Page 14 - 17 August 2012

The PeRFeCT FIT
Finding your place in Quarter horse racing.
Whatever your goals, there is a place in Quarter Horse racing for you.
by Stacy Pigott
Last week, I added a new horse to my stable, doubling the number of horses I own from one to two (not counting Donkey, who is, of course,
a donkey and not a horse.) The mare I brought home, Penny, is the type of horse I have spent 10 years trying to find. She is an experienced, been-there, done that, show horse who I am counting on to get me back in the show ring after several years of not competing.
While trying to find a horse that fit my budget,
I owned several horses that were not quite what I wanted or, for one reason or another, didn’t work out. One mare could have fit the bill...until long-term lameness issues got in the way. Another mare was more suited to a different disci-
pline, although she was fun to
ride. Then there was the gelding
who was always sticking his nose
where it didn’t belong, requir-
ing more vet visits than I ever
thought possible for one horse.
with the winners to hear their stories, which is one of my favorite parts of my job.
Three of the winning horses were homebreds for their owners. Two were long-time breeders with years of experience behind them. For the third owner- breeder, it was her first attempt at breeding a race- horse. Her goal, she says, is to continue to produce “homegrowns” from her mare.
The horse that wasn’t bred by its owners was pur- chased through a sale, and is only the third horse they have ever owned. They didn’t rely on a trainer to pick out the horse, or even point them in the right direc- tion. They took what they knew about horses from
growing up on a ranch and bought the horse they liked the best for a price that fit their budget.
Four owners, four unique stories. In each case, at some point along the way, each owner probably had someone questioning their judgement. Why didn’t you breed to a more “popular” stallion? Why didn’t you spend a little bit more at the sale and get a “better” yearling? Why didn’t you go with a trainer who wins more races?
In each case, like me and Penny, decisions were probably made because, at the time, they just fit. And that is one of the most wonderful things about Quarter Horse (or Paint and Appaloosa) racing...you don’t always have to have the most expensive, best bred horse to have fun. You can start
where you are right now, with however much experi- ence and whatever finances you have, and find a horse that fits you. Maybe it’s a cheap claimer. Or maybe it’s a yearling prospect at the sale. It could even be a breeding to a stallion you just know is going to cross perfectly on your mare. Whatever your goals, there is a place in Quarter Horse racing for you. It’s all about finding the perfect fit.
One of the great things about Penny is that in addition to being the perfect horse for me right now,
I know that she will get me where I want to be in the future. After all, those four owners who made deci- sions that fit them at the time all ended up where they eventually wanted to be—in the winner’s circle.
So when I found Penny, I
knew she was the horse for me.
It doesn’t matter to me that
people question why I bought
an 18-year-old mare when what
I “need” is an 8- to 10-year-old gelding. It doesn’t matter that
people question why I bought
a 15.1 hand horse when you
“must” have a 16-plus hand
monster to win. It doesn’t mat-
ter that people question why
I bought a cheap horse that
might only be competitive at
open shows, rather than getting something that can win at breed shows.
Penny
It doesn’t matter to me because Penny is the perfect horse for where I am right now. No, she’s not the best, or the youngest, or the most expensive, or the tallest. But if I only have a few minutes to spare at the end of a busy day, I can hop on her and not worry about whether she will be the same horse she was yesterday. She always is. She fits me.
A week after I bought Penny, I went to Fair Meadows at Tulsa for the finals of the Speedhorse races. We sponsored four races—a Futurity and a Derby for Quarter Horses, and a Futurity and a Derby for Paints and Appaloosas—with purses total- ling more than $564,000. After each race, I talked
12 SPEEDHORSE, August 17, 2012
UNDER WRAPS
Stacy Pigott: Speedhorse