...and on the eighth day God created the horse in perfect image, to romp, graze, gallop, play and make manure wherever it darn well pleases, in divine grace
Sometimes when a person acquires their first horse at a young age, the breed becomes a favorite for a lifetime. Such is the case with Barb Greil of Conneaut Lake, and her love of the Standardbred horse.
With her husband, Mike, two rescued Standardbreds and five boarding horses, Greil resides on 38 acres of countryside near the old the Erie Canal.
Mike is very helpful at the barn and also makes hay for the horses with the neighbors pitching in.. He also rides in parades with their adopted Standardbreds, Preacher Frank, age 17 and Spirit, age 14, along side his wife, Barb.
Both are gray, a gelding and a mare, respectively.
“Yes, the Standardbred comes in other colors besides brown,” says Barb.
It all started when Barb volunteered at the Harness Horse Retirement and Youth Association, now defunct, which was a type of Standardbred rescue that took trotting race horses and placed them in homes near the Pittsburgh area.
As work continued there, Greil was informed that she would be allowed to pick out an animal for herself to keep.
She decided to pick “Nippy,” a small, bay gelding that came in at 14.2HH.
Greil discovered a tattoo and made contact with The Meadows, a large harness racing track outside of Pittsburgh.
A fourteen-year-long friendship ensued and Nippy soon proved that Standardbreds aren’t just for trotting races.
Together, Nippy and Barb won three National High Point Championships in Versatility in the Standardbred Equestrian Program.
She found the horse had a great attitude, a big heart, and was easy to work with.
To win at Versatility, Nippy had to ride English and Western Pleasure. Timed events, such as games of barrels and poles, judged Trail Riding, and also Halter are included.
Later Nippy won the Cosequin Award for horses who successfully cross over training disciplines, basically starting a new training life and moving successfully on, and also was the first Standardbred horse to ride in the Fantasia Performance and the Parade of Breeds at Equine Affair, the huge four-day horse event held every Spring in Columbus, Ohio.
These are huge accomplishments for a former race horse! Pretty good for little rural Conneaut Lake. Who wouldn’t covet all those titles for their own mount?
Nippy was not Barb Greil’s only Standardbred. She has since rescued three others, one of whom is deceased.
Preacher Frank and Spirit are leading comfortable lives on Griel’s “Crazy Woman Ranch,” and they are healthy and fit and don’t look like they need any groceries.
She continues to promote the breed, and if a Standardbred needed a home, the gate at Crazy Woman is always open.
“Let your trotting champ become someone else’s champ; adopt a Standardbred today,” she can be quoted as saying.
Not a bad idea, and the horses think so, too.
Horse rescue takes serious time, commitment, and of course, money. Please review your monetary budget to calculate the monthly costs of each individual horse, including veterinary and blacksmith care before you consider adoption of equines.
Trotting off into a wintry sunset, in a one-horse open sleigh, to the immortal words of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, “Happy Trails to You.”