Meet Digger

First things first. This is my training log of a 4 year old off-the-track Thoroughbred (OTTB), registered as Exotic Force and affectionately known as Digger at the track. After a big stakes win as a 2 year old at our local track, he lost his passion for running, and last fall, after much changing of hands (and through no fault of his trainers at the track), ended up at a meat market, terrified of humans, covered in ringworm and several hundred pounds underweight. He was then rescued by a kind hearted soul, who rehabilitated him over the winter and taught him how to trust humans again. I am a grad student, hunter/jumper rider, and horse lover to the core. I've been riding for 10 years, and have spent a few years winning championships on the A circuit with the help of some phenomenal horses. Having not owned in two years, I decided it was time to ride for myself again, and found myself on the market for a young prospect to train. After several promising leads fell through, I came across this ad:

4 yr Old Registered Thoroughbred Gelding
Beautiful TB gelding looking for a good home. Make a great English horse.

Off the race track and has had ground work done. He is green broke and ready to go on to make a great horse. No time and need to sell asap.

He looked sort of sad and lost, and as skinny as he seems in the ad, apparently this is a shot of him fattened up. I drove out the hour to go have a look. He was sensible for his age and level of training. He had energy but did not direct it against me. A few weeks later, I went out again, and this time braved riding him. It went well, and I offered a 30 day trial on him to his owners. They accepted, and on May 31st, 2008, he became my 30 day project.

I paid a professional shipper a ridiculous amount of money to pick him up in a beautiful 3 horse slant trailer. It was worth every penny for the positive experience. He hopped right on in after an initial balk and we shipped him loose. He arrived nervous and slightly sweaty, but trailered otherwise like an old pro. In his paddock, he has more room to run than he has had since he went onto the track as a yearling, and has friends just across a grassy aisleway. It's not perfect, or fancy, but it's a good place to start - quiet, relaxing, and with plenty of good quality hay and beet pulp to fatten him up.

Here he is in his new home, ready to begin his education!