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been minimal, mentally she was just not capable of the focus and drive she had been, making her unfit to race. Like any great athlete forced mid-career onto another path, the question that came to dominate Sylvia’s life throughout the ensuing months was, “What next?” The future of former race horses, especially thoroughbreds, is uncertain at best. Many of them are high strung and anxious following a life filled with the rigors of near constant competition. Add to that an injury, and it can be nearly impossible for perhaps lesser skilled or novice handlers to reintegrate such a horse into another activity. Lucky for her, Bainbridge equestrian Alexandra Jackson and the rest of the volunteers at CANTER Washington had hopes for Sylvia. CANTER — The Communication Alliance to Network Thoroughbred Ex-Racehorses — is a national notfor-profit organization dedicated to the retraining and ultimate relocation of former racehorses. Jackson, who has been riding and caring for horses on and off since she was 9, is the executive director of the group’s relatively newly formed Washington
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rejected by the planning commission, the city’s hearing examiner agreed with city planners that the project did not violate city standards or regulations and approved the project in March. Opponents considered launching a boycott after the hearing examiner’s decision was issued, but talk of a boycott died down until last week’s meeting. The meeting was hosted by Ron Peltier of Islanders for Responsible Development, the grassroots group that appealed the environmental review for the Visconsi project and asked the hearing examiner to shoot down the plans for the new commercial center. A group of about 20 citizens met in a study room
branch, which is headquartered at Cottingham Farm here on Bainbridge. Sylvia is the group’s first horse. “CANTER USA was established in the late ’90s and from there they sort of expanded. Affiliates started enrolling and it was all about, ‘How can we partner with more and more tracks across the United States to actually make a difference for the horses?’ “And that’s what we did,” she said. CANTER Washington works primarily with Emerald Downs, a thoroughbred racetrack in Auburn, which is where Jackson found the group’s first candidate. “She came from Emerald Downs and last year she flipped at the starting gate,” Jackson said of Sylvia. “Her body wasn’t messed up, but her mind was. They gave her the winter off, she came back and I think she raced just one or two races, and she did fine but you could just tell she wasn’t very comfortable. When they’re not comfortable, when they don’t go in there and lock in, they can’t be competitive against those that already are.” “I came by and saw her a couple of times [there]. There are over 800 horses at Emerald Downs. I saw her and I could just tell that she was ready for something different and fortunately, the trainers and owners could, too, and that’s really where the blessing is,” Jackson said. “They said before she
at the Bainbridge Public Library to go over how citizens can continue to promote environmental preservation on Bainbridge despite the city’s decision to approve the Visconsi development. “We would like to see the update of the Comprehensive Plan also include updates to the municipal code, because what good is the Comprehensive Plan if the municipal code doesn’t implement it,” said Debbie Vann. “We have all these nice statements about preserving our forests and protecting our environment and sustainability and economic viability and yet they’re not seen in our municipal code,” she said. Peltier added that the planning commission’s recommendation to reject the Visconsi development exemplifies the power of community involvement.
has an injury, before something happens where she can’t even be adopted out to be a suitable riding horse, let’s give her a head start. So we went and picked her up.” The ultimate goal for Jackson and the other CANTER volunteers is to retrain Sylvia, and later other horses like her, so that they can be adopted as family-friendly riding horses. Jackson said that for the first few months at least the goal is to get Sylvia comfortable with “just being a horse again,” and away from the high-intensity world of the track. Jackson said that the support she and the group have received, both at Emerald Downs and on Bainbridge Island, has been better than expected. “We’re brand-new and we’re making big steps,” she said. “The people at the track love that [being headquartered nearby]. They know that we’re a nice community, we get behind people in the community, we take care of our town [and] our animals. Whenever they find out about that they’re like, ‘Oh, great!’” The hosting of CANTER Washington is one of several recent ongoing revitalization efforts at Cottingham Farm, including the raising of cows for local beef availability and the growing of vegetables by several community members for sale at the island farmers market. Jackson said that the location was ideal for the horse program,
“Citizens who take the time to inform themselves can be very effective in changing the course of events when it comes to things like this,” Peltier said. While the city has not yet announced the process for public participation, the group agreed there will have to be consistent citizen contribution on all fronts of the comp plan update, including during the planning commission’s portion of the work and on any ad hoc committees devoted to the update. This wasn’t the only conclusion of the meeting. Several residents at the gathering decided a boycott would be the next logical step for opposing the Visconsi shopping center. “Right now there are lots of baby animals out there in those woods that they’re going to start chopping down,” said Kent Bridwell.
