Get ready to venture into the captivating world of horse training, racing, and their profound impact on youth, as I, Dr. Sandra Holt, have an intriguing conversation with Thoroughbred racehorse owner and expert, Dr. Gearald Farris.
First I solve a horse fix challenge for listener, Luca, from Switzerland and unravel the secrets of enhancing his horse's balance and straightness, with a strong focus on rhythm and cadence. In the fix, discover how using the cognitive side of a horse's brain can be the strongest training tool you possess.
We then gallop into the exhilarating realm of horse racing, unearthing insights about the unique traits of each horse, and the delicate balance of building a connection without fostering too strong an attachment. Dr. Gearald takes us through the concept of "claiming" in horse racing, and explores the significance of breeding, using the story of his filly, Barely Cooking, and her successful offspring as a case study. We round off our conversation by discussing the positive influence of horses on young people, including Gearald's own touching experiences of a childhood dream becoming reality and the legacy passed on to his daughters and granddaughter. You won't want to miss this enlightening episode if you're aiming to broaden your perceptions on horse ownership, training, the racing world and the remarkable role horses can play in shaping the lives of the younger generation.
May all your blues be ribbons
Get ready to venture into the captivating world of horse training, racing, and their profound impact on youth, as I, Dr. Sandra Holt, have an intriguing conversation with Thoroughbred racehorse owner and expert, Dr. Gearald Farris.
First I solve a horse fix challenge for listener, Luca, from Switzerland and unravel the secrets of enhancing his horse's balance and straightness, with a strong focus on rhythm and cadence. In the fix, discover how using the cognitive side of a horse's brain can be the strongest training tool you possess.
We then gallop into the exhilarating realm of horse racing, unearthing insights about the unique traits of each horse, and the delicate balance of building a connection without fostering too strong an attachment. Dr. Gearald takes us through the concept of "claiming" in horse racing, and explores the significance of breeding, using the story of his filly, Barely Cooking, and her successful offspring as a case study. We round off our conversation by discussing the positive influence of horses on young people, including Gearald's own touching experiences of a childhood dream becoming reality and the legacy passed on to his daughters and granddaughter. You won't want to miss this enlightening episode if you're aiming to broaden your perceptions on horse ownership, training, the racing world and the remarkable role horses can play in shaping the lives of the younger generation.
May all your blues be ribbons
Well, hello everyone and welcome back to the Horse Fix, where you can get that much needed horse fix and perhaps fix your horse at the same time. I'm Dr Sandra Holt and I'm coming to you from Longview, texas, for those of you who listen to me on a regular basis. Thank you so much for being loyal listeners and for calling and texting and emailing questions for me and comments. That means a lot. You know, it's not just about fixing your horse. What my goal is with each episode is to help you with the listener, with your self-development and growth. I believe that as long as we choose to learn every day, even if it's just one thing, or even if it's just to get a little bit better, one percent better, we're still growing, and that's what it's all about. Today is going to be an interesting episode, I believe, and enjoyable. I think all of you will appreciate my guest that is here with me today, gerald Fairbuss, and I will be introducing him in just a minute. But first I want to switch things up a little bit and, instead of having the horse fix question at the end of the episode, I'm going to start out with the question. So let's get started. I was going through some questions that I received this week and one kind of struck my interest because I thought it might kind of lead into my interview with Dr Ferris. So I'm going to read that question now. This question was from Luca Meyer and he is from Bern, switzerland. He says this I had a five-year-old German warm blood guilding.
Speaker 1:We are starting him on his basics and foundation of Dr Sausch. My problem is he does not seem to always know where his feet are landing. He will sometimes be clumsy and step on himself or stumble and he loses his balance. When I try to correct his balance with my reins, he gets very heavy in my hands. My other problem is, although he moves straight in the straight line when I'm riding him, when we go in a circle his hip swings out of the circle. Well, luca, there's a lot going on there.
