OTTB on Tap

It only takes a moment of meeting Merrilyn Ratliff and listening to her sing the praises of her OTTB, Koda Bear, to realize how strong their partnership is. We had the great fortune of watching Merrilyn and Koda Bear while auditing the Lucinda Green clinic at Loch Moy Farm, home of the Maryland Horse Trials on April 29-30, 2024. In this episode, which is Part 1 of 2 of our clinic coverage, we’ll recap Merrilyn’s past and present experiences riding with the six-time Badminton winner, 1982 World Champion, and Olympic medallist.

For those unfamiliar, Lucinda has a unique teaching style - the fences never get very big, but she has a keen eye for teaching horses and riders how to prepare for cross country courses and to develop that “fifth leg” that a good cross country horse has.

In this clinic, she put a big emphasis on terrain and how she believes it will become one of the biggest factors in cross country in the coming years.

We’ll hear how Merrilyn and Koda Bear coped, and how Merrilyn conquered her fear of a very specific fence on the course.

Lucinda is also one of the most enthusiastic Thoroughbred fans out there, so stay tuned for the upcoming release of OTTB on Tap’s exclusive interview with her about all things Thoroughbred!

Check out ottbontap.com for lots of clinic photos and more!

#ottb #offtrackthoroughbred #ottbpodcast #ottbontap #ottbmakeover #womenpodcasters #horsepodcast #podcastepisode #ottbtransformation #ottbsoftiktok #ottbsofinstagram #eventing #ottbeventer #lucindagreen #lucindagreenacademy #lgxcacademy #womeninsports

*** The full episode starts at the 3:55 mark, we were having such a great recap of Devon Arena Eventing before we started and wanted to share it with everyone!***

In 2017, Kirsten Schuitema accompanied a friend who wanted to try a couple of OTTBs that our hosts, Emily and Niamh, had sourced from the track and had been bringing along. Little did Kirsten know that she would meet her future upper level partner, One Sly Fox, or “Tango” as he is known in the barn, that day. Back then, Tango was owned by Niamh and known by his Jockey Club name, Double No, or “Nolan” and you can listen to his backstory in Episode 23: Four of our Favorite OTTBs.

Fast forward to 2024, and Kirsten has gone from a Novice level rider that had taken time off to go to college and work in the corporate world to 3-star eventing competitor with her partner One Sly Fox.

While green horse and green rider isn’t always a winning combination, as Kirsten says, “Some horses would hold a grudge from some of the stuff we went through… I’d make a mistake and he’d jump us out of it.” Now Kirsten talks with us about her rise through the ranks, including what it’s like to work for 5-star eventer and dual Olympic Gold Medallist, Phillip Dutton, and how she learned to ‘ride properly’ for the upper levels.

She also candidly speaks about the financial burden of trying to make it as a young professional rider, and her decision to offer syndicate ownership shares in Tango. Above all, Kirsten is a staunch supporter of OTTBs and reveals her favorite thing about the breed.

Check out ottbontap.com for One Sly Fox’s pedigree, photos, and more!

--

#ottb #offtrackthoroughbred #ottbpodcast #ottbontap #ottbmakeover #womenpodcasters #horsepodcast #podcastepisode #ottbtransformation #ottbsoftiktok #ottbsofinstagram #eventing #ottbeventer #oneslyfox #schuitemaequestrian #ottbeventer #stubben #arrohelmets #streamhorsetv #impulsionmedia

Join us for another installment of our OTTB on Tap - Retired Racehorse collaboration! In this episode, we chat with Virginia-based trainer, Chelsey O’Brien, about her 2024 RRP Makeover horse, Unbeknownst to Me, or “UBie” as he is known in the barn. UBie raced 15 times and earned a little over $71,000 as a racehorse. He’s owned and sponsored for the RRP Makeover by Pastured Place, a 501(c)(3) providing retirement, rehabilitation, retraining, and rehoming to Thoroughbreds.

In this episode, Chelsey reveals that they often look to place OTTBs that may be otherwise overlooked for adoption with trainers for the Makeover. Learn about how she connected with UBie, his strengths and weaknesses, and her philosophy on retraining OTTBs. She is pointing UBie towards barrels and western dressage for the Makeover.

