Leestown Legacy looking towards The Cocodrie Stakes

Leestown Legacy finished 2nd in the Louisiana Champions Day Handicap Stakes at The Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans on Saturday December 12th.

While in the paddock about 10 minutes before post time, Leestown Legacy lost part of his horse shoe and the race had to be delayed while farrier reattached the shoe. It had been raining all day and the track was listed as sloppy. We were worried about how he would handle the track conditions since he had never run on anything this bad before. He remained calm the entire time while having his shoe repaired and seemed unaffected by the rain and the mud. Finally the shoe is fixed and it is post time.

The son of Leestown broke from the number one post position with jockey Richard Eramia aboard and raced along the rail in 4th position during the first quarter mile. Just before the half-mile mark, a hole opened up along the rail and Eramia sent Leestown Legacy straight to the front. He extended his lead through the next 3/8 of a mile and made the final turn for home leading the pack of 8 Louisiana-Breds. With one furlong remaining, the heavy favorite, came up and passed him. A second challenge tried to take second position but Leestown Legacy fought him all the way to the wire and held on to take second place by a nose in a photo.

Jockey Richard Eramia said the horse ran great and he expects an even better performance out of him next time. Everyone was very proud of his performance. Leestown Legacy earned $10,000 for the finish and has been nominated to the $75,000 Cocodrie Stakes at Delta Downs on January 1st.

Trainers Dallas and Donna Keen should be commended on a great job of turning this $20,000 claiming horse into a stakes placed contender. Thanks should also go out to all the owners for showing the patience to give this horse a three month break from the track so that he could come back in his best form.

Reposted from
Ian Yarnot, Yarnot Stables

Leestown Legacy is entered to run the Cocodrie Stakes on New Years Day at Delta Downs. He will be ridden by jockey Richard Eramia.

Gerry Di Laura, Good bye my friend

My friend. long time jockey agent for Luis Quinonez, passed away on Thursday. Many people knew Gerry, everybody liked him. I will miss him dearly. Gerry was always there to help anyone who needed it, including me, when times were tough.
In 1996 at Remington Park my son Michael who is now 15, had his first, (and only), temper tantrum. Michael wanted to go to the game room with a few other little boys but I had to go saddle a horse. Michael began to cry and stood his ground and when I tried to grab his little hand to drag him to the paddock he threw himself down on the floor and started kicking a screaming. In a total loss I looked up and there was Gerry, a grandpa himself, and he motioned for me to go on, he would watch Michael. I stood behind a pillar watching in disbelief that this screaming kicking child was my son. About the time I needed to head to the paddock Michael noticed I wasn't standing there. He stopped crying, looked around and jumped to his feet. I looked at Gerry for what do to next and I got a big 'wink'. I stepped from around the pillar and told my son I would walk away every time he acted like that. My son never threw another fit, (until he turned into a teenager).
Gerry was always there to lend advice or help someone down on their luck. He was a loyal friend and agent for jockey Luis Quinonez for 18 years.
2 years ago at Lone Star Park Gerry slipped outside of the racing office and broke his shoulder, last year had some other health issues, I knew his time was not long but I didn't know I wouldn't get a chance to tell him goodbye. I will miss him dearly. God bless my friend Gerry.

Devastating loss at Remember Me Rescue

We are very saddened to announce our first loss at Remember Me Racehorse Rescue. Little Doctor, a 12 year old ex thoroughbred racehorse, was euthanized this morning from colic complications after fighting a hard battle overnight. Little Doctor had been part of a 20 horse rescue that took place in April earlier this year. Angelo Trosclair, owner of Thoroughbred Transport Inc, contacted me after he received a phone call asking about transportation for the exracehorses to a local auction barn, where horses are frequently sold by the pound to be hauled to Canada or Mexico for meat processing. Knowing we were accepting horses into our newly formed program Angelo, who is a retired jockey now horse transporter, called to see if we could possibly place a few of the more adoptable horses.

A trailer load at a time the horses were brought to Remember Me to be rehabilitated and retrained in hopes of finding them new homes. Little Doctor came on the first trailer load. Upon his arrival he was very thin, timid and refused to be a part of the herd. I contacted his previous trainer to find out that Doc had been an orphan and was raised on a bottle. He wanted to be part of the 'people herd', not with the other horses. So we brought him into his own smaller paddock where he couldn't be bullied around by the rest of the herd.

A couple of weeks into his retraining Little Doctor became very sore in his feet. I was out of town so I called the horseshoer to see what he could do to possibly relive Doc's soreness. His answer was not what I was expecting to hear, 'euthanize him, he has rotated his coffin bone'. I called Diamond W Animal Hospital and Pine Hill Pet Cemetery to set up a time for his euthanasia.

When Dr. Roeber arrived he called me and gave me some good news. He said, 'Donna, I've looked at this horse and I think I can save him'. He went on to suggest lilly pads and several medications which I was more than ready to try. Little Doctor improved with each passing day.

