Monday, September 12, 2011

Diary of Dexter: A Retired Racehorse

Past the Grandstand will begin a new series called Diary of Dexter about my retired racehorse, Wet Paint (AKA Dexter). Periodically, the blog will feature updates on the grandson of Storm Cat. You will really grow to love this wonderful horse.

Dexter
Photo by Mary Cage

Wet Paint may not have accomplished big things on the racetrack, but this horse means a lot to me. The son of Chelsey Cat (by Storm Cat) and out of the Lost Code mare Little Betty Blue earned $32,851 in twenty-three starts. He raced from age two until age four, all in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Louisiana.
After being eased in his final start, Wet Paint was retired from racing. He ended up with an outrider at Fair Grounds Race Course, but after that outrider left for Florida, Wet Paint was left in Louisiana. Dallas and Donna Keen took the chestnut gelding under their care, training him patiently and getting him some much-needed dental care.
The outrider who had had him before leaving for Florida had claimed him uncontrollable, but the Keens realized that was most definitely not the case. Once his teeth were floated, Wet Paint caught on to lessons very quickly, responding willingly. He was most definitely not the “uncontrollable” horse the outrider had deemed him.
A few days after Wet Paint arrived at the Keens’ Remember Me Rescue, I adopted him and named him Dexter. I just couldn’t ignore him. He was extremely friendly, gorgeous, and seemed very smart.
In fact, I believe he is the smartest horse I have ever ridden. He is an extremely quick learner and is willing to please. You can teach him something one day and he will remember it the next and if you don’t work on that one thing for a month, he will still remember it when you try it again. I have had him for over six months now. He still has a lot to learn, but he has made a lot of progress and looks to have a bright future.

Remember to like Past the Grandstand on Facebook and follow Past the Grandstand on Twitter! Links can be found on the right side of the blog.

1 comment:

  1. I found your page from Remember Me Rescue's facebook page. I love hearing stories of other OTTB owners! My new gelding is a grandson of Storm Cat as well and such a sweetheart. I guess he didn't pass the running gene on to them, but he did pass on his smarts :)

    ReplyDelete