
Thoroughbreds in British Columbia – MUST go by Sunday!
Cross posting this here – I would love to hear that some of you have gotten them to safety. I’m particularly curious if he still has the nice Woodman son or not. If you are local and end up getting pics, pedigrees, etc. PLEASE send them to me and I will post.
Thoroughbreds HAVE to go by Sunday
Now, I know that some of you would like to give this person a piece of your mind, and I almost didn’t cross post this because I know some of you probably will, no matter what I say. All I can say is, let’s use a little common sense. If you tell him off, he is going to say eff you guys and sell them for meat. I do not believe he is going to get $500 a piece for meat, so I would certainly encourage anyone interested to make a more reasonable offer. You know, bite your tongue and go in there and be polite no matter how you feel – do you want the horse safe or not? I have smiled and been nice walking into horrible humane case situations, and you can, too.
I have a special soft spot for Mr. Prospector horses. They are super snuggly as a rule and just awesome to ride. So I hope that some of these do get to safety!
Greedy bastard, I hope you burn in Hell
And I hope your insurance companies denies your claim, Bruno Schickedanz.
Read the story
Okay. So you have a Horse of the Year who won over a million dollars and you coincidentally decide to put him back on the track at age thirteen after he becomes sterile?
No, I’m sure you didn’t have any eeevil motives at all.
This horse was my friend. I would pat him every day. But in racing, unfortunately, these things happen.†– Schickedanz
The horse may have been YOUR friend but you sure as hell weren’t HIS or you would have gelded him and then you COULD have pet him every day. Or you could have given him to a good home and let him have a second career in the show ring. I mean, if he was still sound enough to be in race training, I guess he probably could have handled the show ring.
But, no. His swimmers weren’t swimming. I guess you forgot to insure that part, huh? So gee, how to recover your investment…I KNOW! Put him back on the track ’til he has a catastrophic breakdown. Problem solved.
I really do hope the insurance denies this asshat’s claim. If you really have to be told that a thirteen year old should not return from sitting on his ass at a breeding farm for the past three years and go back into race training, you are way too stupid to own racehorses. I don’t think this was stupid. It’s my opinion that it was most likely deliberate, and I hope to hear that this is being investigated. If the rules prohibited a horse over ten from racing there unless it has won in the past year, and he was raced anyway, will Schickedanz be sanctioned? Shouldn’t he KNOW the rules? I have to know the rules when I go to a horseshow, aren’t racehorse owners and trainers expected to know the rules at the track?
He sure would have made a damn cute hunter, wouldn’t he? What a shame. What a pointless waste. 
Rest in peace, you beautiful horse.
A Step-by-Step Guide: How to Rehome Your Failed Racehorse!
I honestly do want people to learn how to rehome their failed racehorse (or other kind of competition horse!) responsibly, so let’s talk about how to do that today. We’ll start with racehorses, but I’m totally open to discussion about how to find new homes for other kinds of competition horses in the comments. A lot of the advice will be the same.
For racehorses:
I. Is your horse sound? That is the first question. Please have a vet (not your trainer’s usual vet) come in and evaluate him. If he’s sound, proceed to step I.a. If he’s not, proceed to step I.b.
- I.a. Your horse will need 3 months of layup time before he is ready to enter another type of training. This time period is necessary so that he can “come down” off of whatever your trainer has given him (and if you think your trainer does not do that, you might be surprised!) I once had a trainer warn me flat out, “be careful, we’ve been pumping him full of hormones to keep him going.” THANK YOU! Her comment saved me a lot of trouble wondering why this otherwise nice gelding wanted to eat other horses for lunch. It told me that the behavior was not his true self, and it wasn’t. He is a happy amateur hunter in Seattle these days, and no longer has any aggressive behaviors. So at this point you can proceed to either step I.a.1 or step I.a.2.
I.a.1 – Send your horse out for 3 months of pasture board. You will want to choose a facility with safe fence (no barbed wire, and hot tape is not usually enough to hold a fit racehorse). Horse fence (the small mesh), wood fence, panels, etc. are all good choices. If it is winter, your horse will need to be blanketed and may need to be stalled at night. He will need shelter in the pasture (not just trees). The barn owner should be experienced with detoxing Thoroughbreds and be able to evaluate your horse and figure out who he can safely be turned out with. Pull the shoes and have a quality farrier trim him every 8 weeks during this time period.