Speaker 1:Let's talk about his feet and where he puts them. You know, it's not all about just where his feet are, it's actually about where his body is. And we address his feet by working on his collection. And one thing that might help a little bit is set some ground lines on the arena floor to start with. Put them about three and a half to four feet apart, bending on his size and the length of his stride, you might have to have them a little bit further apart and maybe just a little bit closer. You know it depends.
Speaker 1:But start walking him over those ground lines and fit in a sense of cadence when you're walking over those lines. So start far away from them and start counting your strides and feeling is he keeping the same amount of length from one step to the other? Is he going one, two, three, four? Walking is a four beat movement. So count one, two, three, four and start feeling his rhythm and his cadence. And then as you approach those ground lines, don't pause and try not to allow him to pause but continue your four beat cadence. You have to set up some air plugs or something and put in some music that helps you keep that rhythm and walk over those lines and do that several times until you feel like he is walking in a circle and coming around and going over those lines and he doesn't break his rhythm at all. Once you've mastered that at the walk, and only until you've mastered that at the walk, you can pick up the trot. For the trot you'll have to move the ground lines further apart and then do that at a trot Same thing, exactly the way you did it at the walk until he can trot over those ground lines smoothly without hitting them, and that you keep, most importantly, that you keep that same cadence and rhythm.
Speaker 1:So there are several body parts to a horse and you can manipulate them, but the most important part of this exercise, and any exercise, is to work with their brain. Instead of trying to manipulate with your hands to balance him, think about what can I do with my gullding to help him use the thinking side of his brain and not either check out and not be with you at all, or to be overreactive to an aid or to something that you might be asking him to do, maybe to forcefully. You'll find that if you concentrate on getting connected with him, you'll start feeling him round up and think and start using his body in a better way. There are a lot of skeptics out there that think that has nothing to do with body posture or a collection balance, but the brain has everything to do with it. The only way we do move is humans or as animals is. Our brain is telling us to do so and telling us how to do it. So that's one simple exercise that you can help him with his footwork. Let's go on to why he gets heavy in your hands Again, going back to collection, and to me collection is all about balance, and if you're holding him with your brains then he is not balanced.
Speaker 1:If you have to balance him and many horses and I'm willing to bet that your horses like this the harder you hold, the more they lean on your hand or the bit. So you know it's you're being counterproductive there and really counterintuitive when it comes to asking the horse to carry himself. So you know we do need a connection with the horse, especially in dressage. You definitely need to be connected with him with the reins, but you don't want to hold him in a position. Manipulation works sometimes for a second, but as soon as you loosen those reins or as soon as you stop holding him, he'll fall apart. You don't want that. You want him to learn to carry himself.
Speaker 1:So start thinking about softening not only your hands but softening your body in the saddle and softening your mindset so that he can soften his. One way to help you with that as you're holding the reins and you feel him starting to get out of balance or feel him starting to get clumsy with his feet. Think about your own balance first. We can't ask him to balance if we're not balanced. So align yourself on the horse so that you give him the best opportunity to stay balanced. Then you can do a little half-haul team. Take a little rein in one hand, release, take a rein in another hand, release. And when I say take the rein, I'm not saying take your whole arm and pull your elbow back past your waist or in your hands, even back past your waist, I'm saying squeeze the reins. Just wrap your fingers around those reins and when you're ready to ask for a little bit of a connection with him and ask him to respond to you, squeeze the rein. He will feel that and he will become more sensitive to that. Better you get with softening your hands.
Speaker 1:Okay, now talk about his straightness. Yes, it is easier to keep a horse straight when you're traveling from point A to B and a straight line. On a circle it's a lot more difficult and a lot of people say wait a minute, how do you get a horse to be straight on a circle? Well, what we're talking about is having that horse be on the track of a circle and think that this way. Let's say it's a train track and it's in a round circle. You have your engine and you go let's put one car in the middle and then the caboose. So let that train represent your horse and then the connection with each car the hitch, I guess maybe, is what you call it let that represent the bendability of your horse. Now we all know that the engine pulls the train behind them. Now I want you to imagine that the engine is in the back of the train and then you've got your middle car and the caboose is at the front of the train.
