Coz & Isabela: An Update

Cozmic One retired from the track in 2017 to embark on a second career as a hunter/jumper. He is trained and managed by Isabela de Sousa and her father, Sergio, at De Sousa Stables in Lexington, Kentucky. Notably, Isabela and Coz appeared together at the 2018 Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makeover.

Paulick Report recently published an article about their progress that can be read here, and Isabela has this exclusive update for Coz’s fans:

Coz had some time off last year, and then we turned him out for the winter, like we do with all of our Thoroughbreds. The break helped him mature mentally and physically since the 2018 Thoroughbred Makeover.

We had our first show back together in June of this year, and I can’t say too many good things about his performance at that show. Ever since he came back into work I told my dad, “I really want to work on the basics, make him stronger, and help him be the best he can be.” By that I mean we are doing a lot of flat work to make him straight, lateral work to keep him flexible, and gymnastics and grids to help the shape of his jump so that he can use himself better.

As everyone knows, Coz has a very strong personality and can be tricky to ride—this improves as he matures mentally, and he is making a lot of progress. He’s a big horse, and he has the coordination that his size requires. We have been jumping him so small for a long time, so he doesn’t try too hard over the jumps, which is okay. At home we just work on the shape of the jump, as the height never really daunted him.

My dad has taken over the reins for now, since I am heading off to college. I’ll still ride him when I can. We aren’t worried about how far he will go in his new career, it’s his “retirement” and we want him to enjoy himself without any pressure. With all the shows being canceled I’m not sure when Coz and my dad will be making their debut, but I certainly know they enjoy each other, and he is a happy horse!

-Isabela de Sousa

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