The following week I called in an Equine Podiatrist, (fancy name for really good horseshoer), and his recommendation was for special pads and equine therapy shoes. Again, it sounded great to me. Within 2 months Little Doctor completely recovered with absolutely no evidence of founder.

For the past several months Little Doctor had been available for adoption but with his previous lameness issues was a 'hard to place' horse. Even though Little Doctor appeared to be completely sound and could have been a terrific riding horse a suitable home for him wasn't found.
Little Doctor had been at our rescue for 8 months and had become part of our family at Remember Me. He lost his battle with colic this morning and was euthanized by a local veterinarian after being cared for all night by our farm staff. Dallas and I, our staff, and our volunteers have been devastated by his loss.

We are asking for donations to cover Little Doctor's veterinarian cost which ran $370 and the cost of his burial by Pine Hill Pet Cemetery of $200. The 'Little Doctor Memorial Fund' can be donated to by going to our website and clicking the Paypal button or by check to
Remember Me Racehorse Rescue
4100 Conveyor Drive
Burleson, Texas 76028
Any help with these cost will be much appreciated and any funds received over the amount of his care will go towards caring for other horses at Remember Me Racehorse Rescue.

Boutit Boutit coming to Remember Me Racehorse Rescue

I got a call December 6th about a horse located at a Texas sale barn called Boutit Boutit. We are currently trying to raise money for his purchase, ($225), board at the sale barn, and other immediate needs such as worming and vaccinations. Right now he is safe as the sale barn owner promised to keep him until the funds were raised but we need to do this as soon as possible.

We are also looking for place to quarantine Boutit Boutit for 14 days until he can come to Remember Me Racehorse Rescue not insure we don't get any other horses sick. If anyone has a place that they can quarantine a horse or knows a neighbor or friend with an empty barn or paddock we would really appreciate them letting Boutit Boutit stay there until he can be brought to Remember Me.





Boutit Boutin earned $26K running 10 times for trainer Sam David at LAD, FG, and LSP before running his last 8 races with Milton Gaede. His last career start was at Fonner Park.


Please help us help Boutit Boutit by donating towards his care now.

Red Moon Cat has an impressive win at the Fair Grounds

WOW...

That was all I could say when Red Moon Cat came from more than 12 lengths off the pace to blow by what looked like a certain winner in Candy Delicious who had drawn off to a nearly 7 length lead from the rest of the field to win a $45,000 maiden allowance race.

Leaving from the 11 hole and jostled at the start, Red Moon Cat stayed far back. Behind a wall of horses at the eighth pole she looked to have no chance to catch the winner. Rider James Graham found a hole and Red Moon Cat proved she had what it takes to win.

Red Moon Cat, a 2 year old Louisiana Bred daughter of Malibu Moon, had been entered on the turf in her 2 previous starts but thanks to the weather was moved to the main track in both attempts. She found her calling on the turf track at The Fair Grounds Race Course November 29th in what I think was the most impressive Maiden win of the meet. For a little filly, about 14.3 hands, she showed tremendous heart and courage and we are proud to have her in our stable.

Red Moon Cat is owned by James and Ywachetta Driver of Irving, Texas and is trained by Dallas Keen.

First day training at the Fair Grounds 2009

Today we sent horses to the track for the first day after moving our stable to the historic Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans. After all of the rain we have had for the past few days since we shipped on Tuesday I was pleasantly surprised to see the track was in good condition and it looks like the horses are traveling well over the surface. Only noticed a few loose spots on the outside rail about the 7/8 pole that might use a little tightening. Track maintenance has been working on the barns and adding dirt to shed rows and stalls. Things are definitely shaping up for the meet. Other than the crabby electrician I had to deal with to change out our light bulbs everyone seems excited about the upcoming meet.
This year we are excited to have several very promising young horses in our stable. Two year olds Dr Paysuer, Perfect Peace, and Playbill Missile are showing a lot of talent. We also have a few of our older favorites like multiple stake winner Hotlantic, King Dan, and 3 in row winner Icy Kitten to name a few who will be ready to run at the beginning of the meet.
We have several new owners to welcome to the Dallas Keen Racing Stable. Mike and Brandi Cook from Schertz, Texas and Paul and Nancy Swannie from Humble, Texas sent horses to us this summer that have come a long way. Anne Johnson started her first race horse Hero's Crown, and we welcome back Dallas' old friend and owner C.A. Walker who purchased one of our homebreds, Diamante De Oro, who quickly found his way to the winners circle for his new owner.
A big thanks to our big supporters and long time owners as well. Special thanks to Roger, Jack, Todd and Guy. May we all have a fun, safe and prosperous 2009-10 meet at the Fair Grounds.

Early Hajji brought to Remember Me Racehorse Rescue

On August 15th I blogged about a horse named Early Hajji whose owner had run into hard times and could no longer keep him. Hajji was a hard to place 23 year old retired racehorse who had been with his owner Amy for the last 13 years. Amy had been trying to locate a suitable home or horse rescue to take Hajji but with no luck due to his age and health issues. A decision had to be made soon as the end of the month was coming way too soon. Amy could take Hajji to an auction or have him euthanized to insure he would never fall into the wrong hands or be mistreated. The heartbreaking decision to euthanize was made and date to say goodbye was set for August 30th.


