After Susan Miller’s senior American Paint Horse received a diagnosis of a pedal bone illness, her equine medical professional proposed she investigate the Hope After Racing Thoroughbreds (HART) organization to find a reliable riding companion. This recommendation guided her toward Including All — now lovingly called “Indicator.”
Miller was paired with Indicator through the expertise of Sarah Williams, the guiding hand behind Hope After Racing Thoroughbreds. Indicator bore the weight of three surgical bolts in his joint and was restricted from soaring over fences or engaging in intense physical exercises.
“Yet, for relaxed meandering along paths and avenues, he would be just right, precisely aligning with the desires of this mature adopter,” Miller recounted. Including All is a 2015 chestnut Thoroughbred gelding, recorded with three race entries and $2,965 in lifetime winnings.
Indicator’s tranquil demeanor rendered his re-education effortless, swiftly establishing him as Miller’s preferred equine friend “when my mind is weary, and I simply wish to unwind and ride a consistently calm horse.”
Indicator demonstrated remarkable acumen, perceiving the diverse locations they explored as genuinely intriguing, thus, he has wholeheartedly relished their shared experiences.
“His unwavering, ‘Even-keeled’ essence proved ideal for encounters with cyclists, canines, individuals spanning all ages, fellow horses, and a multitude of other elements frequently encountered during trail rides,” Miller expressed.
A couple of years elapsed before Miller took in Beautiful Bridge, currently recognized as “Elegance.” She is a 2014 chestnut Thoroughbred mare who participated in only a pair of races before her retirement. Elegance’s disposition contrasted sharply with Indicator’s. Described as “spirited and self-assured” by the Horse and Hound equestrian coach, Miller’s spouse jested, “Ah, she and my partner will certainly get along splendidly, then!”
Susan Miller discovered she couldn’t resist embracing Elegance, conceding she was “drawn to the challenge presented by her character and sensed an innate connection with her.”
Elegance’s training demanded additional patience, as she required learning to amble without the urge to constantly prance. Their inaugural trail outing metamorphosed into a genuine evaluation of forbearance, transforming a sixty-minute excursion into a two-hundred-and-forty-minute saga punctuated by bridges, bicycles, anglers with pungent containers, motor-driven two-wheelers, and an assortment of other elements. Nonetheless, that particular ride marked a pivotal juncture: “Evidently, she resolved that I was the ‘leading mare’ from that moment onward, settled her temperament, and now seeks my direction and reassurance in most aspects.”
At present, Elegance stands as Susan Miller’s foremost selection when she aspires to feel entirely absorbed and connected with both her equine companion and the surrounding landscape, while Indicator continues to be her dependable and serene choice. She has found genuine joy with her pair of Thoroughbreds and harbors no reservations about venturing beyond her comfort zone with American Paint Horses.
As Miller is inclined to articulate, “I possess an Elegance underpinned by an Indicator!”
She anticipates numerous forthcoming years of riding and eventually undertaking journeys to uncover novel trails in diverse regions.
The Jockey Club lends its support to various aftercare programs including the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, which serves as the exclusive certifying entity in the realm of aftercare, and the Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.), an initiative designed to foster the retraining of Thoroughbreds for participation in alternate fields upon the culmination of their racing careers. Examine all initiatives endorsed by The Jockey Club.
