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In the stables
at Colonial Downs, 16-year-old Amber Carlisle learned to keep
her guard up around the high-strung Thoroughbreds.
Amber trusted
Ragtime Hope, whose gentle, curious disposition earned the teen's
affection during their morning walks. The brown horse was unlike
barn mates, who repeatedly lunged and tried to bite the young
Texan, often in search of a peppermint.
But one
day, the 2-year-old filly snapped at Amber's nose, leaving a
small bleeding cut.
"She came
out of nowhere and 'snip!'" Amber said of Ragtime Hope, who
remains her favorite.
Amber is
one of six teenagers from around the country working at the
New Kent County racetrack this summer. Their jobs mean waking
up daily at 5 a.m., mucking stalls, getting horse snot on their
shirts and collecting worse under their boots.
It's a dream
job rarely given to outsiders to the Thoroughbred racing world.
This summer's
interns come from California, Michigan, Colorado, Texas and
New York. They are chosen through a program at Kids to the Cup,
a national organization for young horse-racing fans.
The interns'
primary duty is hot-walking, or cooling down, horses after morning
workouts and races. Circling horses around a dusty path for
hours takes its toll on feet, but the task - lowly but important
- gives each intern time alone with the Thoroughbreds.
The teens
also run errands at the track, such as delivering lunches to
trainers and grooms and posting fliers at the grandstand. One
of the youths, Brandon Benson, 17, a photographer from Millbrook,
N.Y., also spends time snapping pictures the horses during workouts
and selling prints to their trainers and owners.
"It's not
a vacation, even though it's summer," Amber said. "You don't
get to relax all the time. It's a real job."
Getting
a job with Thoroughbred racehorses is nearly impossible if you
do not have family or connections in the industry, Virginia
horse trainer Diana McClure said.
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Once
an outsider herself, McClure started the internship program at
Colonial Downs with Kids to the Cup four years ago to get young
horse-lovers on the backstretch.
"These kids
get hands-on experience they couldn't get any other way," McClure
said. "The only way to crack into the industry is to work your
way up through the ranks. That's what I'm trying to establish
with these kids."
With its
six-week Thoroughbred racing season and rural surroundings,
Colonial Downs provides a clean, relaxed environment for the
teens, McClure said.
"The management
[at Colonial Downs] has been supportive of this group. They
recognize these kids have something to do with our future,"
she said.
Horse trainers
work hard for little money, but a passion for horses drives
them, McClure said. "I do love what I do. If I didn't have a
true passion for it, I couldn't do it."
Second-year
intern Katee Whitesell, 15, from Orange County, Calif., said
she has enjoyed meeting new people at the track and learning
things such as how to bandage an injured leg.
"You never
know everything. You keep learning new stuff every day," Katee
said.
Amber said
she enjoys being surrounded by people who share her passion
for horses.
"You feel
like you fit in when you're here. People at home don't understand,"
she said.
Brandon
agreed: "My friends didn't get it at first, but they're coming
around."
(back
to KTTC Media)
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