The
Tale of Tiger Lily
A
college equine program pinhooking project is off to the
races.
By Terry
Temple
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Located
in the heart of Marion County, Florida, Ocala is known as
the Horse Capital of the World. Marion County has over 200
horse farms which breed, train and/or show almost 50 breeds
in every discipline. The Thoroughbred industry alone employs
over 29,000 county residents, so it’s no wonder that
the local community college offers one of the most comprehensive
and progressive equine training programs in the country.
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Central
Florida Community College (CFCC) offers an Associate degree
program in Equine Studies, with specialties in Business
Management and Therapeutic Riding. In addition to the
broader curriculum, both majors require 64 equine-specific
credits in courses like Equine Anatomy and Physiology,
Horse Handling and Safety, Nutrition, Equine Business
Management. If students desire to go on with their studies,
the program articulates with SUNY Cobleskill and Morrisville
Colleges in New York and William Woods University in Missouri,
all of which offer a bachelor’s degree in Equine
Studies.
“Enrollment this fall is growing -- almost every
equine class is overflowing with students,” associate
professor of Equine Studies, Dr. Judy Downer said. “Our
new Therapeutic Riding
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After
nearly seven months of fitting and conditioning by CFCC students,
the nicely built 2007 Roar of the Tiger filly is prepped and
ready for the sale. |
Management
program already has several students seeking a career in
this growing industry and we plan to expand the program
for Fall 2009 with an equine exercise physiology program.”
This
year, students of the CFCC equine program embarked on new
and innovative project that started as an idea by several
members of the Horseman’s Association, a club affiliated
with CFCC. Club President Laurie Kapsa and some of her colleagues
were at a local thoroughbred farm gazing at the weanlings
when the talk turned to pinhooking, which is a large segment
of the thoroughbred industry in Marion County. Pinhooking
is the term for the process of buying a potential race horse
(usually a weanling or yearling), raising, conditioning
and training it for a season, then selling it at auction
in Ocala or Kentucky, hopefully for a profit.
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| The
CFCC students asked themselves, why not organize a pinhooking
project that could give them hands-on experience, not only
with the horses but with the business as well -- and make
a profit to boot? The plan began to develop: procure a donated
weanling, raise, train and prep it for the Ocala August Yearling
Sale. Rebecca Dotson was one of the students involved at the
beginning and throughout the project. “The
idea took off immediately and we were met with success at
every turn,” Dotson said. “At the college level,
we had to clear some insurance and liability hurdles, but
everything started falling into place when the Gladwell’s
offered to donate a lovely weanling filly for the first
project.”
Jimmy and Martha Gladwell, owners of Kindergarten Farm in
Reddick, donated the filly by Roar of the |
Guest
Jimmy Gladwell and host, Dr. Peterson gathered with nearly
100 sponsors, students, faculty members and potential buyers
at Spring Hollow Farm in August for the filly’s debut.
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| Tiger,
who is currently the number two Freshman Stallion in the country.
(His first foal crop has won almost $320,000 to date.)
“I
happened to be giving a talk on conformation to a class
at CFCC about the time the students first came up with the
idea,” Martha Gladwell said, “There was such
enthusiasm, we were delighted to be able to help.”
It Took a Community |
The
six students in the project received the bay filly in January.
In addition to the filly herself, the students needed to
find donations for every aspect of the project. Dr. John
Peterson, one of Marion County’s most revered horse
veterinarians, provided veterinary care and board at his
gorgeous Spring Hollow Farm. Seminole provided the feed
and other community members donated hay and farrier work.
The project needed to be fully self-sustained so all of
the profits from the auction could go directly to fund a
new equine scholarship, the CFCC Horseman’s Society
Endowed Scholarship.
The students were responsible for almost every aspect of
the filly’s life: the evening feeding, daily grooming
and turnout, longeing, training and stall cleaning. For
the first few months, they let the filly adjust to her new
surroundings and started their nutritional program, the
basis of which was Seminole Wellness Grow Right™ and
Ultra Bloom® stabilized rice bran.
“We let her just be a horse for awhile to grow and
get used to us and her pasture mates,” Dotson said.
“But as the sale grew closer, we really stepped up
the program. She was handled a lot -- longed at least 20
minutes, three or four times a |
Students
gained hands-on experience by exhibiting the filly at the
Ocala yearling sale.
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week. She began to bloom right in front of us.”
By May, Tiger Lily’s sale prep was in full swing. Dr.
Peterson asked two of his clients, Andy and Susy Cant, to
come by and let the students present Lily as they would to
potential buyers. With years of experience in pinhooking,
training and racing thoroughbreds, they were there to give
the students an honest assessment. They generally liked what
they saw in the sturdy bay.
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“We
were so impressed with how professional they were,”
Susy Cant said. “We told what we liked and what to
work on.” The students listened closely.
