No Tay, affectionately called Taiga by her owner, Floridian Joyce Carta, poses in harness.

The Best Present I Ever Received
By Standardbred Equestrian Program member Joyce Carta
For more information about the Standardbred Equestrian Program, contact Jamie Coffy.

No Tay, called Taiga, was a surprise Christmas present from my husband for Christmas 1998.

I had been wanting to adopt another Standardbred mare for some time. My first Standardbred mare had been a ride/drive horse who had been perfect for me, and it was a tragedy that heaves took her too soon at age 22.

My husband Phil contacted Pat Cavanaugh at the Standardbred Adoption Foundation in Florida. He talked with her, and then, coincidentally, I called about three days later with the same questions. Phil had told Pat that this was a surprise, but here I was on the phone wanting adopt a horse. Pat asked me if my husband's name was Phil. I said yes, and she replied, "I'll be seeing you here sooner than you think." Of course, I knew then what Phil was up to. I wasn't surprised that we ended up at Pat's place in Okeechobee the following weekend. There was No Tay, a beautiful little 3-year-old filly just been retired after two racing seasons.

No Tay is by Nero, and out of Scarlet Bouquet. I called her Taiga, a Russian word that stands for the deep, vast Siberian woods. She's got a tiny crescent star which could look like moonlight peeking through dense forest—if you stretch your imagination a lot. Still, I liked the word and it stuck.

Taiga came with two problems: she'd blown both splints racing and her feet were atrocious. A three-month lay-up took care of the splints. The feet were another story. She had no heel, and at her first trim, an inch of toe came off. She had tiny feet, originally fitted with 000 shoes. Once the excess toe was eliminated, she began to walk more comfortably and with less forging. At that point, we started some of the racehorse to pleasure driving horse transition.

She learned how to lunge and in the two sessions. She was a smart, smart, horse, especially with voice cues. Ground driving was a snap for her and we covered a lot of miles practicing voice commands. I had to be careful to always vary our routes because this brilliant mare quickly began to anticipate what was next. She clearly was loving these exercises. After four months, we line drove in harness, practicing in a blind bridle since she had raced in an open bridle. Then we hitched up her up and she walked off with my buggy like she'd been doing it for years, though my 4-wheel runabout buggy is at least 10 times heavier than a sulky.

However, her hind end balance was a continuing problem. I had her looked at by an equine neurology specialist who thought it might be EPM, equine protozoal myelitis. We started EPM medication and Cosequin as well because she creaked like an old wet shoe when she walked. We didn't make progress, though. The specialist then recommended I take her to University of Florida at Gainesville to have her examined. We had a full neurological/surgical consultation with radiographs, but it turned up nothing the vets could put a finger on.

It was my blacksmith who came up with the plan that's been working. He shod her with a fast-drying polymer called Equibuild, designed to spread the stresses over the entire hoof surface. That turned the tide. After about six months shoeing with the polymer, her strides and balance improved and the heel is slowly growing. Her hoof angles improved, and she graduated to a 00 shoe. Her transitions are coming along beautifully, and when she trots she floats over the ground.

We still have lots more work ahead, but the attitude is "let's go, let's learn." She's everything I could have ever hoped she'd be. She'll never be ridden, because I don't think the feet will ever be good enough for a rdier’s weight, but that's fine. She's perfect as a driving buddy. She sizes up new situations calmly and reacts sensibly, which is gold in a driving horse. Plus, she is gorgeous, with a delicate head, nice neck and topline, and she is a glossy mahogany bay with dapples. People have stopped us in the street to admire her and ask about her breed; I'm always proud to say "Standardbred."

I could not have been luckier to have found her. She is the best present I've ever received. I don't know now exactly where our driving will take us, but, as in riding, the fun is in the getting there.