Friday, December 19, 2008
New Racehorse Rescue Program- Remember Me Rescue
We have never asked for help before so the decision to do so was difficult. Since we also breed, rehab, and train racehorses for clients and have many of our own personal horses as well, we were concerned that accepting donations could be misinterpreted. To help me in this task I have asked a few folks to serve as directors of our organization that will help me in keep good accountable records. One such person is Houston based business attorney Irwin Barg and my personal bookkeeper Christine Wright. Our CPA Brad Epstien of Rockwall, Texas will be overseeing things as well.
We will be excepting donations of cash, feed, hay, or anything else that could benefit the rehabilitation or recovery of off track thoroughbreds. We will also be able to give a tax deduction for such donations as well as donations of horses themselves once the required paperwork and forms have been filed.
Dallas and I would like to thank everyone for all of the support and the gracious comments supporting us and the rest of the folks involved in the Lights On Broadway rescue. He has been such a blessing to us and will be the ambassador for our project. We hope to use his story to raise awareness to owners, trainers, and even grooms, jockeys, and agents to this beneficial cause. With the help of some special folks we plan to campaign for a state based and then a national plea that all people holding a racing license that benefit from these athletes contribute in some small way to their retirement.
I will also start highlighting weekly a horse that we have helped to place in a new home. Through this we help to get these special stories of great horses and generous people out where they belong instead of all of the negative press we in this industry are used to. I hope we in some small way can make a big difference.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Lights On Broadway Update
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Lights On Broadway's Amazing Comeback
Lights On Broadway is quiet a horse. He has come so far in such a short time and done remarkably well considering his recent past. After being rescued off the slaughter truck and then being shipped around Oklahoma to farms and racetracks he has definitely settled in to his new life with us. Lights is a wonderful horse. He loves attention and seems very happy and secure. He has been through so much but thanks to so many generous people he has made his way home to Texas.
We have started Lights On Broadway's training program and hope to have him ready to use as a racetrack pony at Lone Star Park this spring. He is already riding bridle-less at our farm but we have yet to start teaching him to pony. If he doesn't like the easy life at the track escorting young horses to and from we will find him a job he does like. I have taken him on one trail ride and he was terrific, even rode out into the pond. A life as a trail horse would probably suit him just fine if the track doesn't.
I am not sure by looking at Lights On Broadways PP's if he ever had more than one a real break his entire career. So learning social skills in a pasture with others was a challenge that he has overcome in the last month. Now Lights enjoys his pasture mates although he still lets them know he is the boss. He is steadily putting on weight and looking better with every passing day.
Lights On Broadway is only one of our rescues here at the farm. We have 7 other horses we care for here, some ready to be placed in new homes as riding horses and others that are in need of special homes. If anyone is interested in adopting a horse through Dallas and I please contact us. We also accept thoroughbred horses from any owner or trainer. If you are in need of placing a horse who's racing career is ending we can help. We urge owners and trainers to take the time to locate a rescue facility for your thoroughbreds instead of sending them to a sale. Just a couple of weeks ago a woman contacted me that bought one of our former horses, Agrapha, at a sale for .15 a pound. She verified the tattoo number through the Jockey Club and then contacted Dallas and I for additional information on the horse. His previous owner, Jim Jackson, thought he had given Agrapha to folks that would care for him. Unfortunately he fell into the wrong hands.
This happens way to much and I plead with people to locate responsible homes for their exracers. We hope to be able to use Lights On Broadway as an ambassador and show people the retrainability of these fine athletes. They deserve better than the fate of too many.
If you know of a horse in need of placement, again, contact us at dallaskeen@hotmail.com and we will see what we can do to help or go to our website for more information on horse rescues and updates..
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
September 30th, Lights On Broadway Update
Lights On Broadway is adapting well to his new leisurely pasture life. He is currently turned out with a few other rescues and retired OTTBs and Blue, Dallas' famous retired racetrack pony. Lights rules the roost. He's not mean but he does let everyone know who the important rich guy is.
Getting here wasn't easy. At first Lights protested being left out. He was upset by the loss of his fan in the heat of the day and would only stay out for an hour or so before he would come to the fence by the house and wait on someone to put him back in his stall.
