Volume 2, Issue 1
Jan/Feb/March 2010 Keeping pace with the…
TRF-MAKER’S MARK SECRETARIAT CENTER Heralding the value of the Thoroughbred ex-racehorse The World on Home Turf This fall from September 25 to October 10, the World will be on our turf for an equestrian event greater even than the Olympics. Thousands will pour into the Kentucky Horse Park for the Spring Interns World Equestrian Games (WEG) to watch the competitions and clinics, shop at the Equestrian Campus upgrades Village, and network with horse enthusiasts from across the globe. What a unique opportunity to New Sponsors showcase the athleticism of the Thoroughbred ex-race horse-- the very reason why the Maker's Resolution Mark Secretariat Center was founded six years ago! Not only that, our generous sponsor, Maker's Upcoming Events! Mark, will provide the official bourbon. Get ready, World, for a taste of our elite elixir and athletic horses!
In this issue:
Mascot Fly Lite celebrates her 10th birthday.
Intern trip to the Jockey Club, Fom left: Melissa DeCarlo– MMSC Adoptions Coorrdinator, Bryn OliverUK, Whitney Campbell –UofL, John Stork-UK, Susanna Thomas— MMSC Director
To prepare for this historic event, our staff and our volunteers have been abuzz during the "quiet" months of January, February, and March. We want our programs, policies, and campus to be perfect. We are looking for the most spectacular specimens of the Thoroughbred breed from among TRF horses, as well as from those herds in our participating organizations. We are urging owners, breeders, and trainers of sound--but slow!--racehorses to donate their crème de la crème exemplars to us. After all, not only do we want to promote the versatility of our breed, but also we want the World to see how well the racing industry can treat its retirees. In addition to these preparations, we opened to the KHP public on March 15, with schooling sessions and interactive demonstrations for visitors. Six of our horses have been adopted already. We held our first volunteer orientation and have been to two horse shows. New T-shirts and hoodies are here. And new jumps, too given by Jumps West, along with a host of other wonderful product sponsorships. Perhaps our biggest news is that on March 30, the House passed Resolution No. 241 recognizing the TRF-MMSC as an official tourism site and economic asset to the state of Kentucky! To celebrate we took two horses to the Capitol to greet representatives and children and welcomed all back to the TRF-MMSC to have a hands on experience with the Kentucky Thoroughbred! That's what we want to offer to the World, too, come fall. Susanna Thomas, Director
Resolution NO. 241 FRANKFORT, KENTUCKY -
Senator Westrom reads Resolution No. 241in front of the Kentucky State Capitol Building. From left Melissa DeCarlo on Champ, Bryn Oliver, Representative Westrom, Susanna Thomas, Jessie Matin, Whitney Campbell, Advisory Board member Anna White, and Hayley Barbato on Guidance Up.
On March 30 the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation’s Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center (TRF-MMSC) was recognized as a Kentucky Economic Development and Tourism entity through a resolution passed by the Kentucky House. Resolution No. 241 was proposed by Kentucky State Representative and TRF-MMSC Advisory Board member, Susan Westrom from Lexington. To celebrate the event TRF-MMSC staff, interns and volunteers as well as two adoptable ex-race horses, Guidance Up and Champ, gathered outside the state Capitol building to greet visitors to Frankfort, including busloads of school children who were delighted to meet ―Kentucky’s horse.‖ ―They are soft,‖ one child remarked as she stroked Champ’s neck. ―They are beautiful!‖ exclaimed another. Representative Westrom signed and read aloud the resolution. ―The Thoroughbred racehorse does so much for our state,‖ said Westrom. ―We need to take care of them when their racing days are over.‖
859-246-3080 www.secretariatcenter.org
Jan/Feb/March 2010
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Advisory Board Update
On February 2, the TRF-MMSC Advisory Board met for the first of its six annual meetings. Members present were Nina Bonnie, Patti Cooksey, Melissa DeCarlo, Nina Hahn, Dr. Bill Hess, Bret Jones, Kara Koscelski, Judy Miller, Margaret Ridley, Ame Sweetall, Fran Taylor, Mike Warren and Susanna Thomas. Anna White was invited as a guest and ended up being voted at meeting’s end as a new member. The Public Relations Committee discussed the year’s calendar so that newsworthy events could be brought to the public’s attention well in advance.=The Events Committee laid out the year’s plans, including a TRF-MMSC horse show to be held on campus in June, and another SECRETIQUES: Antiques and Found Treasures event in July, along with plans for the World Equestrian Games. The volunteer committee is working on a plan to recruit individuals from college sororities, fraternities and athletic programs. The next meeting is scheduled for April 6.
