Floo Powder used to run on dirt. Now he runs barrels.
The 14-year-old Pennsylvania-bred gelding, a former racehorse turned National Barrel Horse Association champion, stepped into the Jane and Stephen Hale Indoor Arena at Virginia Tech’s Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center, in Leesburg Virginia, to demonstrate something the equestrian community has been paying increasing attention to: What a thoroughbred can become after the track.
His appearance was the centerpiece of the inaugural Thoroughbred Wellness Expo, a collaborative event co-hosted by the Equine Medical Center and the Retired Racehorse Project, a national nonprofit dedicated to facilitating placement of ex-racehorses in second careers.
The day brought together equine professionals, riders, and horse enthusiasts for a full program of education and live demonstrations, which covered soundness evaluation, upper airway conditions, and farriery, all focused on giving prospective owners the tools to make confident decisions about adopting an off-the-track thoroughbred.
“These are two organizations whose work I have admired and respected for many years,” said Karen Jones-Squires, chair of the Equine Medical Center Advisory Council, who connected the two organizations. “They not only have similar goals in keeping horses sound and healthy throughout their lives, but they also share a pragmatic, innovative culture. The potential synergy between the two seemed obvious.”
