First Field Trip

By: Courtney Zimmerman

Today the three interns – Amanda, Farm Management intern and Jill, Training intern, and me – ventured on our first field trip of the internship – all the way to the other side of the Horse Park! We visited the International Museum of the Horse for the afternoon and even though we had toured it before, I must say that we learned quite a bit! I had not been there in a few years so it was nice to be return and wander throughout the museum. The exhibits have not changed much in the past 30+ years, but for any horse enthusiast the International Museum of the Horse is a terrific venue that is host to a wealth of information! I do have to say, the new Arabian exhibit (which is different from the temporary A Gift from the Desert: the Art, History and Culture of the Arabian Horse which was on display for the World Equestrian Games) was very impressive. This exhibit is updated to the modern “standards” of museum-goers to include multiple interactive displays, many of which are geared towards children (which probably can explain why we enjoyed it so much!).

My favorite part of our little expedition was looking at the gaited horse “pictures in motion” display. When the button is pushed, a wheel with slits in it spins and illuminates various poses of horses going through their paces so the viewer sees the images “moving.” It’s comparable to a high-tech flip book – but I’m pretty sure the official term is “zoescope.” I was even more excited when I was able to successfully photograph them in motion! While we did enjoy our trek through the museum, Susanna also wanted to make sure that we were learning (learning in a museum?! Unheard of!), so she sent us on a mission to discover information of particular importance to our positions and then to report back to her. Because we are working at a charity for Thoroughbreds, she advised us to pay attention to the artifacts at the museum related to horse racing; specifically, the 3 founding sires of the Thoroughbred breed. Can you name them? If not, that’s okay because I was going to list them anyways… Answer: The Darley Arabian, the Godolphin Arabian and the Byerley Turk. The Darley Arabian is the most famous because he has the closest ties with the modern-day Thoroughbred with over 95% of Thoroughbreds today related to him. His lineage was continued for four generations through the iconic Eclipse, for which the coveted yearly Eclipse awards are named.

The Darley Arabian

I think it is important for Thoroughbred-enthusiasts to be aware of the history of their horses. According to Sir Francis Bacon, “Knowledge is power;” without either of these, where would we be? While the mention of this renowned quote does not imply that you should know your horse so you can overpower him (We all know who would win that battle!), it simply means that learning all you can about any particular horse assist to develop that close relationship. Learning has never hurt anyone! So why not get out there, surf the web, go to the museum, read books and brush up on anything that intrigues you!? You will only be benefitting yourself and your horse. In the wise words of Benjamin Disraeli, late British Prime Minister, “Experience is the child of thought, and thought is the child of action.” So go do something about it!

Introductions

By: Courtney Zimmerman

My name is Courtney Zimmerman and I am the new Spring 2011 Communications Intern at the Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center! I am a senior at the University of Kentucky studying Equine Science and Management with a minor in Spanish and have loved horses for my entire life. I am currently on the UK Equestrian Team and am committed to making horses a consistent part of my life, an incentive for why I chose this internship. The main reason that I applied to become a part of the Secretariat Center team is because I am passionate about its mission: to retrain off-the-track Thoroughbreds so that they can fulfill a different purpose in their lives. Some horses were born to be good racehorses…and some were not, but one does not know for sure until after they have started. Going to the MMSC gives them a new direction in their lives. I love that this program identifies the usefulness of all horses – their original purpose may not have been suitable for them, but all the personnel at the MMSC are determined to ensure that the new direction is going to be long, happy and fulfilling for both horse and new owner.

Another little side note about me is that I also have a love for volunteer work. The Secretariat Center is a non-profit organization and although I am technically an intern, I feel that it is more like a very structured volunteer program – and I love it! This may only be my first week, but I am already starting to feel I belong here. It may be a little creepy (or be fate? You decide.) but I had to design a layout for an equine class last semester of what my ideal business would look like and my drawing strikingly resembled the Secretariat Center! The first time I drove up to the office, I swear that my mouth dropped wide open. It’s as if the bronze statue of Secretariat whispered to me, the front door opened in welcome and a force ushered me inside (or it could have been the 30 mph wind gusts that day…) but hey, who am I to disagree with fate?

The Circle of Life: The Other Side of the Story

We have received many messages on our board about my recent mouse blog, and we thank you all for caring so much about the cleanliness issues, but we want to assure you that we have a very clean barn, “clean enough,” says Susanna, “that were the Queen of England were to drop by for an unexpected visit, ‘ all we would have to do is neaten our hair. But we do have mice. Most barns do. But fortunately no horse or person at the MMSC has every gotten sick from one, and yes, we are constantly experimenting with ways to diminish if not banish the population.

