By Jay Privman
Dr. Troutman doesn’t have a medical degree, but he’s proven to be a worthwhile source for people with medical issues.
The veteran racehorse ran a remarkable 81 times during a career in which he spent 10 years on the racetrack, competing primarily in California and Arizona. After being retired in early 2025 at age 11, he embarked on a second career as a therapy horse, and has taken to that new endeavor with the same determination and focus he brought to the racetrack.
“We look for war horses, because they have a lot of life experience,” said Katie Cram, one of the founders of the Ride Above Disability Therapeutic Riding Center, located in Poway, Calif., on the grounds of Rolling Hills Boarding Stables. “They have a really solid work ethic. They’re really level-headed.”
Dr. Troutman came to Ride Above in November 2025, after going through a transitional training period overseen by CARMA. Cram, a long-time rider who began years ago with Pony Club in Ramona, Calif., said when she first rode Dr. Troutman, “he reminded me of one of my first off-the-track Thoroughbreds.”
“He didn’t do anything nasty. He was very straightforward,” Cram said.
That temperament is paramount for Dr. Troutman’s current tasks. Ride Above is an adaptive riding center for adults and children who have physical, emotional, and social challenges, including anxiety, PTSD, ADHD, vision impairment, and cerebral palsy. Their ages range from 4 to 64.
“I have a student with anxiety who says Dr. Troutman helps calm her. She says, ‘I feel safe on this horse,’” Cram said.
Ride Above also has started a program of matching horses with military veterans. “What better match for veterans than war horses?” Cram said. “We keep the horses with the same student so they can build relationships and rapport.”
Ride Above was founded in 2014. There currently are 19 horses in the program, eight of whom, like Dr. Troutman, are Thoroughbreds. There are approximately 100 riders who come to Ride Above for weekly lessons. Dr. Troutman works with eight of them.
Cram came to this line of work with some personal empathy.
“I have epilepsy. It’s under control now, but having something like that can be very isolating,” she said. “A big cornerstone of what we do is making sure everyone feels valued.”
Dr. Troutman was the first horse Ride Above obtained from CARMA. Safe to say, based on first impressions, there will be more.
“Finding CARMA has been amazing for us,” Cram said. “The resources we have through them are amazing. These Thoroughbreds are so awesome, so versatile. They’re amazing horses.”
To support horses like Dr. Troutman, and facilities like Ride Above, donate to CARMA, a 501(c)(3) non-profit.
