Thoroughbred racehorses that go on to second careers are unique in that they have two retirements in their lifetimes: the first from the track and the second from the show ring. Thoroughbred Legends, a new EN series presented by Cosequin, seeks to honor off-track Thoroughbreds that went on to accomplish great things as upper-level eventers and now enjoy a second retirement in their golden years. If you know of a great Thoroughbred for this series, tip me at [email protected].

Thirty-year-old Molokai with his Corgi friend Dan after a bath in Ocala.

Immortalized on a “Wheaties” cereal box in his heyday, Dorothy Crowell’s Molokai, now 30, spends his days soaking up the sunshine at Sycamore Hill Farm in Frankfort, Ky., about 30 miles from where he won the inaugural USET CCI4* Championship at Rolex in 1998. It’s a fitting retirement for a horse that accomplished so much as an upper-level eventer.

Before he concluded his career with that impressive second-place finish at Rolex in 1998 at the age of 16, “Mo” earned a silver medal at the 1994 World Equestrian Games; made the short list for the 1992 and 1996 Olympic teams; and garnered top 10 placings at Badminton, Burghley and Rolex. A 1983 American Thoroughbred by Hawaii out of Pretty Copy, he raced six times before beginning his eventing career, one that suited him much better.

Mo’s field sits in front of Dorothy’s house, where she can look out the windows to see him grazing with Burton, his pasture mate of four years. He enjoys all-night turnout and comes in each morning to receive his special mash, as his teeth have all but deteriorated at this point in his life.

And once a week, he relishes in a “scrubby bath” to scratch all the itches he can’t quite reach anymore in his old age. “I have little rules at my farm,” Dorothy said. “A horse is not allowed to rub his head on you until he’s jumped around at least one CCI3* clean and fast. Only a few horses at the farm meet that criteria, and Mo is one of them. I’ll take off his fly mask, and he’ll spend as long as he wants rubbing his head on me.”

Mo watches over Burton and That Bay Horse in his field in Frankfort.

Dorothy has struggled to keep weight on Mo each winter throughout his life, and the problem persists in his golden years. “During the first two years of his retirement, I would come home from Florida and he would look skinnier and older,” Dorothy said. “That’s been true throughout his career. He just always lost weight when it was cold, no matter what you tried to do.”

Buddy and Dorothy Henry, who own the farm in Ocala where Dorothy and her students winter, heard about Mo’s plight and insisted she start bringing him too. “Every year it gets a little scarier for me to put an old horse on a trailer for 14 hours, but every year I’m glad I’ve done it,” Dorothy said. “He has a seven-acre field with gorgeous draping oak trees. Every year he immediately gains weight and starts looking better.”

Dorothy believes spending those winters in Ocala has ultimately extended Mo’s life. “My dream is that he’ll lay down in a field on a sunny day and go to sleep, and that will be that. I’ve talked to people who have horses that are 36 or 37, and I didn’t even know it was a legitimate possibility. But, of course, now that’s what I’m hoping for,” she said.

“Because of Mo and because of what he did for me, I was able to turn my love of eventing into a business that has been able to build my dream farm. Every day when I am appreciating the indoor arena or the lovely house I get to live in, it’s definitely with thanks to Mo. It’s Mo that started me down this path, and it’s been a lovely path to live on. He deserves to be treated like a king, and he is.”

We hear all the time about horses at the top of the sport, but what about the next generation of equine talent? EN’s Got Talent introduces the future superstars of the sport, interviewing riders about how they’re tackling training with these youngsters. Have you spotted a spectacular young horse at an event you think should be highlighted in this column? Tip me at [email protected].

Carrie Meehan and Cavalier. Photo by WNC Photo.

This series has been dominated by warmbloods, Irish horses and Thoroughbreds since I launched it last fall. So when Cassie Boehm told me her good friend Carrie Meehan had a 5-year-old buckskin Appendix Quarter Horse gelding that was turning heads on the midwest eventing circuit, I had to know more. Carrie found Cavalier, better known as Rusty, in an online ad mere weeks after she moved from Virginia back home to Kansas early last year. From what she could cobble together about Rusty’s history, he was bred through the University of Arkansas breeding program and sold as a western pleasure horse at 2. A year later, he came back to the university because the owner thought he was too tall, and he was sold again at 3 to a women who wanted a trail horse, which didn’t end up working out either.

