New York Horse Blanket Weather 2020-21 by New York Horse

NEW YORK HORSE STORIES. ADVICE. HORSEPLAY.

BLANKET WEATHER 2020-21

HIGH OCTANE HORSES Front-runners, re-runners and the stories behind the silks

With Abiding Hope The healing heart of New York comes back

John Madden on riding better, kindness and the future of equestrian sport

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Features Born to Run

Sound of Silence One image tells the story of the season

Tiz the Law And ‘tis the second horse of a lifetime for the Everyman owners of Sackatoga Stable.

Versus The top-selling New York bred or a classic Jag?

Fast Forward Fearless, bold and driven: Portraits of Saratoga’s jockeys

Take Two Inmates and retired racehorses have a chance for a new life

Also in this issue

Saving Grace ‘People that we don’t know, people from all parts of the country and the world have supported our horses and the work that we do’

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Words with … John Madden has important lessons for every rider, every discipline and every horse

The Artful Horse Images in black-and-white take Juliet Harrison’s work ‘beyond the surface ... beyond just pretty’

The NYH Guide to Embracing Winter Or at least give it a hearty handshake. We’re here to take the whine out of equine

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Departments 64

Master Class Tips to cinch a ranch class, the fastest-growing division in Western riding

On the Cover

Postings A hollow back impacts the horse, regardless of discipline

08 9 10 10

Thanks To Our Underwriters Collected Thoughts

Calendar A few reasons to buy snow tires. Road Trip, meanwhile, calls in the cavalry

Leg Up News, Notes and Conversation Starters

Off the Beaten Path Explore the last remaining wilderness on Long Island and take a side trip to the (very) Big Duck

EQ Style The history of the horse, with recipes

Armchair Equestrian What Horses Really Want: New ways to make every equine calm and confident

One More Thing Checking in with Zippy Chippy

Photo Finish Baby, it’s cold outside.

In her portrait, On the Backstretch in Saratoga, Artful Horse photographer Juliet Harrison caught the moment when a Thoroughbred racehorse is a coiled spring. Reins taut, ears pricked and forward, he is – as once was said about the great Man O’ War – “as near to a living flame as horses ever get.”

NEW YORK HORSE STORIES. ADVICE. HORSEPLAY.

BLANKET WEATHER 2020-21

HIGH OCTANE HORSES Front-runners, re-runners and the stories behind the silks

With Abiding Hope The healing heart of New York comes back

John Madden on riding better, kindness and the future of equestrian sport

1 | NEW YORK HORSE

4 | NEW YORK HORSE

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POSTINGS

Words to Ride By

The cause, effect and an exercise to help the hollow back

iding with a hollow back is a problem in every discipline and both sexes, although anatomical differences in the male and female pelvis make it more common in women. For advice on this familiar positional concern, the hosts of the Rider Position Fix-it Show on Facebook turned to international clinician and rider biomechanics specialist Susan E. Harris of Cortland. Host Laura Kelland-May asked Harris to share her expertise on the cause and effect of hollow back. Harris, who is also an artist, Level 4 Centered Riding instructor and author – her credits include the three US Pony Club Manuals of Horsemanship – offered insight and a helpful exercise. New York Horse listened in on the conversation: She began with how the structure of the male and female pelvis makes it easier for women to tip forward and men to tip backward when sitting in a saddle. So, said Harris, “If you tell a guy who is slouching, ‘arch your back a little’ you get somebody who sits up with a nice

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straight back. If you say that to a class that is mostly girls and women, you get hollow backs … It’s much more common to see hollow backs in women and girls and slouchers in guys.” A hollow back hurts not only the rider but also the horse, because it’s a position that has a domino effect. Harris explained: “a hollow back is not a good idea, not only for your own back – because it’ll get you – but also for your horse, because when you hollow your back you cannot help but mechanically tighten up your hip joints.” That sends tension to other places in the rider’s body, Harris said, which affects their relationship to the horse: “The tension that your horse feels means you can’t go with their movements smoothly, and it’s apt to make horses either antsy and uncomfortable or they may just shrug their shoulders and say ‘Oh, she’s doing it again’ and kind of check out. It certainly doesn’t get the best movement out of your horse.” You don’t have to be in the perfect

Photo of Susan Harris by David Blatchley

position, Harris said, but “the better balanced you are, the more the motion goes through your body and the more freely your horse can move.” Even if a rider is in the perfect position, she added, “if you’re posing like what I call a cookie-cutter rider … your horse will get inhibited and stiff and tight. You can’t go with the flow and get the best movement out of your horse until you are free to move in your joints. “…If you have a horse that is right on the edge of ‘Can I tolerate this rider or not?’ a hollow back might be the straw that makes the camel buck.” Strong core muscles play an integral part in correcting a concave back as well as tension in other parts of the rider’s body. That takes time to develop, but Harris offered an exercise that can offer immediate results. It’s called the Pilates breath, and here’s how to do it: Work on this exercise either sitting up straight in the saddle or sitting straight on the edge of a chair. Put one hand on your belly button and one hand behind your lower back. Exhale powerfully enough to send your belly button momentarily backward towards your spine. (We exhaled through our mouth.) The hand that’s at the back of your spine should feel those muscles grow thicker and wider. “We say it’s like your back fills up,” Harris said, “and it means your core muscles are waking up and taking over.”

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UNDERWRITING SUPPORT New York Horse is published in part with underwriting support from: Canterbury Stables; Cazenovia College and the New York State Center for Equine Business Development; Cornell University Hospital for Animals; GallopNYC; New York State Fair; Morrisville State College; New York Farm Bureau; Central New York Dressage and Combined Training Association; Central New York Reining Horse Association and New York State Horse Council.

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EDITORIAL Contributing Editors Barbara Lindberg Renee Gadoua

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Contributing Photographers David Blatchley Connie Bush Marjory Collins Michael Davis Bob Mayberger Emma Miller Tony Parkes James Shambhu Jennifer Stevens

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New York Horse magazine is published by: Tremont8 Media, LLC Cazenovia, NY 13035 All rights reserved. ISSN 2375-8058. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the express consent of the publisher. All material submitted to the magazine becomes the property of Tremont8 Media. Submitted material may be excerpted or edited for length and content and may be published or used in any format or medium, including online or in other print publications. New York Horse is a registered trademark of Tremont8 Media.

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COLLECTED THOUGHTS

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times … OK, just the latter

his was the season of the kvetch, a fine Yiddish word that seeped into English and which, roughly translated, means to complain or whine. Take a moment to consider the last months. Now, raise your hand if you did not kvetch about one single thing since 2020 went to horse poop in a handbasket. All right, you are inexplicably optimistic, excused from reading the rest of this, and we’ll have what you’re having. In fact, make it a double, because heaven knows there’s been ample kvetch fodder since the world shut down in March: • No shows. Not enough shows. The only shows are too far away, not in my discipline, and those states are on New York’s “no travel” list just in case anyone was thinking road trip. • My horse needs ear stuffies because he’s sick and tired of listening to me talk about politics. • I gained the COVID 19 and my riding pants don’t fit. My horse gained the COVID 19 – hello too many molasses treats because he looks depressed – and now I have to shell out for a new girth. • Masks terrify my horse. Hand sanitizers terrify my horse. Social distancing terrifies my horse. Ninja squirrels terrify my horse. (Save that last one; it’s good for next year, too.) That doesn’t begin to cover all of it – Not-SoHappy Hour starts promptly at 5 p.m. Friday at New York Horse world headquarters – but it’s time for a lead change. A simple change will suffice; a flying change is better considering the circumstances. And for that we turn to another fine Yiddish word: kvell, which, roughly translated, means delighted. What, one might reasonably ask, is there to kvell about? For us, enforced staying around home base translated to more time in the barn and enjoying just being in the barn. We reminded ourselves – as one of the excellent horsemen we know is fond of saying – that

horses are the best exercise machine ever created. Not to mention that a treadmill won’t put its head on your shoulder, nicker when it hears your voice, or lick your hand to get every last bit of peppermint. Without external deadlines – ribbons, medals, going up a level – we had time to think quietly about the art of horsemanship, about riding better for its own sake and for the sheer pleasure of being in the saddle. Elsewhere in this issue, John Madden talks about how every rider should have one, simple goal: “just to improve.” Not to be as good as someone else, but to be as good as you and your horse can be. With everything else that 2020 dished out, it also gave the unexpected gift of time to do precisely that. Don’t stop. Turn off the drumbeat of news. Head to the barn and breathe in the scent of hay and leather and sweat, listen to the soundtrack of hoofbeats and snorts. Here, where the day’s cadence is measured in the three-beat metronome of a canter, the answer is simple. Remember where you’ve been and where you’re going.

Janis

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PUT ON A MASK, GRAB THE HAND SANITIZER AND GET OFF THE COUCH WHENEVER CABIN FEVER STRIKES The Paintings of Martin Stainforth, an exhibition celebrating the work of one of the great Thoroughbred artists, is on display at the National Museum of Racing, Saratoga Springs, through May 31, 2021. Stainforth was known for his realism and his ability to capture the personality of his subjects, who include some of the top racehorses of the early 20th century. More information: racingmuseum.org The Carriage Museum at the Long Island Museum, Stony Brook, has reopened and admission is free through the end of the year. Among the exhibits, the Carriage Exposition Gallery, based on the 1893 World’s Fair transportation building, highlights the finest horse-drawn vehicles money could buy. More information: longislandmuseum.org At the western edge of the Adirondacks, the Otter Creek trails offer an escape from, well, everything. The interlocking trail system rambles across more than 65 miles of woodland and waterway in Lewis County. This is state land, so use of the trails and all facilities is free. Otter Creek is open to riders year-round, but if you’re a NewYorker we don’t need to remind you that Lewis County is a synonym for snow. More information: dec.ny.gov/lands/8017.html Stone Quarry Hill Art Park in Cazenovia is open every day from dawn to dusk. Look for their equine treasures: a white terra cotta horse hidden in the woods and a metallic herd in the lower meadow. More information: sqhap.org

DECEMBER 16

Put on those spurs one last time in 2020. The CNY Ranch Riding show circuit is at Cazabu Farms, Erieville. Prizes in every class. More information: Hoyttrain1@gmail.com

J oin Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine for a free virtual equine health seminar on the topic, Is my Horse Lame? Identifying Subtle Lameness in Horses. More info: vet.cornell.edu/hospitals/ equine-hospital/equine-seminar-series

he Interscholastic Equestrian Association Dressage Region 2 Finals are in town. Cheer for the next T generation of riders as they chase their dreams at Heritage Stables, Skaneateles. More info: rideiea.org

elebrate the National Day of the Horse! Established by Congress in 2004, this is one government C proclamation everyone can support.

