Tag: horse retirement

How did your program begin? After the Races began in the fall of 2010. It was brought to my attention that there was a growing need for capable rehabilitation facilities to help with retiring racehorses in transition. At the time I was leasing a farm and doing some boarding and training, but my heart had always been with Thoroughbreds having worked in most facets of the industry (from starting young horses for the track, to exercising and managing a stable of racehorses including their injuries). With my professional background and medical experience, it felt like a good fit for both…

We are incredibly excited to announce that Kind of a Big Dill (formerly known as Vineyard Harbour) is back in action! After a long recovery period, he is finally training again and very excited to be. His trainer Samyi is super excited to be riding him again and cannot wait to tackle the next season.

Where is This Old Horse based? Our home base is in Hastings, Minnesota, located within the greater metropolitan area of Minneapolis/St. Paul.  We have seven other farms we manage in the area.  Our foster network expands throughout Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. How did your program begin? In 2012, This Old Horse was founded to support retired or sidelined service and performance horses that through age or infirmity were no longer at the top of their game.  Our mission was to create a community of horse lovers who were less interested in what the horse could ‘do’ and more interested in honoring the full…

As we shared earlier this year, Dill lacerated his fetlock pretty nicely when he was turned out in January. It’s been a crazy uphill battle with the healing process. When his trainer, Samyi, thought it was healed and Dill was ready to work, it bust open again. Then they really thought the start of August was it. But unfortunately again they started their training adventure, and it re-busted. After conversations with his vet, he was placed on 12 hours stall and 12 hours small paddock turnout with no riding for 4–5 weeks. This has left Dill and Samyi with hardly…

At Wasabi Ventures Stables as much as we are excited about seeing the winner’s circle, we also are focused on ensuring that each of our horses has a safe and happy retirement. In that vein, Michele Pesula Kuegler has taken on the role of Director of Aftercare. Michele is a lifelong animal advocate, who now focuses on Thoroughbreds. In the role of Director of Aftercare, Michele has acquainted herself with numerous Thoroughbred retirement programs and has published several interviews with these groups. In the coming months more interviews will be published. Additionally, the social communication team has focused on highlighting…