Fast Facts

• Nickname: Timmy
• Occupation: Olympic/CCI5* Eventer
• Hometown: Charlottesville, Virginia
• Basic Stats: 15-year-old, 16-hand bay Irish Sport Horse gelding
• Sire: Arkansas VDL
• Dam: Drumagoland Bay

Off the Record’s People

• Owner: Off The Record Syndicate
• Rider: Will Coleman
• Groom: Hailey Burlock
• Support Team: Katie Coleman and Erin Jarboe

Off The Record’s Background

Sourced out of Ireland by Cooley Farm, Off the Record came to Will Coleman as a 4-year-old and has done his entire eventing career with the 41-year-old eventer and trainer. “Timmy” was reputed as a tough horse to ride as a youngster, but from his 8-year-old year forward, he began to blossom. Coleman often describes Timmy as a “refrigerator with a Ferrari engine,” referring to the gelding’s heart for eventing which helps him overcome the fact that he’s not naturally built for the sport, particularly dressage.

“In the beginning, he was sort of a difficult young horse, but I think the things that made him difficult were in some ways just a lack of understanding between us and him,” Coleman noted. “Once we started to understand where his antics were coming from, we approached his training a bit more systematically and tried to unpack it in a way that was a bit more wholesome, instead of just reacting to the bad behavior. That really helped us earn his trust and helped him respond differently to pressure.”

Coleman generally works backward from the key events he aims for with each horse in his program at the beginning of the year. For him, there is an eternal balance between personal competitive aspirations and the well-being of the horse.

“If you’re fitting it into a timeframe and working backward, the horse will hopefully peak at the right time instead of going the other way and being a bit spent. I usually lay out a couple different plans because things can always change,” he said. “There’s always an inner debate on your decisions, but it gets easier with experience. You can make the best plan in the world, but the sport has an element of a crapshoot to it. And you have to accept that, too.”

Balancing Work and Play

At home, Coleman uses his competition schedule with Off The Record to dictate what they’ll work on each day. In general, he tries not to drill him on the dressage. “He’s pretty well trained for the most part now, so we’re just trying to work on his presentation,” he explained. To this end, the horseman does a lot of what he calls “maintenance dressage,” including, for example, a lot of cavalletti work.

He also uses jumper shows to polish their skills in the final phase of eventing. “Timmy’s confidence can be a little shaky in the jumping, but by and large I’ve got a lot of good things in the bank,” Coleman said. “I just try to keep it fun and happy for him at the jumper shows.”

Over the years he and Off The Record have developed a strong partnership based on trust and listening to one another. “Some days, I wake up and don’t have a specific plan for him. I just get on and see what he might want to do,” Coleman said. “We’re serious about what we do, but sometimes it’s OK to just go and play with our horses. It doesn’t always have to be this super regimented thing. There’s a balance between structure and having the freedom to enjoy what you’re doing.”

Off The Record’s Daily Routine

Timmy spends his nights turned out, both when the Coleman operation is at their home base in Virginia and when they travel south to Florida during the winter. He is usually one of the first horses he rides each day, so groom Hailey Burlock gives the gelding his breakfast before the other horses.

One consistent part of Off The Record’s everyday routine is a unique stretching board that Burlock uses to stretch his neck and back. “We do that before and after every ride, and the board comes with us to every show,” she said. “He likes his routine, but he also loves it mentally, so it serves multiple purposes.”

Burlock also does a series of “carrot” stretches before Coleman mounts up. Incentivizing Timmy with a carrot, she encourages him to stretch his neck in various directions to help activate the muscles that move and stabilize the joints in his neck and back. Additionally, she uses massage therapy, laser on acupuncture points and Bemer blanket. (The team uses traditional acupuncture on their horses, too.)

For Off The Record, keeping his body as supple and pliable as possible is crucial. Coleman wants his horses to be happy in their jobs, which, he says, comes from feeling well in their bodies. His wife, Katie Coleman, is well-versed with ground and in-hand work, and she regularly works the horses in their program this way.

“My wife is such a gifted horsewoman, and we’ve been playing with different things,” Coleman elaborated. “It’s been really cool to add this new tool of engaging with our horses.”

When Timmy travels, Burlock wraps his legs if she’s going with him. If she isn’t, she sends him in magnetic boots. Off The Record also travels with a Tad Coffin Thera-Tree to help keep his back loose on long trips, along with a LeMieux fuzzy halter and bell boots.

Nutrition: Managing Off The Record’s Energy

Partnering with Cosequin® has been an instrumental component of Coleman’s program. The science and research behind Cosequin® joint support played a crucial role in the decision to work with the company.

“For us, the big thing is ingredients and what they’re made up of. The studies and research behind Cosequin® separate their products from the rest,” he said. “You can tell when things work and when they don’t, and we’ve consistently seen the results from Cosequin®.”

Coleman provides his horses with a combination of feeds, including Cavalor’s Endurix and Fiber Force, depending on their competition schedules. Timmy tends to be on the rounder side if left unchecked, so managing his weight and energy have been the biggest focus in his nutrition. Closer to shows, he sometimes gets Superforce, which includes B-complex vitamins to support energy management.

Additional Support

Burlock also emphasizes the importance of ensuring their horses’ immune systems are optimized, especially for the travel required of competition horses. The Coleman team often relies on Cosequin® ASU Balance for immune, digestive and joint support.

“The immune system plays a huge role in how well horses cope with travel. Along with that is managing their gut health,” she explained. “We have a whole team involved with making decisions around this. Periodically, we even have our vets draw blood to monitor whether anything needs additional support within the immune system.”

The Coleman program also utilizes Hilltop Bio’s range of products and was involved in the company’s product development for equine respiratory support and other elements of care.

While traveling with Timmy recently, Burlock discovered the benefits of giving him an electrolyte mix. She now uses it to ensure he stays hydrated on the road. She describes him as a good eater and drinker, intelligently knowing when he should rest, drink and eat during long trips. At shows, Burton offsets his additional stall time with a lot of hand walking and grazing to keep him happy and limber.

Coleman and Off The Record’s Major Accomplishments

Top-15 finish at the 2021 Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI5* • First U.S. horse-and-rider team to win the CCIO4*-S at CHIO Aachen in 2021 • Team silver at the 2022 FEI World Championships • Named to U.S. Eventing Team for the 2024 Paris Olympics.