Competitive and Calm, Country Minister Races into Intern’s Heart

Everyone has a favorite. When it comes to the hardworking interns at Kentucky Equine Research, a single horse often wiggles its way into the heart of a caretaker.

For Madison Martindale, Country Minister is that horse. The gelding resides at the Kentucky Equine Research Performance Center in Ocala, Florida. Prior to joining the research herd, Country Minister had a successful racing career with 67 starts and over $405,000 in earnings.

“Many would consider Country Minister a war horse. His competitive nature and strong will are qualities I greatly admire about him,” Madison said. “Despite being a Thoroughbred, he is always incredibly sweet and calm.”

While Country Minister is no longer racing, he seems to still understand the game. “One of his favorite things to do is watch his stablemates gallop on the track with his ears intently perked.”

Country Minister also displays classic attention-seeking behavior. “In his spare time, he tries to grab anything close to his stall in an attempt to get attention and to persuade whomever is nearby to give him cookies,” Madison explained. He usually succeeds in his quest for cookies, she admitted, but only if his diet isn’t being strictly controlled for research purposes.

Kentucky Equine Research is home to many horses, including racehorses in training, sport horses, and career research horses. Learn more about the herd.

The Kentucky Equine Research internship program offers the practical experience necessary to understand and implement research protocol, and imparts the skills necessary to assist in the everyday management of a large and busy research facility, often interfacing scientific design with practical solutions.