Looking at Horses-part one

In January I look at horses. That’s when the MMSC campus is empty (or almost empty- Zeke and Louie, Sam and Jasper are still in residence) Come March, the barn is a bustle all day with clopping incoming and outgoing hooves, jovial chatter amongst interns and volunteers, tractor gears grinding, weed-eaters whacking, and curious, questioning visitors ambling from office to barn and back. It’s hard to leave.

I have never been able to get firm numbers from those who seemingly are supposed to know how many former race horses are out there: The Jockey Club, The Blood Horse, Churchill Downs, and the like. That’s because the sum is exponential. Give or take thirty thousand Thoroughbred foals registered every year. Multiply that by 28 years, a reasonable life span for a horse. Do whatever math you are supposed to do, subtracting some here and there if you must, and the answer is:  A LOT OF HORSES.

The MMSC has 14 acres of paddocks and ten stalls. Books say that you should allot about 1.5 to 2 acres per horse. We have had as many as 18 horses at one time. Books aside, I can tell you that is too many. That's 200 hours of  grass consumption, 500 pounds of manure production, and umpteen hundred new divots unearthed ON A DAILY BASIS! 

Divots, demolition, and excrement aside, none deter me from looking at horses. Why?  One: Because that is what I do at the MMSC. I seek out the best, most athletic exemplars of the Thoroughbred breed whose racing careers are over-or never began- put them into a 90 day training reschooling program (those of you over 50, think Berlitz) and then exercise my matchmaking sensibilities to find suitable homes for MMSC graduates. And, two: Looking at horses is fun. 

Today particularly so, as it was my first “road trip” of the year. To put that in perspective for non-horsey readers: I am a chocoholic. I could probably dine on chocolate mousse for a long time before I grew weary of it. But the first bite of the first mousse of the year is nothing short of heavenly. And so it is with my first trip of the year to look at horses: It makes me out of this world happy. My heart starts swelling, first with a chirp growing louder, building to Alleluia chorus proportions with a joyous song of PURPOSE. And at that moment I know am doing what I was put on the planet to do. What could be better than that?

Cheery bye,

            
 Susanna

Mise-en-scène 

When I was thirteen and living in Paris, France with my family, I had, courtesy of my far-thinking parents, a subscription to the famous French state theatre, La Comédie Française. Once a month, on a Saturday afternoon throughout the season, my brother  and I would head as a twosome for the Rue de Richelieu in the swish first arrondissement near the Louvre, pass through the pillared portals of the illustrious 18th century building of the theater, climb the broad red carpeted stairs of the foyer to the oppulent hall lit with crystal chandeers and slip into our burgundy velvet covered seats for an afternoon of French dramatic brilliance.

I did not grow up knowing French, and at the time, my speaking skills were limited to the words necessary to navigate a strict French girl’s school. In the language of Molière, Racine, and Beaumarchais, to name a few of the great French playwrights, I often got disoriented and sometimes downright lost. 

That’s why I kept the play’s program open in my lap to the “mise-en-scène” page. Those words literally mean literally “put in the scene” and, in the theatre refer to the setting and backdrop of the story about be to told. It also included a list of the play’s characters, with a short description of who they were and what their relationships were to one another. When addled by the rapid fire French, I found that page really helpful. That's why I want to give you a  MMSC mise-en-scène page now.  Maybe you will need it in those future rapid fire blog moments. 

Mise-en-scène

LOCATION: The Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center, a 22 acre non profit facility dedicated to the reschooling of athletic off the track racehorses, located at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington,KY.

Campus consists of office building, one ten stall barn. One equipment shed. One 180X100 outdoor arena. one round pen, one Hitchcock free jumping pen. 11 paddocks (each individually named  i.e“The Lakeview Paddock, the Back 40”) dispersed over 14 acres. One pond. One forested sinkhole (former dueling ground in the 1800s). 

Current CAST:  

Susanna Thomas, aka “Mother Superior,” MMSC Director since 2008

Lori Tobin: aka “Mother Inferior” and, when Susanna is feeling generous, “Mother SENSATIONAL.” Volunteer office manager, attorney and college instructor in real life, Lori is M.A.’s older sister.

Marialyce Gradek:  Book keeper, PAID ( a rare privilege at the MMSC) comes once a week for a few hours, mother of triplets, age 10, hence aka “M.A.” Lori’s younger sister.

Sam: Male cat, approximately nine months old, creme caramel colored, aka. “The Lover.”

Jasper:  Male cat, probably Sam’s brother, so also approximately nine months old, tuxedo coat, aka “The Hunter.”

Ezekial,  aka “Zeke the Geek,” 4 year old gelding, not adopted in 2012.

