The Tenacious Thoroughbred! Throughout the month of May, we are featuring Thoroughbreds and Thoroughbred crosses.
We recently asked our social media followers to share a photo of their favorite Thorughbred or Thoroughbred cross, and tell us a little about them, for a chance to be featured on YourDressage, and we are so excited to share all the photos we received highlighting this versatile breed! If you have a tenacious Thoroughbred you’d like to share, send us an email at yourdressage@usdf.org.
Did you know… Dressage riders who compete with a member of this speedy breed are eligible for special awards through the Adequan®/USDF All-Breeds Awards program, as The Jockey Club is a participating organization!
Liz Crawley Photography
– Leigh B.
– Gianna R.
– Sarah E.
2013 Model, raced 31 times and made 82k
My once in a lifetime horse and dream come true. Ice is truly the best horse anyone could ask for as their first horse and first OTTB. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner on my dressage journey and because of him we have done things I only ever dreamed of doing.
With just a meager two months of prep, we went to our 2025 Region III GAIG/USDF Regionals and finished in the top ten as and was the first non-warmblood to place.
In our efforts, we earned a USDF Rider Performance Award for achievements at Training Level. He earned this year the 2025 USDF All-Breeds Award / The Jockey Club 3rd place at Training Level in the Adult Amateur Division & 4th Place in the Open Division. We were the 2025 Champions of our Dressage Division for the T.I.P Performance Awards and tied for 11th in the Overall.
He’s an RRP Graduate of the 2020/2021 MegaMakeover and we were the 2020 3rd placed Adult Amateur in dressage and was 23rd overall.
He’s done all of this and more while having retired from racing with a severely bowed tendon, showing that horses with his type of injury shouldn’t be counted out.
– Kendal L.
– Karla P.
Camille Holmes photo
– Marissa D.
24 years old
Semi retired, enjoying the life!!! He’s been my best friend for 18 years. Training level to PSG!!
We got our bronze together, half of silver and Much more. He’s my heart horse ❤️🐎
Nicole L Dlugosz photography
– Taylor S.
– Janan F.
– Adrienne B.
– Julia M.
At just three years old, Strolln stood quietly with racing plates still nailed to his feet, as if no one had told him the race was already over.
He had tried. Five races, five last-place finishes. The track had spoken, and in that world, there wasn’t much patience for a horse who didn’t win. So his path changed—quickly and without ceremony—until he found himself far from the roar of the crowd, on the cold edge of the Canadian border in Kill pen, standing in a feedlot and waiting. Thin. Worn. Still just a baby. No one could say what he thought in those long hours, but his future was narrowing fast. The trailer he was bound for didn’t promise another chance—only an ending.
But sometimes, endings get interrupted.
Because someone saw him. Because someone cared. Because a small group of people decided his story wasn’t finished yet.
Gerda’s Equine Rescue stepped in, and everything changed.
Instead of crossing a border toward slaughter, Strolln crossed into something else entirely—hope. He arrived in Massachusetts unsure, underweight, and carrying the quiet weight of everything he’d been through. There were no crowds now, no starting gates. Just soft voices, steady hands, and time. Time to rest. Time to heal. Time to just be a horse. And slowly, piece by piece, Strolln began to change.
The sharp edges softened. The hollowness filled. The anxious energy gave way to curiosity. Beneath the uncertainty, a different kind of athlete began to emerge—not one built for speed, but for connection, balance, and trust.
A new chapter unfolded. Dressage, not racing. Partnership, not pressure. Learning instead of proving.
Now, as he turns six, Strolln stands in a completely different place—not just physically, but in every way that matters. His body is stronger. His eyes are brighter. His future, once so uncertain, is wide open. The horse who finished last five times didn’t fail. He was simply meant for something else. And in the space between what ended and what began, Strolln found exactly where he was meant to be.
Strolln aka “Strolln with Stela”
– Rebecca S.
– Courtney S.
– Kirsten W.
Perlino Thoroughbred stallion, completed NASST with highest rideability score in 2025. Possible Prix St George’s debut in 2026.
– Lauren K.
Lisa Michelle Dean Photography
– Karlee W.
– Kasey M.
Lisa Michelle Dean Photography
– Kara H.
Lisa Michelle Dean Photography
– Hayley B.
Heart Horse Media
– Andrea R.
– Christin DV.
– Cassie H.
– Karin A.
– Cannon Sporthorses
– Cannon Sporthorses
– Zoe Hockett
