New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program has opened a satellite facility at Trillium Sport Horses near Ocala, Florida. Erin MacDonald, an international three-day eventing rider, will oversee the facility's focus on rehabbing, retraining, and rehoming retiring Thoroughbred racehorses.
“On average, 60 horses each year are shipped more than 700 miles from Florida to our Lexington facility,” said Anna Ford, the program director for New Vocations. “Horses coming from Florida racetracks and training centers will now have a much shorter travel distance and duration as they start their next chapters.”
New Vocations, the nation's oldest and largest racehorse adoption charity, now has nine facilities in six states. Ford said a Florida location near Ocala had been in the plan for some time, but was delayed by the pandemic.
According to New Vocations, MacDonald has years of experience restarting off-track Thoroughbreds. She said, “It is so gratifying to help a Thoroughbred smoothly transition into a second career after the races. I am honored to be working with such an outstanding aftercare organization and to join in their efforts to provide Florida-based horses and their connections with a quality rehabilitation and retraining program.”
The first horses arrived at the Florida facility in late 2021. Three have already been adopted with several more making progress in various stages of rehab and training. For information on donating a horse to the Florida facility or supporting its efforts, click here, call (859) 252-9574, or e-mail anna@horseadoption.com.
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