by Charlene Sharpe, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Charlene Sharpe

Seaford, DE — “Dead-mouthed runaway” is not a phrase the average person wants to hear describe a horse they’re about to get on.

Nevertheless, caretaker Nicky Ratledge knew just what she was doing when she decided to ride Courser Hanover, one of her charges in the Delaware stable of Tim Crissman. She’d asked him to let her try it time and again, but knowing the gelding’s nearly notorious tendency to pull, Crissman advised her against it.

She kept asking though, and in April, she finally got on him. Ten minutes later they were off on a trail ride.

“He loved every minute of it,” Ratledge said.

Nicky Ratledge and Courser Hanover have enjoyed their trail rides together.

Proof of that is in the horse’s recent performance on the racetrack. Less than a week after his first trail ride, Courser Hanover made it to the winner’s circle at Harrington Raceway after taking a new seasonal mark of 1:53.1. In the weeks since he’s won twice more.

“He’s got a little more confidence now,” Crissman said.

Crissman is just happy to see the horse racing. The day he claimed the son of Astreos-Cindy B for $15,000 at Harrah’s Philadelphia in 2013, the then-7-year-old broke a pastern bone.

“They said he’d never race again,” Crissman recalled.

He didn’t want to give up on the horse though. Eight months after the injury, Courser Hanover — a $180,000 yearling in 2007 — made it back to the track. In 2014, he won five races and earned just under $19,000 for Crissman.

The trainer says it was dealing with the horse’s behavior that made the return to racing difficult.

“He’s his own worst enemy,” Crissman said.

He said that in spite of his age and past injury, Courser Hanover wants to go fast — all the time.

“I’ve never sat behind a horse that can pull as hard as him,” Crissman said. “He’s a dead-mouthed runaway.”

Numerous bridle changes suggested by Tony Morgan, the pacer’s regular driver, and various training regimens have resulted in minor improvements in Courser Hanover’s behavior during the past two years, but the horse is still known to get out of control on occasion.

Not too long ago, one of Crissman’s grooms tore ligaments in his leg as he was sitting on the jog cart, straining against the stirrups in an effort to maintain control of the horse.

“You go to hook him up and he turns into a Tasmanian devil,” Crissman said.

That’s why he didn’t want Ratledge riding the pacer. He was sure she’d get hurt.

“I would have never got on him,” he said, adding that Courser Hanover gets agitated and starts kicking when you put the harness on him.

Photos courtesy of Nicky Ratledge

Nicky Ratledge says Courser Hanover is now a “lovable horse.”

Ratledge knew she had the right idea though when she put the saddle on the pacer and he didn’t move an inch. She says he enjoys being out on the trail — he doesn’t pull — and in turn is a happier horse all around.

“He’s found himself,” said Ratledge, who rides Courser Hanover a few times a week now. “He went from being sour to being a lovable horse.”

Crissman agrees that the pacer’s experiences under saddle have increased his composure.

“He’s got more confidence in his ability,” Crissman said. “Before he just wanted to go around the track as fast as he could and he’d stop. He’s gotten to the point now where he’s trying.”

From 15 starts this year, Courser Hanover has racked up six wins, four seconds and three thirds. He won a $7,500 claiming event at Harrington Raceway just last night (May 21) in 1:55.1 on a sloppy track.

“He’s better now,” Crissman said. “I hope he stays that way. He’s a little easier to put up with when he’s making money.”