Old Friends, the Thoroughbred retirement farm in Georgetown, Ky., has announce the arrival of 2008 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner Big Brown for his retirement.
Kimberly Quinn rode with Jennifer Blades at Willowbrooke Farm. Kimberly was in search of her next horse when Friend of Dubai joined the CANTER Michigan herd at the farm. Friend of Dubai, a 2016 dark bay Thoroughbred gelding, had raced 21 times and earned $30,523 over his three-year career. Friend of Dubai had only two under-saddle rides off the track, so when Kimberly inquired about him Jennifer said that she was "uncertain about his potential.”
This month marks my final update before the big Thoroughbred Makeover event in October, and it’s been quite a stressful ride! The biggest concern has been ensuring that both of my horses are fully prepared for the makeover show. Have I done everything possible to get them ready? Can I somehow keep them in a bubble to prevent any major injuries before the event? The list of worries goes on! Each horse is at a different stage in their training, with their own set of unique challenges.
My last update saw Mr Nobility and I preparing for our first show on Aug. 5, a hunter/jumper show at a local barn nearby. It was meant to be a lovely little schooling show, only 10 minutes away, just a nice outing to see what kind of horse we are working with in the environment. The nice thing about these shows is that you can ship in and school over the jumps the day before, so it’s very friendly to green horses allowing them to see everything. Or so we thought…
Hello to all the dreamers and trailblazers out there! I’m Chanel Minnifield, passionately pursuing my 2028 Olympic dreams and aiming to reshape the equestrian world. As a Black woman navigating a traditionally homogenous field, my journey is more than just personal achievement – it's a heartfelt mission to inspire change and empower diversity within the equestrian community.