We gradually increased his out time in a paddock next to the horses he would eventually be turned out with. After a period of a couple of weeks I led Lights out with the other horses to sniff noses, squeal , etc. It wasn't pretty. Lights acted like he had never been allowed to be social. He didn't make friends very fast except for Blue.
Blue liked Lights despite the squeals and rubbed his old grey nose all over Lights ignoring his aggressive behavior. They have been best buds since. I guess Blue recognised Lights as being another 'old guy' and knew they had something in common. Another thought crossed my mind. Horses are so smart. I wonder if Blue remembers Lights from the track. He almost acted like he found a long lost friend. Even though these guys weren't in the same barn there is something to it. I am convinced they recognise each other or at least know there is a common bond between these two incredibly intelligent horses.
On occasion when I have time we bring Lights in to play. He really enjoys getting to interact with people. I have taught him a few tricks that he likes. One is giving hugs and the other is what we call praying, where a horse will lower his head to the ground while you knell down beside them. He loves the attention and the praise when he does something right. He has been exceptionally easy to teach. We have ridden him a few times and even started his bridle-less training which will be very easy. He wants to do right all the time and never argues or disagrees.
I can't wait until he puts on a little more weight. We are looking forward to using him as a pony at the track this next spring. Hopefully he will be a great ambassador for the OTTB's showing their incredible retrainability.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Any Sarah Palin Fans Out There???
We are looking for a few of our republican friends to share this filly with. I think it will be fun. Please give drop me an email at dallaskeen@hotmail.com if you are interested in participating in a partnership with PALIN POWER.
Lights On Broadway Update
Lights is doing great. He is continuing to gain weight and muscle tone at a fast pace and we expect him to recover 100%. He is learning everything we have time to teach him and is already giving hugs and other little tricks. I felt confident enough to start his bridle-less training on the third ride. He will be no trouble at all to train. I bet we will be ponying on him by the first of the year or at least by the opening of the thoroughbred meet at Lone Star next spring.
We took Lights to the Equine Expo last weekend where he represented Off Track Thoroughbreds, also known as OTTB's, as we tried to show people to retrainability of horses who have racetrack backgrounds. Contrary to popular belief racehorses are highly intelligent and are easily retrained for new careers after they are retired from the track. Next year we hope to show how Lights has completely recovered from his almost horrific ending to a big beautiful confident racetrack pony.
For now he is still resting at the farm most days and ridden a couple of days a week or whenever I can get home to see him. He is beginning to be social with the other horses and spending a little more time out before asking to come back into the barn. ( He still thinks he needs a fan in the heat of the day ). I will keep you guys updated and posting pictures as Lights progresses.
Good Things Happen To Good People
On Wednesday, September 17 we held our Backside Benevolence Benefit, also known as the Chaplains Banquet, at Louisiana Downs. This event is held the Wednesday before the Super Derby and is looked forward to by trainers, owners, and many others every year. The event is the primary fund raiser for the Backside Benevolence Fund and Chaplian Jimmy Sistrunk each year. A silent auction, a live bidding auction and sale of the tickets all go to the fund. They also recognise a trainer, assistant trainer, and a person of the year.
As a fun twist to the banquet they have a reverse drawing for a cash prize of $3000 where anyone interested in participating may purchases tickets for the reverse drawing for $100 each. As the night goes on names are called and removed from the list until only one name remains. This year the winner of the cash drawing was Angelo Trosclair.
Angelo also was the high bidder for the golf cart which brought a donation bid of $2900. So in fact Angelo made out smelling like a rose. He left with a golf cart and $100. Good things happen to good people.
A huge Thank You to Angelo and Thoroughbred Transport for all of the help with the rescue horses. Now I don't feel so bad asking for the help.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
New Pictures of Lights On Broadway
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Lights On Broadway Is HOME!!!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Peter Rabbit, 32 year old horse evicted from the only home he knows
Please call the city of Hickman and tell them what you think. The more phone calls and letters the better. The clerk of Hickman is keeping a log of calls. Let's do what we can to keep this horse at home.
Anyone with more info or other links with information about this story please post a comment here on the blog.
