EPISODE · Jul 23, 2019 · 37 MIN
The story of Shadow Warrior, the bravest (and most dangerous) horse I ever owned.
from Horse Wise · host Lynn Reardon
Shadow Warrior was a handsome, well-bred Thoroughbred gelding. His sire, A.P. Indy, was a huge personality at the track. Even now, at age 30, A.P. Indy still has swagger (see link below to his 30th birthday video). Shadow had his father’s good looks, competitive fire and epic presence. Born in 2008, he raced 83 times and retired at age 9. Shadow ended his career in Puerto Rico, after Hurricane Maria devastated the island in Sept 2017. Abandoned at the track, Shadow was rescued due to the heroic efforts of Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare. He came to the racehorse charity I ran (LOPE) in Dec 2017. It soon became clear that Shadow had intense aggression and PTSD issues. I had never encountered or worked with a horse as troubled as Shadow. But thanks to the mentorship and coaching of a good friend (Nathan Greiner), Shadow and I slowly made progress together for several months (see three-part series below for details). During that phase, Shadow helped many people learn — including at-risk youth, horsemen of the highest caliber and many racing professionals. But then Shadow took a turn for both the better and the worse simultaneously. The combination led to behavior that was even more dangerous than before. Although Shadow’s life was much too short, it had great meaning and purpose. The last year of his life was happy, with many days of contentment and peace. I’ll always regret that I couldn’t develop the skills in time to help Shadow fully. But I'll never regret that I had the honor to know him, work with him, learn from him and (lastly) own him. Many thanks and deep gratitude to all the people who helped Shadow and me along the way: Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare, Gary Bailey of Bail-e Horsemanship and Colt Starting, Tom Curtin Quality Horsemanship, The Burke Center for Youth, Dr. Matt Evans of Austin Equine Hospital — and most of all, Nathan Greiner. Photo of Shadow Warrior: http://tjr.me/galleries/horses/images/shadow-warrior/ A.P. Indy 30th birthday video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X58Nc1_FTDI 3 Part Series on Shadow’s progress in 2017 and 2018: Pt 1: https://mailchi.mp/lopetx/shadow-warrior-a-heros-tale Pt 2: https://mailchi.mp/0fda8b89e31a/shadow-warrior-a-heros-tale-3231277 Pt 3: https://mailchi.mp/lopetx/shadow-warrior-a-heros-tale-3235509
What this episode covers
Shadow Warrior was a handsome, well-bred Thoroughbred gelding. His sire, A.P. Indy, was a huge personality at the track. Even now, at age 30, A.P. Indy still has swagger (see link below to his 30th birthday video). Shadow had his father’s good looks, competitive fire and epic presence. Born in 2008, he raced 83 times and retired at age 9. Shadow ended his career in Puerto Rico, after Hurricane Maria devastated the island in Sept 2017. Abandoned at the track, Shadow was rescued due to the heroic efforts of Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare. He came to the racehorse charity I ran (LOPE) in Dec 2017. It soon became clear that Shadow had intense aggression and PTSD issues. I had never encountered or worked with a horse as troubled as Shadow. But thanks to the mentorship and coaching of a good friend (Nathan Greiner), Shadow and I slowly made progress together for several months (see three-part series below for details). During that phase, Shadow helped many people learn — including at-risk youth, horsemen of the highest caliber and many racing professionals. But then Shadow took a turn for both the better and the worse simultaneously. The combination led to behavior that was even more dangerous than before. Although Shadow’s life was much too short, it had great meaning and purpose. The last year of his life was happy, with many days of contentment and peace. I’ll always regret that I couldn’t develop the skills in time to help Shadow fully. But I'll never regret that I had the honor to know him, work with him, learn from him and (lastly) own him. Many thanks and deep gratitude to all the people who helped Shadow and me along the way: Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare, Gary Bailey of Bail-e Horsemanship and Colt Starting, Tom Curtin Quality Horsemanship, The Burke Center for Youth, Dr. Matt Evans of Austin Equine Hospital — and most of all, Nathan Greiner. Photo of Shadow Warrior: http://tjr.me/galleries/horses/images/shadow-warrior/ A.P. Indy 30th birthday video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X58Nc1_FTDI 3 Part Series on Shadow’s progress in 2017 and 2018: Pt 1: https://mailchi.mp/lopetx/shadow-warrior-a-heros-tale Pt 2: https://mailchi.mp/0fda8b89e31a/shadow-warrior-a-heros-tale-3231277 Pt 3: https://mailchi.mp/lopetx/shadow-warrior-a-heros-tale-3235509
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The story of Shadow Warrior, the bravest (and most dangerous) horse I ever owned.
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