Midwest Swing: aka “Louie,”  5 year old gelding, not adopted in 2012.

Felix:  My 2006 Golden Chevy Equinox

ANGELS: This is a whole separate cast in itself.

Sneak preview though:  Archangel Dave.  You will want to read all about him!

Cheery bye,

 Susanna

PURPOSE

As I lay in that semi dormant stage between sleep’s end and morning’s waking today, the subject of this blog--PURPOSE-- rose to and lodged itself in the forefront of my brain.  Doesn’t surprise me.  In my world, PURPOSE, is like a Jack Russell:  Ever present, small in stature, mighty in nature, never far from me and noisy. 

Purpose is the“why?” of all things. The defining concept that brings that unintelligible idea/pursuit/life to order. It’s the question that consumes us as toddlers (why? Why? WHY?) that somehow we lose an appetite for as we age. 

Why?!  Are we no longer in pursuit of answers? What happens to that curiosity? That desire to learn? That boldness to try? (Obviously I am on the mend from the CRUD. My mind is beginning to percolate anew.)

So what’s the purpose of  this blog? 

The purpose of this BLOG, as in the week to week forthcoming missives, is to introduce you to the “forthing and backing,” cast of characters --two and four legged, the sensational as well as the squirrely moments of a day in the life at the Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center, that’s already been said.

But the purpose of THIS blog today is to warn you:  There is no end of whys:

Why did the MMSC come into existence?

Why the Horse Centered ReSchooling Program? 

Why is one horse suited for eventing, another for the hunter ring? 

Why the feed, supplements, and  treatments we use?

Why are there so many unraced Thoroughbreds?

Why so many Thoroughbreds in general?

Why slaughter? 

Why not?

Like any good Jack Russell that lives for the pursuit of pesky varmints, I thrill in the tracing and unearthing of whys?, big or small, conventional or controversial. And I thought I’d let you know-- there’s fertile ground ahead.  

Purpose: It’s a powerful, productive, provocative word.  

I highly recommend your dwelling on it.  

Cheery bye, 

Susanna

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all from the MMSC! And what will the New Year bring?  That’s always the big question.  The one we try to answer with resolutions and game plans, goals and objectives, projects and “to do” lists, some of which we hold onto throughout the ups and downs, twists and turns, forthing and backing (Why do we always say “back and forth” when, clearly, we have to go somewhere before we can return? Ah, beloved, quirky English language!) that occur with the unraveling of the days, weeks, months that form our year.

For my part, the New Year usually starts the same way: In  bed. I am not talking about sleeping through THE BALL dropping, although I have done that a time or two and probably will continue to do so as I accumulate personal mileage. No. I am talking about being felled by THE CRUD, typically of the bronchial type-- anywhere from pneumonia to to the common cold. It just depends on how badly my body wants to ram my restless self into park.

This year is no different, although the crud hit a bit early--December 27 to be precise. Not much to do about it other than to burrow under my covers. Thank GOD for the angels who cared for the two horses who did not get adopted this year and the barn kitties at the MMSC.

But just as winter has a key purpose in the proliferation of life, so it seems, does my crud. This forced fallow period is followed by a flowering of new ideas that pop up, crocus-like, harbingers of possibility and hope: More horses adopted and becoming ambassadors of the Thoroughbred breed. More educational opportunities for all, whether they are experienced equestriennes or not, live close or far, are young or old, to learn and interact with former race horses.  More discussions on how to merge synergies with all those interested in the issue of aftercare so this valiant effort can and will grow. More rainbows to follow in the perpetual search for the pot of gold so that we can keep our doors open and do what warms my heart more than anything-- help one horse at a time, each, with its own endearing horsenality and talents, find its perfect person!

 Welcome to Susanna’s blog and 2013!

Videography 101

By: Liz Rigby

My day does not get off to the best start. My alarm did not go off at 6:45 at usual. I blame it on the fact that my cell phone is so old that Fred Flinstone has a more up to date phone that I do. But it also could have been because I completely forgot to actually set an alarm, either or. Moving on…. Due to the fact that I woke up late, I didn’t have time to do my hair. On the bright side, it still looked mediocre from last night. I made the executive decision to just let it be free and flow in whichever way it pleased. I arrived at work with a 12 pack of Dr. Pepper for the MMSC staff, and by their excitement you probably would have assumed I brought a gallon of wine and a ‘MMSC is closed for the day' sign. They do say horse people are crazy right? This act of kindness instantly won me another ‘Intern of the Day’ title.

