Californian Barrel Racer Nikki Egyed knows what retaining horses off the track is all about. She’s competed in both the Retired Racehorse Project and the Ultimate X Showdown OTTB barrel race and is a professional trainer in Paso Robles where she gives riding lessons using her OTTBs. We asked Nikki a few questions about her work with OTTBs including ‘Nova’ (JC: Dunbar), a gelding she got from CANTER in 2014.
Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from, how did you get involved with horses, what do you do for a living, etc.
I grew up on a small private farm in Northern Indiana. We’d had horses since I can remember, starting with my Mom’s OTTB Stallion “Gilly’s Gold” and Arabian Mare “Gemmer”. Most of our herd, which grew yearly, were kill pen rescues from the local auction barn. Spending most of my teenage years trouble-shooting “problem” horses, most of which came from the sale barn with little to no back story, I became pretty good at working backwards through a horses training (or really “un-training”) then re-training them…So naturally re-training Thoroughbreds off the track came easy. Since leaving Indiana in 2009, I bounced around the Midwest training & instructing, eventually finding myself CA bound with the world’s best OTTB (yeah, don’t even try to argue with me on that!), Flying Cayman. I’ve spent the last several years dedicating my life to re-training Thoroughbreds while promoting them in the Barrel Racing community as competitive mounts, along with exemplifying their level-headedness & trainability by using them in my lesson program…And of course collecting a few more for myself along the way!
Why were you looking for horses through CANTER?
After thoroughly enjoying participating in the 2013 Retired Racehorse Training Project Makeover & Symposium, I decided to go after the 2014 Ultimate X Showdown. Once I found out that I was selected as one of 14 trainers, I was on the hunt for my next suitable project. After contacting some of my race connections to get the word out, I began looking online, with CANTER being #1 on my list. I’d always preferred “shopping” through them since I could speak directly with trainers and get access to countless horses that had no additional training beyond racing (per Makeover rules, and my general preference).
Tell us about how you found Nova and what your first impression was. You’ve owned Nova for over a year now, how has he progressed since day one?
I found Casanova (JC Name “Dunbar”) under the trainer listings in late April 2014. I DID NOT want another 4 year old (I have a soft spot for the Warhorses) but every time I cruised the N. CA listings, he caught my eye. Aside from age, he was my PERFECT barrel horse prospect. 15.3hh, short coupled, clean legged, so very well balanced with a great hip, nicely bred, plus I have a thing for those plain bay packages…So needless to say that when I found out he happened to be only 20 minutes from my ranch (whereas most N. CA listings are in the Bay area, a good 2+ hour drive), I absolutely had to go meet him. He had been let down for a few months, turned out on pasture, and was full of all sorts of sass. When asked to move, he flailed like a kid on kid high on twinkies & soda, and then standing still, he was positively set on eating our boots, pants, pretty much anything but the grass! I couldn’t resist his personality, and everything about his screamed talent, so I had to have him!
Re-training Nova was terribly easy. With the pressure of 100 days quickly counting down, we went straight to work. Within the first 48 hours here he was under western tack & hacking out on the trails…By day 3 he’d been hauled out to hang out at some Time Only’s, by week 2 he was loping a gorgeous pattern at some pretty big races / arenas, and after a month he was carrying flags, ponying colts, and working cattle. Though training came so easy to him, that attitude that I was drawn to would occasionally come back to bite us in the…well you know. He had a hard time staying on the correct side of the line that divides confidence from arrogance…And of course, this line had to be crossed the furthest when it counted the most, leaving us with a not so fun experience at the Ultimate X Showdown that fall. Upon returning to CA we took a “break”, re-grouped, and came back with a better relationship than ever.
What’s it like been riding and training a horse off the track?
I would say that riding and re-training an OTTB is one of the most rewarding things I get to do. Not only is it a privilege to work with such an intelligent & willing athlete, but it is so fun to see how they can excel in nearly every discipline, going up against other breeds and beating them at their own game…Plus you just can’t beat the look you get when you tell your fellow competitors that yes, it is a Thoroughbred.
Tell us one great story about you and Nova.
It’s pretty hard to pick just one favorite experience, so you’ll just have to settle for two!
First would probably be our trip from CA to OH and back. I had hauled Symphonic Cat to Baltimore the previous Fall, so I knew what we were in for over the 2 week trip. I prefer to haul my own horses on these trips because well, I’m a control freak. I’m able to completely monitor their feed, water them frequently, stop and let them out each night, and provide all the other little details…Getting them to their destination stress free & healthy. All the general traveling stress aside though, it is so fun to road trip with your horses. Trail riding with friends in the Midwest, getting to run at barrel races 2000 miles away, and even chatting with random people at gas pumps all over the U.S…So many people inquire about where you’re going & what your horses do (Especially when they see CA plates on the wrong side of the Mississippi River!), so it’s a great opportunity to share your OTTBs with the world (I can’t tell you how many families on vacation took pictures with our horses at truck stops & rest areas!). We even got to stop at Arlington Park to go horse shopping…After years of me going on & on about how awesome they were, my friend in IN decided to get her very first OTTB as her next Barrel Racing mount, and with the help of CANTER Illinois trainer listings, we found her “Misfired”. My 2 boys were so patient hanging out in the trailer at the track while we perused the backside & loaded up the new guy to make the 2 hour drive from Chicago to the next stop East (through rush hour Chicago traffic!).
