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.

Funnee, my 3-year-old Thoroughbred, and I have been continuing to gear up for this year’s Thoroughbred Makeover event. I can’t help but take note that this part of our “training” is marked by many firsts. We’ve gone on our first off-property adventures, had our first trail rides, and trotted over our first little logs. We’ve also experienced our first emergency doctor’s appointment, our first tantrum, and (with the spring weather) our first bath – sometimes it sounds like I’m raising a child not a Thoroughbred.

I also find that with these “first” experiences, I can forget to take a step back to No. 1 enjoy the journey and No. 2 recognize all our small “baby” steps along the way.

Spring Shots Season

With the arrival of spring comes our regularly scheduled annual veterinarian appointment! I typically plan one appointment early in the year to cover spring vaccinations, annual dentals, and a general wellness exam for my small herd. Funnee was, of course, added to the mix.

Funnee's molar caps (Courtesy of Julianne Pangal )

My vet was pleased to see that Funnee’s heel bulb injury from the winter was looking good and has almost completely healed. She is very weedy, going through a growth spurt and losing her winter fuzzies right now. After taking our best (awkward) Coggins glamour shots, we moved on to our dentals.

When you get a young horse off the track, unless you ask, you may not know what dental work they’ve had done or if they’ve ever had their teeth floated. Funnee was very well behaved for what might have been her very first “trip to the dentist.” She was a little wide-eyed about the mouth speculum — it goes on your horse’s head just like a halter and keeps their mouth open so the vet has easier access — but was very well-behaved for the exam and floating.

Another fun surprise with young horses is that sometimes during these exams they lose molar caps or, as was the case with my gelding, need a minor extraction. Typically, horses between the ages of 2 ½ and 5 years old lose about 12 cheek teeth caps, but these tend to shed naturally during the grazing process. It was my lucky day, as Funnee lost two molar caps - which my vet let me keep as a souvenir. As someone who grew up at a small backyard barn, most of our horses were not at the age where they were still losing teeth. It’s a novelty to me when I can see my baby horses lose a tooth and get to see the tooth up close. I just wish the tooth fairy would reimburse me for the vet visit.

Dipping a Toe in the Water: Our First Ditch

This month, Funnee and I also tackled her first real ditch. I am a member of the Genesee Valley Hunt, and lucky for me, I have several hunt members and friends who will gladly bring out their seasoned fox hunters to babysit Funnee and I for some light trail rides.

One of first rides on road. (Courtesy of Julianne Pangal )

One bright and windy spring day, we decided to take a trail that led to a more “complicated” ditch. Because of the natural thawing of the world during this time of year, what is normally a trickle of water in this ditch was more like a small, running creek (which can be a challenge for any horse). The ditch also has a fairly steep bank on both sides. Many horses feel that they need to make a big effort to jump the ditch, or that there is no turning back once they start to slide down the embankment.

Rather than turn around, we decided to attempt the ditch crossing.

My friend and her horse crossed ahead of us. At first, Funnee was having none of it. Rather than putting up a fight, or spinning on her heels, she was fairly stoic. She assessed the creek and decided she really didn’t want to get her feet wet today. I went through my typical baby horse arsenal — a few light taps, attempting to back through the water, and encouraging her to sniff the “scary” thing. In all honesty, I don’t think she was really scared at all, but her brain was busy processing what we were doing.  

Ultimately, we had to compromise. I hopped off and led her through the ditch a few times (my feet had to get wet, too). After going back and forth on foot, I was able to hop back on and Funnee crossed the ditch like it was nothing. We continued on our way, and later, came back to the same ditch on our path home. It was old news at that point.

While some riders might not count that as a win, I was happy to learn more about Funnee and conquer an obstacle together. She was reasonable and never lost her cool, and with a little patience, was happy to learn. Hopefully, that was our first ditch of many.

As we get closer to October, I need to remind myself of these “first” stories. The small moments, where we can experience something together for the first time, is where the magic (and training) happens. I think these little memories will end up being a bigger part of our journey than our first blue ribbon.

To all my fellow Thoroughbred Makeover trainers – here’s my little reminder to take it all in and enjoy the process.

The Jockey Club supports many aftercare initiatives including the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, the only accrediting body in aftercare, and Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.), which encourages the retraining of Thoroughbreds into other disciplines upon completion of careers. View all of the initiatives supported by The Jockey Club.