 GENERAL NEWS
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12/07 - Bob Duncan recently conducted a two day clinic at the Camden Training Center, for Custom Care Equine.
Bob was head starter at the New York Racing Association for Eleven of the Forty years that he worked on the gate. His retirement did not last long, as he was called in this summer after a rash of gate problems during the races.
The techniques used in this school of natural horsemanship has made a huge difference in life at the gate for equines and the handlers. Bob has worked with Pat Parelli, Ray Hunt and Monty Roberts.
The two days Bob spent working with the horses, assistants and riders left us all with a foundation to build on. The time passed quickly, but generated more interest and enthusiasm with the amazing results.
We all hope to have Bob return this Spring to see how we have put his methods to work. Bob will be spending this winter in Florida working with Todd Pletcher's horses.
Tagg Latest to "Pony Up"
Courtesy of the Thoroughbred Daily News
Donna is Vice President of the SC chapter of the TRF which has an excellent program at a local correctional institution.
Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Barclay Tagg is the newest addition to the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation's Pony Up Program. Pony Up participants donate a set amount of money each time they have a winner. Tagg will donate $50 for each winner he saddles. Through Nov. 18, Tagg has had 63 winners in 2007. "I was happy to get involved with this program," Tagg said. "The TRF is a great group and does a terrific job finding homes for retired racehorses. So many horses have been good to me during my career that I felt it was appropriate to give something back." The Pony Up program continues to grow.
The list of participants (trainers and owners) is small, as we’ve just started, but it already consists of Gary Contessa, Jim Jerkens, Allen Jerkens, Lisa Lewis, Kiaran McLaughlin, Ken McPeek, Graham Motion, Chuck Simon, Todd Pletcher, William Entenmann, Howie Tesher, Tom Albertrani, John and Susan Moore and Brent Johnson.
It is designed not just to get people within the industry to donate to the TRF but to have them do so only at a time when they can share the largesse each time a horse comes through for them with a victory. Any owners, trainers or jockeys who would like to take part in the Pony Up program may call our Saratoga office at 518-226-0028. To donate to the TRF, please visit the website at https://trfinc.org/donations.php
Barclay Tagg Visits TRF Wateree Farm
Trainer Barclay Tagg made a surprise visit to the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation's Second Chances program at the Wateree River Correctional Facility in Rembert, South Carolina Nov. 29, and spent an hour touring the facility and visiting with the inmates who care for the program's 34 equine retirees. The trainer of 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Funny Cide, Tagg toured the facility, admired the condition of the horses, listened to a description of the course material from corrections officer Tim Amerson, and watched Dr. Reid McClellan, the program's chief instructor, give a round-pen lesson.
"This program is much more in-depth than I imagined before I got here," Tagg told the inmates, "and you guys will be well-prepared for jobs in the horse business when you complete the course and leave here. There is no reason for anyone who is willing to work and likes horses to ever be without a job."
Kip Elser, president of the South Carolina chapter of the TRF, said that the men were stunned that a person of Tagg's stature in the Thoroughbred industry would pay them a visit. "Several men asked questions and it really gave them a pickup that somebody from the outside would really tell them that they can get a job, that there is something ahead," said Elser.
Tagg also became the latest person to join the TRF's "Pony Up Program." Pony Up members donate a set amount of money to the TRF each time they have a winner. Tagg contributes $50 each time one of his horses wins a race.
Wateree is one of seven correctional facilities which have partnered with the TRF to bring groundbreaking vocational programs to the inmates while offering top-quality care for ex-racehorses with no other retirement options. To learn more about the TRF's South Carolina chapter, visit them at www.trfsc.com.
In everyone’s best interests, we will continue this column as more of a news and notes. News as in graduates and notes will include a calendar and auxiliary activities such as Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders, the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation of South Carolina, and the industry at large in South Carolina.
The SCTOBA, largely due to the efforts of our president Lee Christian, has secured a large list of nominees for the 2007 residency race. This is the new cornerstone of our association and we need all the support of owners and trainers nationwide to make it a solid foundation.
The horse population continues to grow at the new retirement facility at the correctional institute in Rembert. Our concern is always funding for their support. On the plus side we have a match from the state up to $50,000. New fundraising activities are in the works. "First TRF Graduation at Wateree" - TDN April 22, 2006
We are proud of Wilhemina Combs’ of Fenwick Farm appointment to the board of House PAC, an exciting new division of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. They are getting positive legislation passed for the thoroughbred industry in Washington. Horse PAC Legislative Summary
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