Our Thoroughbreds

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Curly is the staple of our lesson program. A son of the great Curlin, he is a dark bay version of his dad but he never did race. He  grew to 17 hands very quickly and was also pigeon-toed. So, he was made into pony horse at the track, where he excelled at his job. However, ponying for a living can be hard on pony horses and when he came for sale, his connections didn’t want him to remain at the track. So, we him bought for a lesson horse and he hasn’t looked back.

Curly is a steady, safe, patient dependable mount. He teaches  lots of beginners and is a barn favorite. He does not like to be groomed or girthed up (no matter how lightly) and puts on his best grouchy face, earning him the nickname, our “Crabby Old Man.” Secretly, he loves to be doted on and loved but never wants to be caught giving kisses.

Curly is everyone’s first horse show horse, many’s first lesson horse and has been in countless shows, hunter paces, musical kur competitions and costume contests. He is kind beyond measure and is a true Thoroughbred ambassador. 

Hello Stranger was my horse of a lifetime. He was bred in Montana and raced there  as a youngster six times, never hitting the board. He eventually made his way into the Midwest and was steeplechased at age 6 where he won one race and was second in another. He didn’t race again until he was nine at which time he was entered in two races which he did not finish. Stranger ran a total of 11 times in his racing career, amassing only $7600.

I found Stranger when he was 10 years old, retired from racing and waiting to be sold. He was a bit of an afterthought. I had gone to a farm looking at another horse and when I was not interested in that one, asked the farm manager if they had anything else. He said they had a big, Roman nosed (he wasn’t!) gelding in the back pasture that they couldn’t catch. When I went to look at him, I remember him having that “look of eagles” that horsemen  use to describe truly great horses with a tremendous amount of heart. And that was all it took. He came to Fox Run Farm that day.

Since I knew Stranger had steeplechased and could jump, I entered him in a horse trials at Training Level as a substitute for another horse I had sold. He was so excited that I could not contain him in the warm up and I remember having to be legged up in the start box. in the end, we zipped around that course fast and clean, despite a nominal dressage score and I knew then I had a horse with both talent and courage.

And so it began. Riding with Ed Rothkranz for dressage and Ralph Hill and Alexandra “Po” Tatham for cross country and stadium, we climbed the long format eventing ladder.  First, horse trials at Training and then Preliminary. The we qualified for the Preliminary Three Day at Kentucky where we were -5th in good company. Then, the jump to Intermediate and we qualified for the Intermediate division at Radnor. We did compete in the 2 star 3-Day at Radnor and it was the pinnacle of my riding career.

The long format 3-Day event is no longer, but when it was the gold standard for the eventing world, it took a tremendous amount of courage, heart, talent and toughness for a horse to be successful. It was a test of training, ability, soundness, endurance and fitness. This was the sport of the Thoroughbred and these horses exemplified those traits.

Due to the demands of the long format event, it was a tremendo feat to make it to the FEI level and I was blessed to have Stranger as my partner. He was an extraordinary horse. He never had a stop cross country. Ever. He was fast and brave and athletic. He would jump anything and he loved to compete. He also competed to 3rd level dressage but cross country was his first love.  He was a thrill to ride and taught me much more than I taught him. He taught me about perseverance, dedication, patience, horsemanship, courage, appreciation, goals,  dreams. A Thoroughbred ambassador through and through and definitely my heart horse ❤️🏇❤️

Zaevion was born in 2014 and raced for seven years. He’s a war horse, racing 43 times and winning over $254,000. He was a  very good racehorse and gave his owners their first win at Keeneland. But, he was subsequently claimed and his owners lost track of him. When they tried to check on him later on, they found him nearly starved at a “retirement facility.” They bought him back immediately and let him rehab and retire at a friend’s farm.

When I found Zaevion at that friend’s farm, I fell in love with him instantly. Still somewhat thin, I could see past his condition and I bought him right then. He was tall with  big, kind eyes. I brought him home and home is where he will stay.

After doing nothing but relaxing and eating for many months, Zaevion has started to get back in shape and learn a bit of dressage. He is so kind and so gentle and so unflappable that he has already been in a horse show and musical Kur competition. Everyone loves him and he is also learning to jump. But, he is hopefully going to be my personal horse as soon as I’m back in the saddle. And no matter what he does at Fox Run Farm, he will continue to be a rock star! 

