Second Wind Thoroughbred Project

This is important, it's a long, very well written article worth the time to read in full.

There are a lot of people in the industry today talking about what’s wrong, Parker Worthington writes. The judges are inconsistent. The courses are uninspired. The clients have no feel. The young trainers don’t know anything. The sport is not what it used to be. The whole enterprise, frankly, is in decline.

And the strange thing, and the thing worth examining, is that these are often people who have been in the sport for decades. People who have seen extraordinary things and ridden extraordinary horses and built real careers out of something they once loved with an uncomplicated, hungry passion. Somewhere along the way, that passion curdled. The curiosity dried up. And what moved in to fill the space was a very specific brand of negativity that masquerades as wisdom but is, in reality, something much simpler.

It is the outlook of someone who has stopped learning.

This is not a criticism dressed up as an observation. It is an invitation, because the antidote is not positivity, not the type that is forced, performative, relentlessly upbeat positivity that papers over real problems and pretends everything is fine. The antidote is something more durable and more interesting than that. It is curiosity. Active, genuine, slightly restless curiosity about what else there is to know, what else there is to try, and what the person next to you, especially if they are younger and newer and less certain of everything, might be able to teach you.

The people in this sport who age most gracefully (not in years, but in spirit) are almost universally the ones who never stopped asking questions. The trainer who at sixty is still auditing clinics not because they need the basics explained but because they want to see how someone else approaches a problem. The horsewoman who has won everything worth winning but will still sit ringside and watch a junior eq class with genuine attention, not to critique but to observe. The professional who makes a point of spending real time with the young riders and grooms and working students in their orbit, not to dispense wisdom from on high but to actually listen to what they are experiencing and seeing and feeling.

These people are not naive. They know the sport has problems. They know the economics are hard, and the judging is imperfect, and the pressure on young people is sometimes excessive, and the horses don’t always get the deal they deserve. But they hold all of that alongside something else completely. Alongside genuine enthusiasm for what is working, what is improving, who is emerging, what is possible. They are net contributors to the energy of whatever room they walk into, and everyone in that room can feel it.

📎 Continue reading this article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2026/06/15/curiosity-is-the-antidote-to-cynicism/
📸 © Heather N. Photography

If you find all the hidden faces in this optical illusion in less than 10 seconds, you’re in the top 1%.
Check 1st comment for answer👇

I love seeing these educational events for riders of Thiroughbreds!!

Thoroughbred Day at Brigadoon https://www.striderpro.com/a/5ceEm7oT20q7RcJpBY2wLg

Last week we had what's called a straight line wind which is like a tornado force wind but it doesn't spin. It had to be very very strong to do this.! Our horses Van and Teddy are usually in this pasture but it was a hot day and Van is gray and doesn't sweat well so they were in stalls. Thank God! It literally tore the roof right off and sent it flying! I think the only thing that stopped it was the fence. The roof is still pretty intact.
Nothing else on the farm was out of place. Crazy!

We have made the decision to move to Stamping Ground, Kentucky. It's about 20 minutes from Lexington. I love Virginia and I'm sad to leave in a way, but our program was not well supported here and we never could find the right farm to suit our needs.

My connections in Lexington encouraged me to consider moving there, and we have found a lovely place to lease, as you will see in the photos. There's a large, beautiful indoor arena, the grass is lush and the barn is perfect. We will have to downsize our house, because we will be starting out living in a small two bedroom. But there is a darling old brick farmhouse on the property that will be renovated in about a year and we will eventually move in there.

Moving 10 horses, cats, 30 chickens, and all our stuff is a ton of work! We're moving mid July, so I only have six weeks. Feels like I need six months to prepare so I'm busting my rear end every day packing and planning. Wish us luck!

Those ISO ads for horses that say *no Thoroughbreds* are going to be a thing of the past! Smart trainers are seeing the added
$$$ classes and soon we will be seeing ISO ads looking specifically for a Thoroughbred.
This is just the beginning- there will be more big $$ classes on the horizon for Thoroughbreds. Get yours now before prices go up!

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Bill Graves Memorial Thoroughbred Challenge Offers Major Bonus to Upperville & Warrenton Horse Show Top Thoroughbreds

Momentum continues to build for Thoroughbred show hunters with the introduction of an exciting new incentive—the Bill Graves Memorial Thoroughbred Challenge. Created to bring opportunity to Thoroughbreds, the Challenge will award a $5,000 bonus to the horse earning the highest cumulative score across two premier derby events at the Upperville C**t & Horse Show and the Warrenton Horse Show. In addition, a $1,250 bonus will be presented to both the top junior ridden and top amateur ridden Thoroughbreds.

These inaugural bonuses are generously sponsored by Muirfield Insurance owned by Mike and Meg Levy—close friends of Bill Graves. The initiative is designed to further promote demand for Thoroughbreds beyond their racing careers, highlighting their success and adaptability in the show ring.

The first leg of the Challenge will take place at the Upperville C**t & Horse Show which will debut its $25,000 Thoroughbred Hunter Derby on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in the main hunter ring. This class is supported by prominent sponsors, including Ann Hormel, Jacqueline Mars, and Tisbury Stud, among others.

The second leg will be held at the Warrenton Horse Show during its 127th annual event. The $7,500 William E. “Bill” Graves Memorial Thoroughbred Hunter Derby, generously sponsored by Gainesway Sale Company, will take place on Thursday, September 3, 2026. Both derbies will be conducted as two-round hunter classes at a height of 3 feet and are open to Thoroughbred horses of all backgrounds.

Bill Graves, a beloved member of the Virginia Horse Shows Association Hall of Fame and Senior Vice President at Fasig-Tipton for more than 25 years, dedicated his life to the Thoroughbred industry. Like many horsemen of his era, he began by retraining off-the-track Thoroughbreds into successful show horses. A highly respected rider and horseman, Graves competed at the highest levels nationwide, with deep ties to Warrenton. His passing in 2018 left a lasting void in the equestrian community, but his legacy continues to inspire through initiatives such as this Challenge.

Muirfield Insurance is a full-service equine insurance agency located in Lexington, Kentucky. Their knowledgeable staff has over 100 years of experience working in the equine industry and is dedicated to putting that experience to work to help protect all of your equine-related investments.

For more information about these Derbies go to www.Upperville.com and www.WarrentonHorseShow.com.

Some of our lovely mares enjoying the great weather and the nice green grass. These ladies range in age from 4 to 30 !

Yep!! 😁😎👌