City of Hickman115 Locust Street P.O. Box 127Hickman, NE 68372
Telephone: (402) 792-2212E-mail: bbaker@hickman.ne.govwebsite: CITY OF HICKMAN
NEBRASKA - CITY OF HICKMAN
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Rescue Update for Lights On Broadway
The story of Lights On Broadway is an incredible one. This horse has been through so much and we have so many people to thank for helping in this nationwide effort to get him home to Texas.
Lights On Broadway is a 11 year old Texas bred gelding who until last month was still racing. He has 83 lifetime starts with 15 wins, 13 seconds and 14 thirds and earning of over half a million dollars, most which came in allowance and stakes company until recently when he dropped to the bottom claiming level.
About 3 months ago owner/trainer Gregg Sanders was approached by a killer horse buyer with a gooseneck trailer with approximately 40 horses crammed in it. The man told Gregg he needed to show something to him. He pulled a old worn set of papers off his dash and Gregg was blown away when he saw the horses name on the papers. Lights On Broadway was remembered as being horse of the year. How in the world did he end up here?
Gregg asked to see him and the horse trader showed him a big chestnut gelding 3 from the back of the overfilled trailer. Thin and lame, Lights On Broadway was led off the trailer and purchased by Gregg. The trader told him he would be glad to come back and get him if he didn't work out. Gregg and his family wouldn't let that happen.
At the same time this was going on Lights On Broadway had been placed on a watch list by a group that calls themselves the Fans of Barbaro on the Alex Brown Racing Site. These compassionate folks keep a watch list for thoroughbred racehorses in need of retirement and try to relocate them to new homes off the racetrack through donations from horse lovers.
They contacted Gregg when they saw him show up on the list. Gregg was happy to help in the efforts to get Lights back to Texas.
We can not wait to have him home and give him some well deserved time off. He will be turned out with a couple of other geldings in a big paddock with a nice size pond. When he is ready we will start retraining him for a new life. Whether it be a racetrack pony, a dressage horse or just a plain ol' trail buddy for someone he will be loved and cherished by all the wonderful people that worked so hard to make this happen.
I will be posting lots of pictures as soon as he arrives. Thanks so much to everyone, Lights On Broadway will be a living testimony to show that exracers are worth giving a second chance to. Shame on the folks who almost doomed the future of this outstanding athlete and all the thanks and appreciation in the world to Gregg Sanders and his family for saving his life.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Stranger things have happened, Foal Born at LaD
I heard one trainer mention that he noticed the mare waxing and dripping milk while coming of the track yesterday morning. I have heard others say she didn't have a bag formed but was an 'easy keeper' so to speak and was a little over weight. Who knows...
What I do know is that someone should have noticed something wasn't right with this filly. Whether it was her weight problem, her enlarged bag, her absence of a cycle, something, someone needs to be responsible. This filly could have caused serious danger to herself, her foal, and her exercise rider on Sunday or any day prior to that while she was in race training. Ultimately I guess the trainer responsibility rule is in effect here but then again, he surely wasn't the one who left her out with the colts too long.
Breeders and owners alike and not to mention trainers should learn 2 valuable lessons here.
1. Don't leave fillies and colts together, even when you think they are too young to breed.
2. If you have a filly in training that is gaining weight and looking and little thick through the flank spend the twenty bucks and palpate them.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Looking for Partners for Four 2 year old fillies and geldings
The first is La Oro Diva, a gray Texas Bred filly by Oro Negra and out of Open Fairway, by Open Forum. She is a January foal and is very mature. She should be ready to start by the end of the summer. La Oro Diva is 15.2 hands, correct and very feisty.
Second is Clearly Persuaded, a bay Texas Bred filly by Oro Negra and out of Auntie Adele, by Carborundum. Auntie Adele had earnings in excess of $97,000 and Clearly Persuaded is her third foal, with one winner from two starters. Clearly Persuaded stands 16.2 hands tall and has correct conformation. She is currently in training at our farm.
Next is Diamante De Oro. He is a 2 year old Texas Bred brown gelding by Oro Negra out of Diazo Sport, by Diazo. He is a second foal, the first foal out of this mare broke his maiden at Lone Star Park this meet by 8 lengths. Diamante De Oro is currently in training at our farm.
