After two, very long, painful, and rather boring weeks being injured, I am FINALLY back in the saddle. A few weeks ago I managed to clip my foot in a lawnmower and you can guess…
Posts Published by Diary of an OTTB
10 Most Common Injuries for Ex-Racehorses
One of the most undervalued aspects of a comprehensive equine education, in addition to having a solid understanding of basic horse anatomy, is being able to identify, diagnose, and treat common injuries. This is an…
7 Easy Exercises You Can Do With Your Horse Even When You’re Injured
It sucks being injured. You’ll get no argument from me on that front. But possibly worse than any injury itself are those days, weeks or maybe even months that you feel helpless and useless. And…
Being Productive While Dealing With Setbacks and Injuries
As everyone knows, accidents happen and they’re often a game of inches. Inches between safety and catshrophe and sometimes you might happen to be on the receiving end of those incidents. This week it wasn’t…
Week 5: Our First Solo Ride and Indy’s First Group Lesson!
This week we’ve been super busy preparing for a big clinic we host semi-annually at the farm for the National Mounted Police Services. It’s a super cool confidence building and de-spooking clinic but it requires…
My First Ride On An OTTB
Holy sh*t folks, we’ve arrived. I’ll be honest. I wasn’t expecting to ride an ex-racehorse today… but I did. And you want to know something? He was a perfect gentleman about it. It’s been one…
Learning From Past Mistakes
The first horse I ever met was a workhorse. I was born and raised in New York’s North Country (it’s a thing) right on the the northern border of New York and Canada (no, I’m…
Taking What The Horse Gives You
As the fiancee of a barn owner in the horse boarding business, I can tell you that I’ve seen my fair share of people’s egos’ get in the way of their progress with their horse….
Beginning With The Basics: Starting My Retired Racehorse Retraining On the Ground
Since Indiana Jones arrived at the farm in late August, it seems like everyone is asking me, “So when are you going to take him for a ride?” And to be honest I haven’t exactly…
Maybe He Should Have Been A Clydesdale?
Indy Update! He’s cute. He’s quirky. He’s also a giant baby who’s earned the nickname Orchid after presenting some blown up legs after what can only be described as an allergic reaction to dirt and/or…
Exit With Caution
I had an oops moment. And in that moment I realized how lucky I was. It was really just a mental lapse but one thing’s certain with horses: mental lapses can turn into accidents in…
Day 1: Training an OTTB
Before Indy got off the trailer I spent the week prior reading just about every book I could on how to retrain an OTTB. I joined so many OTTB Facebook groups that my Newsfeed is…
Meet “Sure Prize” aka Indy
When the trailer rumbled down the driveway I’ll admit, it felt every bit as awesome as Christmas morning as a kid. Only this time, Santa’s sleigh was dragging AN ACTUAL FREAKING PONY FOR ME this…
Are We Really About To Buy A Horse Off Facebook?
Whenever you have to retire a horse before you expect to you’re in for a long haul. It’s an emotionally taxing time at the very least. Being the first horse I’ve had to go down…