“Apparently, he had thrown her and broken many bones in her body, so he had been sitting around in a pasture for five months when I found him,” Carrie said. “When I came to try him, he was barely 15 hands — now he’s close to 16.2 hands — the owner was too scared to get on him first, and he couldn’t do anything but walk and trot while staggering around the arena like a drunk person. And he’d never seen a jump in his life. But I fell in love with him and bought him that same day for a measly $2,500. All my horse friends said I was stupid for buying a ‘western horse,’ but I knew there was something more in there, so I decided to take a chance.” The gamble paid off handsomely, as Rusty successfully started his eventing career at beginner novice a few months later and has steadily cruised to training level.

Carrie Meehan and Cavalier. Photo by WNC Photo.

It’s not every day you see a buckskin at events, and, sure enough, Carrie said Rusty always draws a lot of attention wherever he goes. “Every event I go to, I have a minimum of 10 people come up to me and ask me what breed he is or tell me how beautiful he is or ask me if he’s for sale,” Carrie said. “I guess it comes with the territory of owning a buckskin in a world full of browns, bays and greys! I think what’s the most striking about Rusty is people don’t expect an Appendix to have the movement that he has. It’s always fun to see the surprise on people’s faces when he starts trotting around in warm up. When I can convince him, he’s got the most amazing floating trot that can keep up with the best warmbloods out there, and he definitely has the body type of a warmblood, with a little bit of the Quarter Horse ‘big booty’ thrown in there.”

While Rusty inherited more of the Thoroughbred movement, he has a Quarter Horse brain, which Carrie said can be a blessing and a curse. “He’s been a lot easier to train because of that — nothing really phases him, and I never have to teach him something twice,” Carrie said. “The only way it’s a bad thing is because Rusty doesn’t have blind, stupid bravery like a lot of the Thoroughbreds have in the eventing world. Once he understands something, he’s as brave and game as they come for anything I throw at him, which is why he’s been such a rocking cross country machine.” But when Rusty doesn’t understand a challenge, the obstacles can be difficult to overcome, as Carrie discovered after their move up to training level this past May.

Next week on EN’s Got Talent:We’ll meet the monsters Rusty encountered at a particularly scary blind drop into water while running training level at Queeny Park Horse Trials in June. Carrie and Rusty parted ways, and she has since dropped him down to novice level so they can work on regaining confidence and trust in their partnership. “Because Rusty has such a good brain, it’s so important to lay the ground work for him at this stage in his life, because once he understands the more complicated questions, there is no telling how far he can go. He literally gets better every time out. I know he loves what he’s doing, and as long as it stays that way, we will just keep trucking up the levels.”

Sinead Halpin's first ride back in the saddle since her crash at Chattahoochee Hills. Photo via Megan Kepferle.

We have to send a big shout out to Sinead Halpin for climbing back into the saddle today for the first time since falling from On Cue at Chattahoochee Hills on July 7. Sinead broke some ribs and her shoulder blade in the fall, as well as suffered a collapsed lung. While the fall curtailed her plans to contest Blenheim with Manoir De Carneville next month, Sinead has remained upbeat about the situation and will be competing Tate at Fair Hill in October instead. Many thanks to Sinead’s super groom Megan Kepferle for sending us this photo and keeping us in the loop about Sinead and Tate’s plans for the fall. Go Sinead!

Jen Carter and Sayyida at Rocking Horse in February. Photo by Samantha Clark.

It’s so much fun to write the weekly EN’s Got Talent series because I get to follow along with the horses after that, and their owners and riders are constantly sending me little updates on how the horses are doing. I feel like I’m along for the ride! I received a very cool email last night from Sean Tennant, who purchased the stunning Trakehner mare Sayyida as a youngster before selling her to Kyle and Jen Carter. I documented Jen’s struggle to build a solid partnership with “Xena” in EN’s Got Talent — Part 1 and Part 2 — but if their performance this weekend at Longwood is any indicator, I’d say they’re on the right track! Jen and Xena scored a 14 on their open prelim dressage test, went clear on cross country and pulled a rail in show jumping to take the win.

