Consideration. Communication. Connection. Confidence.
These are watchwords for Kyle Rothfus, aka “The OTTB Mare Guy,” in training retired racing Thoroughbreds.
They apply to the broodmares he and his husband, Sean Smith, focus on at their Mareworthy Charities in Georgetown, KY. And they apply to coaching clients committed to transitioning any retired racer to a good next home and career.
Consideration, communication, connection and confidence also guide Kyle’s life choices.
Considering each horse’s individual sensitivities enabled Kyle to evolve unique and highly in-demand horsemanship and training techniques.
The veteran racing mare, Worthy Of Wings, inspired the launch of Mareworthy Charilites, a 501(c)(3) non-profit responsible for taking in and rehoming many retired broodmares. Born in 2005, the Evansville Slew-Fancy Halo, by Sparkly, mare ran 138 times and up until she was 13, Kyle shares of his mission’s muse.
Confidence propelled Kyle and Sean’s 2022 relocation from Ohio to Kentucky to plug into the region’s rich racing network.
Curious About Stabling Strategies
Kyle’s training program might need a fifth “C” watchword.
That would be “curiosity,” which fuels his quest for the best knowledge related to the care of Mareworthy’s horses and those owned by students he coaches and inspires. Kyle gives clinics at home and at other facilities. And he regularly shares training and care tips on his Kyle The OTTB Mare Guy Facebook page.
Kyle’s curiosity about best stable management practices led him to Airlite cardboard bedding. Searching online, he learned that Kaitlin Hartford, the young eventer and Thoroughbred Makeover star, used the dust-free bedding made of pre-consumer cardboard.
“She’s pretty meticulous about her horses’ care. If she was using it, I wanted to give it a try.”
Badly disappointed by other bedding options, Kyle was in the market for better bedding. “We used wood pellets in Ohio and I hated the dust factor with them. We tried miscanthus when we moved to Kentucky, and I absolutely hated that.
“If you have a horse that stands quietly in the stall, miscanthus bedding might be OK. But if you have a horse that walks in the stall, it mixes and stirs up the bottom layer and it’s not cool.
Dust-Free is Game Changer
“The no-dust factor with Airlite cardboard bedding was the game changer for me,” Kyle continues. He appreciated that in the stalls and on the stable walls and ceiling. “It’s amazing that we no longer have cobwebs in the barn. You can dance around in it and toss it in the air and there’s no dust. Sean does much of stall cleaning. He used to wear a gator mask, but he doesn’t have to wear a face covering any more. Especially during hot summer days, that’s huge.”
Compared to some wood shavings, Airlite can look a little pricey, Kyle acknowledges. The initial cost, however, is offset by its durability and longevity. Unlike shavings, Airlite cardboard bedding does not break down to dust. It’s up to 5X as absorbent as traditional shavings, so less is needed to begin with and there’s less to remove.
Airlite’s easy compostability is another plus. “We never have a big manure pile, even in the winter when we have, typically, 16 horses in the barn.”
The OTTB Mare Guy and Makeover Man
With Airlite as part of Mareworthy’s smart, healthy stable routine, Kyle can focus on helping more Thoroughbred broodmares and educating more owners – current and potential owners.
His approach is a culmination of experience working with several breeds and disciplines, combined with the knowledge earned as a Level 3 certified Harmony Horsemanship instructor.
“It’s amazing that we no longer have cobwebs in the barn. You can dance around in it and toss it in the air and there’s no dust. Sean does much of stall cleaning. He used to wear a gator mask, but he doesn’t have to wear a face covering any more. Especially during hot summer days, that’s huge.”
Kyle grew up riding Quarter Horses. In the late 90s and early 2000s, he worked with Warmbloods as a professional dressage trainer. His passion for Thoroughbreds came while working for a bloodstock agency, prepping sale babies, and working with a big eventing barn.
“I fell in love with the Thoroughbred breed. I loved their personalities, their versatility and their adaptability,” Kyle explains. “And Thoroughbred mares have all the try in the world and just enough sensitivity to try things without being mean about it.”
That passion burned bright even through a 12-year hiatus from the equestrian world. In 2014, Kyle got back into horses with Lady Macjazz, aka “Freja.”
Kyle is a five-time participant in the Retired Racehorse Project’s Thoroughbred Makeover. The program aligns with his mission of helping racing retirees find loving, purposeful homes.
“I was just going to have that one horse, Freja,” Kyle recalls. “Board her at someone else’s facility and do some showing. The next thing you know, I showed in the Thoroughbred Makeover five years in a row.” In 2017, Kyle was honored as the Makeover’s Ambassador. He continues to support the Makeover in various ways and was a popular announcer for two divisions at this year’s competition in October.
From The Ground Up
Building a relationship from the ground first is a foundation of Kyle’s training program. It’s a step that’s often missed. “I’ve always had that philosophy, and it’s magnified with Thoroughbred mares. If you go slow in the beginning, you can go fast in the end because you have that trust.”
From trust, connection can be built, and then confidence – to take a first ride together, or go over a first obstacle.
Encouraging and rewarding the horses’ curiosity is next. “I’m always thinking how can I make new things fun and interesting without being dangerous. I love to buy weird things at Walmart. Big inflatable toys, etc, and see how they respond to it.
“Are they curious? Am I trying too hard to control their reaction to it? I want them to see that thing and think, ‘I want to learn about that and let’s do it together.’”
Kyle and Sean manage Mareworthy as volunteers. Kyle works fulltime as Onboarding Experience Manager for Mission Veterinary Partners. “I’m blessed to work for a company that values their employees’ personal lives,” Kyle reports of the network of small animal veterinary hospitals.
Monetary donations and support from within and beyond the Thoroughbred racing industry are critical to Mareworthy’s work. In Kyle’s experience, racehorse owners and breeders are conscientious about their horses’ lives and well-being long after they’ve left their program. When horses end up in bad circumstances, “their racing connections usually step forward to help once they learn about it.”
“It’s rarely the racing connection that failed the horse,” Kyle notes. “The majority of the time when I reach them about a horse, they say, ‘Oh my god. What can I do?”
To learn more about and support Mareworthy Charities, visit www.mareworthy.com.
