Heart and fire makes a great champion. At least that’s what I always believed, what I was taught, and what I knew for certain in my training and riding career. The heart to keep going at all costs. No matter how tough it gets, you keep the fire blazing. Never give up, and never give in. I was always a firm believer in no guts no glory, no will no way. However, sometimes, life maps out a different plan. Despite all your best efforts to avoid it, it blindsides you, and breaks you down. It extinguishes the fire and hope. My heart had melted, and was broken. The edge I once had, the will to keep going was gone.
My whole life I had the support of my father. The person who knew me best. He never missed a competition. He pushed me, believed in me and encouraged me to work hard to excel in my career. After a three-year battle with me by his side, my hero and warrior passed on from a rare form of cancer. My world shattered, and suddenly walking out to my barn that he built for me was no longer my safe haven. Nonetheless, in life when you experience a tremendous loss, you will also experience a tremendous gain. Something bigger than you believed, and even larger than you imagined.
We don’t get many second chances in life. We don’t always succeed at what we set out to do. Sometimes it isn’t about the end. It is about the journey to arrive at your destination. It’s about a new beginning, and a new challenge. The grit that you need to dig deep for some other option. The option that will change your course, ignite your fire, and keep it blazing once again. Sometimes all you need is that spark, that risk, that gamble. This is my story.
The Retired Racehorse Project had developed and began to grow almost instantly in popularity. The idea to rehab an ex racehorse was right up my alley. I enjoyed that process and that devotion toward a long-term change, and giving thoroughbreds a second chance off the track.
Rehabilitating the horses and changing the muscle structure from racing muscles to riding muscles was my specialty. Racehorses have tremendous heart and will. They aim to please, and they are highly competitive. It isn’t often you are able to buy a horse with superior bloodlines for a fraction of the cost. I
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The Story of Tara Jones, Captain Beep Beep and the Retired Racehorse Project
He had 17 career starts, and one win.
HEART FIRE
PART 1 of the Captain Beep Beep Series
He had 17 career starts, and one win.
22 / Sport and Trail Magazine
Photos by Sherrie Hilliard