We used to have cats. But our wonderful feline friends urinated in the barn and defecated on the hay in the loft leaving putrid smells and heaps of excrement to clean up. Not only that, our turnover rate was pretty high: Cats regularly “ran away” from our barn never to be seen again which caused us to replace them regularly with newly spayed, neutered, and vaccinated animals from a local shelter. Animals typically do not leave places where they receive food and shelter, but coyotes do roam the area and no doubt have enjoyed a meal of cat courtesy of the MMSC! We found that keeping the coyotes in good flesh was getting expensive!

We tried poisons and traps, noise makers that drive mice away and humane live traps, but as winter draws closer, so do the mice. At whit’s end, Susanna was ready to go the cat route again, despite the aforementioned drawbacks as well as a new impediment : One of our star volunteers is deathly allergic to cats which meant that she would no longer be able to be part of our MMSC family if felines took up residence in the barn. Fortunately, God had other plans.

When we leave the barn every day, it is left immaculate, aisles swept, Pinesol spread on the floor, dust and cobwebs gone. Everything tucked and tidied up. Generally, we draw the barn doors tight (as if this impedes mice!). But one evening someone must have left a set of doors cracked.

The next morning coming into feed, Melissa slipped through the door and had the fright of her life! A large red tailed hawk was perched on the rafters above the wash stall with two mice clutched in each talon. He eyed her slowly, then squished the life out of one little fellow and ripped it apart with his beak and consumed it with Thanksgiving dinner gusto. The other mouse met with a similar fate.

We call our new mouser “Gabriel” or “Gabe” for short because hawks are seen messengers in Native American medicine and every night now we leave a set of barn doors slightly cracked so he can enjoy his rodent feast, courtesy of the MMSC!

It’s all part of the circle of life which we honor here at the MMSC. Thanks to Gabe, we are winning the war on mice these days—with only a rare few found in the feed bin—and those jump in the scoop and we walk them outside and set them free.

A picture of our barn aisle way. Susanna said, "The barn must be clean enough at all time so that if the Queen of England shows up all we must do is brush our hair." A rule that we live by at MMSC.




Our feed room. Thanks to Gabe, we haven't seen a mouse since he decided to join us at the center.

Responsible for Life

by: Erin Shea


Here at MMSC, we have a motto of “responsible for life.” We commit to tracking the horses we adopt out, making us responsible for their lives. However, this motto encompasses more than our thoroughbreds by extending our responsibility to other kinds of life.

Squeaks and the patter of small feet are the sounds coming from the feed room in the morning. Don’t let these noises alarm you, the sounds are just our “pet” mice scampering around on our grain. In order to feed, Melissa has trained our tiny pets to climb into the red feed scoop, and only this scoop, to be moved safely out of the way so that grain can be scooped out. The process of removing the mice from the grain has become part of the morning feeding ritual and daily life at the Center.

Our small furry friends peek out to say hello while we are cleaning stalls too.
While tossing shavings around in the stalls, mice dart from one side to the other avoiding the giant humans and horses who share the barn. The mice have just become another characteristic of the barn since they make an appearance so often, almost as familiar as our horses and volunteers.

The mice, along with other animals that inhabit the barn (horses, birds, raccoons), are appreciated by us at MMSC. Native Americans believe that every life on this earth has value, therefore deserving respect. Susanna, who strongly believes in this idea, makes sure that we are respectful of the lives of animals that call our center home. She makes sure that any bird or mouse that dies receives a proper burial, making sure that we respect the lives of all animals, no matter how small.

Besides just our animals, we care for other kinds of life as well. We grow our own carrots to make horse treats. The carrots and other plants around our barn are watered by the leftover water from our horses buckets, making sure we are not wasting one of our earth’s precious resources.

By showing respect to the world around us, we also deserve some courtesy in return. While training horses, we ask that they respect us as their riders. One of our horses, Pete, tends to rush his training exercises. Susanna has been working with Pete in a way to teach him it’s okay to slow down, by showing him respect by being patient. She makes sure to take things slow with him and reward him when he did something well. It’s apparent that Pete is trying hard, so he is rewarded as soon as he did what was asked. This training with patience shows him respect and in return he respects us by being tolerant to his rider.

Respect is an essential part of good horsemanship and being a responsible citizen. We have been granted the world that we live in and it is our responsibility as its inhabitants to appreciate it’s other living beings and take care of it, therefore making us, like our motto says, “responsible for life.”

Breakfast With The Works

by: Erin Shea

MMSC was invited by Keeneland to attend Breakfast with the Works, a demonstration program put on by the racetrack to show behind the scenes actions of the thoroughbred racing industry. Every Saturday morning, spectators are welcome to watch the demonstrations and the horses that are working on the track.

Arriving at Keeneland, getting both Fly Lite and Melissa ready for our demonstration.

Tying Melissa's stock tie is not an easy task.

We couldn't have done it without the help of our wonderful volunteers and Billy Hayes from Brook Ledge to give us a ride!

Fly and Melissa walked with Susanna around the Keeneland paddock area, where the horses are mounted before the races. As an ex-racehorse herself, Fly Lite reminisces about her racing days.

