Buying a recently-retired racehorse to retrain to be a sport horse or pleasure horse is like anteing up to play Texas hold ’em poker. The initial cost to see your hand — the antes and blinds for poker or the cost of horses at the end of their racing careers — is relatively low. The possibilities and dreams when you’re first holding those two cards or starting to retrain an OTTB are always high.
“As long as I have a chip and a chair, I’m still alive in this event,” said Jack “Treetop” Straus, who discovered one chip hidden under a napkin to remain in the main event at the 1982 World Series of Poker, eventually won poker’s most prestigious tournament, and inspired a motto for all players’ dreams.
Like that one chip, an OTTB offers the dreams that one of the most affordable investments in the equine world can lead to future ribbons, special moments, and a potential lifelong bond between horse and human. On the path to achieving those goals, the big financial and emotional investment comes later, like in poker, after seeing your hand’s value once more cards are revealed on the flop, turn, and river.
What’s the best way to play an OTTB poker hand? Cue the late, great Kenny Rogers in “The Gambler”
You got to know when to hold ’em,
Know when to fold ’em,
Know when to walk away,
Know when to run.
You never count your money
When you’re sittin’ at the table.
There’ll be time enough for countin’
When the dealin’s done.
I’m relatively new to riding OTTBs, but they’re the only horses I’ve ridden since I began my journey from broadcasting to riding in 2015. The three horses I’ve owned have each taught me different lessons about how Rogers’ wisdom applies to training retired racehorses—and to life in general.
You got to know when to hold ’em
“Are you sure this is the right horse for me?” I asked over and over and over again.
