What's Your Wish
From AlexBrownRacing
Contents |
Wish's Story so far
What's Your Wish is a 1998 dark bay gelding-He was a successful, hard knocking racehorse, PA bred champion 2 yr old who went down the claiming ladder - he had 63 starts, 11-9-7 for $250K-- and then he found himself at New Holland on a day when we did not have any room at MAHR. Susan (Friends of Twilight) went to the sale anyway, looking for a horse she used to know who was at risk. That horse was not there but this big bay gelding was, tied to the pipe gates facing the cattle chutes. Susan said he looked at her like he knew he should not be there, and wanted help. She sent us a cell phone pic- we could only see he was a dark bay with osselots- and read his tattoo. We ran the tattoo for the heck of it, got the printout from the Jockey Club just after 5PM Monday evening, and knew he needed to be saved. We called the sale, and found out he had indeed sold to a kb, Mr N, that we work with. We finally got hold of Mrs N on Tuesday morning- she thought he had shipped directly to Canada from the sale but promised to ask her husband. Finally on Weds AM we spoke to Mr N, and miraculously, he had Wish at his lot in NY!! He put him aside in the barn for us and promised to bring him back to New Holland the following Monday.
In the meantime, we started making phone calls, hoping maybe one of his old racing owners would take him but had no luck. Erin up at Akindale Horse Rescue in NY graciously offered him a place to go. Shelley and Mr Boxcar (Horses Saving Horses) and the Friends of Twilight offered to pay his purchase price and shipping costs. The following Monday, we met Shelley and Susan at New Holland, grabbed our shipper, and rode over to a nearby sales barn where Wish had been dropped off. When we got to the sales barn, we could see him right away in an outside pen. I still dont know why, but when I saw him I fell in love- he had a very kind, trusting, soulful eye. He followed us outside and waited patiently while we took his picture- he even seemed to pose for it. Shelley and Susan also could feel how special he was. We then loaded him on our shipper's stock trailer and went back to New Holland. I found the dealer who had brought him to the sale originally and asked about him. The dealer told me that a woman in Pottstown had called him weeks earlier wanting to sell the horse cheaply- he had been given to her and he wasn't working out. The dealer declined, as he did not deal much in TBs. Apparently a few weeks later she thought she had him sold to someone else but he wouldn't load- disgusted, she called the dealer and asked him to just come pick him up. The dealer did, and then brought him to the sale.
Later that afternoon, he was dropped off at MAHR and turned out in a big green field. I went to see him the next day and got that same thrill as I went over to him. He posed for a picture and then went back to grazing. A few days later we got him a ride to Akindale Horse Rescue and off he went. Through the ensuing months, I spoke to Erin often about the horses, and always asked about Wish. He was turned out happily in a field with a few mares. We used the picture of him posing at MAHR for one of the TB Times ads. A writer for the Horse of Delaware Valley wrote a great article about him, detailing his race career and subsequent fall and rescue. We found out that his last racing owner had given him to a woman in PA who promised him a good home............
I kept thinking about him- but it just didn't make sense to ship him all the way back to MD for adoption.......
A few weeks ago, my own little TB event mare, Halo Gal (Loley), came up uneven behind- we have not yet been able to pinpoint the source of her discomfort but it has become apparent that I need to regroup and get her right. I event for fun, and was resigned to missing much of the summer. I adore my mare but do not want to hurt her or dampen her "spark"- (even though her spark is more like a bonfire at times!) My husband Tom, rescue partner and dear friend Ginny, and good friend and trainer Jeanne Davis, all urged me to find a rescue horse to bring along in the meantime. I gave it a lot of thought and figured I would look at New Holland for something for me...but then it dawned on me----Wish!!! We had a truck heading to Akindale with 6 recent rescue horses, and I could easily put him on the empty trailer back to PA. But then I started wondering if it made sense- he was now 10, I hardly knew him, I had never sat on him, he had some ankles that might cause some trouble, he had been turned out for almost a year, would he want to start a new job? I called Erin and told her what I was thinking......she told me he seemed pretty sound on those ankles, and she would be happy to do whatever.....she sent me pics of him from the winter and once again, when I saw those, I got that thrill, that sense that he was something special--- so I arranged to have him shipped down.
Just this Tuesday he shipped in - he arrived at my home in the afternoon, but I had to work until the evening......all the way home, I was anxious- had I done the right thing, had he arrived safely, would I really like him as much as I thought or was I just imagining it, would Tom like him, would he fit in with my other three? When I got home I peeked through a window in the barn and could see a brown back in the one empty stall- I walked down and around into the barn, he stuck his head over the screen, and my heart started racing.......
