The Maker's Mark Secretariat Center is a non profit facility located in the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. We are dedicated to reschooling, and showcasing the athleticism of the off track Thoroughbred so that they can go on and become ambassadors for the breed in second careers. We are also committed to educating the public about these wonderful horses: We welcome visitors of all ages, interns, and volunters . This blog publicizes unofficial updates on our horses and our programs. For more information, visit www,secretariatcenter.org or www.facebook.com/makersmarksecretariatcenter








Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Melding Interests at MMSC



By: Liz Rigby

The first two days of my communications internship have flown by, and I could not be more excited for what this summer has in store. I am Liz Rigby, a senior majoring in Equine Business Management at the University of Kentucky. I started riding around the age of 4 and like most horse crazed girls, I eventually convinced my parents to purchase my first horse upon my 12th birthday. As a freshman I joined the UK Equestrian Team. This has been a great experience and has helped me to improve my riding skills tremendously over the past 3 years. The MMSC internship appealed to me because I liked the idea of trying to meld my long term interest in horses with my aspiration of having a career in the communications industry.

Friday I took the day to become acclimated with the property, office, horses, and staff. I helped organize the lobby, learned the rules of the barn, and familiarized myself with all 12 of the available horses. Susanna, the MMSC director, Erin, the administrative assistant, and I spent all day Saturday creating and editing the videos for a few of the newer horses. What a great learning experience for this new intern! Although I am familiar with youtube and the process of making sale videos for horses, the attention to detail and the time that goes into making the final product was shocking. The hardest part was finding a song that matched perfectly with the horse’s personality and rhythm of its stride. Many of our first song choices did not fit. Songs were too short, too fast, or too slow. Lyrics were all wrong. The message didn’t fit. After we decided on a song, we then searched for video segments that highlighted the horse’s ability and potential. For some horses that meant finding clips of their bomb proofing, for others it showed their jumping potential and for some it showed their athleticism for dressage. After hours of hard-work, when we were content with the final results, we decided to post them and are doing so today! Be patient, the upload process takes some time.

My summer internship has already been exciting and educational and I can’t wait to see what else is in store for me and the rest of the MMSC team as the weeks fly by.