Remember Me Racehorse Rescue along with folks from the Alex Brown Forum and the Fans of Barbaro went to work trying to help locate a home for Hajji. We desperately searched for rescues in the Houston, Texas area that would be close to his owner and an easy trip for Hajji. A few days before his scheduled appointment to be euthanized a place for Hajji still had not be found.


Amy and Early Hajji had stayed on my mind since first hearing of their story. Dallas and I discussed what we could do for Amy and to save the life of this old racehorse. We decided that if Amy could find a way to get him here and that Hajji could safely make the trip we could keep him in our program until a suitable home could be found.

Within the week Hajji arrived. He was not the frail old horse I thought was coming to our rescue. Instead he is a strikingly beautiful grey gelding with a wonderful presence. Hajji has a lot of love to give someone and what a terrible shame it would have been to end the life of such a great horse.


Hajji is a special needs horse requiring a special diet of Equine Senior and a few supplements. We are looking for a loving home for Hajji with a family that can financially support his needs of about $400 a month for feed, hay and additives. We are also looking for donors to help support him while he is here at Remember Me. If interested in adopting or helping us support Hajji and the other horses in our program please visit our website at http://www.teamkeen.com/ or contact Dallas or Donna Keen through the website for more information.

South Texas Horse Needs Help Immediately

I received this email from a young lady today in desperate need of a home or foster for her aging thoroughbred. If there is anyone in the South Texas area that could help this woman please contact me for her personal information.
Come on horse lovers. I need your help.


Early Hajji 23 yr old grey TB, good shape, thinning pasterns/light riding only. Pending legal costs with ex spouse mean I can no longer afford to maintain him after 13 years of ownership. Scheduled for euthanization Aug 30.
Desperately looking for alternatives before that date. If you can help, please call/email.
Amy

You can contact Donna Keen at Remember Me Rescue by calling 817-689-1214 or email at remembermerescue@live.com

26 Year Old Horse, Rescue Update

On May 18th a skinny old grey thoroughbred was donated to our rescue program. He was severely underweight, drastically needed teeth work, and his hooves were actually starting to turn loose from his hoof wall. When his tail was lifted his anus was over a foot inside of him and his eyes were sunken into his head.

His owner said he bought the horse he called Sunny from a horse trader 8 years ago and he though he was about 15 years old. He said he couldn't afford to buy special feed for him anymore and that he had lost several hundred pounds in the last few months. He had tried to donate him to other rescues but with no luck. Then he informed me we were his last stop before heading to the public horse auction. A terrible ending for any horse story.

This big skinny horse had a bright eye despite his skeleton like appearance. I knew he didn't want to die and if he had any chance at all of making it I was going to give him every opportunity.

I offered him a flake of timothy hay only to notice Sunny had to picking up, chew, spit it out, and repeat this process several times before he could swallow a single bite but. Nearly in tears I made a phone call to Dr Gene White of Diamond W Equine. He drove through 6 o'clock Ft Worth traffic to work on his teeth that evening. It appeared he had been kicked in the mouth at some point in his life rearranging his front teeth and causing one of them to grow straight out like a tusk, which we pulled. The bottom molars had grown into the top gum where teeth were missing and completely prevented normal chewing. The old grey gelding fought us through his tranquilizer from the pain.

The next day I started attempting to research his tattoo. With help from Andrew at the Jockey Club we found him. He was 26 year old Yeah Me Do. I posted about him on the Alex Brown Forum and was contacted by people who knew Yammi and soon after was contacted by his breeder who wants to visit his old friend soon. His breeder lost track of him after he was claimed in California back in the 80's. Years after the claim he was told Yammi was dead by the trainer who had claimed him. He was so thankful to hear of his rescue.

In less than three months Yammi has fully and miraculously recovered. He is fat and healthy, his feet have grown out enough that he is out of danger of loosing them and we have even started riding him a little, bridle-less of course.

For more updates on our other rescues or to donate to the care of horses like Yammi please visit Remember Me Racehorse Rescue at www.teamkeen.com.

