thoroughbred aftercare

To help equine charities in this time of need, Equine Equipment is working with Exmark and local dealers in its new "Now More Than Ever" giving campaign to facilitate the donation of eight 21" Exmark commercial mowers valued at $1,200 each to local charities in Florida. Similar donations are in the works for other locations around the country with up to 50 charities receiving support. "We've always tried to do our part to give back to the industry, and we believe that to be more important than ever right now,"...

The Center for Disease Control reports that in 2020 approximately 1 in 54 children in the U.S. has been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). April is Autism Awareness Month, so it is fitting that we visit with Joell Dunlap, founder of The Square Peg Foundation, which pairs off-track Thoroughbreds with children affected by an ASD and their families. Founded in 2004, Square Peg operates out of two facilities in the Bay Area of California with 19 horses in total. Of the 19 horses, 13 are off-track Thoroughbreds. