_{We met Mary in the upstairs stabling area of Claremont Riding Academy visiting her favorite school horse.  The riding school was housed in an old stable building in Manhattan near Central Park.  The riding arena was about street level, the horses lived either upstairs on the second floor or in the basement.  Mary had fallen in love with a very special school horse, Galloway.  Galloway had captured the hearts of many students at Claremont, he was kind and funny and a blast to ride in the city park.  But life in a city stable took its toll on the former racehorse, he was often unsound and it was hard to keep weight on him.}

_{Galloway’s life took as sharp a turn when Mary finally decided to buy him.  And Mary reinvented herself:  The city girl moved out of her doorman building into the bucolic greens of Pennsylvania, the business woman took off her heels for paddock boots and she has since been watching the temperature of horses instead of trade and stock market numbers.}

_{Thank you, Mary, for sharing your story and photographs with us.}

City Girl Meets City Boy

My registered Thoroughbred, Galloway knew Angelika and Sean before I did.  He was their friend in addition to so many other people over the seven years he spent as a ‘lesson’ horse at the Claremont Riding Academy.

Mary and Galloway on Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan

He wasn’t always just a lesson horse…..he has a history…..and a very interesting and noble one at that.   My ‘baby’, was foaled in Ontario on March 14, 1993.  He sold for the first time in Jan 1994 for $21,000 when the mean sales price was $9,000 and then re-sold in Sept 1994 for $37,000 with a mean sales of $22,000.  Someone thought he was something special and meant for the track.  First race was 4/20/96 at Garden State Park and he placed….it was a fast track that day,   Over the next year and a half, he would visit 5 tracks in the Tri-State area, race 21 times, win 3, place 5, show 3, and have jockeys as well known as Edgar Prado ride him.  In fact, as I watched that fateful Kentucky Derby where a cocky bay horse named Barbaro took the track, I commented to my mother “Well, I’d bet on that horse, he looks like G and they share the same jockey”.  When I met the great Barbaro later at New Bolton where I worked, I kissed his nose, stroked his neck and told him in addition to the rest of the world, his distant cousin G wished him a speedy recovery….yes, they are related…..out of Bold Ruler, as so many great horses are.  But back to G…   I meant to get this article in for February posting…..because you see, Galloway is the love of my life.  We met in January of 2004, when as a single woman in her late 30’s, I took up horseback riding.  My dream was to ride in Central Park on a sunny day….and feel as if I’d truly arrived in NYC.  He was the second horse I’d ever ridden at the academy and the first horse I’d ever cantered.  Unfortunately for him, at almost 17 hands, he was good looking,  with a bomb proof temperament, so many people rode him, many times a day. many times a week.  At times having a lesson with him broke my heart, he was so tired, so overused….surviving on sweet feed and Bute.  I told myself that with him and all the Claremont horses I rode, I could promise them an hour with me meant below average demands and lots of treats at the end.

Galloway on his nightly walk with Mary - he was sickly and very thin

Once I gained enough experience to ride in the park, he and I as a team were unstoppable.  I would book him a week in advance for a month…..  Over the Labor Day weekend in 2004 we had a life-changing moment.  I was out in the park and a man on a bridge, a German tourist, yelled out to us “May I take a photo?” and as we stopped to pose, he said, “I’ve already shot you at a distance, I wanted you to know that I thought you and your mount were very well suited”.  As I walked the big man back to the stables, I said to myself  “that’s it, he’s the one, I’m going to buy a horse, and this is the horse”.    Over the next year, according to my instructor, I ‘outgrew’ G and I was assigned to other horses.  I loved my lessons, but I missed G.  During that time, I was sent to FL for work….and G was laid up with bad feet – an issue that plagues us to this day.  I returned after a rough 6 weeks for him (and me!), ”the night manager said to me, “well, I’ve got a surpride for you”, down the ramp comes a horse, it was G.  He walked right up to me and sniffed me from head to toe.  I wasn’t sure what was going on, and my intrsutor said “He thinks he knows you, he’s just making sure are who he thinks you are”.  We had an awesome time that night, my intructor said I sat as tall and as straight with him as he’d ever seen me.  While I was away in the Spring of 2005, he was used for a special assignment.  Maybe others knew what that was…..but I was in the dark.  The summer of 2005 he was very sick, with an upper respiratory infection and I was in negotiation to purchase him.  It was a long and stressful negotiation and for those of you with a love of history, it was liberating him from indentured servitude.  I basically paid the price he commanded for several months work, something most horse people would reprimand me for later, but as I’ve said, he’s my ‘baby’.