Our other favorite stop was coming through Amarillo TX and swinging into the AQHA Museum at sunset. I brought my Flying Cayman along as a travel partner for Nova & we unloaded him right there to get pictures with the statue of the great Dash For Cash & Refrigerator. I wanted to poke fun at the QHs a little bit since where we live, they reign “superior”, and often the TBs are looked down on…We were sure to put out a friendly reminder that those 2 great horses, came from great TBs (And of course all the Three Bars lines includes)… Plus it was fun to show off how an OTTB could step off the trailer after 10+ hours on the road and hop right into a little photo shoot! (Side note – Speaking of influential TBs, particularly Three Bars, that night we stayed in Sayer OK, where Three Bars himself stood at stud.)
Secondly, as most competitors in most disciplines can relate to, would have been that moment when I fully realized that I’ve got “that” horse. Mine came with the fist genuine compliment from a well respected fellow barrel racer …I don’t mingle a lot at races, and I bring my horses along casually & slowly (I’m not much into the Futurity scene), so my horses & runs aren’t usually newsworthy…So when I started to actually run Nova, it was really cool to have so many people start inquiring about that “bay horse”….How old was he? How was he bred? Wait, HE’S an off the track Thoroughbred? Is he for sale? I had him on the market for a short while that winter as I never intended on keeping him long term (I have 9 horses and it’s not like I “need” them all), but when I noticed the attention he was getting it really made me think. I wasn’t in a position where I HAD to sell him, so I decided to hang onto him & see how far we could go together. Since then I’ve pursued hauling him more, and still receive compliments after each run…Which really makes me proud and helped me realize that for now, the best place he can be is with me, serving as yet another awesome ambassador for OTTBs everywhere.
What advice would you give to anyone looking to get an OTTB?
The most important thing I can tell you if you’re OTTB shopping is to know exactly what you do & do not want.
If you’re green or this is your first OTTB, get the help of a trainer or someone you know that has experience with OTTBs and take the time to lay out a plan of what meets your skill level & needs…Take your time, shop around, do your research, vet check (and re-check!)…Buying a first horse is hard. Having to give him up later down the road because you guys are a bad match is even harder!
If you’re on your umpteenth OTTB (like me) and you’re looking for your next project, listen to your gut. Chances are you know what you want, even if you “don’t”. Ive found if I need to go home and think on it, it’s not right.
If you’re looking to rescue, have a good trainer, and the financial means, DO IT. Whether you keep him/her forever, or help them along to the next chapter of their life, you will never regret saving a life, and you can bet that an OTTB will never let you forget it!
And when all else fails…Always, ALWAYS pick the plain bay gelding! 😉
What’s your favorite piece of tack and why?
Give a girl the right reins and she can conquer the world…Or the right bit. Some women collect shoes, jewelry, purses…Well, I certainly don’t mind dropping a fortune on the right boots, but you can bet in another 10 years I’ll still be carrying my $1.99 Dooney & Bourke I got at the thrift store 4 years ago. Think of all the money I will have saved for more reins & bits! When it comes to reins, I have one of everything. Rubber, laced, braided leather, flat harness, rolled harness, rolled rawhide, yacht rope, braided nylon…And that’s just barrel reins…And just what’s in my trailer. But go figure, I only use one pair, my rolled harness. Like shoes I suppose, you can’t explain why they feel good, they’re just right. At least when it comes to split reins I’m pretty easy (though some would call that “picky”)…I just have countless pairs of the same heavily oiled ½” wide 8’ long harness reins. Like my barrel reins, they just feel good.
Oh but I’m even worse when it comes to bits. At any given time I have over 50 hanging on the wall or in the trailer, which doesn’t include the ones on my 30+ bridles, or the ones in my show closet. I’m truly fascinated by bits & their varying uses, and the seemingly lost art of bit making. Having a training barn is the perfect excuse to be constantly changing my collection…But like everything else, I do have my go-to’s, which on my Western horses would be a nice old Dutton sweet iron offset d-ring snaffle, my vintage iron & silver Garcia loose ring snaffle, or my old (long before the junky stuff made in Mexico) Les Vogt Flat Creek Silver Argentine. You just can’t beat an old, well balanced, handmade bit!
Anything else you’d like to tell us about?
Judging by the length of my responses, those reading this are likely either fast asleep, or would agree that I’ve left very little unsaid!…So by all means, put down the smart phone, get up from the computer, turn off your OTTB Connect notifications (temporarily of course!), and go ride your Thoroughbred!