I went into his stall to say hello, and my other three TBs- Loley, my old retired mare Leather, and my sister's old event horse Midnight all watched curiously. Once again, I was taken by his incredible eye and sense of kindness-what was it about him?? I knew right then I had done the right thing. I hiked his bigger ankle and got no pain response. Erin had put a brand new halter on, light blue with running horses across the noseband- I laughed, patted him, fed everyone dinner and went inside.........
Later that evening, I turned him out with my three- he was polite and cool- Loley thought she would parade around in front of him- he said a brief hello but wasnt that impressed and wandered off to graze. I added Midnight and Leather (the queen)- he watched them but kept grazing- the three amigos grazed side by side, moving as a group and keeping their eye on the new guy- he grazed nearby but was totally unconcerned. Late that evening I heard Leather squeaking in the dark as they must have finally decided to meet nose to nose. By the morning, they were all grazing in a group. I went to the fence and Wish, about 30 feet away, picked his head up to look at me. I could see he had ditched his fancy new halter- I told him he was a bad boy losing that fancy halter, and he turned and sauntered over by himself- he knew I was talking to him- I picked a piece of red clover and fed it to him, he accepted it and went back to his new friends.
I brought everyone in- he was cool about waiting his turn at the gate- and went right to his stall. After feeding, my husband Tom (a farrier) came down and put four new shoes on him before leaving for his day's appointments. Wish was a little edgy when we first started but then settled and hung out while he was shod. I fooled with him and he kept turning his head around to watch Tom at the truck behind him........That evening, when Tom got home from work, I put the tack on- I know he had just come in but I wanted to see how he felt underneath me. I also wondered why the woman in Pottstown had not wanted him. Wish walked up to the back field all racehorse- Tom leading him, his head bowed, taut like a spring, playing with his bit. He stood quietly at the mounting block while I got on and then he took me over to the gate and fenceline closest to the barn and didn't want to go--- he wasn't being threatening, just was saying no--he knows he is big time-- I have to admit I was secretly pleased- I like a horse that thinks and one that is a bit of a mental challenge- and I had to laugh as we posed for some pics- I didnt have any choice really- after trying to work through it and only having a little success, Tom came and led us out to the middle of the field- with that he bowed his head to his chest and did a lovely springy edgy trot around, really using his hind end- we trotted 5-6 big loops past the gate, reversed and went the other way- I couldn't stop smiling!! He had a great feel and was so much fun!! I wanted to canter but brought him back to a walk and hacked around the field- the neighbor's dog appeared on other side of the fenceline- he watched her with interest and finally had to scoot and spin just to see if I was with him. What a silly boy! We walked a bit more and called it a day. Carrots for everyone back at the barn, and then we turned the four out for the evening.....
Since this is a Wiki page, not a book, we had better end this part of the story here. I now know how Ginny feels when she talks about her rescue horse Chuck (Reprieve- reg name Hate Mail) Jeanne came to meet Wish and was taken by his presence and eye. Because he has had a year or better off, I will build him up slowly- as much as I hate lunging, it will be good for him to build his back up without carting me around- at least I will get to watch him on those days we do lunge. We are looking forward to hacking out at Fair Hill and doing some nice gradual hills. I am anxious to start him over some little fences but to be fair to him I need to get him a little bit back in shape. If all goes well, maybe he can make his eventing debut later this summer....... but for now, we have a handsome new bay gelding in our barn, a rescue horse wearing a halter with silhouettes of ponies running across the noseband, one that we feel very blessed to call our own.....
Bev
Race Record
Foaled in 1998, by Metfield-Debutante's Wish, by Raised Socially. Bred by Hidden Lane Farm PA
At 2, 2000- 5 starts, 3 wins including the PA Futurity, 3d in the Valley Forge Stks.Champion PA Bred 2 yr old colt/gelding
At 3, 2001- 5 starts, 1 win, three 3d place finishes in the Whirlaway, the Woodlawn, and the Jersey Derby G3
At 4, 2002- 13 sts, 1 win, unplaced in three state bred stake races....
At 5, 2003- Unraced
At 6, 2004- 7 sts, 2 wins, 1 2nd, started running in 25K claimers, dropped down to 7500NY2 and then back up to 10K
At 7, 2005- 15 sts, 2-3-1 running as cheaply as 4K condition claimers
At 8, 2006- 18 sts, 2-3-1. Last ran Dec 5th for $2500, finished 6th beaten 23 lengths.....
Race record: 63-11-9-7 $249,630 total earnings
Photos
Wish at NH
Picking him up after shipping back from the feedlot PA summer 2007
His TB Times ad
Home!! 6/17/08
First ride!!
The beginning of a new chapter.......
Comments
Congratulations on taking a chance on Wish! I love reading his & your story - little more every day... :) swedishkat
Congratulations Bev!! I am so excited for you!! Isn't it amazing the love you can feel from something that some people take so for granted? I can't wait to see him and event with you!! A wish and a prince!! :)
