ISSUE 1
Fall 2019 Youth Rescue
Horse Project
Amanda Sommer of Sommer Strides
Showcase Horses
Driving Fun Day 2019
About
RACER PLACERS, INC RACERPLACERS.COM
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ocated in the rolling hills of Southeastern Wisconsin on the Brattset Family Farm, Racer Placers cares for approximately twenty horses at any given time. Incoming horses are usually given several weeks of pasture turn out to let them enjoy some rest and relaxation, then saddle and/or pleasure driving training is begun. Standardbred horses are well known for their kind dispositions, great versatility and trainability. Having been exposed to all manner of noise and excitement at the tracks, they are usually very matter-of-fact about new environments and experiences, making them ideal family horses. Standardbred horses vary in size from 14 hands to 17+ hands, are most commonly bay (though black is not uncommon and gray horses are occasionally seen) and race either at the pace or trot. Many will naturally perform a “walking� gait under saddle, not unlike that of a Tennessee Walking Horse. Racer Placers, Inc. is a 501c3 non-profit charitable organization dedicated to rehoming and retraining Standardbred harness racing horses whose racing careers have ended. Our mission is to find responsible adoptive homes where these horses can begin second careers as pleasure driving horses, riding horses, as well as many other disciplines. We occasionally accept other breeds of horses, ponies and donkeys for placement when space and funds are available. For more information, call 262593-8051 2| uncagedbooks.com
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YOUTH RESCUE HORSE PROJECT meet the participants!
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DRIVING FUN DAY 2019
iNTERVIEW WITH aMANDA sOMMER of Sommer Strides Horse Training
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SHOWCASE HORSES OF RACER pLACERS at the Youth Expo
yOUTH HORSE PROJECT SCHEDULE
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Youth Rescue
Horse Project MEET THE YOUTH PARTICIPANTS!
Isabella Schneider and Axel
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y name is Isabella Schneider. I started taking lessons when I was 6 years old. One year later I started to lease a horse named Rio, he taught me the basics of caring for horses. When I was 9 years old we bought my first horse Kahlua. Throughout the 7 years I have owned her she taught me the ups and downs of owning a horse. She has taught me patience, responsibility, and most importantly the love I have for horses.
Axel is a two year old, 15 hand Standardbred gelding. Axel’s mother, a mare named Sweet Caroline N, came to Racer Placers from a slaughter sale in Pennsylvania and was with foal at the time, although this was not revealed at the sale! From the time Axel was a few hours old, his engaging personality captured the heart of everyone who met him. He has proven to have his mother’s sweet, mannerly and curious nature. He is happy when offered new learning opportunities, and enters every experience with interest and willingness. Axel will be three years old in May of 2020, and will then be ready for saddle training. He really is an unusual horse. Issue 1 | FALL 2019 |
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Brooke Kiefer and Quinn
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y name is Brooke Kiefer, and I have loved horses since I was two years old. Once I was 4 I rode my first horse and I was hooked. At age 5 I started to take lessons, and once I was 9 I started to show competitively. I started with my local county fair and have since then expanded to local shows and some out of state as well. I compete in Western Dressage, English and Western Pleasure, Ranch, and Speed. I also show on my high school equestrian team, and have qualified for state 2 years in a row. I show my personal horse Aurora. She is a mustang from Oregon that I adopted and trained with lots of help from my trainer. I also competed in the Midwest Rescue Horse Trainers Challenge last year, and won the youth division with a rescue horse named BabyCakes. I’m pursuing a career in the horse industry that deals with nutrition, along with my own horse training business. I believe in helping rescue horses reach their full potential and find their forever homes.
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We believe Quinn to be a Standardbred cross. He is a 3 year old gelding, about 14.3 hands tall. Quinn’s is a long, unfortunate story but he came to us as a 2 year old unhandled stud colt absolutely terrified of people. Quinn has made progress in the past year, and we believe he will do nothing but improve by August 24th!
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Jocelyn Cummins and Finn
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am 14 years old. I enjoy playing sports and riding horses. I first trained my mini to ride bareback and continued training with jumping, barrels, etc. Sadly I grew too tall for my mini and had to move on to my Quarter Horse and Tennessee Walker. I really want to learn more about ground training and possibly adopt a horse, because I have four sisters and not enough horses.
