News
Tuerto Overcomes Odds To Stay On Track
by Jada Buchanan
Hoosier Park Racing and Casino had a horse that wasn’t the same as all the other ones Saturday, Aug. 15. The difference between Tuerto and the other horses in the field is he only has one eye.
Nelson Arroyo rode Tuerto in his first career race. Arroyo has been racing since 2001 and has ridden several horses that have a disability in some way.
“Riding a horse that has one eye requires you to pay more attention to what they see,” said Arroyo. “But, riding a one-eyed horse isn’t much different than riding a horse that has two eyes. The horses that are disabled in this way can do everything the same but they have a different way of seeing. For example, when a horse runs besides Tuerto I would watch his ears to know if he knew the horse was there or not.”
From the first second that Arroyo got on Tuerto, he did different things than he normally does when riding horses. When the horses entered the gates, Arroyo talked to Tuerto so he wouldn’t get as nervous and pay attention to him only.
“Telling him ‘good boy, good boy,’ and patting his neck kept him calm in the gates,” said Arroyo. “Horses that have one eye only are more alert than horses with two eyes. They have learned to rely on listening more than their sight. They will pick up on little noises faster than horses that have perfect vision.”
Most people would assume that it is a big challenge to ride a one eyed horse. However, Arroyo doesn’t mind the special circumstances.
“It is a challenge, but you just have to watch his ears and realize he sees things around him a lot more different than other horses,” said Arroyo. “Tuerto didn’t win his first race, but I’m confident that he will get his win and is a powerful horse.”
Tuerto, which means one eye in Spanish, is trained by Barbara McBride, who is currently atop the trainer standings this season. A native of Michigan, McBride finished second behind Steve Manley last year, and is among the top five all-time leading trainers at the track. She has 45 horses on the grounds at Hoosier Park, including several young horses like Tuerto ready for the Indiana-sired stakes at the track this fall. McBride also trains for Herb and Darlene Likens of Anderson, Ind.
“Tuerto is a very calm and sweet two-year-old to work with,” said McBride. “He does do things a little bit different than the other horses, but we are used to them now. When Tuerto is being groomed, he is okay until the groom gets on his side without his eye. When the groom, Fernando Espinosa, moves to that side, Tuerto will keep bending his head towards him to try and watch him.”
Owned by Jim Elliott, Tuerto has only been without his right eye for a little over six months now. He sustained an injury to his eye and was taken to Purdue University, where they tried to save it. However, they could not save his eye. Tuerto hasn’t had any major problems and is adjusting to the new life style.
“One great thing is that the gate does not bug him and he handles it very well,” said McBride. “He also likes to gallop sideways during work outs.”
Tuerto might be one of few horses that will race with only one eye but he is one to watch. The two year old finished his first race strong in fifth place and will be a horse to watch in his next start, which is Saturday, Aug. 29. He has drawn post position one in the second race of the day with an estimated post time of 1:11 p.m. Arroyo is scheduled to ride again.