Paso, Jockey Club name Un Paso Alante, was born in 2014 in Florida. He is well bred - with Seattle Slew, Seeking the Gold and Hail to Reason in his pedigree. He ended up racing in Puerto Rico for 6 years, starting 47 times and winning over $102,000. But he was then abandoned and left on the streets where he ended up nearly starving. Luckily, a rescue found him and he was shipped to Miami and then ended up in Kentucky.

We found Paso at a friend’s farm when he was still very thin, but despite his situation he had a kind eye and lots of confidence. We bought him and he came home, started getting healthy and everyone fell in love with him. He is striking, black with four white stockings and a blaze. He became part of our lesson program and is a very solid citizen, teaching beginners of all ages as well as more advanced students.
One of our students is Puerto Rican and she and her family felt bad that nobody at the farm spoke Spanish to him. So, they spent many hours talking to him in Spanish. They wanted to buy him but the student was only 7 years old. After  a year, I relented as Paso was such a good guy and he loves his young owner. He is still allowed to live at our farm where he continues to teach. He’s a farm favorite and  has won countless awards at shows and continues to make students smile as they ride him around bareback (often two at a time) with a halter and a rope. Un Paso Alante means one step forward In Spanish and we are very grateful his steps have come in our direction! 

Escapologist is one of our newer Thoroughbreds and we liked him before we even met him. We saw a video of him and when we went to see him, we walked into the field where he was and that was it. He is a deep red with an old soul and a kind eye. It didn’t hurt that Curlin, Storm Cat, Deputy Minister, AP Indy and Secretariat are in his family tree but he won’t be racing. He will be an athlete, though, so those good genes will only help!

Escapologist, whose barn name is Epic, was a very good race horse. Born in 2020, he raced 18 times and won well over $388,000. He happily retired in 2025 and is starting to learn a bit of dressage. He is intelligent, willing, a very good mover and he loves Sean. The feeling is mutual and we are looking forward to watching Epic blossom and have an epic new career!

Karamojo is affectionately known as Momo

at the barn. He was born in 2016 and had a short lived career at the track. He raced 4 times and won $7000. He showed no interest in going fast and thankfully, his owners did not press the issue and sold him to a non-racing home.

After ending his racing days, Momo lived with a family for several years until they could no longer keep him. When he was offered for sale, we found him when we were on a horse shopping trip in Lexington, almost as an afterthought. But he was tall, dark and handsome and home he came!

Momo is settling in well at the farm and is a real sweetheart. He already has a fan club! He is a gentle soul, easy to ride and quiet. He is a bit on the lazy side (which is a good thing!) but he’s a lovely mover and is making a lovely dressage horse.

As you can tell by his picture, Momo loves people. He can be a ham and we think he secretly wants to be a people 😁. But until that happens, you will find him in the dressage ring and maybe even the hunter or jumper ring! 

Snickers, whose Jockey Club name is Strictly Confident, is a Kentucky bred, 2020 model who raced a total of 11 times. He had two wins, three seconds and won $46,000. And although his racing career was somewhat unremarkable, his life since retiring from the track has been anything but.

We found Snickers in central Kentucky, a cute dark bay with a tadpole shaped splash of white on his face. He was young but with a very laid back attirude about life. And despite his youth, he was soon a favorite with the kids in our lesson program.

One young lady in particular, age 12, fell head over heels in love with Snickets. She loves Thoroughbreds and loves training green horses. I allowed her to have him as her horse show team project, despite his age. i’m not sure if he loves her more or she loves him more, but every time I turned around, she was kissing him, with his head cradled in her arms. Over the summer, she showed him in dressage at our farm shows and also showed a more experienced school horse off site as Snickrrs was so green yet.  By the end of the year., she had qualified for the CTDA schooling show championships on both horses, but Snickes had not been off the farm since we bought him and I wasn’t sure a championship show would be a wise start to his budding show career. But due to her love for this young horse, we took him to a local show grounds to test his sanity and he was quite a gentleman.