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Finn is a 14 hand, 3 year old pain auction in Pennsylvania as a 6 mo people. He leads and loads, but h things, and will be ready for saddl
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nt gelding of unknown ancestry. He came to Racer Placers from a slaughter onth old with his mother. Finn has always been quiet and friendly and he loves has many things yet to learn. Finn has no vices, seems willing to learn new le training after August 24th.
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Emma Von Dollen and Zena
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am Emma Von Dollen and I have loved horses all of my life.I am eleven years old and I started taking horse-back riding lessons at the age of seven years. I still take them. I do not have a horse but I would if I could and I am not completely horse-less because my grandparents have two wonderful rescue horses. That is pretty much my horse experience in a nutshell.
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Zena is a black Hackney pony mare in her mid-teens. She is about 12.2 hands and quite fancy looking. Zena has handled nicely for us once in hand, but came to us being a real catch problem. We know nothing of her past, but somewhere along the line she has decided that people are not her cup of tea! Once Emma is able to convince her otherwise, she will be an awesome pleasure pony.
Amber Hart and Puck
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have trained two horses before. I trained a rescue horse and I did the Extreme Mustang Makeover. I have also helped train horses, I have been riding and working with horses for 6 years. We also board horses at our farm so I have worked with many different horses.
Puck is a Hackney pony gelding in his mid-teens. Puck came to us from a woman in Pennsylvania who had bought him at an auction. He was very shy and skittish when he came, although she had worked with him quite a bit. He is now friendly and enjoys human companionship. We believe he has had driving experience in the past, and is looking for a home with someone who is interested in refining his driving skills. Issue 1 | FALL 2019 |
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Amber Hofmaier and Spike
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mber began riding horses 6 years back, she got her first horse Mr. Bingley, a previous Racers Placers rescue, 4 years ago. Amber and Bingley have been spending their time together jumping, showing and continuing to strengthen their bond. In January of 2019, Amber picked up a wild mustang and spent the next 90 days training him for the Midwest Horse Fair TIP Challenge. Amber and the mustang now known as Atlas took 14th overall against adult and youth trainers.
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Spike is a 15 year old, 13 hand Hackney pony gelding. Spike was harness trained at some point in his past, but was rather untrusting when donated to Racer Placers’ program. However, since then, he has become much more trusting and has proven himself to be a fun driving pony for an experienced driver. He really gets down to work in harness, and can make someone a really nice driving companion. With additional work, he could probably be a nice saddle pony for a child or small adult. Issue 1 | FALL 2019 |
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Ava Armstrong and Singiningintherain
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y name is Ava Armstrong. I’m a member of 4H. I am currently 14 years old and have been working and showing with horses for 4 years.
I’ve shown Western pleasure with American Quarter horses. The horse I’m currently showing is an appendix-quarter horse named Hotshot. The main shows I go to are at West 20 Ranch & Saddle Co and Jefferson County Fair.
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Singingintherain “Bumblebee” is a 15 year old Standardbred mare who originated in New Zealand. Nicknamed “Bumblebee”, she is a 15.2 hand, dark bay. Bumblebee has been a brood mare for several years, but is now moving on to a career as a pleasure horse. She is a very nice mare who is willing to learn new things.
Mason Blazewicz and Buddy
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y name is Mason from Palmyra, WI and I am 13 years old and have been working with horses since I was 9. When I was 9 I was not as brave as I am now. Before I was scared to ride the horse I was working with and did not have the confidence to work with other horses. Today I would get on almost any horse. The horse I rode before was a
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black Quarter Horse named Dori. I rode and showed her for 1 year and then I switched to Boon. Boon is a Quarter Horse also. I am still currently showing Boon and I have learned a lot at the barn practicing and in the show arena. I’ve enjoyed getting to know the different types of horses and how to ride them and work with them. My dad last summer adopted a mustang and I have enjoyed helping him to ride and teaching the horse confidence in having a rider.
Buddy is a yearling Standardbred gelding. He is about 13 hands tall, and is a real sweetheart. Buddy is very calm for a yearling, and he learns quickly. He loves people and gets along with everyone. Buddy is going to grow into a wonderful equine partner for someone willing to give him time to mature before putting him to work.
