The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program has announced the recipients of its two non-competition awards for 2013: the T.I.P. Thoroughbred of the Year Award and the T.I.P. Young Rider of the Year Award.
Recipient of the Thoroughbred of the Year Award, which recognizes a Thoroughbred that has excelled in a non-competitive career, is Loveable Rascal, an 11-year-old therapy horse from Fieldstone Farm Therapeutic Riding Center in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. He has been a therapy horse for six years.
Bred by Brereton C. Jones' Airdrie Stud, Loveable Rascal (aka Rascal) went on to become a successful hunter/jumper after his racing career and became a therapy horse after sustaining an injury.
"Rascal is one of those horses that not only knows he is helping riders, he wants to," Jinene Studinski, equine director at Fieldstone Farm wrote in the award application. "Through Rascal's generous heart and instinct to serve, children with autism and Down Syndrome have said their first words. Adults with multiple sclerosis and children with neurological disorders have improved balance and gained strength. Some have even taken their first steps after riding him. High school students and military veterans have found hope and strength. Rascal is an amazing horse that reaches people of all ages and with all kinds of challenges and helps them become stronger physically and emotionally so they can better cope with daily life."
The young rider award, which recognizes a rider 18 or under who owns or leases a Thoroughbred for use in 4-H, Pony Club, or other activities, was split among four riders: Chloe Bellerive, Madison Shaughnessy, Natalie Roberts, and Annise Montplaisir.
Bellerive, who is 14 and has been riding since she was 2, is involved in various horse activities both mounted and educational, including 4-H, FFA, and USHJA. Her horse, Lemon Twister, aka Atlas, raced four times with one win and earnings of $16,320.
"Everywhere we go, after I exit the rings someone always asks me about his breeding, and I very proudly state he is a Thoroughbred and an ex-racehorse that I was very lucky to find," said Bellerive.
Bellerive, who is from Keedysville, Md., plans to use her T.I.P. award funds for training and to help promote Thoroughbreds in their second careers.
Madison Shaughnessy, an 18-year-old from Niangua, Mo., rescued her horse Miss Guided from Forget Me Not Horse Rescue, where Shaughnessy was a volunteer. Miss Guided, aka Missy, had 16 starts and earned more than $22,000. "This horse has inspired me and changed my outlook on life in so many different ways," said Shaughnessy.
Shaughnessy plans to use her T.I.P. award funds to help pay for her education at William Woods University, where she plans to pursue a path in the horse industry.
Roberts, is an 18-year-old from Winters, Calif. Her horse, Comcord, aka Cece, was a challenge to ride when Roberts first got her. "Cece was a very difficult horse when she first came off the track; however, many of her behavioral issues were caused by physical pain related to management practices that were easily corrected," said Roberts in a T.I.P. release.
Because of what she learned from Cece, Roberts plans to use her T.I.P. award to help pay for her education. She plans to study biochemisty and molecular biology at University of California, Davis, in preparation for veterinary school.
Montplaisir met her horse, Cyclone Larry, aka Larry, when she was working as a racehorse ambassador at the North Dakota Horse Park. "On race days, I would stand by the front gates near a corral that held an off-the-track Thoroughbred," said Montplaisir. "The goal was to promote the adoption of off-the-track Thoroughbreds and increase the popularity of horse racing."
Montplaisir, who is 18 and lives in Moorhead, Minn., plans to use her T.I.P. award funds to help pay for her education at North Dakota State University. Her goal is to work in the horse racing industry.
Created and announced in October 2011, T.I.P. recognizes and rewards the versatility of the Thoroughbred through sponsorship of Thoroughbred classes and high point awards at sanctioned horse shows, performance awards, and non-competition awards.