LOOKING AHEAD by CNY Dressage & Combined Training Association at April 10 Vincent Flores Dressage Symposium sponsored

Canterbury Stables, Cazenovia. Clinic to focus on developing a harmonious relationship between horse and rider. More info: cnydcta.org

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LEG UP: ROADTRIP

America’s first cavalry charge? Here, in upstate’s backyard

blue roadside sign is all that’s left to mark the location of the first documented cavalry charge in American history. So perhaps this is more of a detour than a roadtrip, an all-but-forgotten hoofprint in the story of the Revolutionary War. But it’s a story worth retelling because here – on August 13, 1777 – at the Battle of the Flockey, a troop of the 2nd Continental Light Dragoons (Sheldon’s Horse) drew their weapons and charged on the British, American Loyalists and their Mohawk allies. Look for the blue historical marker near the Schoharie County hamlet of Fultonham, on the right side of State Route 30 when traveling south. Two-and-a-half centuries ago this was New York’s frontier, and the Revolution raged. With British forces taking the upper hand, Col. John Harper,

head of the local militia, rode to Albany. There he enlisted aid from the dragoons, commanded by a French mercenary, Jean-Louis De Vernejoux. Together they rode south to clear the Schoharie Valley. As they approached, the dragoons at the lead, they were ambushed by loyalist forces who’d taken up a concealed position near swampy farmland known as the Flockey. The two sides traded fire and De Vernejoux, quickly realizing he was outnumbered, ordered a full-on, hoof-pounding, cavalry charge – scattering the Tories into the wooded hillside and forcing them to abandon their homes. In an instant he changed the shape of battle and created a milestone in history: The first time that the U.S. cavalry charged on American soil.

NYHorseMag.com | 11

Leg Up

News, Notes and Conversation Starters Equine therapy offered to first responders, front-line workers A new program at Pegasus Therapeutic Riding in Brewster is helping first responders and front-line workers deal with stress, burnout and secondary trauma. The Equus Effect, operated in partnership with the Putnam County Bureau of Emergency Services and the county’s Mental Health Association, is free to participants. Research shows that Equine-Assisted Therapy is effective for helping individuals experiencing depression, anxiety, and/or trauma-related symptoms. The goal of the Equus Effect, Pegasus says, “is that each individual leaves this program with a renewed sense of self-worth, well-being and empowerment. We have seen tremendous results with this program serving our veteran population, as well as crime victims and at-risk youth.”

Survey tracks impact of COVID-19 on NY’s equine businesses Ninety percent of equine-related businesses in New York say they expect COVID-19 to have a serious impact on their bottom line, according to a survey by the NYS Horse Council and Cornell Cooperative Extension Equine. The survey had more than 500 respondents, including feed suppliers, veterinarians, lesson or boarding facilities, breeding barns and transportation services. Two key findings: •3 3% reported the effects of COVID-19 to be extremely severe; 29% said the effects were very severe; 23% said moderately severe; and 10% indicated the effects of the pandemic were slightly severe or not severe at all. •W hen asked “Are you concerned that you may lose your business due to the COVID-19 crisis?” a total of 34% said yes; another 34% said no; and 32% said they were unsure.

NYRA names director of government affairs Jeffrey Cannizzo will become the NY Racing Association’s senior director of government affairs, after 12 years leading the state’s Thoroughbred Breeders organization. “New York’s breeding industry has flourished over the last decade, and I feel fortunate to have played a role in that success story,” said Cannizzo. Thoroughbred racing is responsible for 19,000 jobs and more than $3 billion in annual economic impact to New York. 12 | NEW YORK HORSE

NY Congressman named an equine ‘champion’ The American Horse Council has named 10 Congressional champions, based on their support of legislation that benefits the equine industry. The list is split evenly between Democrats and Republicans, and includes Rep. Paul Tonko (D-Amsterdam), a longtime co-chair of the Congressional Horse Caucus. Each of the Senators and Representatives was recognized for “actively advocating on behalf of the industry.”

DEC replaces and upgrades Brookfield trail bridges A three-year project to rebuild 36 bridges along the Brookfield Trail System is complete. Among NY’s equestrian jewels, Brookfield offers more than 100 miles of groomed trails in southern Madison County, many open for both riding and carriage driving. The work, which cost $250,000, improves access and safety and “helps protect the trails and surrounding resources from future extreme weather events and flooding,” said Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos. The original wooden boardwalks and bridges had deteriorated due to age and water damage. Many were upgraded with earthen crossings to blend with the surroundings and improve natural stream flow.

LEG UP Cazenovia rider takes national dressage championship Grace Young of Cazenovia won the USEF Dressage Medal Final (age 13 and under) at this year’s U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions. Grace is a working student at Spruce Valley Stables in Cazenovia, a 4-H member, and also earned her USDF bronze medal at the dressage festival. Young bested a field of 11 competitors. She piloted her pony, Maestro, around a pattern including two leg yields at the trot and several canter transitions and received a score of 86 to take the gold. “It was a very memorable and exciting ride,” Young said. “I have recently been thinking about my specific goals and what I want to do moving forward. I’d like to have a career in the equestrian world and would love to try for the Olympics.”

New York names in the news • SUNY Morrisville’s Kerin Warner was named 2020’s top trainer at Vernon Downs harness racing track. Warner runs the college’s bachelor’s program in Standardbred racing, where he is focused on preparing the next generation of harness racers and reversing low enrollment. • Willow Vince, a high school senior from New York City who rides with Empire State Equestrian Team, was elected to the Interscholastic Equestrian Association’s Youth Board. • Lucky Orphans Horse Rescue of Dover Plains has been awarded a Horse Whisperer Award by the Equus Foundation. The Foundation also honored Mary Ann Denninger for her volunteer work in the therapeutic riding program at Victoria Acres Equine Facility, Altamont. • Morgan Kairewich and Abby Kairewich of Chittenango are winners of the Harness Horse Youth Foundation’s activity contest. Their mom, Hayley, told HHYF: “thanks for giving them a fun box to look forward to each month; you have even hooked the youngest with these boxes! I think you have done your job here for sure.”

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Become a Galloping Gourmet THE INGREDIENTS FOR A HORSE LOVER’S COOKBOOK: HISTORY, RECIPES AND CULTURE

Story by L.A. Sokolowski

S A HORSEWOMAN, GLORIA AUSTIN REFLECTS, “I quickly realized the most enjoyable equestrian events were all structured around the fellowship of sharing a meal with one’s buddies with similar interests – horses of course!”

Horse shows require eating something to keep up energy for the day’s competition. And when the classes are done, the tack polished and the horses happily in their stalls browsing on hay, says Austin, “the sometimes formal, sometimes casual dinner parties were an opportunity to share the days’ activities in conversation.” A horse-loving girl whose childhood memories include riding the hills and fields of rural Steuben County, Austin grew up to become an entrepreneur and an internationally known horsewoman. With ex-husband Tom Golisano she founded Rochester-based Paychex, which provides payroll services to small businesses. From a simple idea, it has grown to a corporation with more than 100 offices, and its financial success allowed Austin to become an accomplished four-in-hand coach driver and a philanthropist who founded the Equine Heritage Institute in Florida. Her passions come together in A Cookbook for Horse Lovers: Recipes, History and Culture Surrounding Horses and Feeding Their People, which generously serves good horsemanship, equine history and great food.

The title is a mouthful, but the cookbook whets the appetite and imagination. Austin eloquently underscores each chapter with her message that something very special happened 6,000 years ago when the horse was domesticated. As horses became part of the human journey. the world was transformed. Tribes became empires. Distance travel became viable. Cultures and languages raced around the known world. Yet despite the horse’s enormous contributions, its presence remained largely absent from history textbooks and curriculum across educational landscapes. Enter Austin’s unique take on the traditional cookbook: A 297-page ride through the evolution of cooking and our relationship with the horse – from cooking on a spit, to chuckwagons and on to elegant horse show fare. Many recipes were submitted by horse lovers says Austin’s researcher, Mary Chris Foxworthy They met in the 1980s, when the Walnut Hill Farm Driving Competition outside Rochester was the largest pleasure driving show in the country. She has been a frequent and uniquely qualified researcher –

NYHorseMag.com | 15

Foxworthy is the founder and owner of Equifit – and a collaborator on several of Austin’s other equestrian and coaching-related books. “Long before the Food Network existed, I worked for a test kitchen in Michigan,” Foxworthy says with a laugh. “I was that lady who came to your Home Economics class and showed you how to operate the ovens.” Their editorial connection began when she replied to a ‘writer wanted’ ad posted by Austin on LinkedIn that said successful candidates “must know horses and how to write.” She was asked to submit 1,500 words on horses and history, and the next thing Foxworthy knew, “Gloria was sending me her PowerPoints.” Their decades-long collaboration has been a recipe for friendship and ideas, often over meals hosted 16 | NEW YORK HORSE

at Austin’s Florida home and superbly prepared by its cook. “Everything … was delicious. So, one night I said, ‘Gloria, we should do a cookbook.’” It made good horse sense. Before the pandemic, cookbooks already consistently ranked in the nonfiction Top 10 on Amazon, and according to Publishers Weekly, since April 2020 sales of cookbooks have skyrocketed 93%. Austin says two recipe collections inspired them. The Original White House Cookbook written in 1887 by Hugo Ziemann, the White House steward under President Grover Cleveland, was found by Austin in an antiques shop. The second was closer to home: a collection shared by the cookbook’s graphic artist, Abby Davis, of her grandmother’s kitchen tips and notes. Food planning, portability and presentation are Austin’s Three P’s of equestrian hospitality: “Tailgate coaching picnics require packing cold and hot foods, plus

table settings in the rear boot, and the proper wine is a wonderful addition. All this food needs to be transported on the coach, but how?” One chapter’s answer leads to a humble modern-day appliance: the crockpot. Food could be carried in crocks inside insulated tin chests on the interior floor of a coach. Wine was stored in a Cellarette that slid out onto a tailgate lowered for service. (And we thought adding a drop leaf to a holiday dinner table was fancy.) A gregarious horsewoman who has always relished filling her own table for eight with friends, Austin says it’s the company that makes the meal. “If you study sociology, you understand the cultural importance of sharing a meal,” she says. “We only eat with the people who are important to us. This is my way of sharing recipes – and culture – surrounding horses and the feeding of their people. We all love horses and we all love food.”

‘WE ALL LOVE HORSES AND WE ALL LOVE FOOD’ Whatever our discipline, our common ground is good food and good company. The day might bring a hasty horseshow hotdog between classes, a posh repast in the VIP tent, or a campfire dinner after a day on the trails. Regardless, allow us to up your kitchen game from meh to mah-velous with these recipes from Gloria Austin’s Cookbook for Horse Lovers. BLUEBERRY COCONUT QUINOA Anyone who shows knows the day starts long before the first class. Make it a better morning – because there will be at least one peevish equine in the warmup ring – with a sweet and filling breakfast. ¾ cup quinoa, rinsed and drained ½ c up shredded, unsweetened coconut 1 tablespoon honey 1 (13.5 ounce) can coconut milk 2 cups blueberries Put the quinoa in a crockpot. Sprinkle the coconut over the top and then drizzle with honey. Stir the coconut milk until it’s smooth and an even consistency. Pour over the quinoa and coconut. Cover and cook on low for three hours. Stir the quinoa mixture, then scoop into bowls and serve topped with blueberries. PEACH COBBLER The Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site in Montana commemorates the Western cattle industry. This recipe from Grant-Kohrs reflects ingredients used on chuck wagons in the 1880s and 90s, hence the canned milk and peaches instead of fresh. Filling: 2 large cans of peaches Cinnamon to taste 1 teaspoon vanilla Sugar, if needed Crust topping: 2 cups flour ½ cup sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt ¼ cup butter, melted 2/3 cup evaporated milk