Last is Texas Treat. Texas Treat is a 2 year old bay Texas Bred gelding by Oro Negra and out of Storm In Texas, by Storm Boot. We are very fond of this colt for several reasons. He is a first foal and his mother died having her second. The foal suffered from a one in a million birth defect that causes the unborn foals joints to form as solid bones. Somehow she carried to full term but we but her down when attempts to remove the foal failed. She was our favorite mare. Storm In Texas' second dam earned over a million dollars. We had high hopes for her as a broodmare even though she didn't make it on the track due to an ankle injury. To make a long story short we would like to keep at least 50% of this colt. He is an outstanding individual.
If you are interested in any one or making a package deal on these 2 year olds please contact me or Dallas directly by phone, or email at dallaskeen@hotmail.com and go to our website at http://www.teamkeen.com/ . We would like to have all of these guys ready and running by the end of the summer.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Too Funny Not To Share
June 12, 2008 Onion Sports
http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/big_brown_seen_leaving?utm_source=slate_rss_1
NEW YORK—Shortly after finishing in last place in the Belmont Stakes Saturday, Big Brown was reportedly seen leaving through the back exit of the Belmont stable locker rooms carrying several shopping bags stuffed with cash, which the 3-year-old colt placed into the back seat of his Rolls Royce Phantom Coupe. "I could hardly tell it was him because he was wearing sunglasses, a baseball cap pulled down low over his eyes, and a long trench coat, but I remember thinking he was so tall he had to be one of the athletes," said horseracing fan Jason Larson. "Still, I didn't figure it out until I saw the 'Big B' vanity plates on his car." According to numerous witnesses, Brown spent five minutes urinating on the windshield of trainer Rick Dutrow's car before driving off erratically at high speed.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Foaling time is over, now the real work begins
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Elliecat wins the Chou Croute Handicap, Lemony Cricket wins too!
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Thoroughbred Partnerships, Join Team Keen
The difference between the way we do things and other thoroughbred partnerships starts with your initial investment and ends with the return of your portion of the purse. There are no hidden costs, no gimmicks, and no wondering where you money is truly being spent. All costs are itemized from vet bills to training fees and are billed directly to you monthly for your exact percentage owned. With Team Keen there are no extra partnership fees and all earnings are paid back to owners as soon as money clears the horseman's account at the track. You pay only what you owe when you owe it, not in advance but as charges occur.
There are several ways to start a partnership all depending on your preference. We attend many yearling and two year old sales during the year as well as locate racing prospects privately. We also claim horses starting at $5000 up to $50,000.
You may already have a group of friends interested in a partnership or you may want to be a part of a group already forming. Either way we will answer all of you questions about thoroughbred ownership and partnerships and be glad to start you in the right direction when you contact us.
Join the fun, come to the track, and be a part of a winning team.
Team Keen
Friday, January 4, 2008
Starting Two Year Old Thoroughbreds
Chris and Carrie have relocated here from Florida and have been in the horse boarding, breeding and training business for many years. They will a valuable addition to Team Keen and we are looking forward to a very successful year with them.
In addition to overseeing the farm, Carrie will be in charge of our Thoroughbred Relocation Program where we rehabilitate and retrain thoroughbred horses after their racing careers are over. We sell the sound, retrained riding horses and broodmares and the profit from their sales help to pay the expenses on horses with major problems that take an extended period of time to heal before they may be relocated or adopted. We except horses from all over the country and will provide rehabilitation and placement for free, we just ask that you get them here to our farm in Burleson, Texas as we do not have the resources to go pick them up.
Dallas and Donna Keen are currently excepting two year olds for breaking and training at their farm and will be moving the entire racing stable from The Fair Grounds Race Course and Sam Houston Race Park to Lone Star Park in late March.
This April we will be racing at Lone Star Park where the 2 year olds of 2008 will be making their first appearances. We hope to have a few early runners this year and make ourselves known in some of the early 2 year old stake races.
Any questions about starting 2 year olds or placing retired racehorses please contact Dallas or Donna Keen and visit our website at www.dallaskeen.com .