Learn more about Chelsey’s journey to the 2024 RRP Makeover and follow along our OTTB on Tap – Retired Racehorse Project collaboration series at https://ottbontap.com/24-rrp-makeover

Past episodes of the OTTB on Tap & Retired Racehorse Project Collaboration – RRP Trainer Chronicles Series:

Ep 14: RRP Trainer Chronicles: Where the Journey to Greatness Begins

Ep 20: First Steps with Annika: Restarting Former OTTB Broodmares

Ep 21: Lauren Garrett-Bond's Holistic Approach to Restarting Her OTTB Mare, Tizbit

Ep 24: OTTB Training as a Team: Julianne & Ashley Work Together Toward the RRP Makeover

Notes:

Learn more and donate to Pastured Place https://pasturedplace.org/

Jockey Club Thoroughbred Connect (must log in/sign up for an account): https://www.registry.jockeyclub.com/registry.cfm?page=thoroughbredConnect

Learn more about the Retired Racehorse Project

Can an amateur rider with a full time job still have time to train a fresh off the track OTTB?

Julianne Pangal certainly can, and does, as her own website, OTTB Makeover, demonstrates. For the 2024 RRP Makeover, Julianne has teamed up with longtime friend, Ashley Olin, to train and compete her horse, Brooklawn. Both Julianne and Ashley have versatile backgrounds in foxhunting, hunter/jumpers, and eventing, and are taking a unique approach to decide what “Rye” will compete in at the Makeover. Learn about their training methods, how they balance work, life, and horses (or not!), and what is next on their road to the RRP Makeover 2024.

For more pictures and information, please visit www.ottbontap.com

Past episodes of the OTTB on Tap & Retired Racehorse Project Collaboration – RRP Trainer Chronicles Series:

Ep 14: RRP Trainer Chronicles: Where the Journey to Greatness Begins

Ep 20: First Steps with Annika: Restarting Former OTTB Broodmares

Ep 21: Lauren Garrett-Bond's Holistic Approach to Restarting Her OTTB Mare, Tizbit

Take a trip down memory lane with Niamh and Emily as we discuss 4 memorable OTTBs from our past. We discuss Thoroughbred pedigrees, conformation, temperament, and more, along with the horses’ back stories, why we chose them, and what made them special to us. Maybe even a couple were “the one that got away” to us!

Included in this episode are:

• Kiwi Gal, a 2009 chestnut TB mare by Stormello out of Mikey’s Gal, by Montbrook. She had 13 starts, 2 wins, and about $59k earnings.
• Bridge of Flowers, a 2013 by TB gelding by War Chant out of Frost Flower(IRE), by Sadler’s Wells. He had 15 starts, 1 win and about $22k in earnings.
• Victory Money, a 2008 bay TB mare by Love of Money out of Karla’s Victory, by Medieval Victory. She had 14 starts, 1 win and about $22k in earnings.
• Double No, a 2013 bay TB gelding by Discreetly Mine out of Tale of the Fox, by Tale of the Cat. He had 9 starts, no wins, and a whopping $3495 in earnings.

Check out ottbontap.com for pedigrees, conformation pictures, riding photos, videos and more!

Join us to catch up with Niamh and Emily about OTTBs in the big events this spring: Kentucky and Badminton. They also chat about the Kentucky Derby, William Fox-Pitt's retirement, and a sneak peek into our upcoming episode about riding OTTBs in a Lucinda Green clinic. Finally, they recap about the OTTB on Tap - Retired Racehorse Project trainers: Annika, Lauren, Julianne, and Chelsey.

Supporting links to horse/riders discussed:

Rachel Lawson and High Tide

Joe Meyer and Harbin

Meghan O’Donohue and Palm Crescent

Jessica Phoenix and Wabbit

Join us for another installment of our OTTB on Tap - Retired Racehorse collaboration! In this episode, we chat with Lauren Garrett-Bond about her OTTB mare, Tizbit. Lauren grew up down the street from Pimlico Racetrack in Maryland and would watch the horses work on the track daily. Her love of Thoroughbreds never diminished, and now she is retraining her mare for the ‘24 RRP Makeover this October. With a Masters degree in behavior, Lauren brings us an intuitive and holistic approach to transitioning horses from racehorse to riding horse, and talks about what it is like owning her very first mare, and maybe some jitters after visiting the Kentucky Horse Park for the very first time!