I.a.2 – Donate your horse to a reputable Thoroughbred rescue with a substantial donation ($1500 – $2000) to provide for their costs in rehabbing him. I’m no accountant, but this MAY be tax-deductible. Ask your accountant! Now, how do you find a reputable rescue? Visit in person, and also do your internet research. Read their web site and their contract. Make sure they do follow up visits! Look for one that can put you in touch with former adopters, and account for where their horses have gone after the track. Avoid any place with unsafe facilities, any place that seems to be desperate for money or cutting corners (low quality hay, long feet on the horses, etc.) and anybody who gives you the creeps. Listen to your instincts. If you do this, guess what, your job is DONE! You can wave goodbye to the horse and he’s no longer on your tab. If he needs a $5,000 colic surgery tomorrow, it’s no longer your problem.
Now, if your horse isn’t sound? Then we have step I.b – call a vet, get x-rays if necessary, find out what is up. The vet or vets (second opinions are always great!) will give you an idea if if your horse is going to come sound (proceed to step I.b.1) or isn’t (proceed to step I.b.2).
I.b.1 – Get the horse off the track and, depending on the vet’s recommendation, to where he can be on pasture or stall rest. This does not have to be wildly expensive. I know many places in the PNW where you can find decent full care board for $250-$300 a month. This is true in many parts of the country. Just make sure the staff can do whatever your horse needs, whether it’s wrapping, hand walking, cold hosing or whatever. And yes, those things will cost something extra but not as much as you’d pay for them at a high end TB lay-up facility. I understand that we all have bills to pay. You don’t have to go for the highest end option if you can’t afford it. Get the horse rehabbed and sound again and then you can bounce back to choosing between options I.a.2 or option II.
I.b.2 – This is a tough one. We would all LIKE to believe that someone wants to take our broken down horse and give him a good home, but in reality about 99% of the time, the horse will not have a good, permanent home. Kill buyers are VERY sneaky. They will send everything from little old ladies to 14 year old girls to try to get your broken down horse for free. The only way it’s really safe to place a horse as a companion horse is with someone you know VERY well, personally, at a place where you can visit and check up on his well being. If retirement board is an option or you have a home farm, awesome, it’d be great to see your horse enjoy that. But if it’s not, I will NEVER fault anyone for euthanasia. Euthanasia is much better than the auction or giving the horse away to someone who “seems nice.” People, I could have my readers post 500 stories of people who seemed nice who were either fronting for kill buyers or who starved their horse to death or nearly to death. I am NOT exaggerating. PLEASE believe me on this.
II. Okay, now, If you chose step I.a.1 or I.b.1, and the horse is detoxed and sound, it is time to do something with your OTTB. If you can’t do the work yourself of starting him in a new career, you will need to choose a quality trainer. Do some shopping around and ask questions. Most Thoroughbreds are going to be best suited for a hunter/jumper or dressage home, so a trainer in one of these specialties who can point to OTTB’s they’ve retrained is a good bet. Look for “success stories” — their OTTB’s are happily showing with their students. Look for a barn where the horses are good weight, the stalls are clean, fresh water is plentiful and horses do not seem stressed or crabby for the most part (one barn crank, sure, but not twenty). Ask your vet for a recommendation. Your farrier may also have some inside scoop on this. So will your local Thoroughbred rescue. What you are looking for is someone to put 30-90 days (whatever you can afford, more is better) on your horse and market him for sale. Typically the trainer will get paid for training and get a commission when you sell the horse. However, if the horse is tall and attractive, they may sell them for quite a lot and you may both be very happy! It is not unusual for a few months of training to turn a horse who had zero value the day of his last race into a $5,000 or even $10,000 horse, if he’s tall, attractive and a good mover. If he’s a sensible sort who will be amateur friendly, even better. This can be a very good investment, although as with everything, there are no guarantees. You may have to get personally involved in marketing the horse yourself – get good video, post him on all the “for sale” sites, and perhaps pay for some shows to get him out there so people can see him.
Yes, all of these things cost money but wouldn’t you rather be on my blog as a good guy/girl who put in the effort and now has a happy amateur or junior hunter or dressage horse out there to show for it? Look how good that makes your chosen sport of racing look when that happens. You guys all want racing to survive and thrive, right? So make a little investment in its image by doing as I recommend and you will see the payoff down the road!
Speaking of good owners, today I want to plug Keith Swaggerty of Swag Stables. When he heard that his homebred, Bucky B Lucky, was not so lucky and was in the kill pen at Enumclaw, Keith stepped right up with cash in hand to help a few others get Bucky to safety A.S.A.P.! Bucky was not on that lot for 24 hours after Keith found out. Now Bucky is a Second Chance Ranch horse, appropriate because now he has that second chance. I’m told he is a sweetie pie and should make a great horse for someone. Soundness, etc. all yet to be evaluated but this is one horse that did not go on the truck, and imagine how good the folks at Swag Stables feel knowing that they were able to rescue him even though they had not owned him for three years! A huge thanks also to his other donor and friend, Jeannette Parrett – who has a very cool horsey blog, Hoofprints Across My Heart.
