Stop! This is part 2 of a series. ?Be sure to watch part 1, introducing an ex-racehorse’s arrival from the world of racing, so you can see how the project progresses.
The Jurga Report has been following the transformation of an Irish racehorse in the hands of equestrian entrepreneur?Lucinda Kelly and eventer?Brian Curran Cournane. They bought “Lloyd” with the plan to make a rough, cheap racer into a sleek, polished show horse in just under eight months.
The goal is to enter Lloyd in one of Europe’s most prestigious events, the Dublin Horse Show, which has just added a Racehorse to Riding Horse class. The class attracts some of the top ex-champions in the country, horses whose names are well-known. Lloyd will be an outsider, and a longshot, if he can even make it.
Mr. Lloyd Part 3:
[vimeo width=”560″ height=”330″]http://vimeo.com/10172352[/vimeo]
Lloyd needs to be clean and tidy for a photo session with his new sponsor, Alltech. But he’s wet and shaggy!
From a baby powder bath to an introduction sponsor Alltech’s new Lifeforce supplement and Gain feed, Lloyd’s new career is making him the center of attention.
It will be a long road to Dublin, and it’s paved with a lot of empty grain bags. Lucinda and Brian hope to show the Irish horse world that an ex-racehorse can be re-trained into a safe and elegant riding horse. The futures of hundreds of racehorses could be affected by positive publicity surrounding Lloyd’s career change.
Mr. Lloyd Part 4:
[vimeo width=”560″ height=”330″]http://vimeo.com/10217339[/vimeo]
Will Lucinda remember her dressage test? Her laptop battery is dead so it’s too late now…time to ride in Mr. Lloyd’s first outing!
With the addition of so much grain to Lloyd’s diet, his excess energy means that he needs to be lunged more. A clipping session changes his appearance.
Much of the story is about perception: Lloyd looks promising. The sponsors look pleased. And the days are ticking by.
Now, read Part 3 of Lloyd’s transformation, including episodes 5 and 6 in the series. The remaining installments of Lloyd’s story will be posted here on The Jurga Report on equisearch.com.
To learn more:
Introduction:?Racehorse to Riding Horse: Elite Test for Retrained Thoroughbreds at Dublin Horse Show
Ex-Racehorse Reality TV Part 1: Mr. Lloyd’s Makeover for the Dublin Horse Show
From Racehorse to Showhorse: Wendy Wooley’s blog detailing her retraining of the beautiful ex-racehorse, Jaguar Hope, offers some American-style insight into the process.
Off-Track Thoroughbreds blog by Susan Salk reports on the growing culture of re-training, owning and riding ex-racehorses in the United States.
Retraining of Racehorses is the mother ship web site for the vision and organization of the British program dedicated to responsible ownership, committed trainers and a proud new tradition in almost every horse sport for the ex-racehorse in Britain.
Links to the next posts on The Jurga Report, with more episodes of Mr Lloyd’s sometimes questionable progress will be posted here as they become available over the weekend.
