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.

New Racehorse Rescue Program- Remember Me Rescue

After years of deliberation and struggling to make ends meet with our home based rehabilitation and rescue program Dallas and I have decided to start our own 501c3 non profit horse rescue organization. In the past two years we have excepted 35 horses to our program. Most of them have been placed although some have required extensive care and have been at our farm for long periods of time. Through our non profit we hope to be able to help more horses than ever before.
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.

Lights On Broadway Update

For all the fans of Lights On Broadway I apologize for not updating you sooner on his progress. Dallas and I have been very busy since the Fair Grounds has started racing traveling between New Orleans, Retama Park in San Antonio, and our farm in Burleson, Texas where we are starting yearlings on dark days as well as working with the other horses in our rescue program with Lights On Broadway.

Lights is steadily gaining his much needed weight and turning into an awesome riding partner. He really likes people and wants to please me so it makes my job as his trainer/encourager much easier. He has ponied a few horses at the farm and it seems to come second nature. I guess after all the years of being ponied he doesn't mind going on the left side instead of the right.

Our original plan was to start Lights new pony horse career in Texas at Lone Star Park where he had most of his racing success but the plan may have changed. Dallas' pony, ex racehorse Eye Man Who, needs a little break and will be heading to the farm for a little vacation so the Texas 2001 Horse of the Year may have to start working a little sooner than we expected .

Lights has been riding bridle-less at the farm but when he gets to the track will be back in a bridle for a week or so just to make sure he doesn't have any flashbacks of being a racing champion. His training has gone so well and he has learned so much that is wouldn't surprise me at all if he acts like a profession pony. I just wonder how he will do behind the gates when they pop a set of workers in the mornings.

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..

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.

Any Sarah Palin Fans Out There???

We recently named one of our Louisiana Bred yearling fillies PALIN POWER. This filly is by Alyzig, a son a Danzig, and out of a mare named Eskimo's Gold, by Eskimo. She stands 15.2 hands, is a beautiful bay, very correct and as bold as can be, (just like her namesake).

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.