When the story of Tacticianor is written, it won't be about his rather pedestrian record on the racetrack, or even about his rather illustrious pedigree and family connections, as a grandson of the great Storm Cat and a half-brother to the much-heralded and fabulously successful runner, Evening Attire.
No, Tacticianor's claim to fame will spring from the fact that as he stood forlorn in a notorious Ohio kill pen--an anonymous, emaciated, and broken down horse whose days were numbered to the amount of time it would take for him to travel to a slaughterhouse in Mexico--some good-hearted people stepped forth to save him, not knowing who they'd found.
When they spotted him on Friday, July 30th, as he awaited his fate at the Sugarcreek Auction, rescuers had no idea who Tacticianor was. Some speculated that because of his grey color, he was part Arab, and most assumed that because of the tired look in his eye, he was quite old. And even when someone flipped up his lip to determine if he had ever been tattooed, she was able only to confirm that he was a thoroughbred who had spent some time on the racetrack. No one knew where, no one knew when.
That's when they called Deborah (Deb) Jones, a passionate thoroughbred advocate who has made it her life's mission to identify and protect thoroughbreds destined for slaughter, and intervene before they are loaded on to a one-way trip to hell. It was Deb who researched Tacticianor's tattoo, and learned his true identity, but that information was put on the back burner because Sugarcreek's owner, Leroy Baker, had already booked the six-year-old gelding on the truck to Mexico. It was leaving on Sunday, August 1st, so there wasn't much time.
Deb quickly contacted Mandae Lewis at nearby Greener Pastures Equine Rescue, who agreed to take the horse on short notice. She and Lori Armstrong essentially dropped everything to arrange to get Tacticianor out of Sugarcreek with the help of Rena' Martin of Drafty Barn Equine Rescue, while Deb wired the $75 that Baker said he wanted for the horse. By the end of the day on Sunday, he was safe.
Plagued with assorted aches and pains, a shoulder injury of indeterminate origin, and ribs sticking out so far you can count them, Tacticianor may be out of harm's way, but he's facing a long rehabilitation. He's currently receiving loving care and medical attention under the supervision of Amy McLeod, who runs a quarantine barn for Greener Pastures. The question is: how did Tacticianor, who finished off the board in his last race--a bottom-level $3500 claimer at Beulah Park on March 10th--fall so far, so fast?
Here's what we know. It was with high hopes that Tacticianor's racing career began, in the fall of 2006, when he competed against two-year-old Maiden Special Weight foes for his owner/breeders TJ Kelly and Joseph Grant. The extreme success of the horse's older half-brother, Evening Attire, had led them to dream that Tacticianor might be as good. But he finished 24 lengths back, and in his next start, was eased. Tacticianor's original connections tried everything: they ran him long and short, on dirt and on turf, but the results were always the same: Tacticianor seemed to run out of gas and finish up many lengths behind the competition.
The good-looking grey was sent to Suffolk Downs in the summer of 2007, where he raced without distinction, but managed to hit the board in lower-level claiming races, while never making it to the winner's circle. By October of that year, Mr. Grant apparently realized that Tacticianor just wasn't cut out to be a runner, and in good faith, he gave him to someone who promised to provide the gelding with a good home.
But four months later, Tacticianor was back in the starting gate again, this time at Turfway Park, where he ran twice and finished unplaced. Over the course of the next two years, Tacticianor made 26 more starts, managing to break his maiden for a $4000 tag, and win two other bottom-level claiming races. He made his last start over a sloppy track at Beulah Park on March 10th of this year, and ended his career with total earnings of just under $16,000.
By April, Tacticianor was listed for sale for $750 on the CANTER Ohio website, with photographs indicating that he appeared to be happy, healthy, and well-fed, stabled in Barn 17 at Beulah under the care of his last trainer, Kristi Van Meter. The CANTER site describes the 16h grey as "sound on an old, set osselot," with "no stall vices." Whatever happened in his last race, though, it appears that Ms. Van Meter had determined that Tacticianor needed to be retired for good this time, because his CANTER writeup further says, "He's decided he's done racing and can get cranky at the track but is a 'perfect angel' at the farm--when he came out of his stall to get his picture taken he was relaxed and a perfect gentleman. He'll make someone a great horse--maybe a beginner hunter."
It's not clear how long Tacticianor remained with trainer Van Meter, but by early June, he had been transferred to Angela Perry, who runs Bluestone Farm, a sales and breeding facility in southern Ohio. She advertised him for sale at $850 on the Horsetopia website on or about June 13th. According to a story in the Daily Racing Form, Ms. Perry said she sold Tacticianor about a month ago, but could not--or perhaps would not--identify who bought him.
We don't know how the lanky grey gelding ended up at Sugarcreek, but an agent form the Meigs County Humane Society is conducting an investigation, and intends to find out.
As for Tacticianor, his future now looks very bright indeed. As soon as breeder Joseph Grant learned of his plight, he immediately stepped up to contribute to his old colorbearer's expenses, and also put in a good word for him at Akindale Thoroughbred Rescue, the retirement home of Tacticianor's celebrated half-brother, the $2.9 million dollar earner, Evening Attire.
