Meowza2

From AlexBrownRacing

Bio

I'm a native Californian and have lived in both the southern and northern parts of the state my entire life. I work as a high school teacher and private tutor and am happily married to a man who "gets it", or at the very least is pretty darn supportive of my passion for horses and all animals. We live in northern California, and share our home with five rescue cats.

I've loved horses all my life (and what girl worth her boots doesn't?) At the age of 11 my grandfather used to take me to Hollywood Park (http://www.hollywoodpark.com/) with him to watch morning workouts and then stay for the races later in the day. When I was between 12-16, I had the privilege of working my butt off to own a rescued thoroughbred. "Victoria Argo" or Vicki was her name, and while she had not been quite fast enough for racing she could jump a fence with grace, pleasure, and ease. My lovely mare taught me all the ins and outs of horse etiquette...many times I jumped a fence without her and she would come around and snort over my fuming self and with a haughty tail flick challenge me to try it again. I eventually learned soft hands, steady pacing, and exact timing to get up on her neck from her patient guidance. After nearly flunking out of high school due to time spent in the ring or the barn my folks sold her to another barn to be used as a lesson horse. In a fit of teenage pique "I showed them" by never being around horses after that. Stupid teenage judgment!

Since volunteering at GEVA I have reawakened my keen love of all things horse and I have again started riding lessons and am now studying Dressage and Hunter Jumper three times a week.

FOB Activities

The inspiration and excess of emotion that came from the lives of Barbaro and brave little Fitch http://floridafoalrescue.com/index.php motivated me to become involved with horses once again and sent me full circle in search of a rescue to volunteer my time and boundless energy. I've been happily grooming 32 rescued thoroughbred horses, feeding, mucking and learning some training at Glen Ellen Vocational Academy, or GEVA for short, since March of 2007. http://www.glenellenfarms.com/geva/. GEVA is the retirement home for local California race horses that have suffered track or training injuries or otherwise been proven "unfit for racing." The 32 horses are happily living out their lives in a peaceful pasture setting. Our most famous resident is "The Barking Shark", or Sharky, for short. http://www.delmartimes.net/articles082506.html, http://www.ctba.com/03magazine/jul/GEVA.pdf, http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/08/04/MNGUO82C711.DTL, http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/ci_5727059 Through the connections forged at the California race tracks GEVA has been selected by Harry Aleo and Greg Gilchrist as the charity of choice for donations to be made in the memory of the great champion, "Lost in the Fog."

Member of the California calling team...okay, I'm the "mad faxer." Sponsor of a Preakness quiz question. Multiple donations made to GEVA, Miracle Horse Rescue, Humane Society of Missouri trailer accident rescue, Pure Thoughts Horse Rescue, The Barbaro Fund at U Penn New Bolton, U Penn Laminitis Research, and the Humane Society.

I had the pleasure of attending the Barbaro birthday celebrations in April 2007, at Delaware and meeting many FOBs that I had only known through messages on the board, but I realize that we are all friends of the heart, sharing a passion for the horses. My particular enthusiasm lies in rescuing and caring directly for horses and in making racing safer for the horses.