Speaker 1:Okay, so now the engine is going to be pushing the two cars around the track. As the train goes around the track and the engine's pushing it, so your energy, the force is coming from the rear, which is what you want the horse to do, and the engine pushes those other two cars around, you'll find that they have the bend at their joints, but the parts of the train that are solid are straight on the track and their ability to flex and bend with those hitches in the middle, keeps them straight on the track. I hope that makes sense to you. So when you're riding, think of number one, think of that engine in the back, then you're going to ask for a little bend right before his hip starts in his back ends and then his rear cage will be straight on the track. It won't be bulging out or bulging in. And then at his shoulder wither area there'll be that joint that will bend so that the caboose that's now on the front is bending on the track, but the actual part of that train is straight on the track.
Speaker 1:Now I hope I haven't lost you there, but this may really help you in your quest to get your horse to go straight on the circle, and hopefully it's helped some of you listos out there to finally identify what we trainers are talking about when we say get your horse straight on the circle. So in other words, luca, if you're having trouble with your horse swinging his rear quarters out of the circle, a couple of things First is you're not driving him from behind. If he's got looseness in his back end that he's swinging his hip out. So start by driving him from behind and then, secondly, get him to bend equally on the track. Thanks for that question.
Speaker 1:I think it was superb. I think it may help a lot of people. So now we're gonna introduce Gerald Ferris. This is a man who knows a lot about lightness, soft touch, and about alignment and balance and straightness in our bodies. I have been pretty intrigued with his knowledge, his history and his professionalism. Dr Ferris is my personal chiropractor and also, though, he is a horse owner and has a history of horses, or oh, ever since he was a young man. Welcome, gerald, thank you for joining me.
Speaker 2:Thank you, sandy, glad to be here this morning.
Speaker 1:You know, gerald, I first thought of doing a podcast with you when, the first day that I walked into your office, as I'm walking down the hall, you were backing up and watching me walk, and I could only think now wait a minute. This is what my vet does when he's watching my horse and trying to decide whether he's lame or not. And so it struck me. I've gone to a few chiropractors. Never has anyone done that before. So between that and all of your photographs on the wall and your lobby couldn't help from notice that you were a horse person, true, true, gerald. Give me a little history of when you first got the notion to be involved with horses.
Speaker 2:Well, I grew up in a small town in East Texas, gilmer, texas, and at a young age I was worked around a horse farm there in Gilmer, w L Proctor on the property. He was a real famous trainer and his brother, jack Proctor, ran the training facility, training thoroughbreds, getting them, prepping them to go to the racetrack. And of course I was just a more or less a groom there, hot walking, cleaning stalls, brushing down, rubbing legs. It's intrigued by, I guess, the romantic aspects of the thoroughbred.
Speaker 1:Did you learn about horses before you started there, or had you had horses at home?
Speaker 2:Really, that was my initial experience working with horses.
Speaker 1:And so, from there, you started dreaming about race horses. This is true, I mean.
Speaker 2:I was always infatuated with their elegance and, of course, their speed and what they could do, wind blowing in your face.
Speaker 1:Yes, did they ever intimidate you?
Speaker 2:Well, horses can always intimidate you. You just got some bad actors, and some are just the sweetest they can be, and you know, I was just, I mean a totally inexperienced, you know, I was just there watching and observing, and so at a very young age you started working around these magnificent animals.
Speaker 1:So you told me a story that the kids that were around there, you guys, would jump on horses and just do a little racing yourself.