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hav My wa riding them, I start Stable easy to get
Pedro to be be ab a lot o and d to ridi partne
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Katrina Arndt and Incredible Brando
ve always wanted to have a horse. y mom refused to get me one until I as older and then said I had to have g lessons and learn more about , including how to take care of them. ted taking lessons at Winding River es with Robyn. She made things to learn and after a year I was able t my first horse.
o was very challenging. He needed a one-person horse so he would ble to feel more confident. I spent of time working on groundwork desensitizing with him, in addition ing. He is now my best friend and er.
Brando is a 15 year old Standardbred gelding. He is sweet, loves people, and is hoping for a career as a pleasure driving horse. After leaving the track several years ago, Brando has just been “being a horse”. He has a tilted pelvis, so is not suitable for riding, but does well driving and is not lame. He is everyone’s friend, and he gets along with other horses.
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Jordyn Jaeger and Franklin
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i my name is Jordyn. I am from Lake Mills, WI. I am 16 and have been working with and showing horses for 5 years. I have primarily worked with the American Quarter horse breed. Throughout these five years I have grown a lot with horses and have shown 3 different horses that were all very different two were mainly western type horses and the one I’m currently riding does both English and Western. I learn a lot from the horses I work with. Not only do I learn more about them as a horse but about myself as well. “Why do I ride horses? Because I look at my horse, and I see my hopes and dreams. I see my happiness. I see my success. I see my pride and soul. I look in a mirror and I see a person. I look at my horse and I see myself.”
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Rambo “Franklin” is a 4 year old Stan came to us very recently from an auct come a long way in a short amount of fine as he learns from Jordyn that peo
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ndardbred/Dutch Harness Horse cross. He is a big boy at 17 hands, and he tion. He has been harness trained, but becomes nervous in harness, but he’s f time. Franklin is friendly and kind and loves attention, and we believe he will be ople can actually be a pretty good deal.
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F.R. and Fiona
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started doing chores in exchange for riding time at my barn when I was 9. Since that time I have been given many opportunities that have allowed me to grow both in my work with horses and in my everyday life. I have worked with a number of horses, including a rescue horse and a 2 year old, and assist my trainer with other horses around the farm, along with teaching lessons to other riders. I am so grateful for this amazing opportunity for me to expand my experience as a trainer and to possibly better the life of a rescue horse.
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Fiona is a two year old, 14.2 hand paint filly of unknown ancestry. She was born to a mare who came to Racer Placers from a slaughter sale in Pennsylvania. Fiona has been very well handled since birth, and she is sweet, curious, has good ground manners and is eager to learn. Fiona is calm by nature and seems to take everything in stride. Fiona will be three years old in January of 2020, and will then be ready for saddle training, which will just be one more thing she will enjoy learning.
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DRIVING
Fun Day 2019
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ith all the fun that everyone had at our past Driving Fun Days, we are tentalively looking at October, 2019 for another day of fun and learning! We will announce on Facebook and the website when we have all the details for you! Participants will have hands-on learning, the basics of harnessing and driving your horse or pony. On the right, Do Me Bliss came back with his adopter to help out.
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| DRIVING FUN DAY |
A hearty team of Belgians took everyone for wagon rides
Fanny, a mini-donkey - stole the show as she showed everyone that driving isn’t just for horses. Issue 1 | FALL 2019 |
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Peanut, a fancy Hackney Pony, stands quietly as she’s harnessed up above. Peanut shows everyone how it’s done to the right.
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Munch, came back to visit and showed us how much fun driving can be. Below, Trigger takes some participants for a drive.
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INTERVIEW WITH
Amanda Sommer of Sommer Strides Horse Training
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manda Sommer of Sommer Strides Horse Training has been training horses for over 10 years. She has competed in 8 mustang training competitions and is an approved TIP trainer with the Mustang Heritage Foundation. Amanda has placed in the top 10 often with her mustangs including earning $6,000 at the Mustang Million in 2013. With her mustangs she has also competed in the 2016 and 2018 WDAA (Western Dressage Association of America) World Show, earning 5 top 10 titles. 2014-2019 Amanda worked for North American Western Dressage as a test writer and program developer. She also earned her judge’s license for Western Dressage, Long Reining, Trail, Freestyle and Ranch Horse. It has now become Amanda’s mission to continue to learn the proper way to ride and train our horses while promoting soundness and long-lasting abilities in our horses.
