Page 22 - November 2005 The Game

22 The Game, November 2005 Your Thoroughbred Racing Community Newspaper
A Second Career for Thoroughbreds - There are Plenty of Options
A Career Teaching - Is Plenty of Fun
A Different Kind of Riding Centre
To say that April Trowbridge has a menagerie would be a suitable statement. Although, not on exhibition, her collection of animals has filled the stalls and paddocks of her parents farm for a number of years now. Named after her 31-year-old quarter horse mare, Shadow, Shadowy Hills farm is located just south of Hwy 89 in between Airport road and Hwy 50 and is home to 13 horses, some of which are retired thoroughbreds.
April teaches riding lessons for hunter competition and is providing a second career for thoroughbreds who could no longer race.
Furious D (a.k.a. Duncan) is a 5-year- old thoroughbred by Lit de Justice and is owned by one of the farm’s riders, Courtney.
Unexplained, is a 10-year-old thorough- bred who goes by the barn name of Mulder, and was given to April by trainer Ralph Biamonte.
Red Scare is a nine year old thorough- bred acquired from trainer Ian Howard.
Spring Barley, an 8-year-old thorough- bred, was given to April by Phil England after a chipped knee ended his racing career.
East Coast Ellie (a.k.a. Ellie) is a 13-year-old mare who April describes as one of her best show horses.
Lac Kanoc is a retired racehorse owned by April’s roommate Amanda Erwin. His barn name is Coal and he helps to keep April’s 3-year-old current racehorse, Exciteabyte (by Tethra) company where he is in training and running from the farm. His full brother, Bad Boy Will, is currently in training with Dennis Erwin at Fort Erie. They are both out of April’s mare, Silver N Sold, By Silver Deputy who also has a yearling by Parisianprospector called Hasty Harry.
April also has a two-year-old filly named Sugar who was rescued from Sunlight Farm in Bramalea who will eventually become a showhorse.
Rainbow Gold is an 18-year-old gelding who had won more than $500,000 in his 28 career wins. He was retired and given to April by trainer Richard Brathwaite.
Shadow, a former Governor General Horse Guard, is the grandma of the bunch at 31-years of age, and is the same age as April, who began riding her at age nine. Shadow also helped April break her pelvis when she was thirteen but it never deterred April from wanting to own and ride horses.
Welsh Pony Keisha and her two
offspring, Honey and Eedee make up the remainder of the clan at the farm.
April and her parents moved to the farm from Maple, Ontario, when she was just entering highschool. April said that she would never have made it through school without the co-op program which enabled her to work at Margaret Spencer’s horse farm for part of the year. April mucked stalls and exercised the horses on the farm as well as participated in some of the local foxhunts.
At the age of eighteen, April began working as a groom for Emile Allain at Woodbine, “I worked very hard, I had no idea what I was getting into (being a groom). I just wanted a job.”
It didn’t occur to April that she could ride horses at the racetrack and she began working for trainer Ian Howard for eight years during which time she also began teaching hunter riding and taking students to local shows on the trillium circuit.
April eventually decided that she just wanted to gallop horses and began working for different trainers travelling to Florida with Adena Springs one winter and to Ocala with Phil England for another winter and went to work for Josie Carroll at Palm Meadows for a winter. Upon her return to Woodbine she began working for trainer Mike Keogh, a barn she says she doesn’t plan on leaving.
In case she isn’t already busy enough, April has also started breaking babies for Schonberg Farms, this will be her second season with 5 babies scheduled.
She currently lives in Bolton and commutes both to the racetrack and the farm with her dog Flash (a.k.a. Bear) a Cocker Spaniel who likes to play with his friends Seven, a Chow German Shepherd, and Diva, a German Shepherd Beagle.
April Trowbridge and her 31-yr-old quarter-horse mare, Shadow
Entrepreneur Mike Racine along with his girlfriend, Heidi, who has a degree in Phycology among others, are pleased to announce the opening of their new facility in Welland, Ontario, called Horses Unlimited.
Horses Unlimited is a Natural Horsemanship Centre and offers public trail rides through the Niagara Equestrian Trail as well as lessons and training. Unlike most riding facilities, Mike and Heidi say they teach both Western and English riding disciplines and are even trying to come up with ways to combine the two, “The idea is to turn out a well rounded rider, an effective rider,” says Heidi, “Someone who knows more than just how to ride pretty on a horse.”
Mike adds that a rider should know how to use their seat and be relaxed on a horse, and they come up with fun and innovative ways of teaching each individual student. “We teach people to read their horse, not just ride.” says Mike, “We teach a rider to be in harmony with the horse.”
The horses at Horses Unlimited have been trained by Michael, who is a self professed Natural Horseman explaining that he is able to work, train and ride a horse in a manner which works with the horse’s behavior, instincts and personality in an easy and kind manner.
“We avoid the spur, slap and pull method and concentrate on gaining the horse’s trust and teaching him that you are the boss.” says Mike, “We want them to be a willing partner for the rider.”
Mike has a number of thoroughbred ex-racehorses on his farm and says that before he can do anything with them, in
Mike and Heidi are partners in their new venture, Horses Unlimited.
Photo Left - Heidi with 2-year- old thoroughbred, Midnight
terms of re-training, he gives them 2 to 3 months of turn-out while maintaining a bond through leading, touching and basic handling. They are integrated into a herd and the herd is usually able to sort them out. “Their brain is usually fried when they come off the track.” says Mike, “I keep the horses out 24/7, it is the best thing, the most natural thing you can do for a horse. I let them go back to being horses and then I get them broke again with basic training, left, right, and whoa. I teach them, I don’t force them. Eventually they realize that they are safe and I take over the role of herd boss.”
Horses Unlimited offers a terrific atmosphere for both riders and horses and they are always looking for horses to become part or their stable.
For more information on Horse Unlimited contact Mike or Heidi at 905-732-4004
“The Giliforte Girls”
Kristine Giliforte (left), wife of trainer Jason Giliforte and her sister-in-law,
Dianna, wife of trainer Layne Giliforte
were making their rounds on the back- stretch at Fort Erie, taking down the names of horses that are being retired at the end of the season. The Giliforte Girls help the horses get sold to go onto second careers as hunter/jumper show horses, polo ponies, or for breeding and companion horses.
It started out as a hobby for Kristine and Dianna and has quickly developed into
business. They currently have a list of 35
horses for sale. “The goal is to find second careers and good homes
for these retired racehorses.” said Dianna, “We can arrange for pre-purchase vetting and transportation and we do follow-ups to see how they are doing in their new careers.” added Kristine.
Pictures of the horses as well as descriptions can be emailed to you upon request and you can view the horses for sale on The Game’s website at
www.thehorsegame.com. If you are interested in more information you can reach Kristine at kgilg4d@hotmail.com or Dianna at onewithequus@aol.com.
Donation to LongRun in memory of Jake Wylie
Trainer Abraham Katryan had paid for the funeral expenses of his assistant trainer, Jake Wylie, who sadly passed away in December 2004. The HBPA reimbursed him for those expenses through their benevolence program and Abraham chose to donate the $4,900 he had been reimbursed to LongRun in memory of Jake.
For more information on LongRun Thoroughbred Retirement Society visit www.longrunretirement.com or call 416-675-3993 ext. 3440