Once Tacticianor has put on some much-needed weight and recovered from his injuries, he'll be heading to Pawling, New York, to live out the rest of his life with his look-alike relative at Akindale, where they'll both be treated like royalty, without regard to how they got there.
Comments
I've been following all the news about horses from the USA ending up in Europe, and I live in Holland and created a group on Facebook. I never been near horses, I admire them and that is good enough for me. This story is what I was looking for, it sums up everything I have published in my group. Discarded horses, this time a thoroughbred, ending up with Leroy Baker in Sugarcreek in an abonimable state. Disgusting, and so good he is safe now.
And so sad to know that the other ones were not saved.
So many horses are not mentioned at all, the horses unlucky enough to end in the Mexican/Canadian slaughterhouse, like ponies, donkeys, still with new halters on to impress would be buyers, the pregnant mares and foals, wild mustangs, it is Pinochio Land with a very bitter end, I would so much like to highlight the need for transparency in order to make a case so I can motivate the Europeans to stop buying horsemeat.
KUDOS to you Hilke!
The best defense is education, to spread the word among those that create the demand for horsemeat. How many of them are so painfully unaware that the steak they are eating could have once been a faithful pony that carried it's young rider through courses and ribbons. These are not brainless livestock, these are animals taught to trust us - and in many cases love us. Most of them have spent years serving man, to be betrayed.
Reading these stories makes me happy this guy was saved, but boy I feel so empty thinking of the others that trucked down to mexico to be savaged and hung for meat. Its a fate none of them deserve.
We are looking for the following horses that we believe also went to this same farm and were trained by Van Meter. Bluenoser, Poison Ivey, Flee the Great, Spring is Sprung. Please if anyone knows of these horses email Maureen Harmonay. Tac is not doing well and is heading to OSU today.. many prayers needed.
I just got a mare from Indiana yesterday and the papers I got with her says she is Poison Ivey. I went there to get another horse and then they showed me her and she is a very skinny and I felt sorry for her and took her too. But looking at her papers today, it says Poison Ivey has a little white on her left fore foot and this horse has a little white on her left hind foot. This horse has a tattoo but I can't read it well emough to see if it is the same tattoo that Poison Ivey is suppose to have. Do you know of any pictures of Poison Ivey or a better way to read the horse's tattoo? Thanks.
Angela Perry, who runs Bluestone Farm, a sales and breeding facility in southern Ohio advertised him for sale at $850 on the Horsetopia website on or about June 13th. According to a story in the Daily Racing Form, Ms. Perry said she sold Tacticianor about a month ago, but could not--or perhaps would not--identify who bought him. Obviously she sold him to a meat man when she could not sell him. It is the same story many trainers have given at the tracks. They are never sure who it was that they sell them to. Obvious lies!!!! SHAME SHAME SHAME on Angela Perry
SO glad you took the time,Maureen,and did this investigation.Angela Perry should be sentanced to work ay SugarCreek and experience first-hand what these suffering,beautiful animals have to endure,the inevitable death comes as a relief to them.I see everyday on the racetrack hoe horses are neglected abused and discarded,
I have known Angela Perry for several years and have spoken to her in regards to this horse. Every horse on her farm is well taken care of and when sold is sold to a good home. Angela did not sell this horse to Sugarcreek. How the horse got to Sugarcreek is unknown. Some people have made assumptions and slanderous statements about Ms. Perry that have no basis in fact. The mistreatment of animals is abhorant, the slander of a good person is worse. Before spreading unsubstantiated stories check the facts. Ms. Perry did nothing wrong.
It's too bad that Mike Vasko didn't actually read my story, which never accused Angela Perry of anything. It specifically did not say that she had sold Tacticianor to Sugarcreek, and it most certainly did not slander her. But a horse in Tacticianor's condition doesn't get that way overnight. It will take months and months for him to recover from what the veterinarians are calling "prolonged" starvation. I make no accusations; I simply ask readers to draw their own conclusions.
I am so excited that these are being resolved! Thank you Deb for calling me!
It would certainly be refreshing to just once see a story written by a reporter that bothered to research the facts first. This reporter should lose her job over this story.
Having been in the horse business for over 50 years and having a lot of experience feeding and training thoroughbreds I have gotten off the track, I can say that some of them are very hard to get and keep weight on. I have known Angela Perry for several years and have spent time at her farm. Her horses have always been in great condition, even the ones that were very difficult to maintain. To imply that she does not take care of her horses is slanderous. I have nothing against legitimate rescue operations. It is a shame that some of them do not bother to get facts before they start mentioning names, which is the case here.
There is nothing slanderous about this account, which is based on factual evidence that may not be available to the people who are defending Ms. Perry. Photographs of Tacticianor prior to his arrival at Angela Perry's farm show him to have been in good condition and in good weight. There is an ongoing investigation into this matter by local humane authorities. I stand by what I have written and await the results of the investigation.
If this horse was coming off drugs as Ms Perry is stating and the reason why she could not put weight on this horse... my question is this: Why didnt she contact her vet for help?? How can someone stand by for 5 months and see a horse wasting away and contact a vet?? And to those of you posting under Anon.. why is that? Why are you afraid to identify yourselves if what you are saying in defense of Ms Perry is true??
You are absolutely right.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!