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Campaigns Equestrians embrace rescued ex-racehorses [*Note: ADOW does not support 'riding competitions' or
riding horses in any way; this article contains some facts about what
happens to racehorses on the track and at auction, which is why we are
publishing it.] MILLBROOK � The scar runs from his forehead down into
his lip. Eighteen, maybe 20 inches. Mikki Kuchta figures it was a track spill. It�s too long and jagged
for any kind of abuse. And then there�s that permanently swollen knee, possibly from the
same incident. When Kuchta, who owns Aiken Bach Farm in Patterson, was considering
buying Oz, a rescued Thoroughbred, a veterinarian who looked at him
warned, �Run � don�t walk � away from this horse.� That was eight years of love and excitement ago. Earlier this month, Kuchta was aboard her battle-scarred 17-year-old,
who hurdled fences at the Millbrook Horse Trials with ease. If not for
his terrible dressage, Oz, who raced five times on Canadian tracks,
would have placed much higher than 20th of 33 in Millbrook�s Open
Intermediate class. Oz and Kuchta competed in 2008 in the stratosphere � the Rolex
Kentucky Three-Day Event. That year, legendary rider and coach Jimmy
Wofford was quoted as saying, �When you watch Ozzie go cross-country,
you will see why I love Thoroughbreds.� Oz, all 16 hands of him, is a genuine race-track-rescue, feel-good
story. There are plenty of feel-sad, feel-outraged stories, countless
Thoroughbreds � those who never made it to the track and those once
cheered � slaughtered for food. At Millbrook, which featured more than 400 horses with riders ranging
from novices to decorated Olympians, North Port resident Marion Quigley
watched daughter Ryann compete on a Thoroughbred. Quigley volunteers
with Long Island-based Project Sage Horse Rescue. Sage attends auctions
at which horses, ponies and donkeys � many sound � leave with
�kill-buyers,� who, depending on an animal�s size, can get hundreds of
dollars back for much smaller outlays. �They�re just about profit. They couldn�t care less about the
animals,� she said. Sage has saved about 200 animals, roughly 50-60 Thoroughbreds,
Quigley said. �(Thoroughbreds) have the reputation of being hot, difficult, scary
to work with. I find it just the opposite. They bond to the rider. They
will do anything for you,� Quigley said. Kuchta, who owns five horses, three full Thoroughbreds, noted that a
horse-show steward bought Oz sight unseen. If not, she said, Oz might
have been killed. �You hear, �They�re not making money. Let�s get rid of them,� � she
said. It was unclear how many horses at Millbrook were once in jeopardy.
But eventing � with three components, dressage, cross-country and show
jumping � serves as a safety net for track washouts. Healthy rescues are typically not expensive. Last year, Olympian Boyd
Martin rode an $850 Thoroughbred at Millbrook. Since 2000, about 15,000 Thoroughbreds have been registered with the
United States Eventing Association. Louise Meryman, Millbrook Horse
Trials� president, links their appeal to their �speed, endurance and
quickness of mind.� This year�s top Millbrook finisher in Advanced was ex-track horse
Anthony Patch, an Olympic hopeful. �I don�t know of a top horse that doesn�t have a lot of Thoroughbred
blood in it. A lot are pure Thoroughbred,� Meryman said, adding that
track castoffs also make nice pony-club and trail horses. The Career2 incentive program she co-directed last year provided
$30,000 in eventing prize money for New York Jockey Club-registered
Thoroughbreds. Currently suspended for financial reasons, it may return
next year. Kuchta student Nancy Marks, of Chappaqua, owns three Thoroughbreds
and competed at Millbrook aboard Taz (the nickname for Carakat). She
said Thoroughbred slaughter remains a �huge, huge issue,� but incentive
programs and the fact Thoroughbreds are regaining favor in other horse
disciplines are partly why, �It�s better than it was two years ago. It�s
starting to come back from the abyss.� Marks, the U.S. Eventing Association�s Area 1 (Northeast)
young-riders coordinator, has done eventing for eight years and calls
Taz �incredibly versatile, very cool.� The little ex-track horse is 20,
slightly on the old side even in late-blooming eventing, where horses
traditionally excel in their teens. Taz, who did two-star Advanced at 10, now competes at multiple lower
levels. At Millbrook, where Marks, who has owned her for four years,
rode in Novice Rider, the three-months-pregnant Taz had a rough dressage
(15th of 18). But, excelling at her forte � running and jumping � she
finished eighth in her division. �I�m a big believer in Thoroughbreds,� Marks said. � ... They�re
inherent athletes. They just love the game.� That�s clear with Oz. Maybe because they seem like jockey silks, but Kuchta�s husband, Dan,
can�t wear brightly colored cycling attire near Oz. �He goes crazy.
He�ll cower in the corner of the stall. He�s terrified,� he said. But in eventing, Oz is �powerful and brave,� Kuchta said. �He has no desire to slow down. I have to be the voice of reason,�
she said. �He�s like Rambo. He�ll run into the fire. He�s smart, but
he�s so into it.� �Big ego, big personality� Oz soaked in the four-star Rolex, where he
finished in the middle of the pack. �There were 250,000 spectators. He
believes that�s where he always belongs,� Kuchta said. After a bad dressage at Rolex, Oz totally handled the �really
difficult, horrendous� cross-country course. At Millbrook, Kuchta, a 30-year eventer who rode five horses and
watched seven of her students compete, finished second out of 21 with
ABF Special Agent (Salsa) in Open Novice. The 4-year-old Thoroughbred, owned by Kuchta since October and
competing since April, was rescued from a bank-seized barn � the
vanished owner leaving animals locked in with no food or water. Still, Salsa�s sweet and docile, unlike Oz, whom Kuchta explained she
could afford because, banged up and with a �difficult personality,� he
drew no other interest. But Kuchta likes the fact he�s �expressive.� �He makes me laugh every day,� she said. Like most equestrian sports, eventing involves much buying and
selling of horses. But beloved Oz is going nowhere. �He�ll be my horse for life,� Kuchta said. Fair Use Notice: This document may contain
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