Long Live the Horse: Blackfoot Mystery Goes Beginner Novice

What happens to those 5* horses once they are no longer competitive in the upper levels? Some go on to become lower level professors. That’s exactly what Boyd Martin’s Rio Olympic partner, Blackfoot Mystery, is up to.

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We last saw Boyd Martin’s 2016 Olympic mount, the fan favorite OTTB Blackfoot Mystery, out at a USEA event in November of 2020 competing in the CCI4*-L. Boyd was hoping to get the gelding back up to the five-star level after a few years off following the Olympics, but ended up making the tough decision to have “Red” move on to a second career at the lower levels.

But Red wasn’t ready to completely retire, so Boyd was able to find him the perfect new home in Texas with adult amateur Amber Clark. Red, who is now 14, and Amber tackled their first USEA horse trials together last month at the Texas Rose Horse Park and you can tell by his pricked ears the whole way around the course that he’s still having the time of his life out on cross country.

In the spirt of Kentucky coming up, here’s a bonus video flashback to Boyd and Red’s 2016 round, narrated by Boyd, that helped secure them that Olympic spot:

A long career (and, more importantly, a long and healthy life) is always a goal for our horses. Ask your veterinarian about Zoetis’ line-up of health support options that can help support your horse for a long-lasting and comfortable career and life.