Combine peaches, vanilla and cinnamon and sugar to taste. Pour into a greased Dutch oven or baking dish. Set aside. In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the melted butter and milk and stir into the dry ingredients to form a soft ball. Either drop the dough by spoonfuls onto the peaches – like dumplings – or roll it out like a crust and lay over the top. Sprinkle dough with cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 350F until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling. If using a Dutch oven, the cobbler can also be baked, covered, in a campfire for about 30-45 minutes. Lift the lid occasionally to check on the progress. APPLE VENISON ROTISSERIE ROAST Home on the range never tasted this good. 2-4 pound boneless venison roast Marinade 2 cups apple cider ½ cup apple cider vinegar ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce ½ teaspoon ginger 1 apple, diced ½ onion, chopped Water Mix marinade ingredients, except for water, in a large bowl. Place venison in a pot big enough to have room for the liquid and pour the marinade over the roast. Add water, if necessary, until marinade covers roast completely. Place in refrigerator and marinate overnight or 10-12 hours. Heat grill to 225F. Put roast on rotisserie and grill for 2-3 hours, until

roast reaches an internal temperature of 125F. Remove from rotisserie and let the roast sit until the temperature reaches 135F for rare or 145F for medium. Serves 8. SISSONS’ CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES Tailgate picnicking is a tradition for both foxhunters and their equestrian cousins twice removed in the carriage driving world. Austin includes this recipe in her picnic chapter, but few horsefolk, in any discipline, would say no to a good cookie. 1 cup salted butter, softened ½ cup shortening 2 cups brown sugar 1 cup sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 4 eggs 5 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons baking soda 4 cups chocolate chips Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, cream together butter, shortening and sugars. Add vanilla and eggs and beat until mixture is light in color and fluffy. Gradually add flour, salt and baking soda and mix until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Makes 24. Note: These cookies transport well. Gloria Austin’s A Cookbook for Horse Lovers is available on Amazon.com, Google Books, BarnesandNoble.com, Waterstones.com, and her website, HorseandCarriageFacts.com.

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ARMCHAIR EQUESTRIAN

What Horses Really Want If the goal is a secure, happy horse, the answer is more than just molasses treats

o a horse it’s clear cut, an excellent clinician said a few years back, and his words have not diminished in value. “There’s a leader and a follower, and that’s a part of a horse that we’ll never take away.” In a phrase, horses want security and social bonds. They want leaders they trust to protect them – not only from danger, but from stress. That’s the essential truth underpinning What Horses Really Want: Unlocking the Secrets to Trust, Cooperation and Reliability, (paperback, $31.95, Trafalgar Square Books) by Certified Horsemanship Association instructor and trainer Lynn Acton. Says Acton: When we provide this security, horses accept our rules. This not only puts us in charge, it makes our leadership more effective because we do not force it on them; they seek it. The result is less anxiety, fewer behavior problems, more efficient learning, and ultimately a more reliable horse. Acton refers to this relationship as Protector Leadership because being the ‘protector’ of the horse is the foundation. Fitting the separate pieces together, Acton explains why Protector Leadership works, and how to make it work for each horse and rider. “Whatever the cause of a problem behavior, we humans are usually a big part of it,” she notes. Whether the underlying cause of bad equine acting is pain, anxiety or boredom, to name just three on Acton’s list, “once we understand what is going on, we can be part of the solution.” Part of the answer is learning to look at the horse’s behavior in a different way. Attaching negative labels – “bad, pushy, flighty, disrespectful, stupid, stubborn, ornery, vindictive” – puts the focus on changing the behavior instead of addressing the cause. And the negative interactions to which this approach leads do nothing but undermine our horse’s trust in us. Acton spent time working on a Thoroughbred breeding farm and later retraining off-track Thoroughbreds before becoming certified by CHA to teach both English and Western riding. She started a therapeutic riding program for at-risk youth and currently competes in Horse Agility and Equagility (ridden agility). It’s a diverse background, one which Acton says helps her to understand horses, relationships and leadership from an interdisciplinary point of view. And indeed, relationships with horses, whether for companionship or competition, are complex and ever-changing – one of the reasons why horsemanship can become a lifelong pursuit. There is always a balance to be struck with our equine partners, and it demands continual growth and understanding on our side. Acton explains that when the focus in the relationship is on what we want from the horse, his compliance becomes the measure of success, and what he thinks and feels is often overlooked. Is he calm, confident, and trusting? Or anxiously wishing he could escape? His behavior, performance, and reliability – regardless of discipline – depends on the answers to those questions. 18 | NEW YORK HORSE

60-SECOND CLINIC: UNDERSTANDING ANXIETY ALTHOUGH SOME HORSES ARE INHERENTLY ANXIETY-PRONE, MUCH ANXIETY IS THE RESULT OF SITUATIONS THAT ARE STRESSFUL TO A HORSE, OR THAT HE ANTI-CIPATES WILL BE STRESSFUL. PROBLEM BEHAVIORS MIGHT RESULT FROM A SINGLE, SPECIFIC CAUSE, OR FROM A SERIES OF SMALLER STRESSES THAT ADD UP TO MORE THAN THE HORSE CAN COPE WITH IN THE MOMENT. THIS IS AKIN TO WHAT HAPPENS TO US WHEN WE’RE HAVING A BAD DAY, EVERYTHING SEEMS TO BE GOING WRONG, AND A PERFECTLY REASONABLE REQUEST FROM SOMEONE ELSE SUDDENLY FEELS LIKE TOO MUCH, AND THE OTHER PERSON HAS NO IDEA WHY WE’VE LOST PATIENCE.

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OFF THE BEATEN PATH

Rocky Point Pine Barrens State Forest Forget civilization in a place that was once ‘Radio Central’

oday, Rocky Point Pine Barrens State Forest is a sanctuary of forest and open fields, part of the last remaining wilderness on Long Island. Here, nearly 6,000 acres are threaded by miles of horseback and hiking trails, deep into wildlands where suburban sprawl is another day’s concern. But spin the dials on the way-back machine to the last Roaring 20s, and these low-growing woodlands in the town of Brookhaven are a hub of global communications. From 1920 until the 1970s, this land was owned by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and home to the largest field of radio-transmitting satellites in the world. And then came the Space Age. The bristling 400-foot antennas were made obsolete by earth-orbiting communications satellites, RCA donated “Radio Central” to the state of New York, and the hum and crackle of electricity was replaced by birdsong. The churn of technology created Rocky Point park. Trot under a canopy of pines and listen for the ghosts of transatlantic radio messages. Plan a ride: Within the state forest are four blazed trails – 19.6 miles in all – set aside for equestrian use. The trails cross into the heart of the forest, intersect, and create the opportunity for loops of varying lengths and terrain. There is a handicapped accessible mounting platform at the Whiskey Road horse trailer parking area located at the southern edge of the trail network. Field notes: Watch for wildlife as you ride. Raccoons and white-tailed deer are common visitors on the trail system. Check the trees for orioles, woodpeckers and Great Horned owls. Rocky Point is part of the Long Island Central Pine Barrens, more than 100,000 acres of protected public land. It holds a remnant of the Atlantic coastal pine barrens ecoregion, whose forests might once have covered a quarter-million acres. Off limits: Horses are not permitted on the hiking trails. To protect the forest, DEC does not allow horses to be tied to live trees. To protect the humans, DEC asks all riders to slow their horses to a walk or halt when they encounter someone on the trail. Fees: Use of the trails and all facilities is free, but an access

20 | NEW YORK HORSE

permit is required. Go to the Department of Environmental Conservation website for instructions and an application form. The download: Find a printable map of the Rocky Point trail system at dec.ny.gov/docs/regions_pdf/rphorse.pdf. Required papers: Proof of a current negative Coggins certificate is required for all horses; out-of-state horse owners are required to produce a 30-day health certificate. Riders must carry their horse’s health papers with them at all times. Nerd alert, history edition: A secret project housed in Radio Central’s building No. 10 became the world’s first color television. Don’t miss this: OK, it’s about a half-hour drive due east, but when is the next time a road trip will terminate at a 20-foot high, 30-foot long white duck? The Big Duck – which is of course what it’s called – was commissioned in 1931 by a local farmer who sold ducks and eggs from the shop in its belly. It’s now a tourism center for the east end of Long Island and ranked the No. 1 attraction in the hamlet of Flanders. Actually, other than a pond and a swamp, it’s the only attraction. Be prepared: Pack a first aid kit with the basics for you and your horse. Carry a cell phone on you and not tucked into a saddle bag. That way if you part company with your horse – beware of equine-eating giant ducks – you have the phone.

THE FILE

Whoa and Peace In the thick of WWII, Oswego decided to outdo FDR and the local horses were all in

“

A Belgian sailor out for a ride salutes the camera, as the Office of War documents the week in June 1943 when America’s allies visited Oswego

United Nations week in Oswego meant a chance for a Polish naval officer to chat with a local girl at a farm where the fighting men were hosted

A Belgian sailor took a spin on the merrygo-round at a carnival held during United Nations week

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t looks like a lot of other American towns,” a narrator says as the camera pans from a rooftop above Oswego’s downtown. “There’s one main street. There’s one newspaper to let people know what’s happening in the world. There’s a courthouse to see that justice is done, a public high school, and 14 churches. It’s a peaceful town of shade trees and quiet parks.” Oswego, a documentary created by the Office of War Information, brought World War II home to main-street America, pointing out the many connections between the small port city on Lake Ontario and the wider world. This year brings the 75th anniversary of the war’s end, and a chance to replay in glorious black-and-white the week in June when Oswego one-upped President Roosevelt by hosting a United Nations of fighting men. Cue the cameras. Cue the horseback rides, factory visit and breakfast table. And … action. The faces are impossibly young, smiling in the grainy documentary, stilled in the accompanying images by Office of War Information photographer Marjory Collins. They came in June 1943. Roosevelt had proclaimed a United Nations Day, but the people of Oswego felt they could do more. Why not United Nations week? And why not invite America’s allies into their homes? Soldiers and sailors came from Belgium, Britain, Canada, France, Greece, Norway, and Poland, and over the week they became guests around a dinner table, friendly faces around town. In one image by Collins, a Polish naval officer rides a horse on a farm where the troops were entertained. In another, a Belgian sailor rides a horse with the farmer’s son and daughter, pausing in a third to salute the camera. The week meant a chance to swim in the lake, take a spin on a carnival carousel, and lie under a tree and be lazy. Romance bloomed between a local girl and a Norwegian sailor. The Polish soldier was invited to the Catholic Church for Sunday Mass. And then, as quickly as the war came home, the men departed. “Foreign countries no longer seemed strange and distant: Not Britain, Greece, France, and Norway, but Stephen, Jean, Alf, and Martin – friends sitting around a table,” the narrator continues. By week’s end, both they and Oswego’s residents better understood the lives and human freedoms for which they fought and for which the men returned to battle: “to make the image of friendliness and peace come true; to finish the war.”