Speaker 2:Well, I worked for a man Bailing Hay and he had some quarter horses but he had a great mare there and I bought her for $50 at the end of one summer and we'd all get together for friends and ride all day long and Saturdays and we'd leave early in the morning and not even come back till dark, you know, and ride all over the country and this little mare had to be very fast just by accident and we would race down the road sometimes and she was always very fast and could outrun everybody in town more or less.
Speaker 1:And she liked to run.
Speaker 2:She liked to run. Yeah, she enjoyed it.
Speaker 1:Do you think that there are horses that truly like to run and it's not from a flight instinct, but just that that is what they want to do?
Speaker 2:Oh yes, that's very true. I think that you know, whether horses or rainers, or halter horses or cutters or race horses or whatever you know, they've got to have the mindset for it.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:You know they've got to have the mindset. Yeah, it starts with the mind, then it goes down to the physical aspects too. But you can even have a horse with great confirmation, but they still have to have that mind and, as they say in horse business, they've got to have the heart. If they don't have the mind and the heart, they can be a perfect confirmation horse, and it's still not performing any kind of event Right? So after a couple years in practice out, this horse called Silk Tree. Of course he was just a $5,000 more climber, but he won two races at Keeneland in the spring and then went on to Churchill Downs and won a race there. So he had three wins in a row.
Speaker 2:I think he was claimed after that but, sort of I got the real bug after that.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And just for several years, and sometimes I'd have a partner or two. We'd claim different horses and they'd get claimed from us.
Speaker 1:So tell the audience a little bit about claiming and how that works.
Speaker 2:Okay. So whether it's quarter horse racing or thoroughbred racing, horses can compete at different levels, just saying where from 5,000 to 15,000 to 25,000 to 50,000, even a hundred thousand dollar claiming race, and then then, after you get out of the claiming ranks, you move into what we call allowance races, and then you move out the allowance races into states races, and as you elevate you, of course, the competition increases too.
Speaker 1:So who establishes the claim, the amount?
Speaker 2:Okay, the the racing office the racing secretary actually establishes those different levels and so if they're in a claiming race, someone else can put up that money and buy that horse before the race. They have to fill out forms and have the money with the horseman's bookkeeper. And so if you want to claim a ten thousand dollar horse, then you better have ten thousand dollars in the horseman's bookkeeper account.
Speaker 1:So you basically buy that horse for ten thousand dollars Anyway it just sort of keeps the level game there and then it goes all the way up to stakes, and stakes is like the Kentucky Derby and then actually stakes races can be rated at the highest level grade one, grade two, grade three, stakes races.
Speaker 2:So it's another different progression of levels.
Speaker 1:So you did some claiming and you got some horses that way and then some people claimed from you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 1:And then you know, at some point you've started to breed race horses.
Speaker 2:Well, yes, so I just looked into buying a filly. They had some fiscal issues. She was born in 1983, so I guess I bought her in 1985. And she had some fiscal issues. I did some chiropractic work on her and decided to give her a chance and she turned out to be actually. She started out in the climbing ranks but she turned out to be a stakes winner and she ran in Blarton, kentucky.
Speaker 1:No this is barely cooking. She caught.
Speaker 2:Mrs Barely Cooking and so had a lot of fun with her. Read her a few times and she produced a stakes winner, captain Countdown. And then she had a stakes-placed Philly-centric lady. And then she had a Philly. And that Philly produced a horse called Achilles of Troy and he was actually one of the favorites leading up to the Kentucky Derby before he got injured. And he was actually featured in a documented film called First Saturday in May, and that was the year of Barbara Rowe won the Kentucky Derby. But he was Achilles of Troy. It's a long story there because he ended up with a bad owner and a bad trainer and he didn't get his best shot.
Speaker 2:But, anyway, that was exciting to me.
Speaker 1:So, bloodline-wise. For your audience. My husband has known Gerald for a long time and he's told me to ask you about you doing chiropractic work on Barely Cooking. He said that he would go down and see you pulling the horse's tail and doing all kinds of things.
Speaker 2:She had some, like I said, some physical, mechanical issues that needed to be addressed, and so she seemed to like it and seemed to benefit from it. I'm not saying all horses benefit from it. You have to have a will, as with human beings, you have to have a willing participant.
Speaker 1:So and you can't see this, guys. But he's looking at me like just as a reminder, because I'm not always completely, 100% willing. I kind of beg for that.
Speaker 2:Well, it cuts your little bit wider all the time.
Speaker 1:I get a little nervous when he starts to crank up my neck a little bit. But I have to say, gerald is one of those chiropractors that have had a few and they've always scared me, but he's one of those ones that has that soft touch, has the feel like you need when you're working with a horse. And, gerald, do you think that you learned that from a horse?
Speaker 2:I would think that there's some relationship. I think anytime anybody puts their hands on a horse, there's a soothing situation that comes over your body, that ties into real life.
Speaker 1:Kind of a harmony between the two of you. I think so too. One of the questions that I didn't read. I'll paraphrase it. She said something about Sandy. I know you talk about a soft touch with a horse. How do I get that? What do I do to train myself to have a soft touch? And it all depends on number one, the horse. But I also feel like that there are things you can do, but more of it is in your heart. I mean, it's in who you are.
Speaker 2:Your calmness.
Speaker 1:Calmness and listening and looking. And I know that you listen and look and you feel Did you start on horses or did you start your chiropractic work with humans?
Speaker 2:No, I was already in practice.
Speaker 1:Just with humans.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and then. So you just decided, you know going to work on your horse.
Speaker 2:Well, she needed sons.
Speaker 1:So the biomechanics of the horse can really benefit from some alignment from chiropractic.
Speaker 2:There's chiropractic work that goes on all the time with horses, right, you know this is important as anything, right.
Speaker 1:Right. Going back to the soft touch, I found that with many horses, the harder you pull, the harder they are. Do you find that with your clients that the harder you are with them, the more they brace, more they? Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:Like I said, you've got to have a willing participant, so you try to make individuals as comfortable as possible in your office setting. That helps everyone. Yeah, helps the patient, helps me.
Speaker 1:Right, yeah, right, going back to your timeline. At some point you became a director of the Texas.
Speaker 2:Texas Thurbridge Association Association.
Speaker 1:And there's about what 21 members usually.
Speaker 2:Yes, that's right. 21 members.
Speaker 1:And how long were you on that?
Speaker 2:I was on that board for 10 years.
Speaker 1:Wow.
Speaker 2:And I served as the secretary. Treasurer, vice president, president.
Speaker 1:Wow, that time. And what is the mission of that organization?
Speaker 2:Well, it's the official breed organization in the state of Texas, the Texas Thurbridge Association. That's right, just like the Texas Quarter Horse Association I would think would be the official breed of the Quarter Horse in the state of Texas. So one of their missions, or one of the things they need to do, is to accredit horses. So you have to be registered as an accredited Texas Thurbridge, or accredited Texas breed, they call it, so that you can share in the owners and breeders awards. And so you have to get a mare. If you have a mare you're breeding, you want to get her accredited through the Texas Thurbridge Association. Then you breed her to an accredited Texas Thurbridge state and then you have an accredited Texas Thurbridge fold and so you can share in some owner and breeder rewards.
Speaker 1:They have the ensured credits.
Speaker 2:Whenever you run third or better in a race, you get some extra bonus money I see, and then they have to Mailbox money.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's good.
Speaker 2:Now there's also. I'm on the board of directors currently of an organization called the Paddock Foundation. I've been president of the Paddock Foundation. It is affiliated with Texas Thurbridge Association but it's a separate nonprofit organization. We try to re-home Thurbridge from the racetrack to other areas, so whether it's trail riding or rodeoing or eventing or whatever and the way we do that is that the end of every race meet if there are enough horses available they would like to participate that we have sort of an old fashioned horse sale at the racetrack a couple of weeks before the race meet ends and people can come in. And these are horses, they're just too slow to make it as a race horse, so they can buy it, putting it to another wherever they want to put it.
