At a recent LOPE event, a well-dressed rancher approached me. He was a leader in the racing industry for many years and even ran his own breeding farm at one point. Fingering his cowboy hat, he squinted at me and asked, “You’re LOPE, right?” In response to my nod, he said, “You’ve been doing this […]
Most people think racehorses are difficult and nervous. Back when I rode in the Washington DC area, my barn friends didn’t like the ex-racehorses. They thought all off-track horses were crazy, hyper or pushy. There was little sympathy or understanding of the racehorse’s context, where it came from, what it was used to doing. Probably […]
There’s a great article about Barbaro in this month’s Vanity Fair – by one of my favorite nonfiction writers, Buzz Bissinger (author of Friday Night Lights). Although Barbaro’s story has a sad ending, I think of him as a bold, confident winner – even during his long rehab at New Bolton, you could his sass […]
LOPE staffer Gracie doing a nice job helping American Luxury (aka “Al”) get comfortable with the training flag. When we first introduced it to him, Al thought the flag was very sketchy and a little scary. With time and patience, he now sees it as just another way that Gracie guides him into certain movements. We like to use the flag in ground work with the warhorses. It’s a great way to help them become curious, engaged and responsive. Great job, Gracie and Al! If you are looking for a kindhearted trail, pleasure or low level dressage horse, Al might just win your heart. He is available for adoption - pls message us for more info. #lopetx #americanluxury #warhorse #ottb #sweetboy #superwilling #cuteface
3 days ago ·