TIME TRAVEL Watch the documentary at

youtube.com/watch?v=E0c0YThjb48

FOR 52 years, one strong voice Protecting the rides of your life whether you canter or lope, go around barrels or over fences, YOU belong in this picture for the future of horses, join today at www.nyshc.org

The Enduring Power of

HOPE

As the pandemic ravaged New York, a therapeutic riding program saved their herd and the future By Katie Navarra

harm and Rosebud peer through the slatted sides of the horse trailer that has come to take them home, eyes level and unwavering, a steady presence even now, when so much has changed. Home. Back to the streets of New York, to the therapeutic riding center where they are the healing guardians of frail bodies and psyches. The steady clip of hooves and they are across the sidewalk, heads lowered, back to the stalls they left when the spread of coronavirus closed the city and the barn. There are new signs on the big double doors

leading into the GallopNYC stables in Queens. “Help us Keep our Barn Safe.” “Wear a Face Covering.” “Wash your Hands Often.” “Practice Social Distancing.” The plastic water buckets, the sweet green of hay, the weathered wood, all familiar. But beyond these walls, the world has shifted in the pandemic. n March 20, with New York the epicenter of the outbreak, lessons halted at GallopNYC, which specializes in therapeutic riding for people with emotional, developmental and physical challenges. Without lessons, there was no income. The program maintains about 40 horses. When

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Photos courtesy of GallopNYC

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Executive Director James Wilson realized that the closure of non-essential businesses mandated by New York state would not end anytime soon, he made a difficult decision: To save the 15-year-old stable and ensure riders would have a place to come back to, he cut expenses by sending the horses away. One by one they boarded a trailer for a private farm upstate. “As an organization we decided it was cheaper to take care of the horses out of town,” Wilson said. “We have a partner upstate who retires horses for us, and she took 25 of our horses. We let them have a vacation, be out in a field, eat grass and enjoy sunshine.” Some of the horses received an early retirement while others waited for a return to serving their riders. Barn staff visited the herd and reported that, after a few weeks in the country, they were all fat, happy and relaxed.

Wilson said he wasn’t surprised by how quickly the horses adapted to their new surroundings; what he did not expect was the outpouring of support when GallopNYC launched a fundraising campaign called #feedtheherd. The campaign kicked off in late March and reminded the community that it costs $275 a month to feed and care for each horse – and a total of $55,000 every month for the program to survive, even without lessons. Donations poured in after a New York Times reporter captured the staff’s tearful goodbyes to the horses as they loaded up for the trip north. Nearly 85% of the $40,000 goal was achieved in just one month. “People that we don’t know, people from all parts of the country and the world have supported our horses and the work that we do,” Wilson said. “That’s really encouraging and resonates with a lot of people.”

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The measure of support helped to fill the silence. Normally, GallopNYC serves 500 riders with disabilities each week. A space that was usually full of laughter, excitement and activity was quiet. “Early this spring it was disconcerting to tell people they couldn’t come to the barn. I was really afraid people would forget about us,” Wilson said. “My team was excited about finding ways to remind people we were still here and that we were all in this together.” Lesson instructors led programs for young riders to encourage them to get up and move their bodies and keep exercising their muscles the way they did while riding. They hosted arts and crafts and book clubs for children and adults. GallopNYC also serves veterans, offering both a riding program and one that includes horse care and groundwork. Wilson said they found the vets were especially positive about the remote programming and Zoom video options. In some ways, Wilson added, he feels the online interaction has created even stronger ties with the community, and some of the programming will continue as GallopNYC fully returns to riding. “It is weird trying to teach horseback riding over the internet,” he said. “But essentially we are focused on trying to improve the lives of people with disabilities even when we can’t be together.”

n early June, GallopNYC began again: one-on-one, with lessons for those riders who are fairly independent. Riders who need physical support began to return in late summer, although because of health precautions, any side walking assistance – walking on either side of the rider to help them stay balanced and secure in the saddle – had to come from the individual’s family or “pod” rather than volunteers. “Before the pandemic, we would ask volunteers to sidewalk with our riders that needed physical support,” Wilson said. “In today’s environment, however, we will not ask volunteers to put themselves this close to another person.” Private lessons replaced group instruction although, as Wilson noted, “horses by definition are social distanced because you do not ride on top of each

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other. Everyone is masked and feels safe at the barn.” By the first week of September, with all the horses back home, the lesson program was able to accommodate each of its riders, including the 100 or so recreational riders whose classes help to underwrite the therapeutic work.

Still, the financial effects continue to be felt, as they do at many non-profits across New York, and lasting support is essential. One community challenge asked sponsors to donate 300 lessons to Gallop’s scholarship fund. The annual Barn Dance fundraiser, typically held in the spring, was rescheduled three times before becoming an online event in late September, celebrating the horses’ return to the city and the program’s return to riding. But while the ‘new normal’ still changes every day, one thing remains the same: Horses are healers, emotionally and physically. Keeping GallopNYC open means that the children, adults and veterans who have learned new skills and independence through

riding, will have access to the barn and its horses for years to come. “We’re beginning to see the kids and adult riders here again and that’s my favorite part,” Wilson said. “Our community supporters, staff and volunteers are important to making that possible.”

sliver of sunlight slips through the wooden slats of his stall and settles on Charm. The gentle roan looks up, mid-munch, a few wisps of hay dangling from his mouth.

Journey’s end. Home at last.

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A MATTER of COURSE

n August 23, photographer Bob Mayberger captured a moment that summed up 2020 in a single image: Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., his mount scratched just before the start of a race on the inner turf, decided to watch the contest from a different perspective. Behind him, the historic grandstand at Saratoga Race Course is silent, the seats empty, the fans banished by a pandemic that hung dark and still over the meet. This much remained: The flash of silks, the pounding of hooves and hearts in the stretch, the rise and fall of fortunes in a little more than a mile, and a few seconds either side of two minutes on the clock. The stories, though, are timeless. Winners. Losers. Redemption. Final bows. From Triple Crown dreams to second chances, it was a season to be remembered and retold.

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Tiz

Law

the For Sackatoga Stable, racing fans and champions of the ‘little guy,’ he’s the Horse of a Lifetime 2.0

By L.A. Sokolowski

t was two weeks until the Kentucky Derby. Had the conversation been with a more fainthearted owner of an odds-on favorite, there might have been this detail to report: fingernails bitten to the nub in anticipation of the most exciting two minutes in sports. But Jackson “Jack” Knowlton has been here before. In 2003, Knowlton and the small-but-mighty Saratoga Springs horse racing syndicate Sackatoga Stable, won the Kentucky Derby with Funny Cide, a character straight out of a Frank Capra movie. Purchased for the Thoroughbred equivalent of lunch money, his victory in Louisville became the first for a New York-bred and the first by a gelding since Clyde Van Dusen in 1929. Sackatoga’s pursuit of the Triple Crown that year resonated in the heart of every American racing fan that had ever dreamed of the little guy making it big. Funny Cide ran away with the Preakness, winning by 9¾ lengths, before finishing third in a muddy Belmont lineup behind fresher horses that had skipped the Preakness. So, shouldn’t one great racehorse in a lifetime be enough? Not for Sackatoga or Knowlton. This year they were again at the heart of the action and looking to beat those once-in-a-lifetime odds with Tiz the Law, an otter-sleek bay with another New York pedigree. For them – and for all the little guys who dream big – Tiz the Law became Horse of a Lifetime 2.0.

n a Saturday in June, with the traditional racing calendar upended by the coronavirus pandemic, the dream was off and running. For the first time in history, the Belmont Stakes was the first leg of the Triple Crown, and Tiz the Law rolled over the field to an exclamatory four-length victory. Next stop: Redemption. Seventeen years earlier, Knowlton and trainer Barclay Tagg had their hearts broken when Funny Cide got sick and had to be scratched from the Travers Stakes – the storied Midsummer Derby of Saratoga Race Course, their home track. Now they were back. Take two for both men. For Tagg, now 82, it was the race he said he always wanted to win.

32 | NEW YORK HORSE

Photo by Bob Mayberger

Late on a picturesque August afternoon, the 3-year-old with the bright white blaze ran down the early frontrunners and thundered for home. As the colt tore down the stretch, track announcer John Imbriale called the final strides: “Tiz the Law has a four-length lead. He’s left the others behind. It’s Tiz the Law. He won the Belmont Stakes, he’s gonna win the Runhappy Travers, and now it’s on to Kentucky as the favorite in the Derby. Here he is, Saratoga’s hometown hero – Tiz the Law.” It was his fourth consecutive win. And then came September and the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby; and Churchill Downs, the track that handed Tiz the Law his first defeat, dealt him a second. Despite what Sackatoga agreed was a “pitch-perfect” effort by Tiz and jockey Manny Franco, the colt was bested in a stretch duel with Authentic. Simply said, it wasn’t to be.

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But racing history belongs to more than the horses who cross the finish line first. Despite nearly two decades between them, each of these Sackatoga horses has epitomized New York’s motto: Excelsior. Ever upward. “They were – are – very different athletes,” mused Knowlton. “Funny Cide was high energy. He was more of a workout to breeze because he was just born to run. “Tiz, on the other hand, is extremely low key and manageable. You can go down to the barn and find him just hanging his head out the door. Mostly he’s calm, cool and collected. But don’t underestimate him.” Morning breezes with Tiz, he said, start early, very early. “He gets competitive when there’s a lot of traffic. He’s good about standing still and waiting to go on the track. His manners are great. But once he sees other horses, (his exercise riders) expect him to gallop a little stronger.” “We have an agreement,” said Heather Smullen, niece of assistant trainer Robin Smullen and architect of the colt’s carefully calibrated pre-dawn workouts. “If Tiz doesn’t get after me, I don’t get after him.” A little youthful exuberance in a stud colt is to be expected. Early in their relationship the two had – ahem – a discussion about horses that want to spend time walking on their hind legs. “We were in Ocala and he was rearing and acting like a bad boy,” Smullen chuckled, “so I got on him.” Originally from Pennsylvania, Smullen rode sidesaddle and showed Welsh ponies before picking up work galloping Thoroughbred racehorses, and that expertise in good pony/ bad pony behavior has been helpful. When Tiz is good, he’s very good but, to put the old nursery rhyme in horseman’s lingo, when he’s bad he’s “strong.” “If you don’t let him go as fast as he wants, he will drift,” said Knowlton. “Tiz is smarter than the average horse. If there’s a deep spot on a track, he’ll take it easy. That’s him taking care of himself. “Heather finds him pretty perfect to work in the morning. Most of the time all she’s got to do is sit quiet, keep her hands still and let him do his job.”

n August 20, Old Friends at Cabin Creek Thoroughbred rescue held a fundraiser at Nanola’s restaurant in Malta. Knowlton was a guest and Sackatoga memorabilia figured prominently in the raffle, including a copy of Sally Jenkins’ sentimental favorite, The Funny Cide Team: How a Horse, a Trainer, a Jockey, and a Bunch of High School Buddies Took On the Sheiks and Bluebloods… and Won.

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Photos courtesy of Churchill Downs and Sackatoga Stable

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Photo by Bob Mayberger

On page 269, Jenkins captures the end of the gelding’s 2003 Triple Crown pursuit: “Barclay came into the barn office and sat down heavily in his chair. ‘I feel terrible,’ he confessed to Robin. He felt terrible for the people who had been behind them, and who had cheered the horse so fervently. He had wanted to please them all. He wanted to please the world.” The words felt eerily familiar 17 years later, on that Saturday in September, as a collective sigh of disappointment heaved across New York. “What can you do?” Tagg told reporters after the Derby. “He ran a good race. He got beat.” For Knowlton, now operating partner of Sackatoga – and the only one left of the friends who put together that first, improbable Triple Crown run – the sentiment rang true. “Even though it didn’t turn out the way we hoped,” he said, “there’s certainly no shame in the way he ran.” Horse of a Lifetime 2.0 has reminded Knowlton that what he still loves best about the sport are the horses. The New York horses. He can still hear Jose Santos, Funny Cide’s jockey, saying right after the Derby win: “New York-breds! Get with the program!” As the hours after the Derby turn into days and then into philosophical years, history will remember how Sackatoga Horses of a Lifetime 1.0 and 2.0 gave the little guys of the world bigger dreams to dream. The day after losing the Derby, Tiz was tweeted this love letter from a fan: Dear Tiz the Law, 2020 has been a crazy year and yesterday proved no different. I didn’t sleep well last night and I’m sure the rest of your team at Sackatoga didn’t either. I hope you got a good night’s rest though because you deserve it, champ. We all know what to expect when you hit the track and you left it all out there Saturday under the Twin Spires. Until recently I was unemployed for most of the year, but you have been a sense of normalcy for me, and many others. Following you all year and watching you train and compete from afar has been uplifting. It’s why I love a horse I’ve never met. Saturday wasn’t about my future wagers I had on you and my wife will attest to that. She could see it on my face. I was truly sad for you and your team. Because you are one of the greats. Whatever is ahead for Sackatoga Stable and its racehorses, this much is true: It produced – for the Sport of Kings – two champions of the people.

