In his biography with the Comox Valley Therapeutic Riding Society (CVTRS) in Courtney, BC, Real Trouble is described as a horse that loves “people, people and more people.” The popular 17-year-old gelding has seen a lot of people in a lot of places throughout his life, but these days, he has a permanent home and an important job courtesy of his owner Hilary Doucette.
Doucette, the volunteer coordinator and office manager at CVTRS, took a chance on the chestnut about a decade ago, soon after the gelding suffered a stroke that paralyzed the left side of his body and face.
The son of Real West was a winner at Hastings Park in Vancouver for owner/trainer Michael Turner when he suffered the stroke, damaging nerves on the left side of his body and in his left eye. His racing career was over.
New Stride Thoroughbred Adoption Society took the horse in, had to remove his left eye, and it was through that organization that Real Trouble met Doucette.
“When I first saw (him), he was standing on a hill in a field with the wind blowing his mane and tail, and his copper coat gleaming in the June sunshine. I had never seen such a striking horse,” said Doucette. “Then he turned his head to me and I saw the damage the stroke had done to one side of his face, I fell in love instantly. He was so beautiful and proud despite everything he had been through in his short life.”
Renamed Scout, Real Trouble was the first ex-racehorse that Doucette acquired and he began his new life at Victoria Carriage Tours in Victoria. He became instant friends with the draft horses at the Tour’s barn and, once lameness issues were corrected, was re-trained to have a life as a riding horse.
“I had done nothing to prepare me for the challenges of an ex-racehorse,” said Doucette. “Scout was fast, competitive, sensitive to a fault and ready to run all the time. After a lot of trial and error, we finally figured each other out, and began working as a team.”
Doucette took Real Trouble on trail rides, swam him in the ocean and rode him in deep snow. They worked together in various disciplines from dressage to western pleasure. However in 2010, when Doucette started a family she was not able to give Scout the full attention he needed so he spent four years as a “pasture pet” on a lease agreement with a neighbouring farm.
When Doucette joined CVTRS in 2014, she knew Scout had to be a part of the organization and took him back. It has proven to be a perfect fit for a people-loving ex-racehorse.
“He is careful and gentle with his riders, whether on his back or the ground,” said Doucette. “He loves going out on the trails with the class and walks carefully and joyfully through the forest. Because he is a thoroughbred he is really good for riders with limited extension; they are able to get their leg over him and still get a good stretch without pushing them too hard.”
Scout has meant a lot to young rider Kayla, who is legally blind in both eyes. Kayla had ridden dozens of different schooling horses since her first ride in 2008, but Scout is her favourite.
“I had read how he had lost an eye due to a stroke,” Kayla said, “and how he has overcome his disability and become the wonderful horse we all know and love today.”
Kayla said she gets a lot of confidence from the former racehorse. “It’s almost like riders are able to forget about their disability and get to just have fun while getting exercise on a horse. He has helped me so much he has taught me to just be who you are and to take pride in yourself no matter what the disability is.”
Scout’s kind and intelligent approach to his work with challenged riders has made him popular with the many people he has been with since he was a young racehorse.
“Scout has overcome so many challenges during his life, from the stigma of being an off-the-track thoroughbred, to having only one eye,” said Doucette. “He has never allowed himself to be held back by those challenges, in fact, he simply accepts them as a part of who he is. Scout is an inspiration for the people whose lives he touches. His bravery has taught me so much.”
