Everything Horses and Livestock® Magazine Feb 2020 Vol 5 Issue 1

Everything Horses and Livestock Magazine ®

COWBOY SWAGGER From Plain to Boujee

" THE F I RST HORSE I GAL LOPED I N ALMOST 6 YEARS WAS A PLA I N BAY 3YO GE LD I NG NAMED COWBOY SWAGGER . MY HEART WAS SO FUL L TO BE DO I NG WHAT I LOVED AGA I N . "

track for the next few months, galloping Swaggs regularly but not exclusively. I did take him to the paddock for his first 2 or 3 races too, and helped cool him out after he ran. Then he was in on a day I had to work and he got claimed. I didn’t

gallop another horse. I was never good with that part of the game, but for some reason it really hurt to see him moving on. I probably could have continued galloping him for the new trainer as I had rode for them some back in the day but

Ok. Backstory first. I worked for Oakhurst Thoroughbreds more specifically Ben Root who is Jack & Margaret (Cookie) Root’s son for many years. Ben was the official trainer and ran the racing operations. I galloped Swaggs’ dam, One Fast Cowgirl aka Mickey, regularly. I left the racetrack late in 2011 after I hired on with the railroad but decided in the summer of 2017 that I wanted to gallop again, even if it was just a couple a day. So I got my license renewed and went to the backside a couple days after it opened for the meet. A trainer I used to ride for was there and he said I could lope a few for him. The first horse I galloped in almost 6 years was a plain bay 3yo gelding named Cowboy Swagger. My heart was so full to be doing what I loved again. I continued going to the

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