Anyone care to speculate on what a Secretariat stallion halter is worth?
You mean one that he wore? Where might it have been all these years and how could it be verified it was authentic?
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perhaps Penny has it and they can pull DNA off a spec of dried sweat or hair
I still have my first horse’s halter, and after some 40ish years, I think there is still pieces of hair in it.
I own it and have affidavits to prove it. My father bred and pinhooked in the 80’s and bred quite a few mares at Claiborne. He made 3-4 trips a year to Lexington, so I went every year to visit Secretariat. I went one final time to his grave and could never bear to go back.
Clay (his groom) got to know my father through the years and when my father asked about getting his halter for me, he agreed. My father went to Albright & Barclay’s (they made the stallion halters for Claiborne) and had them make a brand new stallion halter with a Secretariat nameplate.
Clay asked if he wanted to put the new halter on and take it off, but my father knew I only wanted the old worn one. So he took the old halter off Secretariat’s head and gave it to my father. Secretariat now had a brand new halter and Clay had a very nice tip :). You can see his new halter on the 80’s Blood Horse cover (I believe the title was “The Greatest Racehorses of the Last Half Century”).
I have no idea if there are others besides the one I have, but I believe the one my father bought for him was his last and I’m sure someone has it or he was buried with it.
I also have a set of his front shoes and his mane. They used to keep extra mane in the wall box after they pulled, just for the purpose of giving to visitors. Heck, I even have straw from his stall.
I only have a curiosity about the value since the movie is coming out and everyone’s talking about Secretariat. In reality, it will never be for sale and I will most likely donate it to the KHP when I die.
So here it is, never been touched or cleaned since the day it was removed…
You are SO lucky!!!
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OK, I guess this confirms that I’m really a horse geek
I opened the photo and all the hair on my arms stood up.
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The halter that Trakehner stallion Abdullah wore at the 84 Olympics, where he won Gold, just sold for $5,500 in an ATA fundraising auction.
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Wow!. Never let go of that. No price tag I can think of would even come close to the value.
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There are. One is hanging in the front office at Claiborne and I know several other people that have them. But having the mane, shoes, etc all together, makes it a very nice collection.
I opened the photo and all the hair on my arms stood up.
Times two, Rebeginner. With a red ghost-head within.
All I can say is priceless…
I would have been about the age that you were at the time and he was my wonderhorse. I cry even now anytime I watch a race with him in it. It is soo overwhelmingly emotional for me…I have never felt anything like it before.
As a kid my love of horses superceded everything in my life and I think my belief in him as the greatest racehorse of all time and then witnessing his devastating win at Belmont just made him surreal to me. UNTOUCHABLE
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[QUOTE=Pallas;5145362]
Times two, Rebeginner. With a red ghost-head within.[/QUOTE]
Times three-and add teary eyes.
When it comes to Secretariat, the horse crazy teenager inside me is very close to the surface.
[QUOTE=useventers;5144331]
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Oh my. Just . . . WOW :eek:
Good for you for keeping it and planning the donation. Value? Priceless sounds about right. Even if there is more than one, it’s SECRETARIAT!!!
Um, I’ve never grown out of my teenage crush on this horse :o.
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So… ummm, what is your address and where exactly do you keep this halter? J/K
You are so very lucky to have known Secretariat up close and personal. Just reading comments on this forum has made me weepy for the past two days. Really need to step away from the keyboard.
It’s a lovely gesture to donate that precious item.
People I train for bought Alysheba’s halter in a charity auction for 5 or 6K. I would never part with it.
Hello,
I know this is a very old thread but I came upon it recently. I too have a Secretariat halter that was given as a wedding present to my mother from Clay Hancock, one of the owners of Claiborne. We are just trying to figure out a way to authenticate it because the halters nameplate is upside down. It was gifted as an authentic Secretariat halter but we were always wondered how that mistake might have gone unnoticed or maybe it was a reject etc. Any information you might have about Claiborne’s stud halters or any info you might know about Secretariat’s halter you have specifically I would be fascinated to know more. Mine is identical to yours in stitching and engraving of the brass plate but just facing the other way.
Clay Hancock died last year unfortunately. Otherwise she might have been able to authenticate it for you. If I were you, I would call Claiborne Farm, tell them its provenance, and ask if they would be willing to have a look at it. www.claibornefarm.com
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Hey!
Yes, Its sad 
My mom who it was gifted too knows Clay’s brother, so we are planning on reaching out to him. I did hear from Albright halters, and he had some fascinating photos from one of their old catalogs which he sent me. He also confirmed that our halter looked like it was manufactured by them as well. Kind of went down a rabbit hole now trying to get more information but it’s been pretty interesting thus far. I will include some of the photos for comparison. I appreciate the response though!
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1RTn5wxwRowCvUR7ClZND7GN3j-bj1IAe
What is so touching to me about the photo is the green gunk around the brass buckles – just like my old horse’s bridle! Just makes it so real and horsey! 
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