Old Dog, New Tricks. Joe Favorite from the Oval to the Ring

January 15th I received an email from a concerned FOB about a 12 year old gelding entered to race at Retama Park. The horse named Joe Favorite was racing for the 101st time in his career, and the 6th time in 40 days at the bottom claiming level where he had been for quiet some time. Needless to say he finished nowhere.
The morning after the race I sent someone over to the trainers barn to see if he would sell Joe. He agreed to sell him for $500 and I quickly summoned the FOB family who post on the Alex Brown Racing Forum for help in raising the money. In 4 hours we had raised enough to purchase Joe and have him shipped to Remember Me Rescue.
Joe arrived thin but unbelievably sound. He had no major issues other than some girth itch and a little rounding to his 'racetrack' ankles. We put him on a special diet to help him gain weight which he did very quickly. Joe was very happy at Remember Me Rescue and enjoyed freedom to run, graze and socialize for the first time in years.
When Joe was ready to adopt I posted his information on our rescue site. I received tons of interested emails but one lady, Deirdra Marr, got my attention. Deirdra came to the farm to meet Joe and the two bonded at first site. Within hours Deirdra had brought her husband to meet Joe and scheduled his vet check.
I called Dr Roeber at Diamond W Equine Hospital and told him I needed to do a pre-purchase exam on a rescue horse. He exploded with laughter when I told him the exam was for a 12 year old with 101 racetrack starts. Much to his surprise Joe passed with flying colors. He was a freak, totally sound after 101 starts.
Deirdra took Joe to his lavish new boarding stable where she gave him some time to acclimate and then start his dressage training. Joe is now loving his new life. This goes to show you can teach an old dog, (or old racehorse), new tricks. You have got to watch this video. Joe absolutely loves his new lifestyle and it truly shows in the ring. Thank you Deirdra for giving this horse the life that he so much deserved.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhaNWtlCHwQ

To donate towards the rescue and rehabilitation of other ex-racehorses like Joe please visit our site at www.teamkeen.com

Missing for 20 years, Yeah Me Do is back on track

In early May I received a call from a local man named Kevin who owned an old thoroughbred gelding that he was no longer able to take care. He said the horse needed special senior feed, vaccinations, and needed major teeth work that he was unable to afford. I asked Kevin how old the horse was and if he had his registration papers to establish his eligibility for our racehorse rescue program. He told me he didn't receive papers when he purchased "Sonny" from a horse trader 8 years ago and didn't have any luck reading the faded, scarred tattoo for the Jockey Club to research him. Kevin mentioned the horse was very thin and that he had tried to donate him to several other rescues who refused him. Kevin's last call before dooming Sonny to the local sale barn was Wings of Hope, a therapeutic riding facility in Burleson, Texas who recommended that he try contacting us.

We arranged a time for Kevin to bring Sonny to Remember Me Rescue. He arrived in a stock cattle trailer and never picked up his head up even though all the other horses on the farm were whinnying at his noisy arrival. Kevin's 9 year old son opened the trailer and climbed in with the 16.3 hand white hide stretched over the big framey skeleton. Dallas and I were appalled at the horrid condition of this once beautiful thoroughbred. Kevin went on to justify why he was so thin. His age, who he thought to be around 15 to 20 along with being kicked in the mouth sometime during his life were his excuses.

Sonny was led to his new deeply bedded stall and given a timothy alfalfa hay mix. To eat hay Sonny had to chew, spit it out, pick it up and chew again. Trying not to cry I called Dr Gene White of Diamond W Equine Hospital to come perform a much needed power float on what was left of Sonny's teeth. Realizing how upset I was Dr White fought traffic and arrived for duty at 6 pm that evening.

After heavy sedation Sonny allowed us to examine his mouth. None of us had ever seen such a dental train wreck. One of his bottom teeth was growing straight out like a tusk and was pulled. The remaining front teeth resembled a roller coaster. While floating the back teeth a molar fell to the ground. There were 2 other top molars missing and the bottom molars had grown up into the top gum causing major pain and preventing his jaw from proper chewing motion. The sides of his cheeks were raw from the hooks that had developed from neglect. Upon further examination we found that Sonny's hooves were actually starting to turn loose from the inside out and required immediate attention to save them.

Sonny was immediately started on a special senior diet and hoof maintenance program and within a few days began to enjoy eating grass and walking without limping for the first time in years. He has continued to gain weight daily and his personality has bloomed.

During the first week Sonny was here I started my own research on this big grand gelding I had become so fond of. I called the Jockey Club and spoke with Andrew Chesser who was extremely helpful. Although the letter at the beginning of the tattoo and one of the numbers were not legible we searched through all the grey geldings born between 1980-1990 with 2 back socks and a blaze. Andrew told me we could be reasonably sure the horse we had was a 26 year old thoroughbred named YEAH ME DO. Yeah Me Do won six races in his career at Bay Meadows and Golden Gate back in the 80's. I was so excited about the possibility of learning this guys history that I posted on the Alex Brown Racing forum about our new discovery and talk about being in the right place at the right time.

I was notified by a member of the forum that her partner trained a horse called Romantically, Yeah Me Do's dam, and that they wanted to donate towards his recovery. Days later I received a call from Joe Shell, the trainer of Romantically who passionately referred to Yeah Me Do as Yammi-Do. What Joy this call brought to everyone. I asked Joe about Yammi's breeders and he said he would try to contact them.

Another miracle, Roy, Yammi's breeder was so excited to find he was still alive. They were told he has died by the folks who claimed Yammi from them during his racing career in California. Roy and Joe confirmed without a doubt that the horse we had was definitely Yeah Me Do through some unusual hoof markings.