The test score sheet, which you can view below, includes 12 9s, as well as 9s for both the rider and impulsion scores. The judge’s comments included “Gorgeous to watch!” and “So uphill and balanced throughout.” Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to track down a video of the test. If you happened to record Jen and Xena laying down a 14 at Longwood, please send the video to [email protected]. Of course, anytime spouses are competing against each other, there’s always a friendly rivalry. Kyle took to Twitter yesterday to document a conversation with the dressage judge, who couldn’t resist getting in on the ribbing. Congrats, Jen! Go Xena!

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EN isn’t just your leading source for eventing news, results and commentary; it’s a community where fans of this crazy sport come together to share their war stories. We love hearing from readers and, in turn, sharing your thoughts with the world. All reader submissions are eligible for the Omega Alpha Reader Submission of the Month in which they are published. All winners will receive an Omega Alpha supplement of their choosing. Have something to share with EN? Send it to us at [email protected]!

Max and Joan Goswell with Another Song, a former Karen O'Connor ride. Photo courtesy of Mary Beth Herbert.

We’re pleased to announce that Colleen Hofstetter’s reader submission, “Horsemanship Clinic with Max Corcoran,” is the Omega Alpha Reader Submission of the Month for July. Max taught a horsemanship clinic for local Pony Clubs at Hidden Field Farm in Valencia, Pa., last month. Kids and adults alike relished in the wealth of knowledge Max gained from working for so many years as Karen O’Connor’s head groom, and Colleen interviewed her about her time spent working for one of the top riders in the sport:

So just how does one learn to care for such valuable creatures? ‘I just kept asking questions, kept listening; I have had the added advantage of working with top grooms, top vets, top farriers. All these people have such store houses of skills and knowledge.’  However, it is not only the monetary value at stake: the partnership that builds between the horse and its significant people is a hard one to describe, but ask a good groom to describe their charge and there would be no loss of words.

Colleen will receive a free supply of an Omega Alpha supplement of her choice for sharing their story. Want to win an Omega Alpha supplement? Send in your story, clinic report, video or other article to [email protected]. If it’s published this month, it will be eligible for August’s giveaway. *Month to be determined by date of publishing, not date of submission. Many thanks to Colleen for writing and to Omega Alpha for supporting Eventing Nation. Go eventing!

Here are some other reader submissions we loved from this month:

Best Event Report: “Coconino Summer I Horse Trials” by Kat Drake

West Coast eventers frequent Coconino for its beautiful cross country courses, great camping facilities, and well run N3D and T3D, and Kat Drake sent in a great report: “Coconino is an absolutely beautiful venue and is very different from the events Californians like me attend on a regular basis. As an added bonus, it has the cleanest porta-potties of any horse show you’ve ever been to! The last point is especially important, since the majority of competitors seem to camp at the event. The camping is between and around the barns, which are in the midst of Fort Tuthill County Park’s pine forest at about 7,000 feet above sea level.”

Best Camp Report: “British Columbia Developing Young Riders Camp” by Lynne Larsen

Camp season has been in full swing this summer, and Lynne Larsen sent in an excellent report from the British Columbia Developing Young Riders Camp. “Last year we were very lucky to have Hawley Bennett-Awad healthy enough after London to come and coach for us, and this year we were extremely fortunate again in the timing of camp to have our own Rebecca Howard back to the province directly from England and her successes there. It is a HUGE inspiration to the Young Riders to have graduates of our program come back to work with them, particularly after representing their country.”

Best NAJYRC Report: “A Week of Ups and Downs at NAJYRC” by Erika Carson

Erika Carson horse was sadly spun at the jogs at at the North American Junior & Young Rider Championships, but she kept her chin up and helped out her teammates for the rest of the week. “I was honored to receive the Eventing Style award this year. This award recognizes a rider’s “style” throughout the week, not only while mounted, but also in the form of manners and overall demeanor around the competition grounds and at the organized functions. It was such a privilege to receive this award, and it was an amazing surprise.”

Best Clinic Report: “California Training Sessions” by Katy Groesbeck

Katy’s report on her time spent training with David O’Connor at the California training sessions last month is probably the best clinic report we’ve ever run on EN. “I personally feel that the most incredible part of participating in the training sessions has been watching the friendships develop between the riders and David and watching everyone give back as much as they are taking away. The barn aisle is full of shenanigans and jokes as we each tend to our horses, and there is plenty of teasing to go around as we all try with varying success to negotiate the exercises David sets for us. We are all also pretty comfortable teasing David about his Diet Coke addiction at this point.”

