---

Wandering Angus Nickname: Angus Birth Year: 1997. Gender: Gelding. Breed: Thoroughbred. Affiliated with Great and Small .

Angus is on his fourth career. He began life as a racehorse, where he had 31 starts over 3 seasons under the Jockey Club name "Wandering Angus." He earned just over $60,000 on the track. When he retired from racing, he was retrained as an eventer and competed through Training level under the USEF/USEA name "Scotch on the Rocks." He also foxhunted and trail rode with his amateur owner. The discovery of a heart murmur caused his owner to retire him from all galloping sports. Angus proceeded to teach his owner's daughter to ride, and then was leased to other families to teach other children.

One year ago, Angus came to Great and Small to see if he could share his wisdom with riders with special needs. It has been a match made in heaven. He adores the slower pace of daily life at Great and Small. Angus is extraordinarily self-possessed, and that calm presence of a horse who knows exactly who he is can be reassuring for riders who are still finding their way in the world. He is is a stalwart of the therapeutic riding program, equally happy to work on-lead with a new rider or independently with someone discovering new skills. Angus is our go-to for introducing the canter, and he is also a deft teacher of correct contact for those who are graduating to using a bitted bridle.

Angus has a long history of skin and coat challenges. In addition to the stereotypical chestnut tendency toward scratches and rainrot, he typically just goes bald in the spring instead of shedding normally. A couple months of Platinum Performance CJ was donated to Great and Small at Christmas, which we fed to Angus. His skin was calm when we started it and remained healthy for the duration. When we ran out in the spring, the hair loss and hives returned. The price point is a challenge for us and we have not yet been able to restart it, so this grant would meet a need in a horse we know responds to Platinum products.

Relationship of Nominator to Nominee
I am the Center Director at Great and Small, a therapeutic riding program in Boyds, MD. Angus joined our program one year ago as a therapy horse. -- Rachel Neff