Ferrin Peterson

People get into horse racing in a lot of different ways; Dana Zook--who currently works as foreman for the Mike Maker stable--ended up in the sport after being literally plucked off a baseball field when he was 12 years old. Zook is the guest on this week's edition of the Boundless Podcast, produced and hosted by Ferrin Peterson, a jockey and practicing veterinarian in Kentucky and Ohio. "I found my way into racing off of a ballfield," recalled Zook. "A gentleman came to me and asked me if I'd like...

Chris McCarron is one of the most successful and recognizable figures in the sport. He appears this week as the guest on Ferrin Peterson's Boundless podcast. McCarron tells Peterson of how he got off to a fast start in Maryland. In 1974, his first year of riding, McCarron set a record of 546 races, earning the Eclipse Award as the top apprentice jockey in the country. "I was young and dumb and all I was doing was having fun," he said. "I really didn't know a great deal about what...

Susan Naylor (formerly Moulton) is many things; a prominent owner, breeder, and Versailles, Kentucky farm owner, but it's clear that her philanthropic work is what most clearly defines her today. The owner of the fan-favorite racehorse Manny Wah (Will Take Charge) has endured unimaginable loss in her life, losing both of her children in separate incidents nine years apart. On this week's Boundless podcast with jockey and veterinarian Ferrin Peterson, she talks about channeling her grief into something positive. Naylor explained how she became exposed to racing as a child....

With 8,803 wins, Pat Day is the sixth all-time winningest jockey in history, with nine Triple Crown victories, and a reputation as one of the greatest ever. But as he tells Dr. Ferrin Peterson on the new episode of The Boundless Podcast, those successes on the track are not his proudest accomplishment. Day was a leading rider in the Midwest, but had developed a drinking and drug addiction. "I celebrated every night," he tells Peterson. "I celebrated if the sun went up or the sun set. I'd celebrate for celebration's...

Patricia Cooskey began her riding career in 1979, at a time when female jockeys were not only rare, but were often discriminated against. She was the second woman in history to ride in the Kentucky Derby, the first to ride in the Preakness, and was at one time the all-time leading female jockey by victories. "I think the biggest challenge back then was being a woman in a male-dominated sport," she said. "There were a few women who came before me, who I really consider the pioneers, tough women who...

The first episode of jockey/veterinarian Ferrin Peterson's podcast, Boundless, is now available on YouTube, Apple podcasts, and Spotify. Viewers can watch the episode, which features Hall of Fame jockey Steve Cauthen, on YouTube here, or listen to it on Spotify here or on Apple podcasts here. Peterson, a professional jockey currently riding at Turfway Park, and a practicing veterinarian currently working in small animal emergency medicine, created the podcast to feature people's stories of resilience, risk taking and perseverence in horse racing. The hour-plus long podcast is the first in a...

Legendary figures from the sport of horse racing are to be featured in a new podcast hosted by Ferrin Peterson. 'The Boundless Podcast' will feature interviews with Hall of Fame jockeys Steve Cauthen, Chris McCarron, Pat Day, and Sandy Hawley. Available on all recognized platforms, including Apple Podcast, Spotify, and YouTube, the series will kick off Jan. 16 with an hour-long interview with Cauthen, whose outstanding career in the saddle included a historic Triple Crown success on Affirmed in 1978, when he was just 18 years old, before he became...

Jockey Ferrin Peterson suffered a broken, displaced collarbone when the horse she was riding, Chargina (Fed Biz), broke down in the third race at Thistledown Tuesday. Peterson was taken by ambulence to the nearby Cleveland Clinic for precautionary X-rays, where she was diagnosed with the break. Chargina suffered a catastrophic injury and was euthanized. The incident occured near the half mile pole, and another horse, Sushi Q (Palace), stumbled over her and unseated her rider, Roberto Perez. Both Perez and his mount were uninjured. "They took X-rays and I have...

This is the last in a series of travelogues that jockey-veterinarian Ferrin Peterson has written for the TDN about her charitable mission to Southeast Asia to bring much-needed veterinary care to the population's animals. To read the prior installments, click here, here or here. The trials of the jungle are ever-changing. We had started vaccinating the horses one evening when suddenly the sky opened and a downpour came. We returned the vaccines to the refrigerator and ran for shelter. In the evenings, I always read my book, "Where There Is...

Jockey and veterinarian Ferrin Peterson has been writing a blog for the TDN on a charitable veterinary trip to Southeast Asia to help refugees care for their animals. To read the prior installments, click here or here. I had my first meeting with my new team: the five men who are given the job title in their village as the "mule handlers." They were all new acquaintances to me, as the mule handlers I worked with in the past became human medics and others moved to new villages. The translator...

Editor's note: Jockey and veterinarian Ferrin Peterson is traveling in Southeast Asia to help refugee groups with the veterinary care their animals need, helping humans to survive the refugee crisis in a war-torn area. Click here to read yesterday's blog post. Once we reach the village, we set up camp which means successfully tying up your hammock between two sturdy trees to sleep in overnight. We bathe and wash our clothes in the river, and the pack animal team roams freely like a herd of wild horses. They always return...

Editor's note: Jockey Ferrin Peterson, DVM, has embarked on a charitable mission to Southeast Asia to help refugees care for their animals in war-torn areas, bringing veterinary knowledge and supplies to villagers with no other access to care. She will be contributing a blog to the TDN when conditions permit. Helping the under-served groups of the world was modeled to me from a young age. My parents had worked in Mexico before raising our family, and I have had relatives who served in China, Turkey, India, and Spain as engineers,...