Who knows how this once beloved gelding found his way to Texas but as many thoroughbreds do I assume he was brought here after his racing career ended to be butchered in a Texas slaughter house many years ago when it was still a booming practice. I am sure if Yammi could talk he would have an incredible story to tell about his life long journey.

At Remember Me Rescue we work hard to help all exracehorses find permanent homes after the careers at the track are over but occasionally one comes along that touches our hearts in a very special way. Yammi not only blessed us but left a lasting impression on everyone his life touched. I hope his story has brought joy to you and that people everywhere will recognise the importance of supporting your local horse rescues to keep helping horses like Yammi. Please visit our website at http://www.teamkeen.com/ for continuing updates on Yammi and our other horse rescues.

Remember Me Rescue Adopts Horse Number 22

Beautiful 6 year old bay gelding Wounded Knee is the latest horse to be adopted from Remember Me Rescue.
'Spots' as we like to call him here due to the white spots he has on his chest, neck and jaw, never found the winners circle in 11 tries at the track. His compassionate owner/breeders were committed to take care of the life they brought into the world by placing him with us in the middle of May to start retraining for his new life. They feel strongly about finding homes for all of their horses when their lives as racehorses are over just as many responsible horses owners do.

Spots was featured on the Remember Me Rescue website as 'Horse of the Month' for June. I immediately began receiving calls and receiving adoption applications from people who were interested in adopting him. After screening applicants and checking references I invited Misha to come meet Spots. When Misha came to visit Spots and it was love at first site. She didn't even want to see the other horses after their first encounter. Misha is a barrel racer and also shows western and english pleasure as well as has some experience training young horses. They are going to be a wonderful pair.

Wounded Knee is the 22nd horse we have placed in a new home this year through our rescue program. We are now over half way to our goal of placing 40 horses for 2009.

If you are interested in adopting an exracehorse or would like to sponsor or donate to help us keep doing what we do please visit our official Remember Me Rescue website at http://www.teamkeen.com/. Adoption applications and contact information can be found there.

What a difference 30 days can make

30 days ago today a retired racehorse was donated to Remember Me Rescue named Bucky Blue. He was terribly thin, full of worms and still holding onto his winter coat. We immediately started him on a feeding program to add some much needed weight, got the worm and hoof issue under control and had him vaccinated. We quickly started seeing a difference in his appearance as well as his not so sociable personality. Now that he is getting the proper care this horse looks and feels incredible with an amazing 30 day turn around.

Bucky Blue has completely changed colors from a dull orange chestnut to a fiery deep copper red. You can no longer see his hip bones sticking out, just his big round powerful rear end. He is ready for adoption much faster than I had originally anticipated.

Bucky Blue is going to need a patient kind handed rider that can comfort him when he gets nervous. He tries so hard to do what you ask him to and he is a real people pleaser. I think trails will be his best game and I feel his nervousness will subside with time. Bucky Blue is sound and very kind natured. He loves people, baths, and apple wafers.

On May 18th we had another long term project horse come in. I am currently researching his name through the Jockey Club and we will know who he is soon. He is a big sweet grey gelding standing about 16.2 hands tall. He is severely underweight and malnourished. Most of his teeth have fallen out and the few bottom teeth he has have grown through the top gum. We currently have him on a bran and equine senior mash and eating soaked timothy/alfalfa hay. I estimate his rescue cost at $1000-1500 for a 2 month period. I am asking a few horse lovers to help in his recovery. Please donate to Remember Me Rescue for his care through our website and we will keep you updated on his progress.

As of January 1st we have placed 14 exracehorses in new homes and we currently have 9 horses up for adoption in our program. To find out more about our program and the horses in it or to fill out an application for adoption please go to our website at http://www.teamkeen.com/.

LIGHTS ON BROADWAY's in the news

LIGHTS ON BROADWAY's story is on the front sports page of the Ft Worth Star Telegram today. Gary West's article about Lights is great and has some good pictures of our horses. It also gives the Remember Me Rescue website address and talks about some of our other rescues.

For more information go to http://www.teamkeen.com/ and click on the link to the story.

Overcoming the odds, from hopeless to Graded Stakes Placed

Owning stake horses is the dream of everyone in the horse racing business. Dreams come true when hard work and dedication are top priorities. When a trainer and owners team up to make the best decisions for a special horse anything can happen. In KING DAN's case he could have easily slipped through the cracks and never reached his full potential. He was diagnosed with OCD's in both stifles as a two year old but his dedicated owners decided on the surgery to help him have a quality of life he may not have had without it. KING DAN was sent to trainer Dallas Keen with the hopes of making a racehorse. When he arrived at the Keen stable he was a fat little horse with a smart eye and a playful personality. He enjoyed training but was the 'class clown' on the racetrack. It didn't take long to see that if the surgery was a success KING DAN could be something special, he is. KING DAN has now defeated multiple stakes winners like RECAPTURETHEGLORY and HALO NAJIB and was only beaten 1/2 of a length running second to the millionaire JONESBORO in the Texas Mile on April 25th.
Congratulations to owners Tom Clark and Jack Randall on their decision to give this horse a chance to be all he could be and to their special GRADED STAKES PLACED HORSE KING DAN.

