Bedrock Farm: The animals that teach us

My best friend in highschool had always grown up with race horses. Her father was a trainer and her older sisters worked at the track. So after highschool my friend made her was to the track as well. I was invited to go visit her. So I went with her mother to Saratoga to see my friend "Patty" and see how she lived and what type of work she did. I ended up spending a week there with her and in the end the trainer she was working for offered me a job being that I had experience with horses. Working with racehorses was a whole lot different from what I was used to. Growing up we were always leary of Thoroughbreds stereo-typing them as being high strung and crazy.

I started my work as a hotwalker for Gary Contessa Racing Stable. He was and still is one of the top trainers in New York. I learned so much working for him. I am very much a visual learner and I learned by watching the grooms, trainer, assistant trainer, and handling horses for the vets and farriers. I loved my job. Of course you are never supposed to get attached to a race horse, because there are many things that can happen. I don't think I could ever not get attached to any animal. And there was one horse in particular who I learned so much from.

His name was Able Buck by Silver Buck. He was a 2 year old $56,000 purchase when I met him. A beautiful bright bay very stunning to look at. However he was known as a bad boy. He was a biter and his favorite trick was to rear up and slap the lead out of his handlers hands. I had a reputation for being able to handle the tough horses. So I got to be his hotwalker. I had special duties and was the only one allowed to hotwalk him. Him and I had an understanding. He got me and I got him. He was a naughty boy, but I could do anything with him. It was my job to lead him to the track every morning and lead him back and hot walk him. This required me being at the barn at 4:30 every morning because Buck had to go out while it was still dark and no other horses were on the track. If it was light out when he went to the track he would give his excercise rider quite the ride :) At one point or another Buck had bitten everyone who worked in our barn. Anyone who groomed him would make sure to tie his head tight to the wall to avoid his teeth. My relationship with Bucky taught me about love, respect, and trust. He never did anything to try to hurt me. He was my boy and he knew it. However I broke the cardinal rule of working at the track. I got attached to him. It often happens that owners and trainers have misunderstandings and horses get changed to different trainers. It happens all of the time on the racetrack. Well Buck's owner and the trainer had an argument and the owner decided to move his horses to another trainer. I will never forget the day I got the news that Buck was leaving. I was devastated. The time came for Buck to go to the new barn and before they came to get him my boss took his halter off and gave it to me as a momento. I still have it. I quit my job with Contessa that day. I couldn't bare to walk by the empty stall. I did visit Buck after he left and he was not the same horse. The fire was gone from his eyes and he was dull and lifeless. I felt like I had let him down. But I will never forget him. I have tried to find him and I believe he is standing stud out west somewhere. He taught me sooo much and he will always be very special to me.

Buck winning in Florida

Pics my friend took of Buck. He had to wear a lip chain otherwise he would rear and get loose. He never tried it with me but the trainer would not let us take the pictures unless we put the lip chain on him.