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We hear all the time about horses at the top of the sport, but what about the next generation of equine talent? EN’s Got Talent introduces the future superstars of the sport, interviewing riders about how they’re tackling training with these youngsters. Have you spotted a spectacular young horse at an event you think should be highlighted in this column? Tip me at [email protected].

Courtney Cooper and R Star at Fair Hill. Photo by Steve Berkowitz.

Last week we met Courtney Cooper and R Star, her lovely 7-year-old Irish Sport Horse homebred mare, who had just moved up to preliminary last year when a freak accident landed Courtney in the hospital with multiple fractures and a long recovery time. Rather than have someone else continue competing her beloved “Hope,” Courtney kicked her out into a field and planned to leg her back up once she was back in the saddle. “We brought her back that fall, and she would have these moments where all of a sudden she would go 4/5 lame and then the next day she would be fine,” Courtney said. “One time it happened at the walk, another time it was when she came in from the field, and a third time was when I had just started riding her again and had jumped her. I went to brush her after the ride, and she was quite lame again. Nobody could figure it out.”

A bone scan ultimately showed that Hope was suffering from an osteochondroma, or a projection of bone off the backside of the radius above her knee. “The bone was sticking out parallel to the ground,” Courtney said. “When she bent her knee in a certain way, the bone would poke the tendon sheath, and blood would mix with the synovial fluid. That’s what created the pain and acute lameness. Once the blood dissipated, she would be sound again.” Hope underwent surgery in which a veterinary team shaved off the extra bone and cleaned out the tendon sheath. After the surgery, Hope recovered very well and started competing again this past May. “She felt great coming back,” Courtney said. “She’s always happy about her job and happy to go to work. She just tries very hard and always shows up. It’s been great to have her back.”

Courtney and Hope at the Horse Park of New Jersey.

Since returning to competition in May, Hope has placed third or better in all of her events. Courtney bumped Hope down to training level for her first outing at Fair Hill in May, where Hope finished third. She then placed second in her preliminary division at Flora Lea at the end of May before winning at the Horse Park of New Jersey a month later. And just this past weekend, Courtney and Hope again won their preliminary division at New Jersey. “I’ve had some difficulty making the time with her on cross country, through through no fault of her own,” Courtney said. “It’s more my problem because I don’t always want to press her. It’s hard when you have horses you breed yourself and bring along. At some point, they go from being your baby to being your performance horse, and it’s hard to make that switch and know when to push.”

Looking ahead, Courtney knows she’ll need to push Hope at some point, but for now she’s content to play it safe with this very talented mare. “Trying to get to a two-star this fall will be too much,” Courtney said. “We’d like to think long-term with her. With the new FEI requirements, I need an international CCI* or CIC* based on my rider level. I’ll do that at Plantation Field and then move her up to intermediate in October. Then we’ll aim for a two-star in the spring.” Hope is out of the same dam as Who’s A Star, Courtney’s Advanced partner who finished third in the Jersey Fresh CCI3* earlier this year. As is the goal with all of her homebreds in the “Star family,” Courtney hopes this mare will go all the way through the levels. “I’d love for her to follow in the footsteps of her half brother and go up through Advanced,” Courtney said. “We’ll keep going until she tells us she doesn’t want to play this game.”

Next week on EN’s Got Talent: While warmblood, Irish and Thoroughbred superstars have dominated this series since I launched it last fall, we’re going to bring in some new blood next week when we meet Cavalier, a 5-year-old buckskin Appendix Quarter Horse gelding owned and campaigned by former EN blogger Carrie Meehan. “Rusty” placed fifth as a 4-year-old in a very competitive beginner novice division at last year’s American Eventing Championships and moved up to novice in February. After a very solid spring campaign at the novice level, in which Carrie and Rusty placed second at Pine Top and third at Southern Pines, this pair made the move up to training level in May. Carrie’s good friend Cassie Boehm tipped me about Rusty: “It’s not every day that you see buckskins competing at all!” Go Kansas eventing!