(above: Thanks to board members, Susan Westrom and Anna Whites, resolution No. 241 was passed recognizing the TRFMMSC as a Kentucky Asset. Hayley Barbato on Guidance Up and Meilssa DeCarlo on Champ parade in Frankfort, KY.
Media Exposure
The more the word gets out about our wonderful horses and our Horse Centered Reschooling Program ®, the more horses we can help transition to loving homes for dynamic new careers . The TRF-MMSC was pleased therefore, to be asked to speak on March 6 for Ercel Ellis’ radio show ‚Horse Tales‛ that is broadcast on Saturday mornings from 10 –noon on WLGX 1300. Director Susanna Thomas was also pleased to give two radio interviews to WEKU and WKMS, which have aired on NPR, as well as an article in the Kentucky State Journal. Channel 56 came in March to do a piece on the TRF-MMSC as well which will be aired at 10am on Sunday, April 18 and April 25.
TRF-MMSC PRE SEASON PREP With the world coming to the Kentucky Horse Park this fall, the TRF-MMSC has spent the "quiet" months of January and February in a white heat working on much needed upgrades inside and out. In the office, we have reviewed and updated PR materials; created new databases of donors, media and friends; drafted a new website (does anyone have 5K to donate so we can get it up and running?); planned a full schedule of events, horse shows, and fundraising efforts; crafted a Volunteer Certification Program; cleaned (thank you volunteers!) closets, drawers, files, shelves, bathrooms, windows, kitchen, mechanical room, and garage; hired a bookkeeper so that all donations and bills can be handled locally; held our first of many Volunteer Orientations; and (above) Whitney organizes the NEW MMSC hoodies.
worked on a library and art exhibit area.
Outside, Jerry Guinn, our Farm Manager/plumber/electrician/carpenter/ mechanic and his team of volunteers have been equally frenetic with building a new machine shed, as well as two new run-ins, and a jumping field. Fence has been repaired; equipment serviced; broken pipes and waterers fixed; every paddock reseeded (thank you Woodford Feed for the donated seed!); a rotten wall in the barn replaced and painted; a custom made feed bin and shelves added to the feed room; the loft cleaned; all tack assessed for safety, oiled and inventoried; barn windows and doors washed; and the wash stall power cleaned and painted. And Jerry has accomplished all of this with a broken leg! Amazing!
(above) A new machine shed was added on to our garage, thanks to a generous donation by John Stuart of Bluegrass Bloodstock Services.
