by Jonathan Horowitz|10.27.202210.28.2022|10:07am11:14am Horowitz On OTTBs Presented by Excel Equine: A Partnership Worthy Of A (Godolphin) Blue Ribbon There are many decisions to be made in the life of a racehorse, with no guarantee that they will work out. When 15-year-old Isabel Wells calmly walked 5-year-old chestnut gelding Hieronymus over to the final obstacle of the competitive trail course during the finale of the 2022 Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makeover and raised a […]
by Jonathan Horowitz|09.29.2022|11:07am Horowitz On OTTBs, Presented By Excel Equine: OTTBs Inspired Fawcett To Jump Into Racehorse Ownership The Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makeover has led more people to find their next sporthorse at the racetrack, providing more homes and new careers for OTTBs. It also goes the other way, and the off-track Thoroughbreds are inspiring new people to head to the racetrack. Like Samantha Fawcett, a lifelong equestrian from Ontario, Canada, who […]
by Jonathan Horowitz|09.14.2022|4:17pm Horowitz On OTTBs, Presented By Excel Equine: Lessons Learned From AA Two Face…And Mr. Ed I began this column in January 2020 because my goal was to go from announcing horses to riding them. (See “Horowitz’s Unlikely Journey from Broadcasting to Riding Horses”) Specifically, it was to compete with an off-track Thoroughbred at the Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makeover. Unfortunately, I did not get to compete in the 2020 Thoroughbred […]
by Jonathan Horowitz|08.13.2022|1:02pm Horowitz On OTTBs, Presented By Excel Equine: Meet The Colorado OTTBs Bringing New People To Horse Racing Sunday, July 24, 2022, will go down as an historic day for Bally’s Arapahoe Park — and not just for what took place at the racetrack in Aurora, Colo. On the track, Collusionist won his tenth career stakes race at Bally’s Arapahoe Park in the six-furlong Arapahoe Park Sprint. The 6-year-old dark bay Colorado-bred gelding […]
by Jonathan Horowitz|07.05.2022|11:55am Horowitz On OTTBs, Presented By Excel Equine: For Many Ex-Racehorses, The Makeover Is Just The First Step Amy Bowers knew she found something special when she first saw Del Mar Belle. The bay Thoroughbred filly had raced seven times as a 3-year-old in 2018, including a win in a maiden race at Bally’s Arapahoe Park, followed by an attempt against the top horses of her age in Colorado in the Encantadora Stakes. […]
by Jonathan Horowitz|06.08.202206.09.2022|4:15pm2:10am Horowitz On OTTBs, Presented By Excel Equine: Arabian Racehorse Completes Two Eventing Shows, Now Back To The Track I’ve been a sports fan for as long as I can remember. I didn’t play sports in high school or college, but at the age of 37, I did finally get the chance to take on some of the best riders in the Rocky Mountain region in the equestrian sport of eventing because of the […]
by Jonathan Horowitz|04.28.2022|4:52pm Horowitz On OTTBs, Presented By Excel Equine: The Value Of Cross-Training For Racehorses “Is that an Arabian?” I took that question as a compliment when asked it at the Spring Gulch Combined Test in Highlands Ranch, Colo., on April 23. That’s the first horse show I competed at with the precocious 4-year-old grey Arabian racehorse AA Two Face. The reason that question was a compliment was because the […]
by Jonathan Horowitz|03.31.2022|11:59am Horowitz On OTTBs, Presented By Excel Equine: Understanding The Diet Of Thoroughbreds On and Off Track If the expression “you are what you eat” holds true, then understanding what Thoroughbreds eat, particularly the diets that are necessary for their success both on and off the racetrack, will give us better insights into how we can relate to them and what their responses are to what we ask them to do. Given […]
by Jonathan Horowitz|02.24.2022|3:28pm Horowitz On OTTBs, Presented By Excel Equine: Good Horse People Know There’s Always Something To Learn Horses can be a lot to handle, and Thoroughbreds, being regarded as hot-blooded compared to other breeds, can be particularly extreme in both their positive and challenging moments. For starters, most horses can outweigh their riders by about 1,000 pounds. When riders ask horses to do something, whether it be on the ground or in […]
by Jonathan Horowitz|01.31.202202.01.2022|1:30am2:15am Horowitz On OTTBs, Presented By Excel Equine: ‘Quirky’ Kubo Cat Dished Out Challenges On Path To Success Through centuries of the breed’s development, the Thoroughbred is athletic, smart, sensitive, forward-looking, and forward-thinking. Being regarded as hot-blooded, the Thoroughbred is extreme in both positive and challenging moments. Alison O’Dwyer and Kubo Cat offer great lessons about the extreme nature of Thoroughbreds and the challenges and benefits that go along with riding this roller […]