2017 Thoroughbred Makeover

Meet Joey. Joey was retired from the race track on December 5, 2016. I have spent the past few months working with him on the ground and in the saddle. Joey is most likely going to be trained to a be a hunter jumper or a jumper, depending on how he favors the different styles of riding. It is very challenging for him to learn this new style of riding and there are many obstacles to overcome. First, he must get used to having the riders’ legs by his sides (as he is used to jockeys that have very short stirrups), and understand the different actions that I am asking of him. No longer is speed his objective; he must learn how to listen to my cues and be round and responsive. At this point, we are mainly focusing on the trot and lengthening his stride. He is slightly confused at what I am asking of him right now, but he tries very hard for me and is a sweet boy.

This process of training a horse something it has never been exposed to requires a lot of patience, but the times in which he understands something or successfully rounds himself and listens make all of the challenges worth it. I look forward to this next year training him and watching his progress. Updates on his status and training will be posted periodically.