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California Riding Magazine • February, 2009 The Gallop: Silks to Show Ring by Kim F. Miller |
Circling back to her equestrian roots, Lisa Thorpe has established Silks to Show Ring Thoroughbred Foundation, Inc. (SST) to find hunter/jumper homes for horses whose racetrack careers are done. Lisa first fell in love with horses when her father took her to Santa Anita racetrack as a young girl. Rental string rides were next, followed by a super successful junior and amateur career and several years of riding and training professionally in partnership with her husband Joe Thorpe. Thoroughbreds were the hunter/jumper world’s dominant breed during Lisa’s heyday and almost all of them came from the track. With SST she hopes to bring these athletic, intelligent and sensitive horses back to show ring success, in the process saving the lives of horses who might otherwise meet the worst possible end. “I had 25 years in a horse industry that used these retired racehorses for show jumping competition,” Lisa explains. “I owe my career to the Thoroughbred, as do many others, and it is time to help them the way I was trained to do.”
Lisa Thorpe and Pink Hair. Lisa stopped riding professionally in 1994, raised her and Joe’s son Jonathon, and published Show Circuit Magazine for 12 years. With Jonathon grown and married, she had time to reflect on her past and plan for the future and the idea of trying to revive the Thoroughbred took root. She first thought she’d get one unwanted racehorse, give it some time off, train it, then count on its success to pique the local industry’s interest in the breed. A newspaper story about a Seabiscuit descendant going to slaughter prompted bigger thoughts, and Eight Belles’ death at last year’s Kentucky Derby served as a final spur to action. On behalf of Silks to Show Ring, Lisa prowls Santa Anita training barns inquiring about suitable prospects. Soundness and way of going are paramount in her effort to pick horses most likely to make it in the hunter/jumper ring. Minor soundness issues that will most likely clear up with rest and simple rehab do not deter her. Although she only started SST recently, Lisa has already endeared herself to trainers, barn managers and grooms who keep their eyes out for her. Exercise rider and hunter/jumper trainer Wendy Stone has emerged as a key partner in the SST endeavor. She and Lisa have learned there is no shortage of horses available to anyone who will take over their expenses. These once-proud animals are usually cheap, sometimes free. Bliss Existence The first step for lucky horses that fall into the SST fold is a trip to Bliss Canyon Investments in Bradbury Estates (formerly the stables for the late Saudi Prince Ahmed bin Salman’s The Thoroughbred Corporation). There they enjoy generous downtime in grass pastures, gentle handling and grooming from Lisa, lunge line work and, finally, training with Wendy. Once ready to be marketed for adoption, Lisa puts the word out through her extensive grapevine of friends and associates in the West Coast hunter/jumper scene. She anticipates that adoption fees will range from $500 to $5,000, depending on how much time and money was spent on their preparation. She admits, however, that her primary goal is to see these beautiful horses find good homes with the best chances of succeeding in hunter, jumper and equitation competition. There will most likely be wiggle room on the prices if the situation looks good for the horse. Those who adopt a horse from SST must agree they will never race it, but otherwise there are few strings attached. There is no restriction from selling the horse, a condition typical at many rescue outfits. Lisa’s ideal outcome, in fact, is that a trainer take on one of her prospects, apply finishing touches, then sell the horse into the pattern typical for any breed on the circuit: a handful of owners matched to the horse’s changing abilities over time. “The more people that fall in love with a Thoroughbred, the better!” she smiles. At presstime, SST officially had two horses, and Lisa was keeping her eye on several others. Her first find is Pink Hair, an 8-year-old stallion with an awful name and an awesome temperament. The 16 hand French Thoroughbred is by Highest Honor and out of Ly Pink and has Never Bend and Northern Dancer in his blood. This past summer at the Del Mar racetrack he fractured his sesamoid bone. He is recovering nicely at Bliss Canyon and Lisa is using the time to further familiarize him with kind handling. She cherished crossing the threshold of clipping his ears without any artificial aids and the daily greetings he canters across the pasture to give her. She figures his gentle demeanor has something to do with the 4-year-old daughter of Pink’s former trainer, Leonard Powell, who used to ride him bareback at the track. On a recent visit to Pink at Bliss Canyon, the youngster hopped aboard again, this time, perhaps appropriately, in a pink tutu.
Lisa Thorpe on Jonathan, who “made my career,” A 4-year-old mare by Kentucky Derby winner Silver Charm is SST’s second prospect. Named Silver Scrumptious, the mare arrived at Bliss Canyon with a common lack of expression in her eyes. “In just two weeks, her eyes had an entirely different and lively look,” Lisa reports. “It’s a very personal process for me to take these sensitive horses and get them back to where they want to try hard for you.” With no apparent interest in running fast, Silver Scrumptious was trained but never raced. Her $500 price tag reflected her owner’s desire to get her expenses off the books. Lisa expects to get Silver Scrumptious into the program at her husband Joe Thorpe’s Sovereign Place soon, with a hopeful show debut this summer. Everyone’s A Winner Lisa sees myriad benefits in promoting these Thoroughbreds in the hunter/jumper world. Firstly, the breed has more than proven itself. Olympians Touch of Class and Gem Twist were among many to show off the breed’s abilities on the international jumping scene. Modest Man and Sporting Spirit were just a few who did their part in the hunter world. Lisa’s own touchstone Jonathan “made my career,” she says. At 19 and 20 years of age, the horse helped Lisa win the LA County Senior Medal Final and the Barbara Worth Medal Final. Amidst years of talk that “kids these days” don’t get a foundation in true horsemanship, turning around an off-the-track Thoroughbred could be a wonderful learning experience for tomorrow’s horsemen. And the price is right, enabling riders whose ambitions and talent outstrip their budget a shot at developing a star for themselves or as an investment. The horses, of course, are Silk to Show Ring’s biggest beneficiaries. Even though the United States no longer has any slaughterhouses, Canada and Mexico do. The racing industry has several effective charities that help retire or find homes for its unwanted horses, but the reality remains that many find themselves on the fast track to foreign meat plants. “We have opened our doors and hearts to the racing world for those horses who have finished the race,” Lisa concludes. “We now need help continuing their success to go and win the blue ribbon in the show ring.” Silks to Show Ring Thoroughbred Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 corporation. To inquire about horses, help out or get more information, contact Lisa Thorpe at 909-392-0838 or visit www.silkstoshowring.com.
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