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100-Day Challenge

100 Day Thoroughbred Challenge Underway

December 04 2012 Steuart Pittman

Declan's Moon , Suave Jazz, Gunport, and Alluring Punch

Represent

Country Life, Walnut Green, Sagamore, and Northview

December 5, 2012

The Retired Racehorse Training Project's "100 Day Thoroughbred Challenge" kicked off this week as four horses representing four Mid-Altantic Thoroughbred farms began a 100-day long training program on December 1. The horses will be judged on conformation, movement, jumping ability and trainability by guest riders, judges, and online fans. They will appear at the Maryland Horse World Expo on the third weekend in January and the Pennsylvania Horse World Expo on the fourth weekend of February after which some will be offered for sale. The horses will be trained together during the Challenge at Steuart Pittman's Dodon Farm Training Center in Davidsonville, MD.

The purpose of the Challenge is to demonstrate to the versatility, trainability, and quality of the Thoroughbreds being produced by America's horse racing industry. The Retired Racehorse Training Project (RRTP) is a charitable organization whose mission is to increase demand for Thoroughbreds off the track.

Declan's Moon (Malibu Moon - Vee Vee Star, by Norquestor) enters the challenge already a champion, having won the Eclipse Award as an undefeated two year old. He went on to win his first race as a three year old before an injury took him off the Triple Crown trail. After a full recuperation and another thirteen races his longtime owner Samantha Siegel of Jay Em Ess Stable retired him to the Pons family's Country Life Farm in Maryland where he has been turned out with two other Malibu Moon champions. Josh Pons approached Ms. Siegel about entering "Declan" in this Challenge because, "he is such a beautiful mover and a great example of the quality horse that our industry produces.

""Declan wouldn't let us catch him when Josh and I went out to his field for a visit," said Pittman, "but he trotted circles around us like a dancer and then galloped to the top of the hill and struck a pose. I could hardly sleep until Josh got word back that Ms. Siegel was enthusiastically on board."

Declan made a farewell appearance at the Country Life / Merryland stallion show to fifty admiring Thoroughbred breeders on Saturday before making the trip to Davidsonville.

100 Day Challenge Training Report #1

December 11 2012 Steuart Pittman

100 Day Thoroughbred Challenge Training Report #1

By Steuart Pittman

Monday, December 10, 2012

The four horses arrived at Dodon Farm Training Center on the weekend and began work on Monday, Dec. 3. All are in at night and turned out during the day. Alluring Punch and Suave Jazz go out with some other geldings but stick together as new horses often do. They are very calm both in turnout and in the barn. Declan's Moon has private turnout in a paddock that connects to his stall, so he can go in and out at will during the day. He is a very confident horse and seems happy with this arrangement. Gunport is turned out with two other mares during the day. She is full of energy and rarely seems truly settled, but has not become particularly attached to the mares in her field.

100 Day Challenge Training Report #2

December 19 2012 Steuart Pittman

Training Report #2

December 18, 2012

Today was Tuesday of the third week of training. Before even getting into how much fun we are having with the horses I have to say just how overwhelming the response has been already from the public. Our Facebook numbers shot past 5400 fans today with a weekly total reach of nearly 20,000. Eleven thousand of our 110,000 You Tube channel views happened in the last two weeks. We are all over the net: Chronicle Forums, Eventing Nation, Daily Racing Form, and had a photographer out on Friday for a feature story in Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred. In addition to Thoroughbred Charities of America, Maryland Horse Breeders Association, and Bourbon Lane Stables, we have just signed on Maryland Jockey Club, Stübben, and Bit of Britain. This is all just the start.

These four horses couldn't know that they are ambassadors for their kind, and that they have the power to convince thousands of people to learn to ride better and to find themselves a Thoroughbred off the track. They can't know, but they act like they do. That's how hard they try every day. At least that's how it seems to those of us lucky enough to be working with them.

100 Day Challenge Training Report #3

December 29 2012 Steuart Pittman

December 29, 2012

We have had the horses for four weeks and have three more before they appear in front of the crowds in the chaos of the Maryland Horse World Expo. Training horses for a show or an event feels different from training on the horse's timeline. The strategy that I try to instill in myself and in students is to separate in our minds the expectations of judges and spectators from the intimate relationship between ourselves and our horses. It's hard to listen to the horse in the moment when our brains are busy with fantasies of glory. The nice thing about this 100 Day Challenge is that we have no prescribed course or test to perform. Our job is to educate the public and inspire them about Thoroughbreds off the track. My biggest fear is that the horses come undone completely in the arena and confirm the stereotype that they are there to destroy. All we can do to prevent that is to plod forth with our training and invite the horses to find confidence in their work with us.

100 Day Challenge Training Report #4

January 12 2013 Steuart Pittman

January 12, 2013

HWE logo The Maryland Horse World Expo begins this coming Friday. Michelle Warro and I plan to ride the horses in front of a crowd that is seated in tall bleachers set two feet from the railng of the 60' by 120' arena. Two weeks ago we were worried. Now we are more confident. Steady progress with all four horses, but a bump in the road for Gunport.

The expo takes place at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium. Tickets are purchased at the door for $10. Parking is free. Our booth is near the southwest corner of the Cow Palace. We will have our magnificent black Equicizer, Idle Dice, and 100 Day Thoroughbred Challenge t-shirts designed by our funky cool designer Julie Magruder, along with RRTP hats, saddle pads, and fleeces. Here is the schedule:

Friday at 4pm in the Exhibition Hall Arena (building uphill from outdoor show ring) - We will present each horse in hand, moving free, and jumping through a chute. This will be an educational forum in evaluating Thoroughbred horses for various sport disciplines and be the only opportunity to watch these superstars free jumping.

Saturday at 11 am in the Cow Palace Seminar Hall - I will lead a discussion about Selecting and Starting Your Ex-Racehorse. We will cover as much as we can get to in an hour and take questions from the audience.

Saturday at 1pm in the Cow Palace Main Arena - Michelle Warro and I will each ride two of the horses. We will discuss where they are in their training after six weeks and where we expect them to be at 100 days. This is the horses' first public appearance under saddle since their last races. We will do basic flat work and a bit of jumping.

Sunday at 1pm Exhibition Hall Arena – This has been titled Jockey Dressage but is actually a presentation about how sport horse riders can integrate the methods of exercise riders and jockeys into the basic flat work that we do with our horses off the track during that critical time when they are learning to rebalance themselves as riding horses. In years past we have had retired Lady Legend jockey Andrea Seefeldt Knight, but this year will have a guest appearance from another star jock who can do dressage in a racing saddle. We will use the two of our Challenge horses who have seemed to enjoy the crowds most.

Now for the actual report on the horses...