Welcome to the first installment of our OTTB on Tap - Retired Racehorse Project collaboration! On today’s show, we have Annika Greaney-Stanger who has two OTTBs that she is retraining for the 2024 RRP Makeover in some varied disciplines including Ranch Work, Barrels, Trail and maybe some Western Dressage. Both horses are former broodmares and racehorses. Tizso Majestic, “Tessa” a 2013 mare (Majestic Warrior - Piazza Grande, by Hennessy and Egoli a 2016 mare (Quality Road - Somasach, by Johannesburg).

In this episode, we chat with Annika about what it is like to restart two very different OTTB mares, especially after a long time off. She gives us tips and insights into both mares’ personalities and explains how she likes to approach some tricky topics, like introducing her OTTBs to cows and ranch work for the first time.

Being located in Fargo, ND, Annika also talks about transitioning OTTBs off the track in that climate, and the challenges (or advantages!) of trailering her horses long-distance for most of her showing throughout the year.

Annika is also participating in the Make the Makeover: your contribution to an individual trainer fundraiser through the 2024 Make the Makeover campaign can help them earn refunded entry fees, AND help produce the biggest movement in Thoroughbred aftercare, the Thoroughbred Makeover.

Donate to Annika’s Make the Makeover Campaign

Past episodes in the RRP Trainer Chronicles:

Ep 14: OTTB on Tap: RRP Trainer Chronicles - Meet the Trainers

Learn more about Annika Greaney-Stanger

Join us for Episode 19, where we chat candidly with Heather Gillette, 5-star event rider, graduate 'A' Pony Clubber from Spring Valley Hounds PC in NJ, USEF Licensed Eventing Dressage Judge and Technical Delegate, Co-Chairperson of the USEA’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and Co-Founder of Strides for Equality Equestrians.

Not only is Heather a very experienced eventing competitor, as her career has spanned both the long- and short-formats of three day eventing, she just may be one of the biggest fans of off-track Thoroughbreds (OTTBs) that we’ve ever known. This week, she will contest the Cosequin® Lexington CCI4*-S with her OTTB, Vincent Chase. Find out all about the highs and lows that Heather has experienced with her enthusiastic cross country partner, nicknamed ‘The White Wonder’ for his stark white appearance. We can’t wait to cheer her and Vinnie on!

Heather is also passionate about her role as co-founder of Strides for Equality Equestrians (SEE), an allyship program for the equestrian community. Founded in 2020, SEE seeks to address the lack of racial and ethnic diversity in equestrian sports by supporting access programs and professional pathways for BIPOC equestrians and by engaging and educating allies. Learn more about Strides for Equality Equestrians. Donate to Strides for Equality Equestrians through the USEA website.

#thebestweekendallyear #theroadtoky #eventing #ottbontap #ottb #offtrackthoroughbreds #ottbtransformation #stridesforequality #SEE

Have you ever wondered if there was a shortcut to saving up to buy your dream horse? Well... maybe there is no shortcut, other than winning the lottery. But, you can buy and sell a series of horses in order to build enough capital to make that big purchase.

In this episode, Scouting the Way: Niamh's Strategic Journey to Fund Her Dream Horse, our co-host, Niamh shares her path to eventually buying her dream horse.

Since winning the lottery didn’t happen, Niamh strategically purchased a series of nice, young OTTBs, and put quality training and eventually, show miles into them, and then upon realization that her most recent OTTB, Set Out or "Scout", had grown into a horse that was too big and powerful for her to capitalize on his potential, she sold him in order to buy the horse that suited her best.

Listen to learn all about Scout and Niamh’s wonderful partnership, and how she navigated her journey to finding and purchasing the right horse for her.

Want to learn more about Niamh's journey?

Listen to Niamh's previous episode about her first OTTB, and all the mistakes she made!