all in Horse Country

As I sit down to write this final installment of Teddy Spaghetti’s road to the Thoroughbred Makeover, it is with great pride for how much he and our team accomplished there; huge appreciation for the family that allowed me the opportunity to take both their new 3-year-old OTTB and their 16-year-old daughter along for the ride; and a little bit of nostalgia that it’s over.

Coming into the Thoroughbred Makeover I couldn’t have been much more confident in where I was with Maverick. Our final run the week before at Stable View had gone just about perfectly with a fifth-place finish in the Beginner Novice only adding two rails in stadium — one of which was definitely my fault — and a couple speed faults on cross country. Most importantly, down there he was so bold and confident out on cross country and gave me a great feeling coming into the makeover.

Another Thoroughbred Makeover is in the books, and what a week it was. Between the rain, the long days, and the incredible athletes we competed against, it’s safe to say this year’s event was one for the memory books. Bringing both Imposing Ruler – aka “Henry” – and Gray Magician made for a full and rewarding experience, and I couldn’t be prouder of how both horses handled themselves.

In this final diary entry for OTTB Salesman, Audra Mandella, Salesman’s owner, reflects on the enjoyment and sense of fulfillment she, her husband Gary, father-in-law Richard (a Hall of Fame trainer) and everyone else associated with the horse have felt as he moves further into his second career with remarkable success under the supervision of Kristina Hobbs.

We left off last time having a bit of a rough day, but with a plan to put that in the rearview mirror and move forward. Thankfully that is exactly what has happened. Since having that little mishap at Meadowlake I elected to move Maverick to my trainer’s farm, and while it means a lot more driving for me he has absolutely flourished there.

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