Susanna informs me that I will be videoing the riding lessons for the majority of the morning. Last time I videotaped, the results were so horrendous and shaky, that it looked like there was an earthquake occurring. I’m pretty sure a five year old, with a two second attention span, who had a Redbull for breakfast could have done a better, more stable job filming. The issues with videoing are this, for one, instead of a monopod to keep the camera steady, we use a tripod and then only use one of the three legs. It makes a ton of sense, I know. It has become a monopod by default and is awful to use. The next problem was that since my hair was not flowing quite as elegantly as Pegasus’s mane, I was blinded half the time as my hair turned into a tornado of sorts, with a little sand storm effect thrown in there for good measure. It was quite distracting. Overall the videos turned out surprisingly, much better than my last attempt. The amount of sand that ended up in my cheetah flats however is a whole other story.

For the third time in a little over a week, our newest horse Great Life, who is known around the farm as Brady, has thrown a shoe. It’s pretty impressive really considering on Tuesday he managed to throw his shoe, step on the nail, and then have the farrier come out and glue on a new shoe. The next two days he was on stall rest, and before we put him back out to pasture last night, barn intern Shelby, packed his hoof, and then duct taped around it for extra security. How he managed to have lost his shoe over night, none of us will ever know, but here he is again, in a stall, waiting to have his shoes put back on. Perhaps he likes the idea of having a different pair of shoes every day, and I for one cannot fault him for that. Brady heads off to his new home tomorrow and I hope his new family is prepared to have a full blown shoe addict on their hands.

How the MMSC functions on a luncheon day..

By: Liz Rigby

If any visitor had come to the MMSC this morning they would have been witness to a whirlwind of activity as we all prepared for our afternoon event: a luncheon for the National Horse Center, hosted by the Fresian Association and the Paso Fino Association. This luncheon included 50 people, seven MMSC staff, three Paso Finos, four Friesians, and a catering crew.

Before I continue, let me tell you about an ingenious plan I recently devised to ensure all interns work to their full potential and receive recognition at the end of each day. Every afternoon, one lucky deserving intern is crowned ‘Intern of the Day.’ I took the initiative and voted myself President of the voting committee. To date, there are no other members of this committee. Also, to date, I have won the coveted title four days in a row.

The MMSC was abuzz with activity preparing for our guests; barn crew sweeping, knocking down cob webs; office crew polishing furniture, cleaning bathrooms and the like. I was assigned “flower arrangement” duty. I spent the morning foraging through the rose bushes outside the office for possible contenders for what I was hoping would turn out to be a Martha Stewart look-a-like bouquet for our front desk. I ended up with two mismatched bouquets in vases, which I half filled with rocks from our driveway (Susanna told me I cut the stems too short and needed to add height), two hands full of thorns, and a few bare looking flower pots around the farm which I had ravaged for blooms. I learned today that flower arrangements are not my forte.

As I fought with rose bushes out front, Catherine conquered the large John Deere tractor and harrowed the arena for our guests’ demonstrations. She even managed to back the large machine into the garage when she was finished! When the morning began I was winning the race for intern of the day, however after Catherine’s success, she was only behind me by a hair. Shelby spent her lovely morning mopping every moppable surface of the MMSC office, including the bathrooms. And for that, I voted that she received ‘Honorable Mention’ in this nose-to-nose race. Our new intern Kiley was summoned to spit-shine the barn. New intern hazing at its finest. I’m proud to say that when she was finished, the barn looked stunning for our arriving horse guests. As Today was Kiley’s first day, she did not receive one of my nominations.

At noon the Secretariat Center opened up its doors to all luncheon guests. After eating, mingling, and enjoying horse demonstrations, all of us were greeted at the front of the MMSC by two horse carriages, each pulled by two stately looking black Friesians from the draft barn here at the Kentucky Horse Park. Our great neighbors gave visitors rides around the property, the four veteran Friesians were perfect gentleman! They stood as still as statues as visitors climbed into their carriages, were gentle enough to pose for pictures, and they willingly endured the hot sun so everyone could have a ride.

We all also had the privilege of watching a demonstration by the Paso Fino Horse Association which is located in Frankfurt, Kentucky. They even allowed all spectators to ride any of the three horses that they had brought. Riding the Paso Finos was a very unique experience, especially for this intern who was unfamiliar with the breed’s distinctive gait. Compared to our large strided Thoroughbreds, the Paso Finos moved like professional tap dancers as they toted member after member around the arena. What great sports they were as we all tried our best to become accustomed to their smooth ride and swift feet!

As the last car rolled down the drive way, business as usual picked right back up at the farm. The horses were fed, stalls were cleaned, and who do you think won ‘Intern of the Day’? Yes, shocking to us all, my winning streak continues….

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 12^th 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.