Page 26 - New Mexico Horse Breeder Spring 2018

The Horse Whisperer
Faces A New Challenge
From a purely physical standpoint, this one- on-one encounter between man and beast was a major mismatch.
Standing inside a stall at the Windward Stud Farm in Purcell, Okla. was a Quarter Horse race stallion named Last Hurrah. Here was an imposing, intimidating animal with a breathing problem, a bad temper and a clear dislike for humans.
At the stall door stood a 21-year-old college student named Jeff True. He was working at the farm as part of his internship program during his senior year at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas.
Physically dwarfed by Last Hurrah, True, nonetheless, went to Last Hurrah’s stall to try to restore order to a chaotic situation.
Thirty-three years later, what happened that day and how it impacted his life and career remains a vivid picture in True’s mind.
“He was one mean dude, mean as a snake,” says True of Last Hurrah.
Last Hurrah had a special dislike for human hands. When True arrived at the farm, the first person he met was the farm manager.
“He had his hand in a cast because Last Hurrah had nearly chewed if off,” said True. Another one of the stallion’s victims was a
farm hand named Manuel. He lost most of one hand after an encounter with Last Hurrah.
True was aware of Last Hurrah’s reputation when he arrived at the stall that spring day.
“He was standing in the stall soaking wet and trembling,” says True. “He had two or three chains hanging off his head. Two or three halters. None of the other (farm) hands wanted to touch him.”
“I opened the stall door and asked one of the guys to bring me a cotton lead shank with a bull snap on it. I stood at the stall door snapping the bull snap. He’s got his head hanging in the corner of the stall. I stand there with that snap until he comes to me. When he came to me, he kind of dropped his head. I started taking the chains and halters off his head. I just put the bull snap on him, let him out of the stall and took him out in back of the barn. I let him graze for about 15-20 minutes. I got him settled down, took him back to the stall and cut him loose.”
“I’m a 21 year old kid and here’s a horse that has already mauled a couple of guys. It took a great amount of courage for me to do that and I think I gained some respect at the place when I did.” I certainly gained the respect of the horse. I was able to read the horse. He understood that I wasn’t there to hurt him.”
By Pete Herrera
“It was a turning point for me as a horseman.”
These days, True, now 54, is facing a much different challenge, but still very much horse related.
As the general manager at Ruidoso Downs, True is the point man for the four partners who purchased the track from R.D. Hubbard last fall.
True says the new owners have an ambitious agenda to make major renovations to the track—everything from the roof to the backside—and are committed to bringing changes that will restore integrity to horse racing in New Mexico by weeding out cheaters and the illegal use of drugs.
“We’ve made a commitment that we’re going to make Ruidoso Downs a model for the industry,” says True. “I want to make Ruidoso Downs the Saratoga of the Southwest. I’ve come to love and appreciate what Saratoga racecourse is and what
it represents—resort community, summertime racing, horse sales, history. That’s what Ruidoso represents in Quarter Horse racing.”
True brings an extensive and diverse resume to his latest career move. But in one form or another, True has always been connected to horse racing. In the mid to late ‘90s, he was the
Jeff True, Ruidoso Downs
24 New Mexico Horse Breeder