West Point Thoroughbreds was represented by not one, but two graded stakes winners at the 2024 Thoroughbred Makeover: Cavalry Charge and Decorated Invader! Their Thoroughbred Makeover trainers, Erin Knehr and Mary Termer, told the stories of these two winners in a joint blog entry each month, and this is their final installment.

Erin Knehr:

What a great experience for Cavalry Charge, aka Calvin: A well-run show and many thanks to the hard work and passion from the Retired Racehorse Project staff. We left the Makeover with homework but it was already on the list and there were no surprises. So yay! We met our goal of having a positive experience and walked away with some awards as well! 

A Makeover ribbon for Calvin. (Rylee Knehr photo)

I’m so proud of Calvin who showed his class during his time at the Kentucky Horse Park. Completely relaxed, he hung out by the show ring like he had been doing it his entire life. Our first day of showing came with the hunter division. This included two jumping rounds and a flat phase. Calvin jumped around both of his courses really well. His first course was great and he was a little stronger in his second course but still good. We decided to do the simple changes and adds down the line. It made no sense to change our plans after working so hard to build a base.

For the flat phase, the horses were broken up into groupings of eight.  Since we were in the last grouping of the day, my set was combined with the 3’ horses where they had a few scratches. This meant there were only four horses in my flat phase and a nice size for an under-saddle class. But this also meant a quick turnaround from my jumping phase to the flat. I would have liked a little more time to decompress from the jumping rounds, but the class went fine and Calvin was only a little on edge (for him). Very pleased that we ended up 9^th overall in the hunters and 2^nd place amateur for the division.

Day two was jumper day. My husband, Chris, took Calvin out for a quick lunge in the morning just to see where his head was at, and we knew he was a little tired. We went in for our class which included a flat test, gymnastic exercise and two jumping rounds. Again, Calvin was great. He was perfect through his pattern and jumped around well, just a little tired. He knocked one rail in the jump off, but in general was a little flat and slow off the ground throughout the course. I figured if that was the biggest problem, he will have a bright future. You rarely get to make the claim that your ex-stakes winner just had a lazy day. We finished 27^th overall in the jumpers and 9^th-placed amateur for the division.

Calvin was also awarded the best conditioned horse for the hunter division. I have to thank my husband for that one. As we left the farm, Chris reminded me to grab the yearling prep rags for our finishing touches at the show and he spent at least 30 minutes grooming him before each of our divisions. I would also like to thank German Minty Muffins for helping establish that fat and shiny coat as well as a thanks to his sire Honor Code for giving him all his pretty markings.

What really made the week special was all the support we received at the show. We had friends and barn buddies show up to cheer us on. Some of Calvin’s previous owners and connections from West Point Thoroughbreds also came to support him. You quickly realize what a connected world it is and how many people support these racehorses throughout their lives. I can’t thank the West Point team enough for connecting me with this horse and wanting the best for him and continuing to show support throughout this process. At the end of the day, horses can’t race forever so it’s wonderful when they successfully transition and bring their fan base along with them.

Calvin is already heading into his Act Three and my daughter is getting used to hacking him around the farm. Hopefully some day they will have a future together in the show ring! But in the meanwhile, come visit us in the show ring next year.

Mary Termer:

When Finn (Decorated Invader) arrived last fall, the RRP wasn’t even on the radar. In fact, the moment he stepped off the trailer, I had the thought of, “What did I just do?” When I agreed to take him, I didn’t take into consideration the fact that I had a full-time job, with a farm full of animals, and a fourth-level horse I was training. How was I going to add another training horse into this mix, as I’m just an adult amateur making it day to day?

The author with Finn. (Mary Termer photo)

Finn spent the first few months learning to be a horse – learning about turnout and pasture mates and the new routine. It took a while for Finn to learn to be caught with his newfound freedom, rather loving to play hide and seek, or more like run away and come to me. This would all change in April when Finn’s work became the priority and my saving grace.

I’ll never forget the moment Devin took the step that ended his career, and it was just that, a moment. All I can say is that I was thankful to have Finn to keep me busy – even if he wasn’t what I wanted at the time, he was exactly what I needed. And I am more than thankful to have been able to retire Devin and see him fat and sassy, hanging out with his donkey friends every day.

So, Finn came into full-time work, and work it was. Teaching not only me, but Finn, that it was OK to start over and start from scratch. No one else has ridden or worked Finn since he’s come to be with me. The progress, not perfection, is 100% mine. There have been lots of tears, which have slowly become tears of joy.

It was months before we were able to canter, and I remember thinking how were we going to be able to ride a training level test in a few short months? But surely enough we did it. We made multiple outings to different facilities with each show getting better and better, including multiple ribbons at the USDF Region 2 regionals in August, with promising comments from the judges, which only makes me excited for the future.

While the RRP wasn’t our best experience, it was another steppingstone in this journey. Although we didn’t place, I couldn’t have been happier with Finn’s behavior and willingness. From the vet check and jog to schooling, he came to this show like a seasoned show horse, not batting an eye at the electric atmosphere.

We have since come home and made some adjustments that we chose not to make during show season for a multitude of reasons. It’s been a busy month of saddle flocking, shoeing changes and diet adjustments, all of which are approved by Finn. I’m so thankful for all the support of friends and family this past year. From my amazing trainer and friend Dona Ruth, farrier Caleb Pearson, friend and COO of West Point Thoroughbred’s Erin Birkenhauer, and mostly my wife and partner Stacy Manning, I couldn’t have done it without them. It truly takes a village.

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.