After Sandi Spellman’s mare retired, she was looking for something new to ride.
A chestnut Thoroughbred school horse in the barn was available – “Chance,” as he was called, had been living in a field at the farm outside of Chicago for about a year. But Sandi, 66, pulled him out and started putting him back to work. She eventually leased him.
The Thoroughbred was hardly in his his prime – he was 21 when Sandi first started working with him. But the kind, and maybe a little bit quirky Thoroughbred wormed his way into her heart. A few years later, the farm owner decided it was time to sell off the school horses, including Chance. Sandi worried about what would happen to the senior gelding, so she bought him for $50.
“I didn’t want anything bad to happen to him,” she said.
Sandi, who rides dressage with her daughter, eventually moved to a new boarding facility in Wisconsin and started working with a trainer. Over time, Chance the school horse got stronger. The farm hosted dressage shows on the property in the summertime, so Sandi entered Chance. The pair started at First Level and then moved to Second.
“My trainer was convinced we could put a change on him,” Sandi explained, and in a few years, they were showing at Third Level. Sandi earned her USDF Bronze Medal and Bronze Freestyle Bars on “Just Chance,” the now 26-year-old former lesson horse. And they kept going from there. They made it to Fourth Level, where they earned the IDCTA Journey Award, and over last summer, they made their debut at Prix St. Georges.
Chance stands at just 15.3 hands. Sandi says he’s not a big horse, but “he’s got a heart of gold.”
“My trainer loves him,” Sandi said proudly. “She loves Thoroughbreds, and loves him as much as any fancy Warmblood.”
Sandi keeps Chance comfortable with routine vet visits, but beyond some Adequan and having his hocks injected just once, he doesn’t require much maintenance. They’ll keep riding as long as he keeps staying healthy and happy.
“He’s stayed totally sound. People can’t believe how he just keeps going,” she said.
Photos by John Borys Photography