Spring Cleaning

Friendly Neighbor or, “Ned” as we’re calling him seems to clean up well.  He’s still pretty fuzzy, but I think he’s going to be a nice looking horse once that winter coat drops off.  For all you Simpson’s fans out there…”Hank” and “Flanders” were the other choices for barn names.  He doesn’t really seem like a Flanders, but Ned seems to suit him well enough.

The vet was out yesterday and both Ned and Wilson (Sunny Thoughts) are good to go for work.  Wilson is going to stay with me for a while and we’ll see how things go.  He is a nice mover and seems to be a little nervous, but has a willing attitude.  I think he’s going to be a nice horse.  Ned is going up to another trainer in the Lafayette area to get some trail riding experience.  I think that will be really good for him.  He seems the “heavy hunter” type, so experience crossing water, getting out of the barn, and working hard will translate well to that.

In other FFI horse news, two of my previous foster horse’s Saribel Cruz (aka Flirt) and Soothe the Soul (aka Sully) have beend adopted!  This is wonderful news and we’re all really excited because both homes are fabulous.  Sully went to Pattie D., who has fostered him since August.  She recently realized that she just adored him way too much to ever see him leave her pasture.  Flirt was adopted by Nicole Pearson of Foxton Farm in Romney, IN.  Flirt will be added to Nicole’s line of personal show horses.  We’re very excited to watch Flirt blossom into a really nice show horse!

Jewel and I participated in our first show since her colic surgery nearly 3 years ago.  There have been a couple of other injuries since then that have prohibited her return to the show ring, but we finally did it.  AND, I’m really proud to say that we did pretty darned well!  Despite receiving 6 penalties in our First Level Test 1, we still earned a 64.4%, which was good enough for 2nd place.  We might just have finished in first had we actually ridden a clean test.  Despite my bobbles, I was really pleased and look forward to showing again in the near future.

 

Two New Woolly Boys

Well, the good thing about being a foster home is that there are always horses in need.  With the ending of Roxie’s chapter as one of my foster horses, a new chapter was started yesterday with the arrival of two very woolly geldings, Sunny Thoughts and Friendly Neighbor.  Both are exracers who retired in 2007 and were, to my knowledge, pretty much made into pasture pets.  In addition, both have pretty decent conformation and are big bodied, big boned (and more importantly) big-footed fellows.  My initial thought is that they will make good hunters or possibly eventers.  They’re very sweet and seem to be well mannered.  I’m looking forward to getting to know them a little bit more. 

Sunny Thoughts

Friendly Neighbor

As you can see, they’re both in need of a good grooming, but bother are put together pretty well.  I think when spring comes, we’re going to have a couple of ugly ducklings turned swans.   Keep an eye out here for more information and pictures.

 

Roxie’s Last Day

It was a bittersweet day on Saturday when Roxie, who was undoubtedly my favorite of foster horses, left for her new home in the Dayton, OH area. I have every belief that Rachel, Roxie’s adopter, is going to give Roxie a fabulous home and life. In fact, I think she’s probably the perfect home as she not only has a great support system that is very familiar with Thoroughbreds, but she also has experience with horses who have quirky behaviors or issues (like her ears). I think all is well, but that doesn’t mean I don’t miss her just a bit. Here are a few pictures of Roxie starting life with her new mom!  I’m really looking forward to photos and stories of their experiences together throughout the future.

 

Friends of Ferdinand: Second Chances

Greetings all! My name is Amy Latka and this blog will be dedicated to the Second Chances horses that I will be working with. Second Chances is a retraining program created by the Thoroughbred rescue organization, Friends of Ferdinand. www.FriendsofFerdinand.org

I’ll be posting pictures and training updates on any of the horses that are sent to me for training. My hope is that through this blog, the horses on these pages will be able to find good, permanent homes where both horse and owner will thrive.

Friends of Ferdinand, Inc. is an Indianapolis-based 501 (c)(3) organization founded in 2005 to provide options and alternatives to Indiana’s horses that are no longer able to fulfill their intended purpose. FFI took its name from a championed racehorse named Ferdinand, who won both the Kentucky Derby and the Breeder’s Cup and was named Horse of the Year in 1987. During his career, Ferdinand earned four million dollars and was retired to stud in 1989. In 1995, he was exported to Japan where he was led to slaughter.

“Second Chances” is a self-sustaining retraining program for retired racehorses that is truly unique to the state of Indiana. It promotes a practical concept for organizations and advocates involved in the welfare of retiring racehorses. Instead of merely rescuing these horses from their current situation, FFI plans to provide them with a new skill set that will allow them to transition more easily and permanently into new lives as riding horses.

I invite you to read through this blog and learn about the horses that are available. For more information on any of the horses available through Friends of Ferdinand, Inc., please visit their website at Friends of Ferdinand, Inc.