Last of the 20 Horse Rescue

Anyone who follows our blog or keeps up with the website knows we have been working on a 20 horse rescue for quite sometime. The first seven horses from Louisiana were brought here in February and the remaining horses were taken to the owners farm in Oklahoma until we could accommodate them. We posted about the horses being moved and asked if anyone in Oklahoma could help. Many horses were placed with people that lived in the area. There were still 6 horses needing new homes.

I had a gentleman named Andy Peele contact me a couple of weeks ago. He was interested in adopting a few mares for his small thoroughbred breeding operation. He offered to transport the last 6 horses here to our farm and adopt a few broodmare prospects from the group. Andy and his family decided to adopt 4 of the last 6 horses and brought 2 geldings to our farm the following morning.

The first 7 horses from the 20 horse rescue were in good shape and healthy. These were not so fortunate. I was very angry when I first laid eyes on these geldings. Very thin, lame from lack of hoof care, full of worms and still holding on to their winter coats, these horses were in terrible shape. Their teeth were so sharp they could hardly chew grain. No vaccinations records and several hundred pounds underweight I have my work cut out for me on these two guys.

Luckily both of these geldings are very sweet and enjoy all of the attention they are receiving here. They have been introduced to grain slowly and have 24 hour access to grass hay along with receiving timothy/alfalfa flakes during the day. We will not be able to ride either of the horses until they gain some weight, their top lines are too thin and we don't want their first experience to be an uncomfortable one. I will be taking pictures to update everyone on their progress.

This rescue will be an expensive one. Just to list a few costs, 2 power pack wormers $120, Vaccinations for 2 $230, shoeing $200, floating teeth another $140. We are already up to $690 and we haven't included what is it going to cost to feed them. Anyone who would like to can donate to their fund on the Remember Me Rescue website at http://www.teamkeen.com/. There is a link to paypal there and also a donation widget. We appreciate your support in helping these two geldings start a new life.

Lights On Broadway in the Spotlight

The story of Lights On Broadway seems to be getting lots of attention these days. Between the news crews, reporters, and camera people our barn has be a busy place to be lately. I can only hope somehow through this horses mishaps others may be saved. Lights was lucky, he was in the right place at the right time and escaped a terrible end. So many more are not as fortunate.

Lights On Broadway was the inspiration for our project which started after he arrived at our farm in Burleson, Texas. Dallas and I were already involved with horse rescue placing over 35 horses in the previous two years. We had been doing so without any financial assistance or donations but after Lights arrived I was inspired to do more. We called our project Remember Me Racehorse Rescue and applied for a non profit status. By December of 2008 we were an official 501(c)3 and we began to bring more exracehorses to our farm to be retrained and placed in new homes.

Since the beginning of Remember Me we have retrained and placed 9 horses and have 6 horses currently for adoption at our farm. The sound horses are easy to find homes but the horses with problems are much more difficult. Some of these horses we will need to keep for several months while they rehabilitate before they can be placed in permanent homes. This gets very costly. 4 of the 6 horses currently in our program are in the rehabilitation process.

We have been very fortunate so far that I have kept a waiting list of potential adopters and been able to place sound horse very quickly. We have decided due to the large amount of horses that need homes not to charge an adoption fee. This is where all animal lovers and the horse community come in. We have hoped to fund our program totally through donations. We added a paypal widget to our websites and blog as well as invited others to copy the widget to their sites in hopes of raising money online but it hasn't been enough to totally fund the project.

On the Sunday before Derby Day our local Channel 8, WFAA, will be running a story on Lights On Broadway. This weekend sometime his story will be in Gary West's horse racing section in the Ft Worth Star Telegram, (thanks ST and Gary for the great picture by the way). Hopefully we can raise awareness to our mission and attract a few big sponsors to help fund our Remember Me Racehorse Rescue project. Anyone interested in becoming a Remember Me Sponsor please contact Donna at remembermerescue@live.com or call 817-689-1214. Donations can be through the official website at www.teamkeen.com and are tax deductible.

Horse Rescue News

After several weeks of trying to arrange a ride for the remaining 13 horses from the original 20 horse rescue we see some light at the end of the tunnel. This particular rescue has been a tough one. The horses were originally in Louisiana with a trainer who had contacted Thoroughbred Transport to haul the horses to a local sale barn to be sold at auction. Instead the owner of TT contacted us about the situation and we offered to take the horses at Remember Me Rescue. We didn't have the room or the financing to take all of them at once so 7 of the 20 were brought to our farm and the remaining 13 were moved to the owners farm in Oklahoma. The 7 were quickly adopted out and we starting attempting to make arrangements for the other horses.
Due to the remote location of the owners farm no horse transporters could arrange shipment of the horses for us. It was not on a local route and the owner had no way of moving all of the horses to Oklahoma City where the big vans could load the horses.
About a week ago I was contacted by a man named Andy who is in the process of starting a small breeding operation and is looking for mares with nice pedigrees to add to his broodmare band. He was interested in coming to see the rescue horses in our program. I let him know that as hard as we had tried I couldn't find transportation for the horses. Andy offered to haul the horses for us in hopes that one or two of the mares would work for his breeding operation.
Now we are just trying to line up every one's schedules so we can pick up several of the remaining 13 horses.
If anyone is interested in adopting or sponsoring one of these retired racehorses please contact us through our website at www.teamkeen.com . If you wish to donate to these horses care and retraining there is a paypal widget on the site to making donating quick and easy.