UPDATE: He was a SCR horse this morning. Now I have an update that Save A Forgotten Equine decided to take him on because their volunteer coordinator, Jeannette, loves him so much! So Bucky will be available through SAFE.Â
Here’s another nice, already retrained OTTB for anyone looking. Her name is Tapatia and she’s 14 years old and out in Kennewick, Washington at SOS Equines. Well bred, sweet and quiet under saddle with a very affordable adoption fee!
Courage…it’s contagious!
“On 5/10/08, Edwin Vazquez, Sr., spent $25,000 to claim Mighty Beau for Michael J. Gill, from trainer Scott LakeMighty Beau didn’t run again for 4 months. On 9/2/08, he was dropped into a $16K claimer at Philadelphia Park – he finished 4th – the description of his race was “steadied; drifted out.”Just 12 days later, Gill drops him into a $20K claimer – at Delaware Park. Mighty Beau led, fell back to third at the turn, and continued to fall back – to last place – in the stretch despite strong urging from his jockey. The description of his race was “Stopped.”
Two and a half months later, on 11/29/08, Mighty Beau ran in the 3rd race – ]a $4K claimer – at Penn National. He broke down in the stretch. He’s gone.
A champion racer, winner of $646,000, ran the first half of 2008 for tags of from $25K to $32K as a 9 year old – and they drop him in a $4,000 claiming race when he’s clearly reached the end of his running career?? Exactly what was it that was so important to “win”??”
Oh, and then there was the time he sued the Thoroughbred Protective Racing Bureau for saying bad things about him. An excerpt from that case:
“On February 3, 2003, one of Gill’s horses, “Casual Conflict,” injured its right front leg during a race and had to be euthanized. The injured part of the horse’s right front leg was amputated and was oddly missing by the time Gulfstream’s track veterinarian arrived to draw fluids from it for testing. The missing right front leg was later retrieved from one of Gill’s veterinarians, who admitted to having removed it without permission.”
and more…
“The Investigative Report did contain evidence that Gill’s barn was involved in administering an illegal “milkshake” to one of Gill’s horses. An illegal “milkshake” “masks the buildup of lactic acids in a horse causing the animal to run even though it is very tired.” The Report also concluded that Gill’s grooms acted as lookouts and tried to misdirect the investigator away from the scene of possible illegal activity.”
SHAME ON YOU TOO, if you covered up for this waste of oxygen!
Oh, and apparently he is a slimy, unethical mortgage guy too. What do you suppose he does for fun, tries to hook 2nd graders on cigarettes?
And I love how he’s endlessly saying people are jealous of him. JEALOUS? Are you kidding? I’d rather be reincarnated as algae than as Michael Gill.
But hey – Gill is a rich racehorse owner and he’s proven he is litigious and vengeful. Taking on a guy like this in a small, closeknit industry like Thoroughbred racing takes guts. I can’t give enough applause to these jockeys who said no to him. I don’t care if they did it because they didn’t want to break their necks, or if it was out of love for the horses, or if they simply didn’t want to be associated with his bad name. It still took courage and was the right thing to do.Â
And most of all, even if we never find out that person’s name, I want to thank the person who started this. You know who you are. You are the jockey who started the discussion – who said to the others that s/he wasn’t going to ride for Gill anymore…and encouraged others to follow suit. There is always a ringleader. If it was you, heck, I just wish I knew who you were so that I could give you the applause you deserve! You are a hero, and I hope you have your best year ever.
I know the good people in Thoroughbred racing want to clean up the sport and minimize the breakdowns. I know that the Thoroughbred industry, as a whole, has done much more to fight slaughter and bring shame upon their own members who send horses to slaughter than literally any other major breed. I don’t like to see yearlings ridden or two year olds raced – but except for that, I have to say that they’re really showing a dedication toward making racing the “sport of kings” that it once was — not something that is scary to watch because it looks like a damn demolition derby out there.
Bye, Michael. Don’t let the door hit you in the ass!
For the rest of you not in racing…when will YOU stand up against YOUR breed/discipline’s Michael Gill? Will you be that first person who has the courage to do it? It’s up to you.  Will you be a hero, or just another bystander?Â
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