“Watching
the horse’s body ‘tuck up’ from proper
feed management and exercise is exciting,” class participant
Barbara Young said. “It has been interesting to learn
how to use a surcingle, neck sweat, and the proper gaits
during training to get the results you want.”
Student Eleana Hickey added: “Being involved in the
pinhooking project has provided me with a clear insight
into the sales prepping process, as well as hands-on experience
in the thoroughbred industry -- |
The
day of the auction, prospective buyers examine Tiger Lily
outside of the sale ring. |
there
is no better way to learn than getting first-hand experience.
I think it’s safe to say everyone will be sad to see
Tiger Lily go, however there is a feeling of satisfaction
knowing that she is well prepared to go on and be successful.”
The Coming Out Party |
About
a month before the auction, Tiger Lily made her debut at a
reception in honor of her and the CFCC program, hosted by
Dr. Peterson at Spring Hollow. Almost 100 sponsors, students,
faculty, potential buyers and well-wishers mingled under the
Live Oaks as the filly was presented. She strode through the
crowd like a winner to the circle, and stood square for inspection.
The students’ consistent handling, exercising and excellent
nutritional program paid off with her calm but confident demeanor
and her high gloss, dappled coat showing off excellent conformation
and physical fitness.
Susy and Andy Cant were among the crowd. “We knew we
were going to the auction on a mission to |
Jimmy
and Martha Gladwell of Kindergarten Farm, who donated the
filly to CFCC for the pinhooking project, admire Tiger Lily’s
progress with student Rebecca Dotson. |
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purchase a potential racing team for a small syndicate. We
knew we wanted her, but weren’t sure her potential price
tag would fit in the program.”
Sale
Day
The August Yearling Sale was held as Hurricane Fay threatened
and blustered outside of the Ocala Breeders Sales arena.
Even in the weather and this economy, the sale was bustling,
as 636 young thoroughbreds sold for almost $6.5 million
in four days. The CFCC students “consigned”
the horse, which means they showed Tiger Lily to prospective
buyers, discussing pedigree and physical attributes.
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When
the time came for hip number 1046 to be called to the ring,
they took turns leading her from the barn up through the
line of excited yearlings to the brink of the sales stage.
From there, a professional handler presented Tiger Lily
before the well-filled stadium of bidders. The auctioneer
told the buyers about her pedigree and the story of the
CFCC project. Then, the sale was on and over in minutes,
with the bidding closed at $7,000. Pure profit for the CFCC
Equine Program.
“This
has been an incredible opportunity for CFCC equine students
to practice what they are learning in the classroom and
hone their business skills with real-life experience,”
Dr. Downer said. “Without the support of the local
equine industry, we would not have entered the sale with
essentially all of the filly’s expenses paid. We are
able to fully fund the scholarship from the results of the
sale, for which I am thrilled.”
Tiger
Lily Lands on Ben-D Farm
It turns out, Tiger Lily fit into the Cant’s program.
They and their clients bought Tiger Lily and five other
fillies at the sale with the intention of racing them as
a team. They plan to augment their program with additional
purchases at Keeneland this fall.
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Tiger
Lily makes her debut at a reception held in her honor at Spring
Hollow Farm. |
“Some
will fall away, some will stay in the middle -- we’re
looking for the ones who rise to the top,” Susy Cant
said, in regard to their racing strategy. “Tiger Lily
was no charity buy -- she’s got real potential and we
were thrilled to get her.” The Cants’ plan is
to stick with fillies because they’re easier and have
more possible uses if they don’t turn out on the track.
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“You
can house and pasture five fillies for each stud colt,”
Andy Cant said, who along with his wife have made racing,
training, buying, selling, boarding, prepping and riding their
careers for decades. They decided to honor the CFCC program
by renaming Tiger Lily “Si F Si Si” (CFCC), which
will bring great attention to the school and the program is
she does well. (The name is currently in the process of approval
with the racing commission.)
Their picture-perfect Ocala farm, the Ben-D, is where the
last Triple Crown Winner, Affirmed, was born. They hope that’s
good luck for all of the fillies, who have now started training
in earnest for a go at the track in 2009 or 2010. We’ll
be watching!
|
Ben-D
Farms purchased the filly with a closing bid of $7,000 and
the proceeds from the sale benefit the CFCC Horseman’s
Society Equine Education Scholarship Fund. |
End
Note
CFCC will be repeating this project next year and seeking
another donation of a 2008 Thoroughbred foal. Interested
parties should contact Dr. Judy Downer at downerj@cf.edu
or 352-854-2322, extension 1220.
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About
the Author:
In her spare time Terry Temple enjoys riding her two
arabians Ayla and Khody. Terry owns Temple Media,
a full service marketing agency.
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