Joe Favorite finds a home

12 year old Joe Favorite was entered to race at Retama Park on January 15, 2009 when I started receiving calls to intervene. Joe was racing for the 6th time in a mere 40 days, 10th time in 3 1/2 months. That night he was entered in a $3500 claiming race and was going off at odds of more than 50-1. After running a terrible 5th in a 8 horse field and behind a very poor group of horses, a dirt covered Joe Favorite was returned to his stall without a bath and not properly cooled out. Early the next morning we sent someone over to Joe's owner/trainer and asked him if he would sell Joe. He set a price of $500 and we purchased Joe to retire him.

Joe was immediately brought to our stable at Retama to be cared for there until we could arrange transportation to our farm. His hair was long and shabby and he was on the thin side to say the least. Our assistant trainer and our staff gave him a much needed hot bath, mane pulling and clip job and kept him in a well bedded stall with a hay bag full of timothy alfalfa hay to await the transportation that would take him away from the racetrack forever.

When Joe arrived at our farm we turned him out in a large paddock where he could run free and get acclimated to just being a horse again. He loved the sun and would lay down in the grass for long afternoon naps. Joe also enjoyed socializing with the other horses and didn't seem to mind the switch to being an easy going trail riding horse. He quickly forgot all about being a racehorse.

In late February I posted on our rescue site, http://www.teamkeen.com/, that Joe was ready to be adopted. I received several calls and one lady in particular sparked my attention. Deirdra Marr of Dallas, Texas came to our farm to meet Joe. They immediately bonded. Later that evening Deirdra brought her husband out to meet Joe as well. As soon as we walked into the paddock Joe gladly met us half way for the introduction to Mr Marr. What a ham, he also followed us all the way to the gate as to say, "Am I going home with you now?"

Joe now lives at a fancy Dallas boarding stable receiving 3 meals a day, a large turn out, and all the love and attention an old guy like him deserves. What a happy ending to Joe Favorite's career and a big thank you to all the people who care about the welfare of racehorses and helped to make this rescue happen.

Please consider donating to Remember Me Rescue so we may continue to help horses like Joe Favorite.

20 Horse Rescue Underway

The first seven horses of the 20 horse Louisiana rescue arrived at our farm on Monday morning. I was supposed to be there for the arrival but Sunday evening on my way in from New Orleans I had engine problems in Dallas' truck. I broke down in Opelousas, about 25 miles north of Lafayette, LA in his new Ford F350, (everyone knows what F-O-R-D stands for, Found On Road Dead). Luckily I didn't have horses on the trailer and Dallas came with my dependable 3/4 ton Chevy and picked me and the horse trailer up. We were back in New Orleans by 2am.

I got an 11 am flight the next morning from New Orleans to Dallas Love Field and got to the farm about 2 to find the horses had arrived in good shape and all looked to be healthy and sound. There were 5 geldings and 2 mares. Whew... what a fiasco.

I had prepared for their arrival by inviting a few folks to be there to meet and consider adopting horses when they arrived. Ann Best adopted two horses, Ruby Knolls and Little Doctor and my neighbor Archie Salinas, a polo horse trainer, adopted Queen of Belen. I have had several people contact me about the remaining 4 horses and I am very optimistic I can place all of them in good homes.

Another one of my neighbors has shown interest in Shawneboy. He is going to need throat surgery to be a riding horse but she is willing and able to have it done. She is also considering Imbizzyrunning as a pleasure/trail prospect even though he is a little on the nervous side. I have been talking to a few other folks about the 2 older geldings. I would really prefer to find companion homes for them, especially if they could go together. Both ride okay but cry like big babies for each other. I am sure the stress of the move has complicated things for them but none the less they have paid their dues and should enjoy their retirement, hopefully together.

I have waived any adoption fee for these horses and I am depending completely on donations to pay for this rescue. There were too many horses involved that needed to be placed quickly. I am only asking for proof of income and 3 good references, one from a vet or farrier, and hoping the horse community will chip in for the cost of the shipping and for the care of the horses while they are here at our farm. I couldn't do what I do without help from others and I thank everyone who has stepped up to help. If you would like to donate you can do so through our Remember Me Rescue Website. All gifts are tax deductible and very much appreciated.

