This year, America’s Best Racing and the Retired Racehorse Project will be sharing diaries from several trainers preparing for the 2023 Thoroughbred Makeover competition, scheduled for Oct. 11-14 at the Kentucky Horse Park. Meet adult amateur rider Julianne Pangal and her RRP hopeful, Funnee, as they gear up for their maiden voyage to the Thoroughbred Makeover.

Hot take: I’ve never believed in the so called “heart horse” or “unicorn.”

To me, there’s no such thing as a horsey “soulmate,” but really a limitless number of horses that are what we need at various points in our riding careers.

I have always felt that there is a rider for every horse, a butt for every saddle, and the right size breeches for everybody ... you get the idea. There is something to be learned from every rider and horse partnership. If you are not a good fit for your horse, I highly suggest finding something more appropriate. Because at the end of the day, the majority of people participating in this sport are looking to have fun.

Kona competing at horse trials (Courtesy of Julianne Pangal)

All that said, there are certain times you just click with a horse, or maybe you have put in the time and have “made” a horse into exactly the partner you wanted. As someone who is constantly bringing on new projects and enjoying the training process, it comes as a pleasant surprise when you find one such horse. And, it can be devastating when that all gets taken away.

This month my 6-year-old Thoroughbred gelding Kona (Jockey Club name: Car Czar) suffered a catastrophic pasture injury while I was away on vacation. He fractured his hock, ruptured his short medial collateral ligament, and has a small lesion on his long medial collateral ligament. He went in for surgery at Cornell Equine Hospital, where they ultimately determined he wasn’t a surgery candidate because of this instability of his hock. He’s back home with me now, facing roughly 8 months of stall rest. The good news: he’s alive, pleasant, and happy in his stall (as long as he has snacks). My hope is that he’ll be able to come back as a flat horse/light trail-riding horse. Which also means that our plans to go to American Eventing Championships (AECs), move up to Novice, or continue competing at all, are over.

I originally purchased Kona as a resell project, and he proved himself to be steady, fun, and invaluable to me. He could foxhunt on Monday, teach a lesson for my trainer on Tuesday, and go eventing or show in the hunters on the weekends. Having a horse that could “do it all” was a game changer. Over the past few years, I decided I couldn’t part with him. We qualified for championships, AECs, racked up year-end awards, and the future was bright. We had just moved up to the 3 feet before my vacation started and Kona was feeling good and game for anything.

It’s so difficult to convey to a non-horse person that the loss of your horse (or his ability to compete) is just like the loss of a dream. Losing your competition partner, steady-eddy ride, or stress relief is the equivalent of going through a bad breakup. You run the gamut of emotions – denial, anger, grief, regret, and ultimately acceptance. After investing years of effort into a horse - riding, training, and competing – starting over is hard.

Funnee at the latest horse show (Courtesy of Julianne Pangal)

So now, I face the task of “making another Kona” – I hope my Retired Racehorse Project horse, Funnee, is up to it. My horsey friends have been so supportive and kind. Many have offered rides on their own horses, including sharing their hunt mounts so I don’t miss out on too much of the season. And I know that while Kona wasn’t my “heart horse,” he was a one-in-a-million partner. He showed up and tried every day. And now, I’ll do right by him and see out his rehab plan. Then, I’ll find another baby Thoroughbred in need of a new job. In some ways, we’ll be starting over together.

I feel for any of this year’s Retired Racehorse Project trainers whose horses are at a point where they might not make it to the Thoroughbred Makeover. Stay strong. Whether they have had soundness issues, are feeling behind on their training, or maybe suffered an injury, remember that it’s OK to hit pause, reset, or reimagine your RRP dreams. All of us are here to do right by our horses and give them the best future we can.

This was not a story about Funnee, but she certainly has some big horseshoes to fill! The process can be achingly slow, but this month she went on her first foxhunt, received fantastic scores at a dressage schooling show, and attempted her first derby (we failed – but that’s OK!). The Thoroughbred Makeover is sneaking up on us, but we are excited, hopeful and continuing forward on our journey.