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Life is good for Funny Cide,

Sackatoga’s first ‘Horse of a Lifetime’

n retirement, the Gutsy Gelding is a Crusty Curmudgeon, adored by fans and a star attraction at the Kentucky Horse Park’s Hall of Champions. Yes, it’s good to be Funny Cide. It’s been 17 years since he became the first New Yorkbred to win the Kentucky Derby and only the third to win the Preakness. That he lost the 2003 Triple Crown by finishing third in Photos of Funny Cide by Bob Mayberger the Belmont – after fighting with his jockey early in the race – did absolutely nothing “So that really helped make things easier. We were to dim public affection for the feisty chestnut playing with the house’s money when we bought who is now the Hall’s resident kvetch, no less a Funny Cide for $75,000.” character than the band of high school buddies who Peanuts, as dollars are reckoned in the universe bought him. of horse racing, and the rest, as the cliché goes, is history. Funny Cide would go on to earn $3.5 million, more than any other New York-bred racehorse in history. He was named the New York-bred Horse of the Decade by the NY Thoroughbred Breeders and was honored with a race – the Funny Cide Stakes – by Saratoga Race Course. And then there are the intangibles, the honors that defy category. He was, after all, the most exciting thing to happen to Sackets Harbor since the War of 1812. Funny Cide Pride ice cream was created by Stewart’s Shops to honor the Derby and Preakness wins. It combined butter pecan ice cream with roasted pecans, a butter pecan fudge swirl and butter pecan fudge pieces. Keeping pace, Sackets Harbor Brewing Funny Cide was the first Horse of a Lifetime for Co. released Funny Cide Light, a limited-edition lager. the 10 friends from Sackets Harbor who pooled their Both, like the horse, have been retired. money to buy a Thoroughbred or two, and dubbed Speaking of which, Funny Cide called it a career their partnership Sackatoga Stables, a mashup of their shortly after his victory in the Wadsworth Memorial hometown and Saratoga. Handicap at Finger Lakes Racetrack on July 4, 2007. Their first purchase was a $40,000 claimer named The track’s normal capacity is 6,000, but a crowd of Bail Money. “She won three races and $130,000 for more than 12,000 turned up to bid farewell to the us before she was claimed for $62,500,” managing gallant gelding who captured the nation’s heart. partner Jack Knowlton recalled for Blood Horse.

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Racing left its mark across upstate, from the final resting place of the greatest distance runner of his time, to a horse who lost a sprint to a minor league ballplayer.

Four Stops on the Silks Road

Until he was banned from the track for refusing to break from the gate, Zippy Chippy spent most of his winless career – he was 0-100 – as a fan favorite at Finger Lakes Gaming & Race Track in Farmington. A commemorative Zippy beer stein bears the motto: “Dedication. Perseverance. (Complete lack of Speed.)” Relive one of his most notorious losses – in a race with a minor league ballplayer from Rochester – at youtube.com/ watch?v=kMGe9mHkpHk.

Sackets Harbor’s claim to history was making ships for the War of 1812 until five high school friends formed Sackatoga Stables and bought Funny Cide, who became the first NY-bred to win the Kentucky Derby. Their silks reflected the colors of the Sackets Harbor HS Patriots and they traveled to the Triple Crown races in a school bus, aka the “big yellow stretch limo.” Watch Funny Cide demolish the 2003 Preakness field by nearly 10 lengths at youtube.com/watch?v=MWncMnDunLE.

The Hambletonian Stakes – the first race in the Triple Crown of harness racing for trotters – is named after NY-bred Hambletonian 10, a foundation sire of Standardbreds. The first Hambletonian was run at the New York State Fair in Syracuse in 1926. The Fair won the bid by offering to add $8,000 to the purse, making the Hambletonian – then and now – the richest race in trotting. There is no film, only this picture of the victorious pre-race favorite, Guy McKinney.

NEW Y ORK STATE 4.

Whispering Pines Pet Cemetery, the final resting place of Exterminator, is located at 3850 Gardner Road, in the hills above Binghamton’s Ross Park Zoo. Take Washington Street and Morgan Road to Gardner Road. The cemetery is about a half-mile past the entrance to the zoo. Get in the time machine and watch Exterminator win the 1918 Kentucky Derby – back when film was black-and-white and there was no starting gate – at youtube.com/ watch?v=Rr4m83hry88.

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ALLOCATION OF ASSETS

160,000

That was the gavel price that would have made you the proud owner of the top New York-bred Thoroughbred at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Yearlings Sale.

Or …. You could spend the same $160,000 and acquire both flash and chrome

$40,000

$22,000

Had you not spent the money on horse treats, the $40,000 winning bid on this 18kt white gold-anddiamond choker might have been yours. The necklace belonged to the late Marylou Whitney, the “Queen of Saratoga.” An auction this summer of 1,500 items from her estate raised $400,000 for a medical clinic to benefit backstretch workers at Saratoga Race Course.

Speaking of the Marylou W h i t n e y collection, a relatively modest $22,000 – as these things are figured – would have won a 1992 Jaguar convertible XJS with about 36,000 miles on the odometer.

22,300

Dreaming about 2021? For $22,300 get a group of 10 together for NYRA’s ultimate Belmont Stakes experience with access to the winner’s circle before a race, premium hospitality in the Diamond Room, a straight-on view of the finish line from the Clubhouse and a two-night stay at the Long Island Marriott.

3,780

Whilst buying a racehorse and winning the Belmont, how about a mere $3,780 for Peter Williams’ View of the Paddock at Belmont Park? Step into the winner’s circle at Sotheby’s New York: that was the hammer price for the signed oil on canvas.

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10,000

The Thoroughbred version of a dollar and a dream: For $10,000, invest in Sackatoga Stable and become part of an LLC formed to purchase a horse who might become the next Tiz the Law. Being able to say you own part of a Belmont winner? Priceless.

64,995

Bid farewell to horseshow hot dogs: For $64,995, a 2019 Lakota Charger horse trailer has room for three equines plus a bedroom, sofa, dinette and kitchen.

‘This isn’t a sport that you can ever get complacent in …’ Story and photography by Brien Bouyea

he life of a jockey is a study in contrasts – the glory of victory and the agony of defeat – and it requires tremendous risk and sacrifice to reach the pinnacle of the game. The thrill of winning a major race and the adoration that comes with such an achievement is contradicted by the danger that comes with each mount.

According to racing industry statistics from Equibase, 1,172 jockeys competed at North American racetracks this year. It is a specialized profession, participated in by elite athletes with a rare skill set. A successful jockey needs strength, balance, intellect, a sense of pace and timing, and agility – both physical and mental – to adjust to the constantly changing scenarios in a race. Jockeys are bold, fearless, and relentless in their pursuit of crossing the finish line first. Many of the sport’s elite riders gravitate toward the New York tracks, considered to be the most competitive circuit in the country. From up-and-comers determined to climb the ladder, superstars in their prime, and masters of their craft who have proven themselves legends of the game, these are a few of the faces and the stories behind the silks.

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Dylan Davis

Dylan Davis has always had an affinity for things that move fast. The Saratoga Springs native, 25, was training to be a professional off-road motorcycle racer as a teenager when he chose another high-speed pursuit. Dylan, the son of accomplished jockey Robbie Davis, decided to follow in his father’s footsteps, along with two sisters who are jockeys and a brother who’s a trainer. An emerging star on the New York tracks, Davis has won more than 750 races since he first swung a leg over a Thoroughbred’s back in 2012. “I was racing Motocross and I had to get a bigger bike and my dad didn’t want me to get it, because it was a little dangerous; I couldn’t touch the ground. And with the bigger bike – bigger jumps, and everything is faster – it’s just more dangerous. Since he wouldn’t buy me another bike, I’m thinking what else can I do? I’ve always been with the horses, so I started getting on horses on the weekends and I just decided to try and do this. “Racing is certainly the family profession, but I do this because I’m passionate about it, not for any other reason. You’re pushing yourself every day to get better. This isn’t a sport that you can ever get complacent in. I love that about it.”

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Manny Franco

Manny Franco is seizing his moment. As the jockey for leading 3-year-old Tiz the Law, Franco, a 25-year-old native of Puerto Rico, has made the most of his time in the spotlight. Since making his debut in 2013, Franco has won 1,400 races, earned more than $89 million and led the NYRA circuit in overall wins in 2018 and 2019. But partnered with Tiz this year, the 5-foot-1, 112-pound Franco has won the Belmont, Travers, Florida Derby, and Holy Bull. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You never know when a horse like this will come along. You have to always be working hard and on top of your game, so you are ready when those opportunities are there. â&#x20AC;&#x153;... I want to be the best.â&#x20AC;?

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Irad Ortiz Jr.

At 28, Irad Ortiz, Jr. is regarded by many as the best in his profession. A native of Puerto Rico – and the older brother of fellow superstar Jose Ortiz – Irad has won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey the past two years and already has more than 2,600 wins to his credit. He topped the Saratoga standings this past summer for the third time in his career with 59 wins, one more than his brother. Arguably the best rider in the game currently, the 5-foot-3, 112-pound Ortiz keeps a steady approach to his craft. “You’ve got to dream big, but you have to earn it through hard work. I always wanted to be a jockey and I don’t take it for granted. Every opportunity I’m given, I try to do the right thing. You can’t be happy with what you did yesterday if you win a big race; you’ve got to keep going and keep giving every race your best and complete focus. You don’t want emotions to get in the way of the job you have to do. “If (Jose and I) are in a race together and I don’t win, I hope he does, but I want to beat him every time. The competition is extreme. I won’t give him an inch and he’s the same way.”

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Jose Ortiz

Jose Ortiz, at age 27, is on the short list in any discussion of the best jockey in North America. A native of Puerto Rico – and the younger brother of Irad Ortiz, Jr. – Jose has an Eclipse Award, three Saratoga riding titles, a Belmont Stakes victory, and more than 2,000 wins in less than 10 years. Despite all the winning and accolades, the 5-foot-7, 115-pound Ortiz has maintained a humble philosophy toward his profession. “Honestly, you really have to learn to be a good loser to be successful – and that’s very difficult and takes discipline. Racing’s a tough game. If you win 20 percent of the time, you’re a good rider. There are so many things you can’t control in a race, but it’s your job to learn all that you can when you don’t win, and try to get an edge that way. “(I want) to win the Kentucky Derby, Preakness … all of the big races that I haven’t gotten yet, but my ultimate goal is to be in the Hall of Fame. That’s when you have proven yourself for a long time at a high level. That’s what I’m going after.”