One of a Kind Fund Raiser, Friesan Fire Item

Dallas and I have been raising money for the rescue, retirement and retraining of exracehorses since December when we formed Remember Me Racehorse Rescue Foundation. Today, I had an inspiration. After the races we waited around to congratulate Larry Jones on Friesan Fire's big victory in the Risen Star and I told him about our non profit organization. I asked Larry for Friesan Fire's shoes so we could auction them on EBay and he offered me his halter as well. Not only is Larry a wonderful horsemen, more importantly he is a horse lover and a big supporter of horse rescue.
I also hit up Brett Calhoun who offered a framed print of Barbaro and asked Steve Asmussen for help and he said he would get us something really nice for our auction.
My mission now is to acquire a few one of a kind objects that not just anyone could get there hands on and sell them on EBay with all proceeds going to Remember Me Rescue.
Our most recent successful rescue was a 12 year old gelding named Joe Favorite. Joe ran his 101st start at Retama Park and my phone was ringing off the wall with people concerned for his safety. Joe had raced 6 times in the previous 40 days. The next morning we sent someone over to ask the trainer if he would consider selling Joe and he agreed to sell him for $500. Being a new rescue organization we didn't have the funds to purchase Joe and to continue to fund the horses we already have in our program. I immediately got online and asked for help from the Fans of Barbaro on the Alex Brown Racing site along with mentioning Joe on the Dallas Keen Racing Stable website and our blog. Within 4 hours we raised enough money to purchase Joe from his trainer, pay to ship him to our farm, and enough to pay for Joe's care for about 2 months.
The project I am current working on has been a little more difficult. I received a phone call from Angelo Trosclair of Thoroughbred Transport a couple of weeks ago concerning a few horses in Louisiana that needed homes when an owner decided to quit the business. Angelo was contacted by the owner because he wanted to take them to a local auction barn. Being that Angelo is a huge supporter of horse rescue he asked them to give us a chance to help with the horses before they were sold to the highest bidder.
As it turned out there were a more than a few horses, there were 20 horses that needed immediate placement. As of today we have placed 4 of the 20 horses and saved them from slaughter. Now our time is ticking. I only have about two weeks to get the others to safety or the owner will have another transporter who has made him an offer for the remaining horses pick them up.
My one of a kind fund raiser will help pay for this rescue project including the transport, care, and retrain these remaining horses for new careers. I am asking everyone to share this information with everyone they know and go to our Remember Me Rescue website at http://www.teamkeen.com/ to donate funds if you are able. If you wish to donate an item for our auction please contact me at remembermerescue@live.com . We will also donate a portion of all proceeds from the sales of horse supplies and training aids from Keen Equine Products.
All donations are tax deductible and will go directly to fund the rescue and placement of exracehorses.

Now is Your Chance To Help

We are raising funds to retire JOE FAVORITE, a 12 year old horse currently racing at Retama Park. His owner/trainer has agreed to sell him for $500. I am going to use $100 of our recent donations to go towards his purchase price and asking all who read this blog to donate what you can to go directly towards the remaining $400 of his purchase price and the shipping to get him to Remember Me Rescue. You can use the widget on the top right of this page or donate through the paypal button on the website. Thanks to all and lets get this guy off the racetrack.

Texas on the Forefront of Helping Retired Racehorses

Everything in Texas is supposed to be bigger, how about our hearts? With a little help and a lot of luck we have managed to bring attention of the dire need to provide care to retired racehorses to our state legislators. Yesterday a meeting was held in Austin to introduce horse retirement issue to the Sunset Committee. Representatives from the Texas Horsemans Partnership Lane Hutchins and Tommy Azopardi were at the meeting to present the committee a few simple ideas that will raise money for the rehabilitation, retraining, and placing exracehorses in permanent homes.
About the time Lights On Broadway retired to our farm Dallas and I started thinking of ways to generate constant cash flow to provide for the care of horses when they retire. One of the things we discussed was raising money through the Texas Racing Commission by adding a couple of bucks to the cost of a racing license. By doing that every person that profits directly from horse racing whether they be owners, trainers, jockeys or employees of racing facilities would help provide care for the horses in which they earn an income from. The small amount collected from the licenses could benefit horses in a big way.
On Tuesday the idea was well received by the Sunset Committee and could possibly make the Texas horsemen and women directly associated with horseracing the first in the nation to have set up a fund of this kind. In addition to the license fee increase there was also discussion to take a small piece of the breeders awards. I am sure that will have some opposition from the folks who breed but do not run their own horses. Sorry folks, this is much needed.
Texas finally has its best chance ever at getting the VLT's with the change in Texas Government. Our new Speaker of the House Joe Straus is a horsemen and supports the bill. VLT's at Texas racetracks will not only make purses competitive with other states but will set aside a portion of the revenue for equine research and racehorse retirement. In addition, there is also to be money set aside for other breed registries such as the AQHA, the Cutting Horse Assn, the Friesians, the Gypsy horses, and so on and so on. Every group associated with horses can apply to the Agriculture Department to receive benefits.