Short Time at Rockett's Mill Farm

I went to work at Rockett's Mill Farm in April 1993, though I didn't work there for long, I think about 5 weeks, it was a very memorable experience.

The first Thoroughbred that I got on was a big bay 2 year old colt named Rugged Bugger.   From the first ride, I knew he was special and was a lot of fun.  He had a nice stride, easy mover, and a wonderful disposition.   Unfortunately, to everyone else on the farm, they did not think he had the most attractive of heads and he was given the name of "Bus Head", because they said it was so big and ugly.   I later realized that a lot of the nicknames for the horses on that farm were mean spirited or not flattering, picking on negatives instead of positives, and it showed, as there seemed to be a negative air, a lot of the time, around the place.

I was given a string of 4 horses to ride and work with, I usually only rode 2 or 3, the others I took care of were on lay-up or were retired, including an Arabian stallion.  I didn't know much about Arabian racing, but he did have the air of being special, as well, and it wasn't until much later that I learned that he held the 6 furlong track record at Los Alomitos Race Track for Arabians, for quite some time.  His name was MHF Eclipse and I was his groom, while I worked there.   Other than that, I didn't do much with him, since he was retired.  I felt sorry for him, as he never got turned out, just the occasional romp in a round pen.

Rugged Bugger was my favorite of my string, but there was also another special Thoroughbred that I took care of for the whole time I was there and also rode, a dark grey colt named Game Quoit.   He had the nickname of "Lug Nut", due to his dark color.

The fourth slot in my string was rotated out regularly by horses that needed my special care, because the trainer quickly learned I was good at taking care of injuries and horses that needed a little extra attention.

I also used my really good memory to memorize all the horses in the barn, the stable chart, their registered names and nick names, I just wish I could remember them all now, but I did remember quite a few, for a number of years, long enough to know that my two boys turned out to be the best of the barn of over 40 horses.

I would get called upon to hold horses for the farrier, because I knew when he asked for a horse, where it was located and didn't have to go ask.  I also could help quickly locate any horse for anyone else who needed to know.  I could handle all of them, so I could move them around, from the hotwalking machine or roundpen, while others cleaned stalls, constantly keeping track of who was where, human and equine, and when horses needed to be returned to their stalls, so another horse could go out, so it's stall could get cleaned.  I also was smart enough not to put a colt behind a filly on the hotwalking machine, something that another employee had done, and the trainer and I had to rescue that colt, who got himself hung up in the machine, luckily he wasn't seriously hurt, due to our quick action.   Needless to say that colt came into my immediate care for his rope burn and was returned to his regular groom/rider once he was healed.

Rugged Bugger was my favorite to ride, despite the fact that he'd actually get me in trouble, but I always looked forward to my ride son him.  I refused to call him "Bus Head", so I called him "Busy", because of how he worked for me and his attitude.   He knew he was superior to the other horses and he would toy with them. 

Whenever I worked him in company he would warm up beside them, like he was supposed to do.  We'd jog 1/4 mile, then we were supposed to gallop 1 1/2 miles, before ending with another jog of 1/4 mile.   He'd let the others stay with him for the warmup jog, and then for the first 1/2 mile galloping, but after he was sufficiently warmed up, he'd slowly lengthen his stride and before I knew it, he was edging away from his working partners.   He'd especially do this if we were working with 2 or more other horses.   He'd open up a few lengths, get satisfied, and I'd see him cock an ear back and he'd slow himself down, let them catch back up, and then start all over again.   I did try to keep him from doing this, but he wouldn't have it any other way, he wanted to toy with them, he was having fun and I knew this attitude would mean great things on the track.

When I'd return to the barn, the trainer would usually start fussing at me about not keeping Rugged Bugger with his workmates and I'd tell him I was trying, but that the horse just wanted to toy with them, but he would not listen.  I do understand that they need to learn to work with horses next to them, but this horse was fine with them there, it was just that he wanted to toy with them, he wasn't afraid of being in close quarters, that wasn't the problem.

Rugged Bugger also has the distinction of being the very first horse that I got to break out of a starting gate.   It was only at a slow gallop, but what a feeling it was, to be inside the gate, and have the doors fly open and ask for even a gallop from a stand still, the power of even that is amazing.

I just put up with getting fussed at, because I wanted to keep riding Rugged Bugger and I never was taken off of him, so I guess the trainer knew I was trying.

Game Quoit was a diffferent sort, but like Rugged Bugger, he was special.   I knew he was going to eventually be a big boy, but at the time, he was average in his size.   He was a pleasure to work with on the ground, but riding became a bit more treacherous after one bad incident.

While galloping Game Quoit one morning, we were on the outside of our set, when we approached another set that was finishing up and they were backtracking at a jog.   A filly that one of the other riders was on decided to jump right infront of Game Quoit, scaring the crap out of him and me.  The other rider fell off and Game Quoit reared up in the air, spun around on his hind feet, and when he brought them back down, he instantly put his butt up in the air, and off I went, into the sandy track.   It took a few minutes to catch the two loose horses, but we did.