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Javier Castellano

A four-time Eclipse Award winner and member of the Hall of Fame, Javier Castellano has won more than 5,300 races, including the Preakness twice, a dozen Breeders’ Cup events, and a record six editions of the Travers. The 5-foot-1, 114-pound Castellano has been winning major stakes in New York for almost 20 years; but the 42-year-old native of Venezuela still has big things he wants to accomplish in his career. So far, both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont have eluded Castellano and he’s determined to change that. “I love horses and I love being a jockey. I’m truly proud of what I’ve done in my career, but I still have things I want to achieve and there’s a lot of motivation that comes with that. I think having goals like winning the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont keeps me hungry. “You have to be hungry and driven because everyone else is trying to beat you. Every time you get on a horse, you’re in a competition.”

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John Velazquez

In a 30-year career, John Velazquez has won more than 6,200 races and earned more purse money — more than $423 million — than any rider in the sport’s history. Throw in three Kentucky Derby wins, 16 Breeders’ Cup victories, a pair of Eclipse Awards, and a spot in the Hall of Fame and it’s easy to see why Velazquez is one of the most accomplished and revered riders of all time. He’s still at the top of his game and shows no signs of slowing down; but Velazquez, 48, didn’t always anticipate he would achieve icon status. “I grew up in Puerto Rico away from the racetrack. What I learned about riding horses, I learned in the streets, riding bareback, no saddle. I was 16 years old when I went to the jockey school. The first thing the teacher said to me was, ‘I think you chose the wrong profession.’ But I was determined to learn it. “To be able to compete in and have the opportunity to win races like the Kentucky Derby or at the Breeders’ Cup or Grade 1 races at Saratoga is still absolutely thrilling to me. It’s as exciting to me now as when I first started having success, maybe even more so because I have the perspective of how challenging it is to win those type of races.”

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Final Chapter At Wallkill state prison, a second act for retired racehorses offers a second chance for inmates By Keith McCalmont

ubba Sparks had a nose for the wire on the racetrack and, at the age of 19, the New York-bred stallion is continuing his winning ways, this time at the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation’s Second Chances Program at Wallkill Correctional Facility. “He was a horse that always fought for it and really wanted to win,” said retired Eclipse Awardwinning jockey Richard Migliore, who piloted Bubba Sparks to back-to-back wins at Belmont Park in the fall of 2004. “He was the type of horse you didn’t mind getting in a street fight with because he wanted to be a winner. He wasn’t going to shy away.” Bubba Sparks won five races in a 20-race career, mainly on the New York Racing Association (NYRA) circuit, with three coming at Belmont Park, including a gate-to-wire effort on Sept. 10, 2004. He followed up on Oct. 15, 2004, winning by a neck in a $70,000 claiming race. “That October win ... I was under the weather and felt so bad. We got in a stretch duel and I was exhausted, but he got us home,” recalled Migliore. It turned out to be the best performance of Bubba’s career. “He just kept putting his head out and wasn’t going to let anyone pass him.” But the dark brown campaigner with the unflinching eye wasn’t finished. Even after closing his racing years with a hard-fought victory at Finger Lakes in September 2005, Bubba Sparks had more to give. He joined the TRF herd at Wallkill that October and has been a mainstay at the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance-accredited program ever since. Supported by money from NYRA and its horsemen, and from every aspect of the Thoroughbred industry,

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TAA certifies, inspects, and awards grants to aftercare organizations. Since 2012, it has awarded $17.2 million to retrain, retire, and rehome racehorses. To retire a horse to the TRF herd, owners are asked to go to the nonprofit’s website — trfinc.org – and apply online. Each application is reviewed by the TRF’s national herd manager and a committee of the Foundation’s Board of Directors, who approve, place or waitlist each horse that meets the retirement criteria. That criteria includes Jockey Club registration and having run in at least one race. TRF primarily takes those horses, like Bubba Sparks, who are unable to pursue a second athletic career or have aged out of their post-racing career. Once accepted into the TRF herd they are offered a promise of lifetime sanctuary. “We celebrate all of the racing partnerships and Thoroughbred owners who thoughtfully place their horses with safe, secure homes when their racing careers are over,” said Kim Weir, TRF’s Director of Major Gifts and Planned Giving. “Once accepted, the TRF requires a one-time donation and lifelong commitment of support for each horse placed in our herd.” The TRF herd lives at 18 locations across the country, of which seven are Second Chances farms at correctional facilities like Wallkill, a medium security prison in Ulster County. There — and at similar programs in California, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland and South Carolina — inmates participate in vocational training classes in equine care and stable management. Bubba Sparks is part of a group of nearly 50 off-track Thoroughbreds at Wallkill working with incarcerated men tackling issues ranging from substance abuse to anger management; the types

of problems that ultimately landed them behind bars. Wallkill was the first of TRF’s Second Chances programs, and since it began in 1984 it has been home to hundreds of retired Thoroughbreds and helped many men find new purpose. Kelsey Kober is the farm manager and vocational instructor who runs the Second Chances program for the Department of Corrections. She said anywhere from four to 10 inmates are enrolled, learning a trade and helping to manage the 80-acre property. The Wallkill program is intended and structured to deliver practical vocational training – to make the men more employable when they leave, whether that is in the horse industry or another job. TRF says studies have shown a reduction in recidivism rates at facilities that are part of Second Chances. “I see it as therapeutic; not only for the horses, but for the men,” said Kober. “It takes time for the men to get to know the horses and a 1,200-pound horse is not something they see every day. They need to trust the horse and themselves to have the courage to go in a stall and work with them.” Said Jay Schleifer, a former Wallkill inmate who is

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now an alcohol and substance abuse counselor with Corrections: “Working with the horses saved my life.” Bubba Sparks is also benefiting from living out his retirement years at Wallkill. “He’s very spunky. I can’t imagine what he was like as a baby because he still runs through the fields like he was two,” said Kober. “He lives with five other horses. He’s a big, tough guy and he loves to run the field. There are younger horses that live with him and they keep him active. I’ll see them come running up over the hill, racing and bucking and squealing.” Migliore rode 4,450 winners in his career and now appears as an analyst on America’s Day at the Races, a telecast produced by NYRA in partnership with FOX Sports. The veteran rider first visited Wallkill to reconnect with Creme de La Fete, a former mount and one of the original horses in the program. “In recent years, I’ve had the chance to go meet with the prisoners there and tour the grounds,” Migliore said. “I’d bring ‘win’ pictures of the retired horses to show to the guys. They know these horses now at 20 years old, with a bit of gray on their muzzle and a swayback … They got a kick out of seeing

their horses at 3 years old winning at Belmont and Saratoga. It gave them a reference point of what their horse used to do.” As a longtime horseman, Migliore said he can understand why the program works. “Former racehorses will teach you how to respect them. Unfortunately, people who end up in prison are probably used to bullying and manipulating their way through life and you can’t get away with that with a racehorse,” he said. “A racehorse will teach you to work with them and get along, as opposed to you just imposing your will on them. That’s probably pretty humbling for a big, strong guy that’s used to getting what they want. “When you learn you can’t force your way through something, you learn to get along with the animal and work together. I think it’s a good thing for both horses and people. You have to gain their respect and trust, and when you earn their trust, they give it back to you in kind.” Kober said she often sees a transformation in the men who work at the Wallkill farm. “I see a change – if they’re willing to allow a change – in about three weeks. It mellows them out and they enjoy the peacefulness and the calmness of the farm,” said Kober. “And it’s not just with Bubba, but with all 48 horses on the farm. They learn to want to care for the horses, and the property itself, like it’s their own.” Kober said an inability to communicate effectively and underlying anger issues are a common thread among the many prisoners who have worked in the Wallkill program. For many of those men, working with horses allowed them to turn a corner and have an accomplishment they can point to with pride. Bubba Sparks has plenty to be proud of, too. He made just shy of $150,000 on the racetrack, but the value of the lessons he helps to provide at Wallkill is immeasurable. “Taking responsibility for this property and the horses is big for people who maybe didn’t have a healthy purpose in life before this,” said Kober. “Being incarcerated is not something they want, but having a healthy environment to go to is important for their rehabilitation ... The program does work if the inmate is willing to let it work and they allow the horses to be their therapy.”

Sanctuary Farm

enowned American artist Jamie Wyeth has created and fully funded a sanctuary farm for 10 horses too old to continue working at Wallkill. After decades in the Second Chances program teaching inmates life skills and equine care, the horses will spend the final chapter of their lives at Pastures of Point Lookout in Chadds Ford, PA. The farm honors Wyeth’s late wife, Phyllis a horsewoman and owner of Belmont Stakes winner Union Rags. The 250-acre farm, which was the home of Union Rags, was modified to support the “pasture lifestyle” the horses knew at Wallkill. The horses live together in a herd. Run-in sheds provide shelter from the sun and inclement weather and water is available from a nearby stream.

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IN THEIR OWN WORDS

A Conversation With: John Madden Ride “for the right reason — because you love the horse — and then just have one goal, which is to try to get better”

onday morning, and John Madden is driving a horse van back from competition in Michigan to the Cazenovia farm that is home base for him and his wife, Olympic and World Cup show jumping champion Beezie Madden. New York Horse caught up with Madden on the 12-hour drive and the trainer, coach and horseman – whose biography includes terms as First Vice President of the FEI and Chair of the FEI Jumping Committee – shared his thoughts on topics from riding better to the future of equestrian sport.

JOHN MADDEN, THEN JUMPING COMMITTEE CHAIR OF THE FEDERATION EQUESTRE INTERNATIONALE, ADDRESSES THE FEI SPORTS FORUM. FEI photo by Tony Parkes

You’ve said that the key to success in show jumping comes down to three words: The right horse. Talent is probably the easiest factor to glean initially. Give us some insight into your process on the intangibles, on choosing a horse that has what it takes to compete. One of the things that’s important, even before that, if you agree with those three words, is you must define what the right horse is for the right job. A grand prix horse, like Beezie’s Garant for example, wouldn’t be good for pulling a beer wagon. For that you need a different body type, a different temperament. I think you really have to understand what the right horse is for the right purpose. Once you know what you want the horse to excel at, then it becomes much more common – common as in common factors – and what I’m always looking for is a good expression, a willingness to do what you want it to do. If you want a pleasure horse, is that horse always looking around or is it relaxed and willing? With one of our grand prix horses, we’re not as concerned if they’re fractious about new surroundings. Depending on the job, you assess the attitude, the mentality, the willingness to do the job you want. Follow up question. What role does conformation play, and what’s the first thing you look for in a horse? I like to look at the horse macro, micro and macro again. First, macro: Does it look like it is the right type of horse for the job I want. I’m a large man, so if I’m going to have a pleasure horse, it better be big. Micro, I’m looking at the individual components of the horse, breaking them down. One of the critical points I look at are feet. The horse has to have good feet. That could be a deal breaker for me, but it has to have good feet. And then I look at it macro, overall, again and I’m asking the question: Do I like the horse? Do I have a good feeling about the horse? Years ago, I was talking to a very successful horseman and I asked him how he picked such successful horses so consistently. We were at a cocktail party and there were maybe 100 people there, and he asked me: ‘How long does it take you to pick the person you want to spend time talking to at a party?’ And it’s the same for horses – you take this macro look. That doesn’t mean you might not be surprised, but through education and learning about horses, you get a feeling about liking a horse. But liking a horse really has to be an educated decision. So, I watch horses, 24/7.