sommerstrides.com
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| INTERVIEW | Can you tell us about how you got started teaming up with Racer Placers to help re-train horses to become more adoptable? What do you begin with when you get a horse in for retraining? I began training horses for Racer Placers back in 2012. Weenonah just contacted me one day by email looking to get some training done on some of her rescue horses. I started with one Standardbred mare that February then by the spring she sent me two Arabians she got, the rest is history. Weenonah knew that getting some professional handling and training would help these horses become more adoptable. Also by my location, I’ve been able to help find homes for many of the horses I’ve trained. Quite a few of them have gone to clients of mine. I always begin with an evaluation when I receive a horse for training. Often Racer Placers doesn’t know the full story, so I start with lots of ground work and handling skills. Then I work up to desensitizing and obstacles followed by riding. What is your favorite experience retraining these horses? A lot of the horses that come through Racer Placers are special. Some of them I’m touched by their sad history and others are just awesome, talented horses. My favorite thing is seeing them find the perfect home, where their adopter seems 28| racerplacers.com |
| AMANDA SOMMER |
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meant to find them. You are teaming up once again with Racer Placers for the Youth Rescue Horse Project. How has being a part of this project been for you? What do you want people to take away from this? 30| racerplacers.com |
Racer Placers and I have been talking about doing some sort of trainer challenge for years, I have competed in several myself including Extreme Mustang Makeovers. Then this winter Weenonah had the idea to instead offer an event strictly for youth. The process would be an opportunity for the kids to take on a project for the summer without the intensity of competi-
| AMANDA SOMMER | tion, but instead to just gain the experience with responsibility and at the same time give these horses some good exposure. I have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of this process and I believe it to be a great cause for the kids and for the horses. My hope is that each one of these kids gains the satisfaction of accomplishing achievements with their horse and I hope that each one of these horses finds a great home. What influenced you to become a horse trainer? I’ve always enjoyed horses and working with them, but growing up, I never wanted to be a horse trainer. Then in 2006 I attended the Minnesota Horse Training Academy where I began to learn how to think like a trainer. From there my passion totally changed. Over the years, I continue to learn and grow as much as I can as a horse trainer. Can you give us a background on your training methods and where you learned? The Minnesota Horse Training Academy taught me how to think like a horse trainer, that’s also where I learned the importance of desensitizing and obstacles with your horse, no matter what discipline. But over the years, I’ve begun to deepen my knowledge and a lot of that has come from simply gaining the experience from working and training all sorts of horses.
Over the past 5 years or so I’ve starting going down the road of Classical Training, learning about the biomechanics of the horse and how to apply my training to that method. I’ve learned a lot from Patrick King, Dr. Gerd Heuschmann and Jillian Kreinbring. You also train wild Mustangs and compete regularly in the Mustang TIP Challenge. Can you tell us more about this program? How many Mustangs have you trained so far? I have competed in 8 mustang training competitions over the years, not just the Extreme Mustang Makeovers but also including the Mustang Magic, Mustang Million, American Horsewoman’s Challenge, and the TIP Challenge. The formant for each of them has been different, but all of them start with an untouched, wild mustang you have to train and then compete against people from around the country. I have placed often in the top 10 at these competitions and hope to do more in the future. Make sure to follow Sommer Strides on Facebook, and to visit her website if you have a horse you’d like to get some training for!
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MEET THE
Horses of Racer Placers at the Youth Expo
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esides the horses that will be in attendance with the youths at the Racer Placer Youth Expo on August 24, Racer Placers will also be showcasing some adoptable horses. There will be adoption applications at the expo - and here is a sneak peek of a few of the horses that people can meet.
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Maverick Muffler Maverick is a Standardbred gelding about 16.3 hands and is 20 years young. He is saddle trained and will be showcased at the Youth Horse Rescue Project event on August 24th. He will be available for adoption to an approved adopter. Maverick has a lot of talent in an arena setting, but is not recommended for traffic.
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Stargazer Stargazer is a 16 yr. old, 14.2h Arabian gelding and the son of Baskin Robbins. He’s spent some time this summer with Sommer Strides getting a tune-up.
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Lady Lady is an 11 yr old mare of unknown ancestry. She is sweet and loves attention and is not at all spooky. She has been trail ridden and will be ideal for an intermediate rider. She is about 15 hands tall and sturdily built. Lady is a very easy keeper.
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