My future horse [i hope]

Anyone else have that childhood dream of one day owning a horse?
Has that dream followed you your whole life?
Have the stars finally aligned?

Well here's my story, first a brief bio of myself:
I always had a passion for thoroughbred racing and horses in general. I come from a non horse family, and we live in the city. My favourite all time racehorse is Musketier who is now a stud.

Okay so, when Musketier entered stud, I knew I wanted one of his babies (a gelding), turns out, a person that I know personally bought a Musketier colt at last year's yearling sale for just over $7000. He was a brat, always rearing up and down the shedrow, and he was then gelded. Seems perfect, right? Earlier this year I finally got to meet him, he's all I expected and so so much more! He's a bay, with one white ankle, and a few hairs of white on his head. He's got the cutest ears, and face!
Mousquetaire is his name (which is French for Musketeer). Mousquetaire has a half sister who I also personally know, and I know she'll do better than him on the track.
Anyways, flash forward to Friday, both him and his sister had their first races, both 7 furlongs at woodbine on the grass, as expected, his sister Madam De Chevreuse would do better than him in his race. Madam finished fifth in her debut, Mousquetaire eighth.

Since Mousquetaire so far doesn't seem promising on the track, and won't be any use in the breeding shed, I hope to one day own him, and I'm currently putting in 10 hr shifts at a barn to save up for board, feed, equipment, tack, treats... Et cetra.

Hopefully he retires injury fee!!

Just sharing my story, and encouraging EVERYONE to follow their dreams, and don't give up on them!!

Not sure how to share a pic through mobile, but here a link to his Facebook page
Mousquetaire where I'll be documenting his career, as well as my Instagram @theartsyequestrian. See for yourself how cute he is ^_^

Last edited on 2016-08-29 at 16:43:01 by Julia Ferreira

awww what a cutie i have a thing for tb's too lol i want to race soooooooooooooooooooooo bad

@starfish rescue,
I once wanted to be a jockey, I got too heavy (anything over 115 lbs is very risky for a jockey) and I realized how bad they have it. I plan on going to Old College in Alberta to get my jockeys licence to exercise ride for this trainer I know one day.
Might I make a suggestion? Don't be a jockey, there's no money in that, you get on horses you've probably never ridden or met before, you're on an animal in a race that can have up to 19 other competitors going top speed, if anything happens in front of you, you have milliseconds to react. A broken bone can sideline you for months, and if you're sidelined, you won't have any income. Then you have to worry about "keeping your weight" and the horrors of the sweat box. Those are the tips of the iceberg for a jockey.
I suggest you take regular riding lessons for a few years, take a college business course and maybe (if the school has it) join the equestrian team or take a performance horses/ equine management course), and apply to TB training centres, some will have you groom before they let you ride, but it's worth it because no reputable trainer will take on someone new to the track, and the outrider's on the track won't approve someone with no race riding expirence.
I encourage you to follow your passion, and I wish you all the best!

yeah i know but it looks so fun to run like the wind lol i have never rode a horse on my own without someone holding the reigns i have and will mostly never own a horse

Take some lessons, or part board :)
It takes a lot of balance, leg, core, and arm strength.
If you ever get a chance to try out an equisizer (not sure the spelling on it is right) it will give you an idea of the strength needed. I've galloped horses before around a field at the barn I ride at, it's a wonderful feeling (I'm not going nearly as fast as the racehorses, but it's definitely faster than a hand gallop)
Start with the basics of riding first and work your way up.
If you can, take a couple lessons on a schooling horse, soon no one will need to hold the reins for you, it'll come to the point where you could canter a circle with just your legs! (Trust me, I've done it, on a very good horse, but a horse is a horse)

Awww, he's cute :)

Having an OTTB myself lemme tell you it's a nightmare to retrain if you have no idea what you're doing. They're sweet, but they can be difficult to work with because they're not used to using their bodies properly (something I'm currently working on - mine likes to invert his neck, which tenses his back and shortens his stride, also damaging his muscles and joints).

Keep a close eye on this guy. Too many horses are sent off to auction once they're track retired.