We weren't the only ones to be warming up in the paddock on this chilly Saturday morning.

Fly Lite says hello to the crowd of people gathered around the paddock.

Susanna answers questions about MMSC from Keeneland's Director of Broadcast Services, G.D. Hieronymous.

Susanna answered questions like, "How do you know what horses want to be when they grow up?" from Keeneland attendees.

While Fly Lite enjoyed making new friends with the children.

Much excitement was happening at the track in the morning! Trainers, owners and jockeys were all out and about getting their horses ready for the fall meet.

Having The World In Your Backyard

by: Erin Shea

The 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games have come and gone. The crazy three weeks of WEG were worth the hard work for this once in a lifetime experience to show the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation and Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center to the world.

So what was MMSC doing? Our volunteers and staff worked our two booths in the trade fair and equine village, which we shared with Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. We sold tons of merchandise and spread the word about the work we do.

While working at the booth, I heard heartwarming stories from WEG-goers about the horses in their lives, and about how many of these horses were rescued horses. I was overjoyed to hear that so many people around the world share our goal in rescuing ex-racehorses.

Our trade fair booth was always crowded with the help from some celebrity appearances, which included: Ron Turcotte, Pat Day, Joe Fargis, Calvin Borel, Kate Tweedy and Leeanne Ladin - authors of Secretariat’s Meadow - The Land, The Family, The Legend, and Heather Henson - author of Dream of Night.

Besides just the booths, we had potential adopters stop by our center and look at our horses almost every day during WEG. At the end of the games, six of our horses had found new homes.

Not only did we have visitors at our Center, we also had world class athletes riding through our property. Both the athletic endurance horses and the strong driving teams came thundering through the back of our fields. I also got to watch the individual jumping competition, my favorite event. Having the chance to watch the people that you idolized your whole riding career is breathtaking. It’s spectacular to see horse and rider come together so beautifully and jump the huge obstacles without trouble. As a jumper rider myself, I was inspired to watch the many, different techniques that world class riders used to communicate with the 1,500 lbs. of pure athlete underneath them.

I can’t believe the three weeks of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, that I had waited over eight hundred days for, are over. All of the anticipation and excitement is gone, and as the visitors go back home life in Lexington will soon return back to normal.
I’m glad that Kentucky had the opportunity to show off everything that we have to offer and that Lexington proved that it really is “the horse capital of the world.”

The games have arrived!

Equine Village Booth

Back of Equine Village Booth

Trade Fair Booth

Videos being shown at Trade Fair Booth

Individual Jumping Course - First Round

Individual Jumping Course - Second Round

Driving team riding through our back yard

Red Light For Health

by: Erin Shea

It is incredible what a little red light can do. Feel a cold coming on? Just put the light up to your jugular vein for 10 minutes and you’ll feel better. Is your horse sore? Use the light to hit points to heal almost anything from muscle cramps, immune system problems, and digestive issues. All this power coming from a tool, made by Photonic Health, that resembles a small flashlight.

How does it work? From a western medicine standpoint, the flashlight-like device projects a beam that stimulates the mitochondria in the cell, which produce ATP (energy), increases circulation, and reduces pain. From an eastern medicine perspective, it stimulates acupuncture points and creates energy flow over meridian lines of the body.

Bryan Owens, founder, came to MMSC during WEG to show us just what this little machine can do. Using our cranky grey gelding, Willy, Bryan evaluated the horse’s pressure points for a diagnosis. By the way Willy moved around in the cross ties, lifting his back legs up to kick, pawing the ground and biting at us, it was obvious that he was not feeling too well.

“Begin by moving your hands down the bladder meridian to open your horse up,” said Bryan. “Mark the certain points where you note a reaction, like a sigh, twitch, or any kind of movement, and we’ll go back and work on those later.”

Noticing that Willy ached all over, especially in his ulcer points, Bryan suggested that we focus on healing a possible stomach ulcer. While Melissa held the light up to the points which Bryan suggested for 2 to 30 seconds, we watched for Willy’s reactions. At first, he pinned his ears back, shook his head, and opened his jaws as if releasing a silent scream of pain. But eventually as the treatment progressed, Willy dropped his head, sighed, stretched out his legs, and stood still in the cross-ties, all signs of relaxation. Willy even let us work the points on his back end, which before we started therapy would have been in the danger zone.

“Every horse can benefit from having their “wellness points” worked on,” explained Bryan, “even those that show no obvious signs of pain because this therapy improves overall well being.”

“What does it feel like?” I asked Bryan.

“Do you have any sore areas?” he responded.

My lower back was aching, so Bryan and Susanna took two light tools to my lumbar region. A surge of warm powerful movement radiated up my back and I felt my muscles relax. In five minutes, I was pain free and relaxed. Oh I get it now Willy! Love that little red light!


For more information about Photonic Health, visit their website: www.photonichealth.com