By Morgan Lafferty

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For $500, Dawn Roe purchased Bart, Smooth Roller’s track pony, in May of this year from a girl who was no longer able  to take care of the horse.

Bart weighed only 700 pounds when Dawn first saw him. He had trust issues, was food aggressive and developed rain rot on his hind end from being left outside. However,  Dawn was not worried about any of that, she wanted to give Bart a good home.

Bart is a four year-old off the track thoroughbred. His race name was Mister Masters, primarily racing at Thistledowns and Presque Isle Downs, running 18 times and taking three first-place titles in his lifetime career.

The racing life came to an end in 2014, leaving Bart with no where to go.

Because of Roe’s time and patience put into the horse, Bart blossomed into a well-behaved and well-mannered horse. In September, Roe put a saddle on his back for the first time since his racing career.

After a little practice in the western bridle and saddle, Bart became comfortable and quickly learned how to neck rein.

“He’s just so smart,” Roe said. “Anything you ask him to do he’ll do it.”

Roe began ponying horses at the racetrack when she was 14-years-old. She left the industry around the age of 21 for a few years and ran into hard times, but regained her strength and looked to horses as her therapy.

After being sober for nine and a half years, Roe puts much of her time and energy and all of her love into her horses.

“They’re my therapy,” Roe said. “When people see me, they say the only time I look the happiest is when I’m riding.”

Having other track ponies, she wanted to bring Bart to the track as well and turn him into another one of her track ponies. Every test Roe put Bart through, he took with ease and gave her no problems.

He will occasionally look around at the crowds in the stands and look to see if anyone along the rail has any peppermints for him.