Galloway at his new home in Pennsylvania

Fall of 2005 brought him home with me to Pennsylvania.  And that November, he showed up on national TV on “The Apprentice” in the episode where they ride horses in Central Park with Shania Twain.  He is the horse that tries to take Randal back to the barn, bored with all the fussing before the trail ride.  My phone rang off the hook, I owned him by then, but the series was taped months before.  Oh well, the royalties would have bought us a lot of Stud Muffins, but in the end I got the prize!   Now….on to the best, past 5 years of my life!!!!  He is the most amazing horse…..on his back he has willing carried those from 18 months to 67 years of age.

Galloway meets his little "sister" Merrylegs

He is thankful every morning for his grain, his water, his hay.  He walks into his pasture each day sniffing the hay in the feeders and running down to the creek….taking it all in as if it’s the first time he’s seen it.  His best friends are a registered Paint and a Bureau of Land Management Mustang, both geldings.  He lets the Paint rub his head on his butt and they play “Racetrack pony” where in a bit of role reversal, Galloway is the calm one and the Paint chews on his neck as if they are about to load in the gate.  I love this horse about as much as I love anything in my life….my family knows this, and most of them are okay with it.  In 2006, I lost my 16 and a half year old cat to cancer….who did I run to for comfort?  G….and he was there for me, to the point that HE became so distressed he almost went off feed….that’s how sad he was for me.  If I walk into the barn happy and hug him, he’s over the moon excited….about what?  He doesn’t know….and he doesn’t care!  If I need to throw my arms around his neck and cry….he will stand still for as long as I need him to.    The sadder part is, if he’s in pain, he won’t show me.  Back in 2007 he lost hundreds of pounds and I didn’t know what to do for him.  It was a very serious Vit E and Selenium deficiency and the muscle wasting was heart breaking, an acute form of Equine Motor Neuron Syndrome.  However, he fought hard to stay on his feet….and with proper veterinary care, he responded.  So many mornings when things looked bleak I told him “If you don’t want to fight this anymore, I will let you go…..but as long as you’re in it, I’m in it with you.”.  Over the next 6-9 months, he let me know he was in it and would fight to the finish.  He and I have also had lots of farrier bills in the past five years….he has soft soles and under-run heels….no surprise there.  I used to work on Wall Street and was quite the shoe and shopaholic…..but nothing compares to the money I’ve spent for the shoes my boy has been through….again, anything he needs, he gets!!  He’s now barefoot in the rear and has graduated from his elevated bar shoes in front to regular horseshoes.  His arthritis will always haunt us…..but the multiple grams of Bute a day in the past have been replaced with an all natural joint supplement and recent radiographs show his joints are no worse than any other 16 year, soon to be seventeen year old horse.

Galloway happy as can be

In closing, I would like to add that Sean and Angelika have visited my boy over the years, and he remembers them, greeting them warmly.  Sean, as someone who rode him and cared about him, Angelika as someone who kept his tack clean and gave him a gentle pat, kind word and treat as she walked through the barn.  Horses remember those who pay them the smallest kindnesses…..we should all strive to live our lives that way.  Whether we are on the receiving or giving end, they depend on us, acknowlege us and are grateful.  I know few other ways to live my ‘treat others as you wish to be treated’ credo.  God bless all of you who care for these magnificint creatures and I know they will repay your many kindnesses.

Karen Feldgus is a dressage rider and riding instructor.  We met at Claremont Riding Academy in Manhattan where Karen taught individual and group lessons.  Many of us learned about classic seat and quiet hands in her classes and we adored hearing about her work with her young thoroughbreds.  For our website Karen kindly agreed to share her experiences with exceptional horses.

Karen With Truro

“Thoroughbreds are my greatest love and I am more than happy to share my stories.”

My first thoroughbred was Noble Finish; son of Noble Dancer who was English bred and became quite famous in Europe and in the U.S.  I renamed Noble Finish Manhattan Skyline and nicknamed him Manny.

Karen with Manny

I purchased Manny from the barn I was riding at. Manny came from another well-known Hunter/ Jumper trainer who sold him since no one at his barn could ride him.

Manny was quite young when I got him, only 6 or 7 years old, big at 17 plus hands, and a bolter. He was very beautiful (aren’t they all?), seal-bay in color. Manny had been with me for 17 years when he died from penicillin shot.

My Vet recommended me to a horse rescue place on Long Island called New York Horse Rescue. It was run by a woman named Mona Butler and her husband Dr. Butler, a horse Vet.  Sadly, Dr. Butler has recently succumbed to injuries from a horse he was treating at the track that July.

