Hi, I'm Dinky. I'm a racehorse, but you wouldn't know it to look at me. Follow my adventures in the new book, Dinky Becomes a Racehorse. If you would like to buy a copy of it, just click the link on the first page.
Dinky's Page
Dinky here. Michela and Casey showed me some pictures of me when I was just born. I thought you might like them too. There's one of me with my Mom. The girls told me the other picture is when I put my nose to the thing that makes the pictures.
I guess you humans like baby pictures. I have more to share for you. This one is when I tried standing up for the first time. I really don't remember it since I was just born a few minutes before. Casey and Michela told me I didn't hurt myself. It sure looks like I did!
I guess it took me a few tries to stand up for the first time. Casey and Michela gave a picture to share with you of my second attempt. I sure hope I did better on my third attempt because this is getting embarrassing.
Well, after getting pictures from Casey and Michela of me trying to stand for the first time, they finally gave me one where I'm not falling down. I know I did stand up at some point because I'm standing now!
FINALLY! A picture with me not only standing, but walking. OK, trying to walk. Hey, I've got four legs to get to work together and you humans only have two!
Jean, the author of my biography, Dinky Becomes a Racehorse is signing copies of the book on Thursday September 2 from 10 until noon at the National Racing Museum and Hall of Fame.
I'm upset because they won;t let me in to sign books. Not even horses inducted to the Racing Hall of Fame are allowed in.
So, I tried to sign a copy with my hoof, but it's too big. I was so disappointed, that Casey and Michela showed me how to use an ink stamp of a horseshoe with my mouth.
As you can see, I got a little carried away. Hey I'm only two-years-old and don't know how to count to four!
I hope you can go to the signing even if I'm not there. Jean did a great job telling the story of my life so far. If you can't make it, there are books available at the Museum gift shop whenever it's open.
I took a break from my training to show you this picture. It's of me and my buddies, Turfie and Dirt when we were yearlings on the farm. No, I'm not that much shorter than them. They were clowning around and wouldn't let me get my head between them over the fence. So, I put my head between the fence railings to get in the picture.
This week's picture is what happened after the picture with my best buddies, Dirt and Turfie. They took off down the pasture, but my head was stuck. Michela and Casey, my human herd, tried to get it unstuck. Instead. they fell over the fence railing and got covered in mud. It was a good thing Mr. Tople came along. He's Casey's Dad and a trainer too. Before he got us untangled, he took this picture.
You know how I have to go run in the pasture when I'm home at the Tople farm. Well, my human herd says it's too cold outside right now, so, they bundled me up. Now, I can't even move!
As I told you last time, it's been really cold here on the farm. So cold, my humans keep me wrapped up in stuff. When I get back in the barn and they take off all the stuff, they told me I have a condition called hat hair. I'm worried. How sick I'm I going to get from this? Can anyone tell me how long I've got?
So, my human herd was hanging around my stall the other day. I thought I was getting some carrots. But no, they were talking about how the barn’s office manager, Lynda was having a birthday. I think she’s one of the humans who works here and sneaks me carrots. I’m not sure because there are a lot of humans working around here.
Anyway, the littler humans were asking how old she would be in horse years. My trainer, Nikki said probably around 23 years old. Wow! My buddy Old Dan is like 9 and they call him Old Dan. I wonder if I’ll be able to run in the pasture when I’m that old. I wonder if I’ll even be able to walk to the pasture then. Will I still have any teeth to eat carrots! Oh well, Lynda still looks like she has her teeth and can walk to the pasture, so, I guess being 23 isn’t so bad.
What is it with you humans and the birthdays? My human herd is gathered around my stall, and again, they are talking about another human's birthday. Why can't humans be like us race horses. We have one birthday for everyone on the first of the year, and that's it. Although, it would be great having cakes all year around, but how could you figure out what races to enter the horses? By having all race horses get a year older on the first of the year, we can enter races for our age group, even if our actual birthday is later in the year. Come on humans, how do you know what races you can run in?
(Opps, my buddies and me kind of chewed apart the birthday sign and now all the pieces are flying around,)
My human herd is going crazy around here. They are all excited because the book about me, Dinky Becomes a Racehorse is one of six semi-finalists for the Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award. I don't know what that is, but it sounds pretty good the way they are jumping around like foals in the pasture. Heck, I don't even know how many six is. I hope it's not a lot because if the book wins, I think there will be plenty of carrots coming my way!