Championship bound, I was informed by Snickers‘ young rider that since this was his first show off the farm, she would be be proud of him no matter how he placed. When the big day arrived, they both rose to the occasion. She won the championships on her school horse and was reserve champion on Snickers!

And so the love story began. And there was no decision other than to let it continue. I am happy to say that the love of Snickers’ life now owns him and their start to a lifetime of happiness and blue ribbons is just beginning! 

Oliver decided very early on that he didn’t want to race. He’s a very big guy, 17.2, and was born in 2013.  He raced first as a three year old and did not finish his first race.  The following year he raced ten times in 5 months. He was very slow and for his total of 11 races, he only earned $3800.

What happened to Oliver after he quit racing is unclear.  He reportedly was shown as a jumper but we do not have any further information or details. What we do know is that Oliver fell into some very unfortunate circumstances. When he came to us, he was extremely thin, had been abandoned and was recovering from not only malnutrition, but a series of serious abscesses.

I am happy to say that Oliver is headed toward a very good life. He seems happy and, although he hasn’t been with us  for very long, he has gained weight, had his feet trimmed and evaluated and is headed in the right direction.

Oliver ‘s imposing height does not negate his sweet, gentle personality. He’s a true gentleman, confident within himself and kind. As soon as he is totally healthy he will be a shining star in our lesson program. 

Addy was born in 2009 in Florida, a grand-daughter of AP Indy, her lineage including Seattle Slew and Secretariat. Her Jockey Club name is Lok Virsa.  She raced 23 times, with 4 firsts and one third place. She made a total of $38,000, 

After racing, Addy made her way to one of my students to whom I taught lessons. I remember her as a sensitive, willing mare and her owner adored her. She led a good life and later, when her owner told me she was moving and could not take her with her, I bought her and was glad to add her to our lesson program.

Addy is a girly girl. fancy, pretty and sensitive. She has a great work ethic and loves to have a job. She is kind and although very willing to work, she is  it overly strong and is a polite, obedient partner. Addy has also recently learned that she loves to jump and we are very excited to see where her jumping career takes her. 

Report to Ole, more affectionately known as “Ollie“, was born in North Dakota in 2012. He began racing at age two and raced consistently for 8 years. He raced 41 times but only made $17,900 and remained in North Dakota for his entire racing career.

Ollie reportedly had a short stint as a barrel horse with a teenager upon his retirement from racing. He was then sold to a woman who had two young girls. She said he was very gentle with them but that she became unable to feed him for financial reasons and she needed to sell him. At the point we went to look at him, he was emaciated.

Although I have encountered many underweight race horses over the years, nothing compares to the shape Ollie was in.  At the time, I almost didn‘t buy him as I knew it would take a considerable amount of time and money to get him healthy. But I couldn’t leave him. So, buy him I did and the journey began.

Now, Ollie is a fat, happy, sensitive, beautiful Thoroughbred. He is also a lovely mover.  And although it did take time for him to look and act like a real horse, lots of food and loads of love later, he deserves and is now ready to find his own person. 

Granger‘s Jockey Club name is Holy Handful. He is a grandson of Holy Bull and was an Indiana bred colt born in 2014. Granger only raced 4 times and he quickly made it known he was not interested in the racing industry, winning only $590. 

One of my students bought Granger after losing her horse to age-related colic. She has a very special bond with him. She is an adult amateur who wanted a stable, loyal partner and that is Granger. He has always been kind and always a fan of his mom.

Granger now belongs to a young lady who  is a family friend of his owner who continues to visit and support him. He continues to be a good boy living with a good family living a good life! 

Milo’s official Jockey Club name is J. of Mischief. Bred in Florida and born in 2015, Milo went to Puerto Rico to race and ran  for 4 years. He ran 49 times and made approximately $19,000. Just like his buddy and stable partner Paso, he was abandoned and left to starve. Milo’s luck changed when he was rescued and flown to a rescue in Miami, right along with Paso on the plane!

When we went to pick up Paso, I took along some students and they noticed Milo. He was in very, very poor shape. Unbeknownst to me, one of them ducked into his stall and prayed for and with him and asked that she be able to have him. As God often does, He granted that miracle and Milo came home to his new family. They have since bought a farm and moved him home, where he is treated like a king. Wishes do come true!