At New York Horse Rescue I tried only one horse and bought him right away. He was 3, coming 4, also big like Manny and jet black.
He was stunningly beautiful and very sweet and had impeccable manners. His racing name was Perpetual Peace and I renamed him Truro. His racing lines are quite impressive and he did well on the track. His kind owners felt he had done enough and retired him from racing.  When I found him, Truro had just come off the track and still had his racing plates on. He had only been gelded a few days before so I left him for a week to heal.

Truro

I trained him to be a Dressage horse and he was a beautiful mover. I took him to his first show this last summer and we did very well. I knew we were on our way and my work had been correct. Three weeks later he colicked and died. To say I was heartbroken and totally devastated is an understatement. He was such a big and loving part of my life and I adored him. I was overwhelmed with sadness and became very depressed. I knew the only thing to do was to find another horse as I had done when my horse Manny died.

So, when Truro died in September, I went back to NY Horse Rescue but they did not have what I was looking for. A friend was doing some riding for a horse dealer that I knew and she encouraged me to try some youngsters that had just come in. Here I found my beautiful filly Wellfleet.

Two Beauties: Karen and Wellfleet

Her racing name was Shorty’s Epitome. She seems to appreciate having a loving home and she became very quickly closely attached to me. She is not as big as my boys were but she is bigger in the body like a warmblood and at 16.3 hands certainly not small. She is the most beautiful mahogany red bay and shines like she has been simonized.

Once again, I am happy as can be. She is the greenest horse I have ever had but she is so kind and willing to learn. She has come so far in less than 3 months and is quite amazing. She has a great mind and I can hack her anywhere as I could my last horse.

Horses keep me happy and loving them gives the greatest return. To be loved by your horse is a gift and while I am strict about discipline Wellfleet knows she is adored.

If you are interested in the pedigrees of Karen horses please check out the following links:

Manny

Noble Finish aka Manny

http://www.pedigreequery.com/noble+finish

Perpetual Peace aka Truro

http://www.pedigreequery.com/perpetual+peace

Our quest to find rescued horses from Center Brook Farm we feel fortunate to encounter many wonderful individuals who have made it their mission to help find homes and new purpose for ex-racehorses or thoroughbreds that never made it to the track.

We want to tell you their stories or, even better, have them tell you about themselves and their horses.  Please let me introduce you to Julie who was witness to the Center Brook Farm tragedy from early on.  Here is what she sent us:

A Letter from  Julie Walawender

RAG SHEET

Since I work as an Operations Assistant for the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, I was able to accompany my director Diana Pikulski to Center Brook Farm in April when the news of the neglected horses was first released. At that time, these horses all looked like desperate, lifeless bodies with blank expressions that could do little more than slowly amble around their dirt paddocks.  It was an overwhelming sight. They were in such poor condition that it was hard to even visualize what they would look and act like if they were healthy.

One of the Center Brook Farm residents, Rag Sheet, is a 2001 Florida bred colt by Indian Charlie who had two starts in New York with lifetime earnings totaling $336.00.  He was retired from racing 5 years ago due to a slab fracture in his right knee.  He has 2 screws in his 3^rd carpal bone and no chips, so he has recovered very well.

Rag Sheet was adopted out by the SPCA (Columbia Greene SPCA) in May and later taken back in July.  The TRF took him into our program in August.

I was delivering a horse trailer full of donated grain to TRF’s Wallkill Correctional Farm in NY on September 4^th when I met Rag Sheet.  He was in a paddock with another Center Brook horse named Not A Second Time.  I was walking by and decided to go into the paddock and say hi to these guys.  Rag Sheet immediately walked over and nuzzled me.  The first thing I noticed about him was his big, sweet and innocent brown eye.  He had the same look of gentleness that a foal has. I tried to walk away from him to get a photo of him and he would not leave my side!  I left the paddock to walk around the farm and see the other horses.  On my way back through I noticed that he was still standing at the gate waiting for me to come back.  I looked at my empty trailer, and then at him, and I realized my heart would not let me leave him.  I walked him out of the paddock with a single piece of bailing twine looped through his halter and led him right up into the trailer. He seemed happy to be joining me.  On the way home I stopped at a roadside stand and bought him some apples, he was thrilled.

He spent the first couple of weeks in his own paddock with his very own shed.  I have since assimilated him into my small herd of three horses, two off-track Thoroughbreds and one Quarter horse.  He has chosen a buddy named “Double Dad” aka “Lucky” to share his hay pile with.  My husband and I adopted Double Dad from TRF this past summer.