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2010 TRF-MMSC INTERNS In February, the TRF-MMSC welcomed three new interns for the twelve week session, including: Farm Management intern John Stork, an Equine Science major at UK from Burlington, Kentucky. A good rider with 12 years of riding experience including dressage, hunter/jumper, drill team, and trail riding, John is learning how to run a small farm, as well as how to handle, care for, and reschool the OTTB. He is creating an operations analysis and farm budget for a small farm for his final project. Training intern Whitney Campbell, a senior at the University of Louisville, majoring in Equine Business, hails from San Francisco, California. Captain of the U of L swim team as well as an avid rider of hunters and jumpers, Whitney is fan of the athleticism of the Thoroughbred horse and is keen to learn how to reschool OTTBs for new careers. She has been learning the TRF-MMSC's Horse Centered Reschooling Program® and for her final project is developing a conformation/personality/temperament/discipline suitability assessment chart for future TRF-MMSC recruits. Communications Intern UK freshman Bryn Oliver of Barrington, NH, has a C3 dressage rating in Pony Club and is on the UK Dressage Team. She has been learning to write press releases, assemble newsletters, manage social networks, as well as riding and teaching the fundamental principles of dressage to the TRF-MMSC horses. Her end of the year project will be a compilation of her written compositions and pictures taken during her internship. In February (Left to right) Adoptions Coordinator, and March the interns took two field trips, one to the International Museum of the Melissa DeCarlo, sits with Spring 2010 Horse at the Kentucky Horse Park where they learned about the evolution of the interns, Bryn Oliver, John Stork, and horse, the histories of many breeds--including the Thoroughbred--and the develWhitney Campbell at the Museum of the opment of myriad equestrian disciplines. They also went to the Jockey Club for a Horse at the Kentucky Horse Park. detailed discussion about how the Thoroughbred registration process works.
Making Strides:
Spring Horse Shows
On March 27, three of our super-star horses competed in the Paul Frazer Combined Test hosted by Central Kentucky Riding for Hope at the Kentucky Horse Park. Former training intern (spring ‘09), Hayley Barbato, rode Guidance Up to a score of 37 in his Beginner Novice dressage debut (left, top). ‚Benny‛ showed off nicely and is ready to make an experienced rider a very nice all around horse. Ferdinand’s Star (right) with Ann Cothran aboard went like a champ in his very first combined test. ‚Ferdy‛ is one of the only surviving sons of the great Ferdinand and the MMSC’s older mascot. Fly Lite (left, below), Melissa’s adopted mare, was ridden by Shalise Gallaher in both the beginner starter and starter divisions. The pair received 8th place in the beginner starter division. Overall, a very successful day for our horses. Look for us at the Masterson Equestrian Trust Horse Show on April 17 and later that day at the John Henry Adoption Fair hosted by the Kentucky Horse Park. On May 8, some of our horses will make their way back to Masterson Station for the Sayre School Combined Test. We will be competing at various other locations throughout the summer, so keep an eye on our website for updated calendars. We hope to see you there!
Jan/Feb/March 2010
$$ Money Matters $$
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West, who makes quality JUMPING FOR JOY WITH JUMPS WEST! Jumps jumps for affordable prices, has
agreed to be the Maker’s Mark SecretariatCenter’s official jump supplier for the next three years. In doing so, JumpsWest continues its tradition of generosity already in place for other US and international animal rescue groups. Moreover, JumpsWest has also agreed to offer a 20% discount to all Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation facilities and affiliates for the next three years. The jumps will be in use and on display in the MMSC’s jumping field. To contact Jumps West please visit their website at www.jumpswest.com. Thank you, Allyn and Jumps West. You have us all jumping for joy! Equine Pine generously sent us 100 bags A big THANK YOU to Anthony of their ―Healthy Horse Bedding‖ to use. Richie of MilliCare. Our carpets These shavings are incredibly easy to use get lots of wear and tear and desand very economical– just wet the pellets perately needed a good cleaning. so they expand and you are good to go. It Anthony did a SUPERB job has cut stall-cleaning time in half and coaxing out all the stains and did soaks up the extra moisture that other it all with environmentally corshavings do not. Thank you, Equine Pine for helping our horses! For rect products! Bravo! For informore information go to www.equinepine.com. mation go to www.millicare.com or call 502-493-5911. Ariat, the makers of professional equestrian boots and other fine equestrian products, has agreed to provide our staff members plus select volunteer riders with Ariat boots of their choice to ride in at the MMSC. We will be glad to be able to ―hoof it‖ in such great style and in such comfort! Thank you, Ariat! For more information, visit your local tack store or go to www.ariat.com.
