“I have my 13-year-old OTTB named Gavin. His show name is Smarty Pants.
I purchased him from the Ajax area from Cynthia Frise 10 years ago as a 3-year-old. He didn't cut it as a racehorse and never even made it to his first race.
He was tall and lanky and overflowing with excitement and anxiety when I got him home to the farm. I originally bought him as an easy re-sale horse. He was big and dark and had four white socks - a real beauty to look at. But he bucked me off almost everyday for the first three months we were together. I thought, ‘What did I buy? I'm never going to be able to sell him.’
Fortunately, due to his exuberant behaviour and great athleticism, I stuck with him (I had no choice) and he quickly moved up the levels in eventing. By 7 years of age, we had qualified for the Olympics and were shortlisted for the Canadian Eventing team in 2012.
I have recently scooped up an opportunity to run my own farm, which goes under the name of KJ Equestrian in Mono Mills, so I get to keep and see my horses on the daily, at all hours of the day.
My favorite memory of Gavin was completing a mandatory team outing at Bromont CIC 3 star where we finished in the top 10 out of some of the best horses in the field at that time. We weren’t expected to finish so well, being told he "wasn't good enough" on the flat, jumping, etc. But I believed in what we were capable of, and stuck with our training program and delivered results that just couldn't lie.
He has taken me all over North America, and has given me so much exposure to the competition side of my horse. He has helped me meet so many new people and gain so many contacts in this industry. He was my first real "off the track" retraining project and he took me all the way to the top of the sport.
He's 13 now, and has matured quite a bit since I got him at 3 years of age. I hop on him nowadays and think, ‘This…this is what home feels like.’ I know him and he knows me, inside out and upside down. We've been through SO many life changes together and he had been the one constant that I can count on.
When I think of Gavin, the first thought that comes into mind is peace, home and family. This horse has taught me so much. Dedication and patience being number 1 and 2 on a long list of things he's given me the chance to learn.
My life’s passion is horses, and especially retraining off the track thoroughbreds. But while teaching them, I know deep down inside that they are really teaching me. Every day with these horses is a new learning experience and I have Smarty Pants to thank for starting my career and never allowing me to give up.”
By Kelly List, for Ontario Horse Racing
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