Pegasus Event Center is home to several Off-the-Track Thoroughbreds.   Jaime Topham has always had a love for OTTBs, which started with the first OTTB, A Little Restless.  He was purchased by her mother, Carol Buhler, from a feedlot in Utah.   "Copper" had been a school horse and somehow found himself in jeopardy of going to slaughter.  Jaime's trainer, at the time, found him and suggested that Carol purchase him. He wan't a good fit for Carol, but got along wonderfully with Jaime, who was just 12 years old.  Jaime went on to compete him at the local Hunter/Jumper Shows until he retired.  Copper got to live out the rest of his life at Pegasus, finally getting to live with a herd in the pasture.  

 

In 1997, Pegasus purchased its second OTTB, Royal Disguise.  He was a war horse, with 49 starts in his 4 year racing career.  He came off the track due to a back injury and was immediately started in dressage training.  He was not properly rehabilitated and ended up being sold to a Hunter/Jumper rider because he was not excelling at Dressage.  The next owner did the proper rehabilitation for his back, but then found him too difficult for her to ride.  She placed him with a trainer that overfaced him in the jumping ring, and he was soon up for sale.  Pegasus bought him and spent 4 years rehabilitating his mind and legs to be a jumper.  Jaime showed him through Training Level eventing and 4' jumpers before his retirement in 2008.  Disguise spent his remaining years living in a herd of horses, loved and cared for.  He will forever hold a place in Jaime's heart.

 

Over the years, Pegasus also purchased Country Road, Mighty Rue and Miss Calif Goddess.  Each had a career in eventing and jumping and have retired at Pegasus.  Mighty Rue passed away of natural causes in 2013.  He was 23 and had spent his last 10 years in comfort in a herd of horses, just being a horse.

 

Although several of the OTTBs that ended up at Pegasus over the years came from bad situations, Pegasus was not actively rescuing OTTBs.  It wasn't until 2013, when Kathleen Boyle, a longtime student at Pegasus, rescued an OTTB mare, Katie, from a feedlot in Washington that sparked renewed passion for the plight of the OTTB.  

 

Katie was a 3 year old mare that was found in a feedlot waiting to go to slaughter.  She had not shipped because she had a very large wound on her neck and was so thin, she could barely stand.  Kathleen paid her bail fee and got her transported to a holding facility until she could pick her up.  The morning before Kathleen planned to make the trip to Washington, she got a call from the holding facility informing her that sweet Katie was down and could not get up.  With a heavy heart, Kathleen made the decision to humanely euthanize Katie.  Katie had been starved to the point that her internal organs were failing and she could no longer continue.   

 

After that experience, Kathleen made it her mission to help out any time that she could.  Pegasus has stepped up with her to rescue those most in need.