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I was just looking at a ‘Day in the Life’ video on your Facebook page, in which Beezie credits you with doing “a lot of the teaching.” What is your best advice to help anyone, at any level, to ride better? My simple short feeling about this is: Do it for the right reason – because you love the horse – and then just have one goal, which is to try to get better. It’s not a comparison. It’s not what Beezie is doing. It’s what you’re doing; how you love your horse. You can’t love something if you don’t know how to, so educate yourself. That’s really big for me, because horses have all different levels of talent. it’s not what we want them to do, it’s what they’re capable of achieving. We can’t put fake goals on our horses of wanting them to do something they cannot do. Our goal should be just to improve. You’re on the Board of Directors of Haygain and were among the first Americans to embrace the idea of feeding steamed hay. You’ve credited it with returning one of your top jumpers, Cortes C, to peak performance. Many of our readers will be unfamiliar with the story and with steamed hay. How and why did you became sold on its benefits for all your horses? A lot of the tradition we follow in the equestrian world is based on the experiences of people before us who had success. I’m a real traditionalist and it’s not easy for me to change. What is easy for me is to follow science. I am very easily convinced by science – just as long as it’s good science – and there’s a lot of good science behind good hay. Steaming the hay, and having the steam kill many of the bad things in the hay, it makes sense for it to be beneficial to the horse

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“I THINK WE HAVE TO EVOLVE,” SAYS JOHN MADDEN ABOUT THE FUTURE OF EQUESTRIAN SPORT. “WE NEED TO BE MORE DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE ... TO CREATE A NEW REALITY THAT’S EVEN BETTER THAN THE OLD ONE.”

AFTER BEING SWITCHED TO STEAMED HAY, CORTES C WENT ON TO BE NAMED THE BEST HORSE AT THE 2014 WORLD EQUESTRIAN GAMES.

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Cortes was having problems with stomach ulcers and he was not performing well. He started out really successful, and then he went off a cliff. We (switched him to steamed hay) and he turned around immediately. He went on to be named the best horse at the 2014 FEI World Equestrian Games and win the King George Gold Cup. I really believe in treating horses as naturally as possible. Letting them be turned out is very important … We have to recognize that we expose horses to a lot of stress. In the old days, when we didn’t travel as much, all the microorganisms in the hay were local and weren’t as big of a deal because it was in the horse’s environment. That’s not true anymore, and steaming helps us tremendously. “Change or be changed.” You said that in 2016, when you were FEI 1st vice president, about the show jumping format at the Olympics. In 2020, with an equestrian landscape altered by Covid-19 and a national conversation about race and diversity, those words seem more relevant than ever. I think we have to evolve. In evolution sometimes there’s pain. People don’t love to change, but we must. We don’t need to change for the sake of change, but we need to change for the sake of good things. We need to be more transparent; we need to be more diverse and inclusive. We need to find a way to create a new reality that’s even better than the old one. That comes from people. The more diverse and inclusive – and more loving and kind and polite we can be – that will bring us a future none of can even dream of, and that will be a better future. Along similar lines, what fixes should be done at the lower levels of showing that would have a positive trickle up effect? Likewise, what efforts need to be done at the upper levels that could have a positive effect on the grass roots of the industry? At the lower levels I think education, absolutely, is the most important thing. How does that trickle up? Very simple. Many generations before me played with horses. It was completely natural for them, just like 6- or 8-yearolds play with a computer today. I really believe that understanding the tools, understanding the business and understanding the horses, is what stirs our creative genius. Otherwise it’s just a hack. So we need an incredibly broad net to get the very best, the very few, that will take their genius to lead us into the future. … I think Beezie and I try to keep what we do in perspective. It’s got nothing to do with what we do, but everything to do with how we do it. Beezie is an excellent role model. And I think that’s what the top end can do: be a role model. Put your horse first and love your horse. Let’s take that same conversation to a more personal level. There was to be a change in focus for you after the Tokyo Olympics. The summer games are on hold now for 2021. Whither Team Madden? I look at this as what we’re going to rather than what we’re going away from. It’s probably difficult for some people to understand, but we’re 110 percent committed to representing our country. At the same time, we’re so excited about what the future brings: developing horses and riders so other people can go to championships, putting a tremendous amount of effort into helping the United States continue to be successful. It’s not possible to emphasize enough the commitment we have, but the priority will be for other people to buy our horses and train with us and become the next representative for the U.S. It seems like a very natural, very exciting progression. Final thoughts are yours, on any topic you want … I’ve been thinking about this a lot. I just hope everybody can take time to realize we’re all in this together. We’re hurtling through space on this tiny little rock, and I just hope everybody can try to be loving and kind and polite to each other. Just try. It’s important to say try. All we can do is try. 56 | NEW YORK HORSE

Central New York Dressage and Combined Training Association Despite the difficulties all equine organizations are facing when adapting to the “new normal,” we are heartened by the return to our horses, barns, friends, trainers, and looking forward to 2021. We will continue to rely upon our local, regional and national riding organizations for their guidance in helping us adapt, operate and enjoy this sport which enriches our lives. In the meantime, we hope you will give some thought to those who care for neglected and unwanted horses in the Central New York Region. They are undoubtedly struggling with evermore limited resources and restricted help from volunteers. Any and every bit of your consideration will be greatly appreciated and certainly put to good use. Speaking of 2021, we invite you (as a rider or auditor) to our Vincent Flores Dressage Symposium April 10, at Canterbury Stables, Cazenovia Vincent is a USDF Bronze, Silver and Gold Medalist who has competed internationally in dressage, show jumping, and eventing. He trains with an “Ecuyer” from the Cadre Noir of Saumur, the French equivalent of the Royal Spanish School of Vienna. Vincent conducts clinics throughout the US with a program based on the principles of classical dressage to develop a harmonious relationship between horse and rider, and a focus on a horse’s abilities rather than its inabilities. Please consider riding with Vincent or auditing his symposium.

Come Join the Fun and Enhance Your Skills with CNYDCTA With our lectures, clinics and our sponsored competitions in Dressage and Western Dressage, Show Jumping, Combined Training and Three-Phase Eventing. Join or renew your membership online at cnydcta.org.

In the meantime, stay safe, stay well, stay apart, and stay up-to-date at cnydcta.org.

THE ARTFUL HORSE

EQUISCAPES The horse, through the lens of Juliet Harrison, is both ‘the icon of spirit and the subject of myth’

Rhapsody In White

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Vintage â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Cabellero NYHorseMag.com | 59

Sheer Cliff Face

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uliet Harrison grew up a horse-crazy kid on Long Island. The two constants in her childhood were horses and cameras. For her fifth birthday, a baby-sitter gave her a small hardcover book with black-and-white images of all the horse breeds in the world. That was the moment, she says, that she fell in love with horses. She still has that book. Her father, the family photographer, introduced her to cameras. “From very young, we had Kodak Brownie cameras and my dad was always taking photos,” Harrison recalls. “It was as if being able to document your life in film was a right everyone had or should have.” She got her first ‘real’ camera as a college graduation gift and went on to get a Master’s in photography. The two passions came together when she returned to riding at age 40, after two decades out of the saddle. Today, much of her life revolves around the equine image, as a creator, and as owner of Equis Art Gallery in Red Hook, NY, where she represents contemporary artists. Harrison chatted with New York Horse about her work and how it captures the horse as “the icon of spirit and the subject of myth.” You’ve written that there are four cliché shots of equine photography: the horse eye, mare and foal, cowboy silhouette with sunset, and wild horses running free or wild stallions fighting or wild horse with blowing mane. What elevates photography, your photography, to art? No matter my subject, I have always used my photography to speak about how I see the world around me. I am a modernist photographer. I want to go beyond the surface. Beyond subject recognition, beyond simple documentation. Beyond just pretty. For me everything is defined by how the light and shadow touch it. By texture. By shapes. If you isolate those elements from the whole, you see them anew. For me, that is what makes some work fine art. To represent something as more than just what we recognize. I want to share with people what I see. And isn’t that what art should be: A conversation with the viewer and creator, through the work of art. You’ve said that photographing the horse is not the objective of your work, that your objective “is to create art that in turn can speak about the

horse.” What does your photography say about the horse? Horses represent so much that we relate to as human beings. They have been a part of our history and our art history since the beginning. They are an integral part of human evolution. I want the viewer to see horses the way that a horse person sees them: Intimately ... I want the photographs to be more than a quick look. I want the viewer to feel the horse under their hand, to hear them, to smell them, when they look at my photographs. To have a nearly visceral relationship with the horse, through the photographic image. On the surface a simple question, but really not: Why black-and-white? Black-and-white has always been my medium. I grew up in the era of black-and-white television. It did not feel lacking to me. I was in my late 20s before I had a color TV. When I look through the camera viewfinder, I see in black-and-white. It is what happens in my head, I guess. But it is also a conscious choice. When you remove color from the image, the elements of the image must be strong enough to capture the viewer’s attention. So, in some ways, it is harder to create a successful image. The photographer is challenged to rely on shapes, light, shadow, texture and the subject placement in the picture. You can’t fall back on just using color to capture the viewer’s interest. Nor will there be anything to distract the viewer ... No orange cone in the background of a riding ring. That is also the answer to why I tend to crop closely to my subjects. To come into the body. To leave out the extraneous information that takes away from the subject. I’ll leave the last word to you … For me it does not matter if the horse is a million-dollar racehorse, or someone’s beloved backyard donkey. Any equine form will draw my eye. … I wrote this three years ago: “War, agriculture, transportation, the migration of humankind – none of these would exist as we know them were it not for our domestication of the horse. And keep in mind that the horse is a prey animal programmed for survival at all costs. The fact that they allow us on their backs, in their most vulnerable place, that these 1,000 pound animals will do as we ask, is a constant amazement to me and testament to the trust that has evolved between humans and horses.” This is what I hope that you see in my work.

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Pensive

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All That Glitters

Warrior Emerging NYHorseMag.com | 63

MASTER CLASS: RANCH RIDING

Build the foundation:

‘Manners and responsiveness and quality of movement are all important’

he big palomino upshifts, circles at an extended lope, swaps leads and, in a few more well-calibrated moves, stops, pivots and backs. If the goal were a breakaway cow instead of a ribbon, the escapee wouldn’t stand a chance. Low and slow it is not. This is ranch riding, the fastest-growing discipline in Western riding, and the object is to showcase a horse’s natural, groundcovering gaits, their versatility and their willingness to work. There is, let us be clear, not a single silver-studded saddle, sequined show outfit or slow-motion lope in sight. A traditional Western Pleasure horse, with no forward thrust worth mentioning, would be well out of the ribbons in ranch riding. The ideal, Mike Bednarek explains, is a horse that reflects the discipline’s roots in the cattle ranches of the Old

MIKE BEDNAREK AND GEMMA COMPETE IN A RANCH HORSE RAIL CLASS 64 | NEW YORK HORSE

West: a horse that is well-broke, eager to work, with gaits closer to a sofa than a pile driver with hooves. In short, a winning horse would be the cowboy’s first pick from the day’s string. “I’m looking for a ground-covering, pretty mover that’s under control – forward but not a runaway – a horse that would be comfortable to ride but wouldn’t take half a day to get you from here to where you need to go,” said Bednarek, an AQHA and Ranch Riding judge and clinician, who also shows and trains at his Bednarek Quarter Horses in Jamesville. “The horse should look like he is listening, paying attention and likes his job.” Tack and attire are simple. The goal is to present a smooth and competent horse-and-rider team that could face any task on a working ranch. What’s needed for that, Bednarek said, is a horse that can move off the rider’s leg and demonstrate true transitions and extensions of each gait from the walk to the gallop. Ranch horses are also expected to back readily, turn on the haunches, side pass, change leads, and walk or trot over logs. The 15 ranch riding patterns available to judges test the horse on all these skills, ideally performed at a working speed. “Manners and responsiveness and quality of movement are all important,” Bednarek adds. “You should be moving in a manner as if you’re riding out on a working ranch to get cows.” Pattern 4, his choice at a summer show, has a dozen maneuvers performed in less time than it takes to read this story.

