Thoughts of Churchill

Saturday, November 12, we -- the six interns -- and Melissa, the Educational Programs Director, went to Churchill Downs for a tour. I was extremely excited and it sure didn't let me down! The beautiful track that unfolded before us as we drove up was nothing like I could have imagined. Pictures and video cannot convey the grandeur that spills out from its every point and crevice. I am not someone who likes architecture and buildings, normally, but there was something about Churchill Downs that impressed me. The iconic twin spires, centered now between two modern additions that accomodate the huge crowds, are a striking and stately reminder of the most famous two minutes in sports.

As the home of the Kentucky Derby, the longest running sporting event in history, Churchill Downs is a piece of history itself. Being the allows you to step into the roll of time and become a part of all that. There are many things there that you can't see anywhere else, such as the tribute and gravesite of the magnificent Eight Belles and the winner's circle where horses like Secretariat have received their blanket of roses. Not to mention, the statue of Barbaro and a full blown glass replica of the Kentucky Derby.



The 360-degree video that plays in the Kentucky Derby Museum catches the essence of the history and splendor of the Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs, and the equine industry as a whole. The video brought tears to my eyes as I realized how big the Derby is and how amazing and talented horses are, and that I was a part of it all! By interning at the MMSC, I have been given the chance to be a part of a much larger picture, to do things that I would not get to do otherwise, and to really make a difference. It truly is a blessing and when I think of how marvelous horses are, I can't imagine ever working in another field.

Thank you for reading!

-Andrea Compton

Nothing Forced Can Ever Be Beautiful- Xenophon

At the Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center, we are focused on horse centered re-schooling. This is all about finding out what our horses want to be when they grow up, and working with them to make that happen. As the communications intern, I have abundant opportunities to learn about this process. Last Friday, I had the opportunity to experience it myself.

Our wonderful mascot Gunner was my guide through this unique way of truly working with horses. Our director Susanna Thomas began our lesson with a quick physics lesson. All I really remembered about physics was how boring it was in high school. If our classes had been like her lesson was, I may have enjoyed it more! The key to working with your horse is all in the physics. Your weight and momentum have to be in sync with the horse, otherwise you’re just sitting on it, speaking a different language.

As our mascot, Gunner does everything, from making public appearances to giving lessons to beginners. Because of this, he had forgotten how to listen to some of the more subtle cues from his rider. We began our lesson refreshing his memory. The most important thing when teaching a horse a new skill, or refreshing an old one, is to make the right choice easy, and the wrong choice hard.

To ride well, you must be balanced and centered with the horse. To drive this point home, Susanna had me ride Gunner bareback. After walking for a bit and working on feeling the sequence of Gunner’s steps and his movement when leg yielding, Susanna had me pick up a trot. Gunner was a patient teacher as I flopped around, trying to figure out what Susanna meant about not gripping with your legs (all I could think was “How else am I going to stay on?!?”) and simply moving with the horse. After some failed attempts and almost successes, I felt as if I may have figured it out. Just as I felt myself stabilizing and moving with Gunner (suddenly, it was easy to stay on and balanced), he dropped his head, rounded his neck and began moving in a beautiful frame. I hadn’t even asked him too! To me, that is the best example that working WITH your horse is most effective. All I had to do to achieve beautiful movement from Gunner was move with him. I don’t know about you, but that’s the easiest way I’ve ever gotten a horse to frame up.

Happily Ever After (The Right Thing Part 2)

Many of you have followed Champagne Prayer’s story. Zorro (as we call him around here) came to us under the best circumstances. We didn’t have to rescue him from slaughter or after he had been neglected and forgotten. He was fortunate enough to have come from an owner, trainer and farm manager who all had his best interests at heart (see “The Right Thing” Oct. 4). Once he came to us, we began our role in his story, trying to help him decide what he wanted to be when he grew up.

With his striking color, beautiful conformation and endearing personality, he quickly became a barn favorite. Interested adopters began contacting the Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center as soon as his pictures were added to Facebook. Finding him a home did not seem like it would be much of a challenge at all. However, here at the MMSC, we don’t just want to find horses any home, we want them to end up in the perfect forever home.

The right home for Zorro turned out to be just down the road. Dr. Fernanda Camargo, an equine professor at the University of Kentucky, was moving her mare to her new farm and decided she would need another horse to keep her company. Several UK students have interned here, so Dr. Camargo decided to check out our website to see what horses we had to offer and fell in love with Zorro. She contacted Melissa, our fantastic adoption coordinator, and had the adoption application filled out that day. When she came to ride him, he was a little off from a cut on his coronary band but he had already claimed her heart. As she was moving her mare that day, she already had her trailer with her and took him home that day. She has decided to give him the winter off to relax and realize that he is no longer a racehorse and begin his training in the spring. When asked how Zorro (renamed Tony) is fitting in, Dr. Camargo gave us the answer we had hoped to hear, “right now, his only job is to look pretty, get that leg healed, and nicker to me every time I come over to feed him! So far he is performing all his tasks with perfection!!” What a perfect ending to such a happy story!

Bucephalus Training Library- Update

The Bucephalus Training Library is coming along wonderfully! Your donations have been greatly appreciated and it is shaping up to be a fantastic resource for horse enthusiasts. Our original grand opening was going to be in December, but that has been postponed. In the Christmas rush, the last thing everyone needs is another party. Instead, our grand opening will kick off the new adoption season in February. This season we set a new adoption record, finding homes for 45 horses, and we’re not done yet! We hope to break our record next year and find even more wonderful horses their forever homes. The party will be a wonderful opportunity to show off our fantastic training books, our most recent class of horses and our beautiful facility. We hope that you will continue to donate books and DVDs to make this library the best that it can be!

Book Seal Contest!

TRF - Maker's Mark Secretariat Center is always looking for new ways to expand and help horses and equine professionals. One of which ways is our upcoming Bucephalus Training Library. This library will be located at MMSC and contain book relevant to horse training. Anyone who wants to come learn and expand his or her equine knowledge may do so. We're also taking donations if anyone has any books they would like to donate. Donations are always greatly appreciated.

If you don't have any books to donate but would still like to help out or participate, we're also having a book seal contest! Anyone can submit drawings, like the one above, to be chosen and placed in all the donated books. The top three submissions will be displayed at our Bucephalus Training Library opening party. People will vote for which one they like best by placing loose change and dollar bills (all of which will be donated to MMSC) in jars stationed by each submission. The drawing that raises the most money will get their seal published on labels for all the donated books and equipment in the library.

Please submit drawings and book donations and thank you for reading! -Andrea

What A Day!

This morning, Fly Lite and Lara Knight had the opportunity to ride in a clinic with show jumping champion Anne Kursinski. She is a two time Olympic silver medalist in team jumping (1988 and 1996) and has won just about every other show jumping competition as well.

As our show horse, Fly Lite is the face of the center at competitions and took this opportunity to improve her skills. Anne Kursinski even rode Fly Lite for a bit, demonstrating the concepts she was teaching. Additionally, our trainer Lara Knight learned different ways to teach skills and can bring back what she learned to the rest of our wonderful horses. Stay tuned to our Facebook page for pictures from this fabulous clinic!