Page 16 - November 2017

THE MONTH IN REVIEW
by Jennifer K. Hancock
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Jennifer K. Hancock
SELFLESS SERVANTS AWARDED
The Race Track Chaplaincy of America recognizes some of the selfless servants from around the racetrack through its White Horse Awards. Established in 2003, the White Horse Awards recognizes individuals within the horse racing industry for their acts of selflessness and bravery.
This year’s White Horse Awards ceremony was held Nov. 2 at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California, in conjunction with the Breeders’ Cup World Championships week. Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day was the featured guest speaker.
Angie Cheak, co-founder and executive director
of the Equine Sanctuary Center of Kentucky, received the White Horse Award. Cheak is a strong presence
in equine neglect and abuse cases throughout Central Kentucky. Her most notable case to date involved her caring for, retraining and rehoming 43 Thoroughbreds that were abandoned in desperate conditions on a Mercer County, Kentucky, farm.
Horace William “Salty” Roberts, an exercise rider and backside worker from South Carolina, received the Tribute to Excellence Award. Roberts recognized the unique opportunity and need for a ministry within the horse racing industry. Beginning in 1970 with a single church service in a rickety paint shop near the Gulfstream Park quarter pole, Roberts established the basis for what is now the Race Track Chaplaincy of America. For more than 40 years until his passing in April 2017, Roberts partnered with like- minded Christians to grow RTCA into a nationally known entity at racetracks serving the entire horse racing industry.
The Race Track Chaplaincy of America is an evangelical, interdenominational, 501(c)(3) non- profit, Christian organization, whose purpose is to minister to the spiritual, emotional, physical, social and educational needs of the workers within the horse racing industry. To learn more about the RTCA, visit www.rtcanational.org.
Ben Hudson, the publisher and editor of Track Magazine, received the Community Service Award. Hudson has served many parts of the Quarter Horse racing industry, including as a breeder and owner. He has used the platform of his magazine to help improve conditions, policies and regulations related to the racing industry and has been a supporter of the Race Track Chaplaincy of America for many years.
EQUINE AUTHOR RELEASES BOOKS
Prominent equine writer Heather Smith Thomas has released her Ranch Series, a group of three books.
Horse Tales: True Stories from an Idaho Ranch is
a collection of 22 stories about the horses that helped define the author’s life in Idaho ranch country – a unique memoir infused with the wisdom that can
be acquired only through an existence built around livestock and the land along the way sharing lessons on life, family and stockmanship. The paperback book is 282 pages.
Cow Tales: More True Stories from an Idaho Ranch is a collection of autobiographical essays detailing her family’s adventures raising cattle in the challenging ranch country outside Salmon, Idaho. The publisher states, “In the tradition of James Herriot’s ‘All Creatures Great and Small,’ each story centers on a particular animal or aspect of animal husbandry, offering insight into the resourcefulness required to manage a cattle herd, and a heart-warming look at human-animal bonding.” The book is 325 pages.
Ranch Tales: Stories of Dogs, Cats and Other Crazy Critters is the third book in this series and consists of stories about the memorable horses, ranch animals and wildlife that populate a working ranch. Ranch Tales is 273 pages.
Signed copies of the books are available from Thomas by writing to Box 215, Salmon, Idaho 83467, or by calling (208) 756-2841. Individual books can be purchased for $24.95 each plus $3 postage. The entire three-book series is $70 plus $7 shipping.
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SPEEDHORSE, November 2017
TRACK CHATTER