Aftercare Spotlight

Tom and Clare Mansmann have a knack for off-track Thoroughbreds, there’s no question about that. At their Pacific Farms, Inc., an equestrian facility in Middleburg, Va., specializing in lessons, boarding, showing and sales, they transition off-track Thoroughbreds into everything from eventers and hunter/jumpers to fox hunters, trail horses and more and are often sought out […]

Growing up on his family’s Morgan horse farm, it was of little surprise that Nick Rennekamp would center his life’s work around horses. What was less obvious at the time was that his specialty would focus on Thoroughbreds, starting them under saddle, conditioning them as racehorses and training them for polo. The world of polo […]

There’s no doubt about it, Brookline was bred for greatness. Out of the iconic broodmare Cara Rafaela, a Grade 1 winner herself who produced the likes of superstar sire Bernardini, Brookline had some big shoes to fill. It was at Margaux Farm, a Thoroughbred training center located in Midway, Ky., that farm trainer Dermot Littlefield […]

It was hard to be at the Kentucky Horse Park this past week and not be inspired by all that surrounded you. There, hundreds of Thoroughbreds, all with eight months or less of retraining since their last race or published work, showed off their new skills, doing everything from jumping and running with hounds through […]

How’s the weather where you are? If you answered “wet,” you’re in the same boat as much of the rest of the country…and that boat may come in handy with all of this rain! Rain can wreak havoc in a number of ways; it can also do a number on your horse, and if that […]

Just like humans, every horse is different. They react differently to situations, they learn things in different ways and they express themselves in a nuanced and unique fashion. As we’ve covered in this column time and time again, Thoroughbreds can often make a successful and relatively easy transition from racing to riding or showing. They […]

Everyone needs a good teacher. Even those brave souls who ride racehorses on a daily basis needed to start somewhere and hone their craft. The same goes for horses, who before they achieved greatness going full-tilt, often learned how to jog and gallop around a training track alongside a reliable partner. Through setting good examples […]

If you think about it, there are a lot of people in the pre-track and off-track worlds who are operating on parallel paths this time of year. With September barreling toward us, sales consignors and breeding farms throughout Kentucky and around the country are preparing their yearlings for the Keeneland September and Fasig-Tipton October yearling […]

Known as one of the most iconic venues in North American eventing, Plantation Field in Unionville, Pennsylvania can be likened to Keeneland or Saratoga for equestrians. Each year the facility hosts the Plantation Field International Horse Trials, one of the premier eventing competitions in North America that routinely draws Olympic and World Equestrian Games-caliber competitors. […]