Friday, June 27, 2014 • Bainbridge Island Review
given the farm’s wide open spaces and trails. “That’s just a life that most people can’t give to a horse because there’s just not enough space to do it or properties available for it,” she explained. Jackson said that she is talking with several people about the group’s second horse already, and is reassured of the program’s potential by the obvious progress already made by Sylvia. Due to a misconception about their attitude and the greater demand they place on the skills of riders and trainers, Jackson explained, thoroughbred horses lost much of their professional appeal in recent years. “Thoroughbreds used to be the leading sport horses in the United States,” Jackson said. “And then they started to get a little bit of a — I wouldn’t say a bad reputation — but they started to not have the same popularity. It became a much more attractive thing to import a horse, or to go Europe and buy a horse.” Having fallen out of favor with so many insiders, Jackson explained that many thoroughbreds faced even more uncertain futures at the end of their racing careers. “When they lost that popularity, we started to see a lot of thoroughbreds come off the track or be bred that really didn’t have anywhere to go. So, having the trainers and the people in place that can take a
“The idea is if we can get this off the ground, get it widely publicized, it may scare enough potential renters there that they’re not going to want to do it.” Without interested tenants, Bridwell said, the developer will have no choice but to rethink building on Bainbridge. “It may be a long shot, but I’m hoping that this will take form and start to steamroll and maybe have some impact,” Bridwell said. Bridwell did not have to convince many people to join the cause. He was met with a buzz of excitement in the room. One resident chimed in: “What about even garnering more interest by chaining ourselves to the bulldozer before it goes in and making sure the press is there?” The group of activists, later dubbed Stop Unwanted
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horse that has only been galloped on a track and retrain them to be a suitable riding horse, that’s the biggest challenge. It takes a lot of time and it takes a lot of attention.” Partnering with talented volunteers throughout the community, both within the world of horse racing and Bainbridge Island — including trainers and assistants as well as graphic designers and social media specialists — Jackson said that CANTER Washington has been established quickly and professionally in the minds of horse owners and trainers as a possible option when regarding the sometimes very uncertain fates of exrace horses. “The reality is in this day and age and in this economy — the riding industry has taken a hit,” she said. “A lot of people can afford the monthly expenses [of owning a horse]; they just can’t go buy a $10,000 or $15,000 horse. So we keep our adoption fees around $1,500. We want to keep our program going, to help fund the next horse, but we also want people to keep their money and go buy new brushes and saddles and make sure they’re completely set up.” To learn more about CANTER Washington and how to volunteer or make a donation, or to track Sylvia’s progress and see all the latest photos, visit www.canterusa. org, search CANTER Washington on Facebook or email ajackson@ canterusa.org.
Development on Bainbridge Island, rallied together after the meeting and have begun distributing a written pledge that calls for residents to avoid giving business to any commercial establishments in the shopping center. The pledge states, “I publicly pledge to not patronize any business or commercial establishment that occupies space within the KeyBank/ Visconsi development, or which contributes to its construction, at least through and including the year 2021.” The pledge focuses on the potential negative impacts on local traffic, wildlife and air quality from the new commercial center next to Highway 305. “In addition, this development violates several express goals and policies of the Bainbridge Island Comprehensive Plan and is simply unwanted by Island
residents.” Bridwell, who is heading the group, is now asking those who are interested in participating in the boycott to email sudobi.02@gmail.com. At the end of last week’s meeting, Peltier explained that as a separate group Islander’s for Responsible Development will be focusing on getting people engaged in updating the comp plan. “The cornerstones of that (comp plan) are sustainability, preserving the character of the island, recognizing the island has a limited carrying capacity,” Peltier said. “I think ultimately Bainbridge Islanders who are dissatisfied with the city, that are alarmed about things that are happening, they need to look at themselves and get involved ... interact with their city officials, and not just expect somebody else do it,” he said.
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