Half a Biscuit

From AlexBrownRacing

1 HALF A BISCUIT
2 Pedigree
3 IMAGES
4 Work

HALF A BISCUIT

Biscuit and I have been together since February of 2006. I saw his information posted on the Secretariat Center database of available horses and knew immediately that he was special. I had no intention of getting a horse. I had ridden and shown as a teenager but had been away from horses for thirty some years and the thought of being a horse owner again just never crossed my mind as even a remote reality.

One day while on the internet I followed a link leading me to information about the spring killing of baby seals and as the internet surfing goes, I found myself at a page about horse slaughter. I was shocked. I could not believe what I was seeing. Having owned Thoroughbreds, off the track Thoroughbreds, while living in Kenya, I have loved the breed since. I could not believe the statistics, the numbers and ages of the wonderful animals disposed of through slaughter. One thing leading to another, here I was on the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF), Secretariat Center search engine looking at Half A Biscuit. That face, that eye, I didn’t care if he had three legs or six, I had to have him.

He was located at the Marion County TRF facility which is housed on the grounds of the Lowell Correctional facility and cared for by participating prisoners. To visit the facility and see these great horses and how the inmates interact with them, care for them, the love and respect they have and the genuine concern about all of the horses was really wonderful. Each inmate had his one or two favorite horses and will proudly tell you the infirmities that they helped each animal overcome. I still write Biscuit’s caretaker, sending him pictures and giving him updates.

Biscuit was donated to the TRF by his owner Amy Tarrant. He ran only one race at Monmouth Park on July 5, 2004. It was during that race that he bowed his right front tendon. He was brought back to Florida, to Mrs. Tarrant’s Hardacre Farm and then in September of 2004 entered the program at Lowell.

The following link is from the Orlando Sentinel, Animal Crazy Blog by Ann Hellmuth, Deputy Managing Editor. It is a short story about the program and Amy Tarrant. [[1]]

Biscuit is currently being trained by Caroline Williams [[2]] at her new Training Centre in the discipline of Dressage. His two best friends are Chabo and Tesoro, Caroline’s 30” Mini and Friesian.

I am so pleased that I found this wonderful horse. I had long ago forgotten the wonderful smell of horses. I had forgotten how delightful their company is. I am daily amazed by Biscuit, his intelligence, curiosity and playfulness. I am also struck by the numbers, how many like him are standing on feedlots as I write this. . . . .

I will continue updates as his training progresses and as I have new images to post.

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