Horse and rider move from walk to trot and then, in quick succession, it is: extended lope on the right lead; lope, still on the right lead; change leads (simple or flying); lope on the left lead; transition to extended trot; stop and side pass left over a log, side pass right, halfway; walk over three logs, spaced 26-30 inches apart; continue the walk; trot a square; stop, perform a 360° turn to the left, and back up. Exhibitors earn plus or minus points for each maneuver. “Judges can give you a plus for good, a +1 for very good and a +1½ for excellent,” Bednarek said. “I’ll give a minus 1 for a horse that’s out of frame; the head too low and behind the bridle or the head too high and sticking its nose out.”

Above all, “don’t run over the judge. That’s the first rule. Running over the judge is a definite penalty.” Other strategies for a winning pattern: There’s no place like home. “Show them as much as you can when you’re schooling at home, because when you get to a horse show, you never know what you’re going to get. Show them purple striped poles and pink gates and flower boxes.” Eyes on the prize. “As a judge, I like when a horse looks down. If they’re looking up at the ceiling, they’re not paying attention to what they’re doing. They need to be focused and forward.” Speaking of which. “Speed is a plus. But if you can’t get speed, at least make it correct ... You have to have

control over all the parts. A simple lead change, if it’s good, is better than a bad flying change.” Don’t hold back. “The bigger the better when you’re practicing at home. If you have a railroad tie, use it instead of a pole. It encourages them to pick up their feet higher.” Sidepass success. “The horse’s neck should be straight and the whole body in a 90-degree angle to the log. Before I start to sidepass, I look down at my heel and I want that log positioned right behind my heel. That way I know the log is in the right spot before the horse takes a step.” Don’t panic over a memory lapse. “If you leave out a movement it’s not a DQ (disqualification), it’s an OP – off

pattern. You can still place, even win, but you can’t place above a horse with no error ... If they all leave something out, someone has to win. Nobody goes DQ unless you swear at the judge.” Ups and downs. “Transitions are important. You want to make them smooth and pretty. I train my horses to the hum (on downward transitions). I hum when I go from an extended lope to collected, and hum again down to the trot and to the walk. Once a horse learns to do that, you don’t have to move your hands and the transition looks better.” Words to ride by. “You have to know your horse.” And. “Make the bad stuff hard to do and the things you want easy.”

EMBRACE

the SEASON

New York Horse is here to help, with our guide to cool things to do while Mother Nature is dishing out her usual Arctic nonsense. (Because you can lead a horse to frozen water, but you can’t make him ice skate.) Try this cure for the common cold. It’s riding of course – What? You thought we’d say golf? – but it must be riding with warmth and flair. For that we turn to The Show Trunk II in Dryden where the totally addictive selection embodies their tagline: Equestrian style for your ride, fashion for your life. Sheepskin-lined paddock boots? Yes, please. Owner Stacy Lowe-Jonas’ chill-chasing choices include the new Schockemöhle Sports Marleen vest, perfect for a fall ride or winter layering. Visit or shop their online store at theshowtrunk2.com. Time to enjoy the great indoors. Leave the trailer at home and hit the road in search of equine pursuits that don’t require a horse. Visit the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum in North Tonawanda and ride the only horse guaranteed never to misbehave. The museum features two vintage merry-go-rounds, one sized just for kids. Admission includes one free ride. BTW: Save the critique; that’s how they spell carousel. Make your place a bit of all right. One of the best ways to fight cabin fever, in our opinion, is to redecorate. So it was a cinch to fall for upstate New York-based designer Stephanie Reppas, who creates equestrian-themed décor from new and vintage tack. Her October Design collection includes custom lighting, and buffalo leather mirrors hung from a snaffle bit. Provide your own tack from a special horse, and Reppas will create a one-of-a-kind piece. Find her at octoberdesign.com.

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Consider dashing through the snow. No one-horse open sleigh of your own? No problem. Enjoy a ride through the winter woods of Highland Forest in Fabius, the “Adirondacks of Central New York.” There are no reservations but contact the park office at 315.683.5550 to check on the day’s schedule. Or head to the actual Adirondacks for a ramble through The Lake Placid Club and let the Olympic ski jumps and High Peaks be the backdrop. Call or text 843.315.9943 for reservations. Online at nysleighrides.com.

Resolve to show off. We’ve all seen them: the horse show stabling area that’s nicer than your house. Behind the stall drapes are antique oil paintings and wing chairs. A crystal bowl holds peppermints and the tears of envious passersby. But start now and there’ll be no reason to hang up a clothesline for ribbons and call it a day. Cheap and chic is within everyone’s grasp. Rummage around the house, poke through flea markets and consignment shops and – in the time it takes to put a wine bottle in an old trophy and call it an equestrian-themed bar – you’re done.

Learn to speak your horse’s language. Make this the season to become a better rider out of the saddle. How-to books abound. Horse Brain, Human Brain popped out from the latest crop by offering a different take: Author Janet Jones explains how to work with the way the horse perceives the world instead of working against it. The goal is learning to communicate with horses on their terms instead of ours. Harness your inner domestic goddess. Make your horse a treat. Yes, make. These cookies require no baking and received two hooves up from Finn, the official horse of New York Horse. Mix 1 cup rolled oats with ¼ cup water. Add 1-2 tablespoons molasses – or just enough to make the mixture sticky. Roll into five balls and press a peppermint in the middle of each. Bring to horse and prepare to have him search your pockets for more.

It’s blanket weather for a reason. And that reason is: Some days are designed for a good winter’s read. Curl up with Horse Crazy, a new book by Pulitzer finalist Sarah Maslin Nir. Part memoir – she chased down truants as an auxiliary mounted patrol officer in New York City – Nir also devotes chapters to profiles including famed horse trainer Monty Roberts and the Manhattan couple seeking to preserve the legacy of the black cowboy. Become a globetrotter. When the snow is hock deep and all else fails, get out of Dodge. Whether it’s watching mustangs out West or galloping Ireland’s wild Atlantic coast, Active Riding Trips of Stanfordville has adventures to suit every equestrian. Select a trip by destination and riding level, because one person’s relaxing gallop through the Dalmatian hinterlands is another person’s idea of certain death on horseback. Call 800.973.3221 or go online at activeridingtrips.com. NYHorseMag.com | 67

Put the wine in equine. Far better than putting the whine in equine, which is easy enough to do when the forecast is calling for Snowmageddon. Again. Try a bottle of Hunt Country Vineyards’ estate grown port or sherry and dream of riding through the English countryside. Visit the tasting room in Branchport, or have a bottle shipped to a New York address. Pony clubber? Try a bottle of 14 Hands, available at most wine shops.

Give karma a leg up. What goes around comes around, so put the black cloud that was 2020 in the rearview mirror by resolving to do good. Even volunteering one hour a week will make a difference to the many worthy equine nonprofits in New York. Lack of riding experience isn’t an issue; organizations also need help with tasks like fundraising and administrative work. And remember to support the people who support the future of horses: The NYS Horse Council and NY Farm Bureau are our voice. Make sure they continue to be heard.

Remember: Fit is not just for saddles. As every rider knows, their own fitness should mirror what they expect from their horse. Easier typed than done, we get it. Take advantage of the season’s extra time – can’t spend hours bonding over hand grazing when the grass is under a foot of snow – and invest in yourself. The US Equestrian Federation website, usef.org, has a learning center with health and fitness videos tailored for riders. A $25 annual fan membership includes access to all the online lessons.

Whip together a thirst quencher. Snow is no substitute for fresh drinking water for horses. This warm, feed-infused tea recipe, from Cazenovia College, helps with their hydration in the winter months: Take several handfuls of a senior-type feed and mix into a bucket of warm water. The floating bits of feed on top make the tea especially tempting to horses to drink. One cautionary note: If your horse has insulin resistance problems, consult your vet first.

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Put the belt in Snow Belt. At Ploughman’s Saddlery and Belts in Albany, individually handcrafted belts and leather goods are, as owner Penny Ploughman puts it, “equestrian made, equestrian worn.” Pieces incorporate bridle, halter and saddlery fittings and hardware. A new Western series uses rosettes and Native American motifs, while the SZ Side Zip is a patented design for side-zip breeches. Put together a custom belt, spur straps or bracelet at ploughmansbelts.com.

ONE MORE THING Catching up with Zippy Chippy, New York racing’s most lovable loser

e can’t close the book on highoctane horses without the legend of Zippy Chippy, among the lowestoctane horses in the history of American Thoroughbred racing. Acquired in a swap for a truck, the Zipster devoured junk food, defied a pedigree that jingled with Triple Crown gold and turned losing into a fine art. For in exactly 100 starts, from 1994 to 2004, he never won a race. Never. At 0-100 he is third on the all-time losing list. But neither of the frontrunners can say what Zippy can: He lost a 40-yard sprint to a minor league ballplayer. Until he was banned from the track for refusing to break from the gate, Zippy Chippy spent most of his winless career at Finger Lakes Racetrack. A commemorative

beer stein bears an appropriate resumé: “Dedication. Perseverance. (Complete lack of Speed.)” Now 29, the dark brown wonder with a splash of forehead white is a happy pensioner enjoying the spoils of defeat. Since 2010, Zippy has been living at Old Friends at Cabin Creek, a retirement farm for racehorses near Saratoga, where a legion of smitten fans attend his fund-raisers, feed him carrots and candy and purchase Zippy Chippy souvenirs. The legend was foaled on April 20, 1991 and four years later he’d run his oh-fer streak to 20 and was a phone call away from the kill pen. That was when fate, in the person of successful Finger Lakes trainer Felix Monserrate, stepped in. Monserrate traded his Ford horse van for Zippy, beginning

both a 15-year partnership and an 80-race losing streak. If Felix figured the horse had no place to go but up, Zippy had other ideas, proving more interested in eating donuts, corn chips, candy canes, beer and – on at least one occasion – a delivery pizza, box and all, than he was in training, much less actually racing. He completed his career fittingly, with a last-place finish on Sept. 10, 2004. Look for him these days in a shady paddock with his best buddy, Red Down South. Nine years younger, Red is a faithful companion who keeps his pal up and moving. Occasionally, Zippy will race with Red around the grounds. He always comes in second.

PHOTO FINISH

“When you come to a fork in the road ... take it.”

— YOGI BERRA

AN AMISH BUGGY TRAVELS THROUGH A FROZEN AND WINDSWEPT UPSTATE NEW YORK LANDSCAPE.

72 | NEW YORK HORSE

Leave It All Behind …

Leave It All Behind ...

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