Decker, a company which makes high quality, easy to use grooming brushes is supplying us with brand new turquoise/teal and black brushes to match our newly color coordinated barn! These replace our old moldy and dirty ones that we have been using for years. Thank you, Decker! For more information visit your local tack store or go to www.deckermfg.com. A wonderful one-stop shop for equipment and supplement needs, SmartPak will be providing four $50.00 gift cards for us to use as prizes on our June 19 MMSC horse show. Thank you, SmartPak! For more information go to www.smartpak.com.
Myler knows that bit fit is a highly individualized matter as horses have different types of mouths, temperaments and training. Dale Myler thought the Myler combination bit would be useful when reschooling our OTTBs and generously sent us two to try along with informational DVDs. Thank you! For more information visit mylerbitsusa.com. Without Brook Ledge Horse Transport , our horses would not be able to get to shows, events, or foster care. We are ALWAYS grateful for this generosity and we could not ask for more friendly, patient drivers! Thank you Brookledge for you support of the OTTB!
Thank you to Linda and the Brennan Equine Welfare Fund that gave the MMSC a $2500 grant for feed which will help keep our horses’ tummies filled for much of the year. We could not do what we do without generous gifts such as these that promote the welfare of horses.
A BIG THANK YOU to Woodford Feed for seed and to all of our year round sponsors — Dover, KDA, Space Center Storage and The Clothes Horse as well! New Faces: TRF-MMSC recruits for spring training
Guidance Up
Savvy
Racehorse Davis
Victory March
We keep 8 to ten horses in training at the TRF-MMSC. New horses arrive regularly, so be sure to check our website: ww.secretariatcenter.org. If you are looking for a particular kind of horse, please contact us. We will go out and find that horse for you! Our mission is to find great homes for great horses with great people. Please let us serve you!
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Friends of the MMSC For those who love Thoroughbreds, the MMSC relies heavily on volunteers to keep the horses fed, the barn clean, the flowerbeds weeded, the databases maintained, the files filed and more! THANK YOU to all of the dedicated people who spend time here, chipping in wherever help is needed. If you would like to lend a hand, we could really use your assistance right now painting fence, planting flowers, answering the phone, building a Hitchcock pen, clearing trails in our woods, and house keeping. We also have a horse show coming up in June and a fundraiser in July. Please call 859-246-3080 or contact mdecarlo@thoroughbredadoption.com (From top left clockwise) 1. Nicole Uliano has volunteered numerous hours to get the books in order and has helped with mass mailings. 2. Rossie Grose is a organizational whizz in the office and keeps us all straight. 3. Emily Andrews helps by riding, cleaning tack, even dusting the office furniture. 4 . Shalise Gallaher rides, does barn chores, runs our errands, files, cleans, greets visitors. Godsends all!
Wish List: Horse Trailer & Truck Big Agnes, our aging horse van, is dying. This leaves us with no way to transport our horses when Brook Ledge— our remarkable sponsor!—can’t take us where we need to go. Do you have a F-250 to donate? What about a 3-4 horse gooseneck with a tack room? Please help us help these horses! (right): Big Agnes herself!
Winning Pick The Principles of Riding:
The Official Instruction Handbook of the German National Equestrian Federation Book 1 From different kinds of tack to proper form over fences, this book —known as the equestrian ―Bible‖ in Germany-gives the basic tools necessary to create a well balanced horse and rider. It contains many useful sketches demonstrating proper position and common faults. A must have text for anyone serious about riding and horsemanship.
