RRTP: 100 Day Challenge

 Have you all been keeping up with the Retired Racehorse Training Project 100 Day Challenge? I've been stalking the website daily, eagerly awaiting updates on the four "contestants." Declan's Moon, Gunport, Suave Jazz, and Alluring Punch, representing four Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Farms, began their 100-Day training program on December 1 at Steuart Pittman's Dodon Farm Training Center in Dawsonville, MD. The aim of the 100-Day Challenge is to showcase the quality, versatility, and trainability of the Throughbreds produced by America's racing industry. Steuart has done an amazing job documenting each horse's progress, and his training videos are an invaluable insight into the process of retraining retired racers to become riding horses.

All four horses have blown me away with the progress they have made in just only 8 short weeks, but I am pulling for Suave Jazz. This guy may not be as fancy on the outside as the rest of the gang, but he has an amazing mind, and has proven, so far, to be the most trainable of the bunch. Suave Jazz, out of Suave Prospect, was born in Florida in 2003 and raced for 7 years, earning over $600,000. This horse is game for anything, and he reminds me of a certain 9-year-old Florida campaigner ;) Both Kwik and Jazz have Fortunate Prospect as a grandfather, and this is certainly where they both get their great minds and willingness to please.

I'm also really enjoying watching Declan. There are a lot of great references available for retraining OTTBs, but I feel like many of them don't talk about the bumps in the road we're all likely to experience. Declan is sassy, and when asked to move forward off the leg, he protests from time to time with a snarl, a buck, or a kick. It's certainly not sunshine and rainbows all of the time, and it was nice (and helpful!) to see a pro deal with these issues and watch the subsequent improvement.

Starting tomorrow, the horses will be on display at the Maryland Horse World Expo. Steuart says there is no way these guys and gals could possibly know they are ambassadors for their kind, but somehow they just seem to get it. Crossing my fingers for spectacular performances from all four of the kids!