The Tenacious Thoroughbred! Throughout the month of May, we are featuring Thoroughbreds and Thoroughbred crosses.
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!
Here, a region 2 rider shares her journey with her two very different Thoroughbred mares, Gravel Gertie and Castle Dreams!
By Kirsten West
Hello, my name is Kirsten West, and I own Gravel Gertie (Perfecting x Weber’s Miss Slew – Slew City Slew) and Castle Dreams (Cashel Castle x Whatwaswethinking – Spanish Steps), both off-track Thoroughbred (OTTB) mares.
My journey with horses began at a young age, starting with my uncle’s horse farm and culminating in English riding lessons at Rocky River Stables. I briefly stepped away from horses during high school and early college.
One day, in 2005, I was browsing the Communication Alliance to Network Thoroughbred Ex-Racehorses (CANTER) Ohio website, and decided to acquire a Thoroughbred. Would I recommend buying an off-track Thoroughbred to someone as their first horse? Most likely not.
The reason for this is not that OTTBs don’t make fantastic horses, first or otherwise. It’s that I got Gertie, a plain dark bay with soulful eyes, and the Powers That Be broke the mold on the most wonderful horse there is. Simply put, I got lucky.
Gertie is a kind, gentle, stubborn, opinionated soul with a great work ethic who knows her job. She was six when I adopted her, and she viewed me as just another transient individual in her life before quickly realizing that I was her person.
It’s been twenty-one years since that fateful decision, and I haven’t regretted a single minute. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to show or not, and I did not have a trailer to take her anywhere, so we didn’t go to our first show until August of 2021. Gertie was 22, and I was 43. We earned second and third placings. I couldn’t have been prouder.
Gertie always feels that there is somewhere to be, and the free walk is not her forte. Up until the show, we were just having fun in the arena, jumping small courses, and trail riding. These days, we ride out on the trails multiple times a week, and just enjoy life. I get to relax and decompress while trying to get her to do the same. She has earned it!
I also own Castle Dreams. Originally, I was looking for a friend for Gertie since my aunt’s gelding (Fuzzy Ferd) had passed away. I came across four-year-old Castle’s adoption ad on CANTER Chicago in August of 2017.
Castle is a stunning dapple gray whom I saw on a Monday, and the following Sunday, she arrived. She immediately took to Gertie, and having had such an easy time with Gertie, I was not expecting all the issues that I have experienced with Castle.
Castle would be pleasant and forward for a few months, and then, seemingly out of the blue, would refuse to go forward, kick out, and rear. My vet and I addressed her thin soled feet, I purchased a custom-fitted saddle for her, injected her sacroilliac (SI) and hocks, treated her for hind gut ulcers, and, in July of 2019, sent her to Ohio State University (OSU) for a bone scan.
It was there that the vets began to suspect kissing spines was the cause of her abrupt change in behavior. We tried mesotherapy and Osphos (clodronate disodium) injections, to no avail.
Castle returned to OSU in December 2019 for interspinous ligament desmotomy surgery. I took my time with her rehab, which included twice-daily hand walking, before moving on to lungeing with a Pessoa System and Equiband to encourage stretching, doing various body stretches involving the neck and back, and shockwave therapy.
Our post-surgery first ride took place the following March, and it went well. However, this success did not last, and Castle went back to acting out within a few months. It was at this point that I reached out to Patrick Cooper, an individual who works with problem horses.
I sent her to Patrick in June of 2021, and he worked with us for two months, teaching us to communicate. I credit him with being able to ride Castle today. It was through his commitment and excellent horsemanship that Castle and I were able to click, developing a productive and cohesive partnership. Castle now also gets acupuncture every four months to keep her happy.
Castle joined Gertie in the show ring in August 2022, earning a Thoroughbred Incentive Program (TIP) ribbon by finishing first and second place. I was so proud of us, particularly with all that we had been through over the years.
In 2025, we moved up to Training Level, and I would like to continue showing Castle with my goal being to compete at a recognized show, and continue moving up the levels. I would love to bring Gertie along – if I can ever get her to relax!
I have always loved horses as a whole, but Thoroughbreds have a special place in my heart. They are wicked smart, curious, opinionated, and stubborn, loyal to their person, and most importantly, they love with all their heart and soul.
Gertie and Castle have seen me through the death of my mom and dad, providing quiet comfort when my world was in disarray. Gertie is more independent, bordering on aloof, while Castle needs to be entertained. I call her the welcome wagon of the barn.
I am their person, just as they are both my horses; however, Castle is definitely a one-rider horse. She will not tolerate another individual (other than Patrick) telling her what to do. Gertie, on the other hand, is tolerant and takes care of her rider. She’s still a handful, but not dangerous.
They each have taught me to be a better rider through their differences – Gertie has good bone, is well-built, and strong. She makes you work for what you want, if you know what you’re doing. Castle has legs for days, doesn’t tolerate fools, and needs a quiet hand.
It sounds silly, but getting Gertie to go through a puddle is a major achievement. She will play and roll in one, but not walk or be ridden through one. With Castle, I am most proud of how far we have come together. The three of us have made commitments to each other, and they will be with me until the very end.
I will take a Thoroughbred over any breed. I know the breed is frequently overlooked in today’s dressage society, and often the only thing people associate them with is racing and the potential of being hot-headed. But I ask you this: where would your warmblood be without the Thoroughbred?
FUN FACT: The author has also spoken with the breeder of Gravel Gertie, and found out that he served in World War II, and on his return home wanted to pay homage to the ‘Rosie the Riveter’ women who worked behind the scenes during that time, eventually settling on the name Gravel Gertie!