After that, if Game Quoit saw another horse coming at him, in the opposite direction, he'd jump infront of them, first, before they had the chance to jump infront of him.   He'd pull the exact same maneuver that had dismounted me the first time and off I'd go.  You just can't stay on for that kind of stuff when in an exercise riding saddle and the trainer doesn't want you holding onto the main or anything else, but the reins.  If I had been allowed to hold onto the main or other equipment, I may have stayed on for some of these or stayed on longer, I don't know.   I think I did try to sneak holding main, but got caught a few times and got fussed at.

The last time I came off of him, a bird flew up and scared him.   After that, I asked the trainer if we could try blinkers on Game Quoit, but he said "No way!"   Just blamed it on my riding.

Well, a few days later, I wasn't feeling very well.  I came in to work, but told him I just didn't have the energy to ride.  Said I'd do my other work and also help with the new 2 year olds that had just come in to be broke, but that I thought it was best I not ride.   Well, as I heard him tell another rider to go tack up Game Quoit, I also heard him call out after her, "Oh, and while your in the tack room, grab some blinkers for him."

I had to walk away in disgust and silence.  So, this other rider was going to be allowed to ride Game Quoit in blinkers, but I wasn't going to be allowed to?  To this day, I do not understand this logic, except that this trainer took sick pleasure in watching riders fall off.

Later, whenI worked at another farm, I was talking to a rider and she knew this trainer and when I told her this story, she said she wasn't surprised and told me that he liked to get his riders hurt!   I was a bit shocked, but not surprised, because of how it had made me feel, at the time.    Plus, I had heard him joke about some riders that had come to inerview and he had put them on horses he knew they couldn't handle and watched what would happen, and yes, he had done this to me, too, but I was tough and stayed on that horse that was too much for me, in fact, I stayed on her for almost 2 miles, at a full run, as she was a little Arabian.  Every time I put my legs on her, to balance myself, she went faster, she had made me loose my stirrups, so I was sitting on her just trying to balance without using my legs.  It was one of the hardest things I ever had to do.  I did not fall off until she swerved, suddenly, to the right and because I had not been able to use my legs on her, to grip or balance, I fell off.   Yep, that was my interview ride, and  I came back, but I only worked a few days after the blinkers incident, because then I truly realized he was out to get me hurt, and I was already planning to go to college that fall, so knew I didn't need to be there, and get hurt.  I knew i had more to do with my life than work for a person who took such sick pleasure from getting people hurt, by getting them thrown off of horses, because he either put them on horses they couldn't handle or refused to let them ride with equipment that would keep them safe.

Rugged Bugger was a 1991 gelding by Assert (Ire) out of Bishop's Fling, by King's Bishop.  On the track he raced 42 times, won 14 races, was second 6 times, and third 7 times, with earnings of $380,353.  He won 3 stakes races and was placed in 5 more.   In 1996, he had his biggest win, when he took the Grade 3 Laurel Turf Cup Handicap.

I felt a bit vendicated, when watching race replays one day, I happened to catch one of his races.   I saw him take the lead at the top of the stretch, open up a few lengths on the field, then he suddenly started to slow down and let the horses catch up to him.  His jockey began to whip him and encourage him to go faster, but Rugged Bugger wasn't paying him any mind, he waited until a horse got up beside him and then he retook the lead and won by a few lengths.   He was toying with the field in a real race, just like he had done years before, with me, when practicing in morning gallops.   I had known that his personality was something special and a sign of a superior race horse, and I was proven right.   What a neat horse to have gotten to work around!

Game Quoit was a 1991 colt by Waquoit out of Boldest Game, by Bold Hour.  On the track, he raced 46 times, had 6 wins, was second 10 times, and third 10 times, for earnings of $163,037.   He won the Miracle Wood Stakes at Laurel and was placed in 4 other stakes races.    And, yes, he raced wearing blinkers!

Game Quoit actually ended up standing at stud.   I called to inquire about him, at one point, and found out he matured to be 17.1 hands tall, so a bit too big for my 15.2 mare.  I later heard that he was siring some nice show horses, but do not know all the details.   I have since lost track of where he ended up.

I never have claimed to be the best rider, I do n ot believe that is exactly where my best talents with horses lies, but I loved to ride, it was a huge part of my life, until a few years later, when another special horse taught me a very valuable lesson about where my true love lied when it came to horses.    I will definitely tell that story, but it is quite involved and will have to be a multi-part telling.  It's also a story that people have told me needs to be made into a children's book.

My riding abilities did improve at college and I did win some ribbons in equitation and dressage, so maybe I just wasn't meant to be an exercise rider.   I know it would have really helped if I had been given proper instruction on how to do it, but I did the best I could with minimal advice from other riders, so I don't think I was too bad considering the circumstances.  Even if I wasn't meant to be an exercise rider, I sure do love race horses and that is why I now breed them.