Interview for the Thoroughbred Makeover

I was recently asked to do an interview regarding my experiences with Note and the Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makeover.  Here are my responses

Your Name:        Kim Leonard

Horse’s Name:  One for Nothing (“Note”)

How long have you been riding? What’s your discipline now? What appeals to you about your chosen sport?  I’ve been riding for 30 years, working as a full time horse trainer, certified riding instructor, and business owner at Bit of Honey Training LLC since 2007.  My riding instructor certification is through Centered Riding, which I explain as a nondenominational style because it works for every discipline.  Regardless of what type of saddle you use or breed of horse you ride, Centered Riding is useful and applicable because it helps you to change your own body to better influence your horse. 

My personal sport of choice is eventing, because training for all three phases allows me the greatest variety of experiences for the horse.  Combining the balance of dressage, the footwork of show jumping, and the conditioning for cross country creates an incredibly well rounded horse (and rider!). 

How did your horse do at the track? How did you find them?

One For Nothing was a six year old cryptorchid stallion who raced 44 times, nearly once a month through his racing days.  Over the course of his career he won more than $40,000, coming in first four times.  He retired sound, and I found him through my connections at CANTER Arizona in the trainer listings.

What do you like about TBs generally? Do you think of yourself as a TB person?

I am definitely a Thoroughbred person.  These horses have the ideal combination of traits which I look for in a horse:  athleticism, heart, personality, and sensitivity.  I particularly enjoy OTTBs because they come with so much life experience already having been exposed to so many situations and various environments throughout their racing careers.

What attracted you to the RRP?

I have always been a Thoroughbred fan, a love affair with the breed which began in my childhood when I had the opportunity to restart a dark bay mare called Fourth of July for a paint breeding farm where I worked in New England.  Now that I live in Colorado and since we have a track here in Denver I am fortunate to have access to great athletes coming off the track when they are done racing.  I discovered the RRP online when it began and had its first show at Pimlico, and I have followed it ever since. 

Have you worked with RRP before?

I have assisted with the RRP’s presence at the Rocky Mountain Horse Expo here in Denver, Colorado for the past three years.  As a trainer for CANTER Colorado I took CANTER owned Sweetpeacefuldream to the 2015 RRP Thoroughbred Makeover and competed in showjumping.  It was a wonderful experience, and possibly the first time a Colorado bred and raced Thoroughbred had competed at the Kentucky Horse Park.  

Have you decided what you are doing at RRP? If you have what are you doing/planning? If not – why not? What will help you make up your mind?

I am currently planning to compete with One For Nothing in eventing and competitive trail.  This is of course dependent on Note’s aptitudes and interests.  If he were to decide he hates jumping we would train for dressage instead, and if he decides he likes cattle we would get him to my neighbors’ place so I could start ranch work with him.  I have my own interests with riding, but my ultimate goal is to create a happy sound horse who enjoys his job of choice.

What are you looking forward to about RRP?

The experience of having a horse at the Kentucky Horse Park competing is incredible, especially considering the distance we need to travel to get there from Colorado.  The show grounds are historic, the photo opportunities are abundant, and there is nothing quite like a competition full of retired racehorses succeeding in ten different disciplines.  The camaraderie among trainers is great fun, and to gather a group of this caliber horses speaks volumes about what the breed has to offer the sport horse world.

What challenges do you already see?

As for my individual horse, Note required a long recovery from a very involved abdominal cryptorchid gelding surgery.  Once physically healed it was a little tricky to determine the right feed for his physical and psychological needs. 
There are the usual challenges with an individual horse of how best to communicate with him in his training program.  A racehorse like Note who loved his job running and was very dedicated to it can be challenging to transition to a slower-paced second career.  I’ve been fortunate to have worked with many OTTBs and have an extensive knowledge base involving the combination of good veterinary care including dental work and ulcer treatment/prevention, quality farrier attention, nutritional analysis, tack evaluation, and social needs.  All these factors play into creating a happy sound horse in his second career.

Does your RRP horse live with you or is it boarded?

Note lives at Bit of Honey Training LLC, my training facility where I also live.

What accomplishment (horse or not) are you most proud of?

The accomplishment of which I am most proud is my recovery from a traumatic brain injury.  In 2008 a quiet, well-trained horse I was riding slipped and fell and I was knocked unconscious.  I spent significant time in a wheelchair and then with a walker, and it was a Thoroughbred named Cecil who eventually got me back in the saddle.  Upon initially meeting me today, most people don’t realize I have had brain damage.  While I still have significant limitations, and need to compensate for the brain damage I sustained, I am fortunate to be able to ride, teach, and train these amazing horses despite having a handicap not easily visible to the public eye.  

What is your most treasured horse possession?

I have a collection of the halter nameplates from all my horses who have passed on.  I reuse the leather halters, but the brass nameplates hang on the wall in my office.

What’s your training plan for March and April?

March and April will be filled with long trail rides in the mountains here in Colorado.  Note is a thinker, and needs more stimulation than circles in the arena can give him, so 20+ mile rides in open space will be just the right thing for him.  He will still work some in the arena and over fences, but we will be revisiting the endurance days of my youth to condition him for the cross country phase of eventing as well as prepare him for competitive trail riding.