Remembering Zippy Chippy

This post is a sad one. Just days shy of his 31st birthday, retired thoroughbred Zippy Chippy passed away peacefully this morning at Old Friends at Cabin Creek farm in Greenfield, NY where I volunteer. I first met Zippy back in 2015 and instantly fell in love with his unorthodox racing story. Zippy was known not for what he won, but rather what he lost. He won zero of the 100 races he ran in his career. No other horse at the farm has even run that many races! He became the ultimate underdog and gained legions of fans during his racing career. He even appeared in People Magazine and was honored this past fall by Saratoga Living Magazine’s Capital Region Gives Back Awards as an aftercare advocate. He has had two books written about him, one for adults and one for children. After retiring from racing, he found his forever home at Cabin Creek with best friend and paddock mate Red Down South. Despite never winning a single race, Zippy was unarguably the most popular horse with visitors to the farm. His passing leaves a hole in the hearts of his many fans. In this post I will share some of my favorite photos I’ve taken of Zippy over the years, as well as some illustrations. If you purchase a print of any of these photos or illustrations, I will donate my profit to the farm to help take care of Zippy’s friends.

I took this photo of Zippy last summer. Click here to order a print of this photo.
Zippy on the day I met him in the summer of 2015, being a ham.
Zippy sticks his head through the fence for a treat last fall.
Another photo of Zippy on the day I met him. Click here to order a print of this photo.
Zippy was always a hit with the visitors. I took this photo this past fall while giving a tour.
Zippy’s biggest supporter Rosanne Frieri gives him some shredded carrots last winter.
A fall portrait of Zippy from 2019.
Zippy sticks his tongue out after enjoying a nice mint.
Zippy wearing his blanket earlier this year. Click here to order a print of this photo.
Fellow volunteer Dory gives Zippy a treat last fall.
Owner JoAnn Pepper gives Zippy a hug and a kiss last fall.
Zippy walks around his paddock last summer. Click here to order a print of this photo.
Up close and personal with Zippy last fall. Click here to order a print of this photo.
Another fall portrait of Zippy from last year. Click here to order a print of this photo.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t include some photos of Zippy with his best pal and paddock mate Red Down South. The two were inseparable since the day they met in 2010.

A photo I took of the pair on the day I met them. I have this photo framed in my home. Click here to order a print of this photo.
Red and Zippy in the fall of 2019. This photo is currently on display in the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public Library. Click here to order a signed print of this photo.
Another photo from the same day. Click here to order a print of this photo.
Red and Zippy brave the hot summer weather in 2019. Click here to order a print of this photo.
The pair wait by the fence for treats in the winter of 2018. Click here to order a print of this photo.
Red and Zippy get treats in tandem last fall.
A Red and Zippy late fall candid. Click here to order a print of this photo.

Here are a few behind the scenes photos of me and Zippy:

My great aunt, grandmother, mother and I pose for a selfie in front of Red and Zippy’s paddock in 2019.
I pose with Red and Zippy in 2019.
Zippy gives me a hard time while I try to remove his fly mask last summer. Photo by Barb Tyler.

Here are a few illustrations I’ve made featuring Zippy, most of them based off of photos.

I wrote this poem about Red and Zippy’s relationship. The illustration is based off one of the photos I shared in this post. I donated a print of it to be auctioned off at the farm’s annual After the Race cocktail party last summer. Click here to order a print of this illustration.
This illustration is essentially a coloring book page I layered over a photo from earlier in the post. Click here to order a print of this illustration.
I made this illustration for Zippy’s birthday last year.
I am in the process of making portraits of each of the boys of Cabin Creek. This is the one I made for Zippy. Click here to order a print of this illustration.
I made this illustration today in Zippy’s memory. Click here to order a print of this illustration.
I just made this one today too, based off one of the earlier photos. Click here to order a print of this photo.
Update 5/7/22: I recently made this slideshow to remember Zippy Chippy so I decided to add it to the post.

Good-bye Zippy, we will miss you terribly.

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