Speaker 1:So they can find a new job.
Speaker 2:New job, re-home them.
Speaker 1:Yes, re-home them, and so if someone wanted to know a little more about that program, how would they go about it?
Speaker 2:Just go to the Paddock Foundation. I'm at Texas Thurbridge website and I keep up with that and there's some Facebook. So I don't do Facebook.
Speaker 1:But it's out there so they can go on the web and check out the Texas Thurbridge Association and the Paddock Foundation and then people, you might be able to acquire some lovely thoroughbred. That wasn't quite fast enough to suit someone else's desires. Now, gerald, I wanted to ask you a little bit about your family. I understand your daughter and your granddaughter are also horse people Are champions in their own rights.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:Have beautiful horses. What do you think the benefits of children growing up around and with horses creates for that child and for the parents?
Speaker 2:Well, I think it's just wonderful would be the word I would say. You know, I know a lot of people that are in the horse business that for some reason, one way or another, they do pass down their horsemanship love to their families, daughters or sons or granddaughters or whatever. So I just feel privileged that I say it. But you know, I took them away from the baby grand piano lessons and put them on horse and they took off from there. My wife didn't go along with it, but both of my daughters grew up competing in Hunter Jumpers and I've been in, and now my granddaughter she's competing, travels the country Florida, maryland, kentucky, michigan and here in Texas too. So she's done very well.
Speaker 1:Yes, and would you say that she has experienced some astounding and some moments in her life that will be forever.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, no doubt, and I say these I mean I'm not bragging on my granddaughter, olivia, but I say this in all of these young men and women competing in horse events, their manners, their work ethic, it's very impressive. And whether it's in the quarter horse industry or third red industry, whether you know, I watch a lot of stuff on rft tv about reigning and cutting and young folks involved and all that and it's just great that you know they learn the work ethic and it's very important these days. Yes, this thing of dealing with youth in America is it's challenging.
Speaker 1:These things it is and the traditional value system that can become a part of them through the horse is really, I think, remarkable, and you know I don't know about you, jill, but I would encourage any pionic they're given a chance to introduce their child to the horse and give them some sort of opportunity there.
Speaker 2:And they don't always have to own a horse and they can go to horse riding facilities and they can either lease a horse or just go out there and participate in horse lessons and see if that fits them.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:And if it does, we'll go forward from there.
Speaker 1:Right and you know those of you that out there that might have the opportunity to help another person, another young person. Check out your local Boys and Girls clubs or any of the facilities and organizations that have kids that are at risk and challenged, and if you have a horse, share it. Go out there, bring your horse with, share it. Give someone that that chance to maybe become intrigued as a young boy or a young girl and let them grow up to be successful like Gerald Barris.
Speaker 2:Well, I think that's a good point, sandy, sharing a horse was. You may have a horse out in the pasture and wonder. We'll invite some kids out there, let them touch the horse, let them brush the horse, let them smell the horse. It's very important, yes, and they might connect and may change their lives.
Speaker 1:Exactly these inner city kids. I've had several of them out to the barn and it has really made a difference for them. Well, gerald, I'm going to ask you for some advice that you might give someone, whether it be about girlfriends or about life in general, as it relates to the horse. What would you like the listeners to know?
Speaker 2:Well, horses are always a challenge. Of course, human beings are always a challenge. So I don't know. Just being connected to the horse, it's a very rewarding, it's a very soothing and keeps me going in a positive way.
Speaker 2:Yes, same Now let me say this to in the horse racing industry. You didn't ask me this, but you know I've had my share of success and I've had my share of duds and disappointments, so that's always out there too. It's always a challenge. And the difference between a dud and a disappointment some people may not know that, but I want to tell you. In my opinion, a dud is just a horse that just doesn't have any talent. You know he just. But that still doesn't mean he can't be used in some way Right, especially for a human being that would like to get connected to the horse. A disappointment is a horse that you have that has a lot of talent, but something happens to him, and it doesn't always have to be physical. It can be systemic, like colitis, eggs or colic or strangles, or equine infectious anemia or even heart attacks. So those are disappointments where you have a horse that has a lot of talent and things happen to him, and I'm sure you shared that too Plenty, plenty.
Speaker 1:Have you ever known a horse to be a counterfeit?
Speaker 2:Now, what's the definition of horse?
Speaker 1:Well, for me, it's a horse that will perform for you at home and do everything you best it to and is a star, and then you take it out to the horse show or to the race and they, they don't.
Speaker 2:Well, in the in the third red horse racing world we call those morning glories. They'll get out on the track in the morning and they'll have bullet workouts and they'll just do everything right and show it in the afternoon and they just fall apart and can't get the job done.
Speaker 1:And do you, do you credit that to the horse? I mean, is it the horse's fault or do you think it's the rider's fault? Because I have mixed feelings about it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I do too. It could be a little bit of both.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I haven't. The jury's still out for me as to whether it's my fault or whether it's a horse or a combination, not understanding just how much I need to work that horse out ahead of time or you know, or the process stage fright. Maybe you know who knows. Many people call them counterfeits.
Speaker 2:So counterfeits in your world. Morning glories.
Speaker 1:Morning glories. I like the morning glory, that's pretty cool. Okay, what else is there anything?
Speaker 2:Well, we talked a little bit earlier about or you and I did personally about horse ownership, right right it's third, red ownership.
Speaker 2:And so the new thing and it's been going on for years is sort of micro ownership in thoroughbreds and there are different clubs they call them clubs thoroughbred racing clubs where you can have put in a little money and have a minor ownership in a nice horse maybe as little as a few thousand dollars or you could put up more if you wanted more ownership. But it's a way to stay involved with a horse. You've got an ownership in that horse, you can watch that horse perform, you can go see that horse perform at the racetrack. There are a lot of different organizations out there. My horse I know a guy that just put in a little financial contribution and had part ownership in a triple ground runner through my race horse.
Speaker 2:They're a big, big group okay but he ran a member of a group called the Texas thoroughbred racing club and it has 40 members in it. We bought a couple of two year with actually three two-year-olds and training a couple of not this year, last year, and one of them was a dud and one has had some challenges and the other ones turned out. I think he's one about three races in a row and he's good so, but at the same time I'm not getting vet bills and and and training bills and all that stuff. It's managed by the Texas thoroughbred racing club. It's managed by a gentleman out of Southlake, texas, so Courtney Johnson, with CJ thoroughbreds. He has arches all over everywhere. Yeah, he has a farm in Kentucky. He's been. He raced in Saratoga this summer so and he's been very successful in horse foos. He actually owned a racetrack, kentucky Downs, at one time, wow, so he's big player so if one wants to get involved in something like that, how?
Speaker 1:how would we go about that?
Speaker 2:well, I mean, in this particular racing club you can contact Corey Johnson or my rent pro CJ thoroughbreds. Okay, and I know that's more about it, okay, yeah since you've been, should that to me.
Speaker 1:I've been thinking a lot about that.
Speaker 2:I think that's a lot of fun yeah, and you get to know a lot of other people involved. It's a lot of fun and horses.
Speaker 1:You know, have this way about bringing us together. Yeah, makes it really enjoyable. Yes, well, folks, there you have it, this having a dream as a young man. And and then the dream coming true and very successful specialists and chiropractic work on humans, but also has worked on his own horses. And I hope you've enjoyed this podcast. I sure have enjoyed, and I kind of like to have Gerald back someday. So until next time, may all your blues be ribbons. Bye, bye.