Two weeks after his arrival I started groundwork exercises with Rag Sheet and put a saddle and bridle on him, then started riding him shortly after.  He probably hadn’t been ridden in 5 years or more, and based on his reaction: he was terrified. When I got on he humped his back up and was chomping at the bit and shaking, so I only stayed on him for a few seconds at a time and then would get off, walk in a circle or two, get on again, take a few steps, and quietly get off.  I spent about 15 minutes per day on only this for the first few days until he was relaxed enough for me to walk around the ring.  Then, I spent another few days just walking for a few minutes at a time, and so on.  I am now to the point with him where I am able to walk, trot, and canter him out in an open field and he feels pretty confident.  He is the type of horse, like many, that draws from his rider’s level of energy and confidence.  He puts a lot of trust in his rider, so the less I worry about things that come up unexpectedly on the trail, the less he worries too.

The Beautiful Julie Showing Off Rag Sheet

All in all, he is a joy to have around and will be a wonderful partner for someone who wants a horse to love and dote on; he eats the attention right up!  He is very easy to handle and has perfect ground manners.  He has no vices either.

He is offered for adoption by the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation.

Please go to www.trfinc.org for more information on adopting from TRF or call 518-226-0028 and ask for Julie for more info on Rag Sheet

We want to introduce you to some more of the thoroughbreds that were rescued from Center Brook Farm.  The meaning of the word “rescue” becomes clear when you look at the photographs of the horses at the time when they were taken away from Center Brook Farm.  These horses would have not survived much longer if the misery at the farm had not been discovered.  We cannot stress enough how much we owe to Lisa Leogrande and AC4H, Another Chance For Horses, and Christy Sheidy, who rescued the first thoroughbred mares from the slaughter pen.  They made the effort to find out where the mares were coming from, thus starting the investigation into Center Brook Farm and the farm owner Ernie Paragallo.

AC4H gave us permission to show photographs of the horses but please visit their Web site to find out more about their activities and of ways of helping them.

http://www.ac4h.com/

So, here are  four rescue stories which have fairytale endings because of people who care.

Theonlyword

Born in 2001 by speed champion Artax out of Exclusive Word,  Theonlyword raced 8 times, was 4 times in the money, making some $ 50,000.00.

Theonlyword leaves Center Brook Farm

This is how she looked in March 2009, rescued from a kill pen, malnourished, parasite infested, with several old wounds that had never properly healed.

Theonlyword found a new home with Lauren who already took her to a 4H show and made 5^th place in a walk and trot class out of 12 competitors.  This is only 6 months after the photograph above!

Her first ribbon!

Coconut Martini

A half-sister to Theonlyword by Artax out of Houston Station, 8-year old Coconut Martini raced 11 times, won once and made some $35,000.00 in her racing career.

Coconut Martini was in terrible shape, starved, full of lice and other parasites with terrible skin condition and swollen front legs from an untreated racing injury.

Coconut Martini on her way out of misery

Coconut’s story is a real fairytale:  As a racehorse, “Teeny” was exercised by Kate, the daughter of Karen B. who adopted Coconut Martini from AC4H in May.  Kate exercised for Paranack Stables, Ernie Paragallo’s racing outfit, and helped Teeny to recover after a broken pelvis injury.

Coconut Martini a few weeks after rescue on her way to recovery

Barely recognizable in March, Teeny is again the beautiful grey captured in a painting by Adam Coglianese.

Finely Decorated

Born 1992, the Well Decorated daughter out of Tribute of Gold, had an extensive racing career: 35 starts, 14 times in the money, but she only made a mere $ 33,125.00.

Finely Decorated was of no real use anymore in the world of horse racing; at 17 years old her second career as broodmare was nearing its end, she had become one of the many discards of the industry.

The rescue of Finely Decorated

Here is what her new owner Deirde says about her plans for Well Decorated:

“My trainer rode her last week and she was perfect. She is loved by all at the barn. We are training her to be a western horse because she has the perfect head carriage and gates. My hope is to ride her western in an open show in April.”

Finely Decorated after a few weeks of good care

Jennifer

Jennifer was never registered. She is out of Thrifty Jennifer, probably by Danzatame. She is a little horse, almost 5 years old but still ponysize – the level of neglect is terrible.

Jennifer still neds to find a home, she is only 5 years old and has responded well to the care and attention.  Jennifer needs a lot of love and care to recover from the abuse she has experienced in her young life.  She is  beautiful and will be even more so when she finally gets a chance.

Little Jennifer - a pixie horse but what strength to make it that far!

There are many more and more detailed photographs and videos of the condition of these horses at the time of their rescue on the AC4H Web site.

Please visit them at     http://www.ac4h.com/

It is important that we don’t forget that there were almost 200 horses in terrible condition at Center Brook Farm.