Soar, trained and ridden by Lindsey Partridge, captured this year’s title of “America’s Most Wanted Thoroughbred” at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.
The competition, sponsored by the Retired Racehorse Project’s Thoroughbred Makeover program, demonstrates what Thoroughbreds can do after their racing career ends. Competitors vie in a variety of disciplines—polo, show hunter, barrel racing, dressage, eventing, foxhunting, showjumping, working ranch, and competitive trail. The top three competitors chosen by the judges from each division are invited to compete in the finale. One horse is chosen as “America’s Most Wanted Thoroughbred.”
Soar, a 2007 Canadian-bred mare, competed in both the Competitive Trail Division and the Freestyle Division. The latter division was offered as a catch-all for those horses that didn’t fall into any of the nine disciplines offered. Although Soar was shown in the Competitive Trail Division, the Freestyle really allowed her to show off her exceptional talents. Click to watch the video of this sweet, unflappable horse and her talented trainer performing their Freestyle ride.
All the competing horses showed their talents for their new jobs after less than one year’s training. This year’s competition hosted nearly two hundred horses, all of them required to possess a Jockey Club tattoo, to have been raced or in race training after January 1, 2013, and not to have had any significant training for anything other than racing prior to January 15, 2015.
Click to see Sarah Coleman’s complete article, video, and photos in HorseChannel.com.
Posted November 6, 2015
