Sir Leslie-ADOPTED!

Sir Leslie raced for the Red and Black Stable with 4 wins, 2 second place finishes and one third place finish. After suffering an injury he had surgery and was placed with ACTT Naturally to rehabilitate. Sir Leslie was adopted by Ann Marie, and living a wonderful life in Upstate NY. 

In April of 2020 I reached out to Valerie Buck for help with my new horse Gunner, a Tennessee Walker who was spooking on the trails. I had heard of her compassionate horsemanship and was eager to address my problems under saddle. After working with Valerie for a few sessions she mentioned that Gunner lacked confidence and would benefit from a “babysitter” on the trails. Valerie offered to lend us a horse for a month who was confident, calm and safe for my husband to ride. When I heard it was a retired off-the-track thoroughbred I was immediately skeptical since the thoroughbreds I seen over the years were difficult to handle and reactive. I reluctantly agreed but repeatedly told Valerie we would only borrow him for a month and would return him as soon as he had schooled Gunner. Well, fast forward ten months and the thoroughbred we thought we’d have for a few weeks is a permanent resident of our herd. The day Sir Leslie backed out of the trailer at our farm and looked at me with his kind eyes, I knew he wasn’t leaving our property. He didn’t even have to audition for the role of trail babysitter. I just knew this was a good horse, and I thought to myself, I hope Valerie will let him stay. During the time we have had Sir Leslie he has been a role model for our Tennessee Walker. He is confident on the trails and happy to lead or follow depending upon Gunner’s mood. He is patient with all riders, no matter their skill level, and is friendly to everyone in the herd. I would never have believed that he was a former racehorse. His behavior speaks to the amazing work Valerie Buck does through her organization ACTT Naturally. Her thoroughbreds should be ambassadors to the horse world to educate people that with proper, compassionate training, racehorses can have productive lives on the trail and in the arena. If you’re ever looking for smart, well-trained and athletically gifted horses, ACTT Naturally is an organization that can help you find your forever horse. I am over the moon to be Sir Leslie’s forever person and grateful to have him as a member of our herd!