Shopping Stall The TRF-MMSC Necklace This beautiful handmade sterling silver replica of the TRF-MMSC’s logo was handmade by Tilka Marzolf, a Kentucky goldsmith of 33 years, and horse owner, trainer and equestrian competitor (on several retired thoroughbreds!). Tilka is well aware of the plight of many ex-racehorses especially in these last few years of economic struggle and wanted to use her art to give back..This one of a kind, individually made pendant comes on a thick leather cord and sells for $149, 50% of which GOES DIRECTLY BACK TO THE MAKER’S MARK SECRETARIAT CENTER! Please grace your neck and fill our feed tubs while you do so! Thank you.
Product Review Win-Treats Made and sold by Blueridge Distribution. (www.wintreats.org) Because WINTREATSTM is a grain-based product, it can replace up to 30% of any supplemental grain you may be feeding now with 100% Bio-available nutrition. We have seen beautiful skin, a super shining coat, and that healthy vibrant look in our horses eyes. In 3 to 4 months we have seen better muscle tone, increased ligament strength, and great hooves. Our horses love these organic treats and so do we!
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Greener Pastures (clockwise starting on right): 1. Blindots Big Peach, pictured with his new mom, with be in training to be an eventer; 2. Mister Runstadler will be going to Virginia to become a hunter and event horse; 3. Every Vow has gone to live in sunny Louisiana with an 18 year old girl who has hopes of him becoming her next jumper; 4. Bandit is going to Georgia to teach high schoolers how to handle horses. 5. Moose has gone to Missouri where he will begin his eventing career.
From the Horse (adopter’s) Mouth
―Like most little girls, I wanted a pony. However, like many of us horse lovers, my parents could not afford to let me get one, or send me for riding lessons. I always told friends that I was the little girl who wanted her own pony, that never grew out of it! Well into adulthood, each time I got to ride, or even interact with a horse, they brought me great joy, mostly because those experiences were few and far between. I first found out about the Maker's Mark Secretariat Center by reading about it on the website of the Kentucky Horse Park. Besides being a horse lover, I had become an avid fan of horse racing. This was several years ago. One day, I ran across a horse on their website, I Am Said I, or "Sam". He had such a sweet face, and it was love at first sight, even though I knew I could not have a horse of my own. During one of our regular visits to Lexington last October, we decided to visit the Secretariat Center, and wouldn't you know it, Sam happened to be in their front pasture! I loved on him a little, fed him a few peppermints, and it was all over. I spent a few weeks scheming and planning, and convinced my husband to drive back down and let me try Sam out. The staff were very friendly and thoughtful, and understanding of my lack of riding skills! I have had Sam for a little over two months now, and it has been a joy. I still have a lot to learn and a long way to go before I feel like a confident rider and horse owner, but I get to share the ups and downs of the experience with my very own horse. I have nothing but good things to say about the Secretariat Center and their staff. The exude nothing but love and compassion for the amazing athlete that is the Thoroughbred racehorse. I cannot thank them enough for helping me realize a lifelong dream. When I finally own a place where I can have more horses, I would never hesitate to look through the Secretariat Center again. I know they would take as much time as needed to find a good match for me again.‖-Lindsey Sanquenetti, Adopted I Am, Said I
Upcoming Events:
Visiting Hours: Tuesday-Saturday: 9:00am-2:00pm Secretiques: July 25, 2010 Sunday and Monday: Closed Paddlestone Equestrian Center & MMSC Interactive Demonstrations: Saturdays 11:45 Horse Show: June 19, 2010
For questions regarding volunteering, adopting, the internship program, & other events in this newsletter, 11:30 pick up with the horse van at the Breeds Barn. please contact Melissa DeVolunteer Orientations: Website: www.secretariatcenter.org Carlo at June 12, 2010 Phone: 859-246-3080 September 11, 2010 Blog: www.secretariatcenter.blogspot.com November 20, 2010 mdecarlo@thoroughbred Channel 56 viewings: April 17 & 24, 2010 Twitter: http://twitter.com/mmsc04 adoption.com Facebook: Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center
NOW ACCEPTING SUMMER 2010 INTERNSHIP APPLICATIONS