Thinking About Then and Now

A Head Shot (ohhh, those eyes!)

As you know, in the Fall of 2006, this handsome boy, Valentino, walked out of the trailer and into my life!  Even though I had been away from horse ownership for so many years, it felt very natural to actually own and "partner with" my own horse again!  And, as a result of the tentative steps of beginning such a partnership, the differences in each day have become quite evident - I must find the time to get to the barn in a manner in which I don't feel rushed or tense, even if that means leaving work on hold for later on in the day or even allocating it to the next day!  Because owning a horse can't be taking lightly, horses are living, breathing creatures and they take their cues from us and as such, any level of nervous energy on the part of the rider, you can surely expect that your horse with pick on on that energy and depending on the circumstances of the ride you have in mind for that day, the results could be disastrous.  However, more importantly, the fact that we are "a team" in this ongoing learning experience, me, getting back into riding in the English discipline again and him, adjusting to life away from the race track, has made it much more interesting and challenging but simultaneously requires a total commitment to living the lifestyle of an equestrian!

My hope for him and I is that despite the many stops and starts we encounter and then the challenges we'll face over the years and other situations that will surely arise, that he and I will forge through and become closer in an understanding of one another.  It's critically important for the horse to know what the rider is asking and just as important for the rider to know how to ask for it.  This type of give and take is built on trust and that's the primary goal, an ongoing building of this primal but basic bond that will enable Valie to trust me to make the right decisions for him.  So, we shall see where this journey takes us and I would love my readers to come along for "the ride"!

Does Class Always Show? You bet it does!

"Class Always Shows"
a 5 year old, 16.1 hand, bay, Thoroughbred gelding

Well, here's my guy, "classalwayshows" (his registered Jockey Club name) better known as "Class Always Shows", "Valentino" or "Valie" for short (thank you Toni Sabella for helping me choose this special and oh so romantic, Italian name for him)!  Valie was foaled in Florida at a very impressive breeding farm!  He was a hard campaigner on the race track and with an impressive bloodline and a Breeder's Cup Nomination, you would have thought that this horse was going to be a contender!  But, it quickly became evident that his racing career was being mismanaged and with that, his life began a chain of disastrous events that started with an entry into a claiming race.  He was claimed by a person that surely must of been unscrupulous, an owner/trainer who raced him hard and didn't provide the level of care that would meet his needs.  He was eventually found by Canter USA - New England at a typical fairground racetrack in Northhampton, Massachusetts.  They only needed to take one look at his "kind eyes" to know that despite being in poor shape, he had a big heart and a deep soul.  Canter volunteer Fran Recchi immediately loaded him into her trailer and took him to her farm in Vermont.  And, as the story goes, by providing top-notch care and the "let-down" time he needed, he began the process of learning to be a horse for the first time in his 5 year old life.

His first time in a pasture was foreign to him, he didn't know what to do, he was skin and bones and just stood there looking lost and forlorn.

Fran began a program to build weight and muscle (see the outcome of her care in the photo at the beginning of this post) and while giving him a slow but consistent start he began to adjust and relax!  While he was getting healthy, I began to Volunteer my services to Canter, in an effort to raise funds, to help the many horses in their program.  And then, in the Fall of 2006, I began my search for an off-track Thoroughbred; however, I didn't want to start with one that was "fresh" off the track.  As a young adult, I was comfortable buying right off the track but at my "advancing" age, I wanted to find a TB with some let down time and maybe even some training!  One evening, early on in this exciting search, I received an email from Ellen O'Brien (Canter-New England's President), she said that she was quite sure that the perfect horse was waiting for me!  She attached a few photos and it was "love at first sight" but I knew that I needed to meet him in person and that he would need to be vetted too!  He was on trial here in Massachusetts with someone else but they had made the decision to pass on him; so, I went to meet him and after a short "trot", I knew he was going to be mine!

He vetted sound and was soon trailered to me and that began "The Adventures of Cathy Ann and Valentino".  So please, come along with me as I begin to chronicle our life together!  I promise to tell you the good, the in-between and even the bad but no matter what, when or how, I'm confident that he and I are in for "one heck of a ride"!  Go Team CaVal!