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!

We Love GLC!

Last week, Shawn Mclere from GLC stopped by the office. GLC is generous enough to donate Actistatin Equine for all of our wonderful equine athletes. We believe that all ex-racehorses should be on some sort of joint supplement, especially Actistatin for animals who have suffered any sort of injury. We've had our horses on GLC for three months now, and have seen a real difference. It is a truly beneficial product.

Our mutual admiration with GLC stems from our shared priorities and similar mission statements. Simply put, the health and happiness of the horses is both of our first priorities. If you decide to purchase GLC products (and we certainly encourage you to) mention the discount code SEC2011. This will not only provide you with a discount, but will send a portion of the proceeds from the sale back to the Secretariat Center.

You can catch Shawn speaking at the Kentucky Horse Council on October 27. While he was in, he decided to meet Zorro, one of our horses benefitting from GLC's wonderful product!

New Artwork in the Office

Matthew Williams was generous enough to donate a beautiful painting of our namesake. It is a breathtaking portrait of Secretariat in his quintessential win in the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths, capturing the historical moment of Ron Turcotte looking back to try and find the rest of the field. The painting was done by Kentuckian equine artist Henry Koehler.

Come and see this gorgeous painting hanging in our office at the Kentucky Horse Park. And if you’re here already, come see all our wonderful horses available for adoption.

Open House!

Are you looking for your dream horse? Look no further! Come take a look at all of the wonderful Thoroughbred’s available at the Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center! Our Open House is this weekend, October 15, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. All of our fantastic horses will be shown by our professional trainers. Additionally, there will be time to take a closer look at any horse that catches your eye.

In case coming to see our amazing horses isn’t enough motivation, there will be discounted adoption fees on Saturday. Door prizes are being provided by our wonderful sponsors, including Cavalor, BET Labs, Perri’s Leather, Charles Owen, McCauley’s, the Kentucky Horse Park and Woodford Equine Hospital.

Come see our fabulous horses and bring your friends! Who knows, you may leave with the horse of your dreams!

Secretariat Festival

Gunner telling a new friend "HI!"

Howdy everyone and welcome to the Secretariat Center blog! My name is Andrea and I'm a student at Midway College. This semester, I have been blessed with the amazing opportunity to intern at the TRF - Maker's Mark Secretariat Center, an inspiring not for profit organization that reschools and adopts out ex-racehorses, a mission that truly makes a difference in the Thoroughbred racehorse industry.

This weekend, I helped spread the word and got to see our work in action! Saturday, MMSC set up a booth at the Secretariat Festival in Bourbon County. While the morning was cold and wet, the dreary whether was no indication of what was to come. The day turned out to be sunny and warm, the crowds plentiful and enthusiastic. The hours flew by and the day was one of the best experiences of my life!

We took 3 horses with us to help draw in people and show off what we have to offer. Fly Light, our mascot, has been saved from slaughter twice. Gunner Milligan made his first appearance as a mascot and did a smashing job at it, attracting admirers with his splendid coat, gentle demeanor, and his large, kind eyes. We also brought along my favorite horse at the Center, Iron Countess. She is a mild-mannered, bay, 4-year-old mare standing at 15.2 hands. She's also a comfortable ride, astoundingly soft, and related to Secretariat himself! But that's not even the best part... she's up for adoption!

The Secretariat Festival was really a sight to behold. There were vendors set up with everything Secretariat, as well as games and contests, and people from all walks of life and all across the nation and globe. People approached me from Canada, Nebraska, Georgia, Japan, etc. People were there who had been smitten about Secretariat so many years ago, as well as those who had fallen in love with him recently when the Secretariat movie came out. It felt wonderful to explain how we are making a difference and to play the role of teacher, answering questions, and sharing my knowledge of horses and passion for them with so many people.

Unfortunately, beyond the excitement of the racehorse industry, there is a dark side. These talented athletes don't always get the retirement they deserve. But the Secretariat Center is one organization working to change that. The realization that I am playing a part in that change made the whole event "awesome" in the most real sense of the word!

The Right Thing

On Thursday, Champagne Prayer was donated to the Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center. His story is one where everyone cared about the right thing: Him.
He is a beautiful black 3 year old gelding that simply didn’t run very fast. His trainer, Michelle Lovell, realized that racing was not his calling, and rather than keep him in training or drop him in class in claiming races, she shared her thoughts with the owner Jeanne Bruce. The owner, who had never raced one of the horses she had raised before, was saddened, but wanted the best for her horse and asked Lovell to find the him a wonderful new home. So Lovell contacted Larmon Cowles, farm manager of Gunston Hall Farm, and Cowles, an advisory board member at the MMSC called our director, Susanna Thomas, to ask her if she would come look at Champage Prayer as a candidate for the Horse Centered ReSchooling Program®.
Keen to have the MMSC interns learn all about how the Center works, Susanna asked me to come along. I was excited: Like the Keeneland sales, Gunston Hall was a glimpse into the racing industry which I had never had before. What I encountered was truly inspiring: a farm manager looking to do the best thing for a horse representing an owner and trainer who shared that goal.

Walking into the barn, we were greeted by several beautiful Thoroughbreds (one of whom may join us at the center too!). When we met Champagne Prayer, we were immediately struck by his stunning black coat and beautiful conformation. Larmon and Susanna quizzed assistant trainer Shalise and I on his conformation. Any flaws were beyond either of our detection. Larmon talked us through the details of his conformation, with all signs indicating that he is a great candidate for our program.

Then Larmon led the gelding out of the barn and stood him up so we could take conformation shots. Like every young horse (or young child for that matter!) Champagne Prayer, wiggled in place keen to be on the move, his black coat gleaming in the morning sun, his perfectly even mane flicking back and forth as he tossed his head, calling to potential friends in a nearby field.
And then, the best part: Larmon turned him out in a large field with two yearlings and a draft cross Overo paint, named Curious George. Champagne Prayer arched his lovely neck and greeted each animal with a deep sniff nostril to nostril. His front legs slashed out now and again in mock defiance at each whiff. He squealed a time or two, then twirled and ran, bucking playfully, goading his new buddies into a game of tag.

What a lovely thing to see him enjoying being a horse again, even when he gleefully found a patch of slick mud, and sullied his beautiful coat with a delighted roll from side to side on his back! There's a unique bliss to getting dirty for children of all species!
Susanna said that we would take him into our program at the MMSC after a short spell of R and R at Gunstun Hall. I can’t wait to see what he’s capable of, what career he ends up in, and who his forever person is. On the drive back to the MMSC, we brained stormed at possible names for a horse named Champagne Prayer: Pinot, Bubbles, Korbel, Tipsy Talk, and the like. But in the end, all any of us could think of was his striking black coat. So we settled for Zorro, the noble and dashing "black fox" of lore. Do you like it?