Bluffton University

Tyler Rotstein '18

09/14/16

On the Field and on the (Horse) Track

Tyler Rotstein, a junior business administration major and football player, is competitive on the field and on the track, but not the track many might be thinking. The track this football player runs is home to thoroughbred horse racing. At first glance, these two pastimes don’t appear to have much in common. However, “football is such a competitive sport and horse racing and winning are such a competitive things; I think that is where they relate.”

Rotstein credits his passion for football to his father and continues with the connection of family within his team. “I just love the comradery between my teammates. Bluffton’s always been built around relationships and I feel like there’s such a strong relationship with this football team. We’re basically one giant family from the head coach on down.”

Off the football field, Rotstein identifies his passion for racing with his family and upbringing as well. Rotstein is originally from Ocala, Fla., which is considered the second biggest horse capital outside of Lexington, Ky. “A lot of the horses go down there to be broken when they’re yearlings to 2-year-olds,” said Rotstein. “A lot of the sales and stuff are down there too, so I grew up with that around my whole life.”

Having been born and raised with horse racing, Rotstein says it is something he has always enjoyed. “I just really like taking care of the horses. If you take care of them on a daily basis, you form a bond with them. You become really proud of the horses when they perform well and all your hard work and their hard work pay off.”

Rotstein is attentive in his care for the horses, and can speak to the great joy in watching the horses progress. “It’s just such a neat thing to be with such amazing animals and work with them on a daily basis, and to get to see the horses grow and blossom and develop is just really amazing.”

Recently, Rotstein earned his assistant trainer’s license and became one of the youngest individuals in the state of Ohio to receive a trainer’s license.

Throughout the summer, Rotstein works as an assistant trainer in Cleveland. “My day-to-day routine consists of me being at the race track in Cleveland at Thistledown where I take care of the horses. If my boss isn’t there, I relay things to him about the horses, manage employees and make judgment calls on what to do with the horses on a daily basis.”

As a business major, Rotstein has big plans for how he uses his degree once he graduates. “I plan on doing horse racing after college,” he said. “I’m looking into a program that’s called the Darley Flying Start program, which is a post graduate certification where you go around the world for two years and learn all sorts of different things about horse training.”

Rotstein says he would like to one day run his own stable, and he understands the impact his college career can have on his future career in horse racing. “I think that it’s so crucial to have a college degree, and I think that what we’re learning in class will help me when I want to open up my own business.”

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Cara Echols ’19  student news and feature writer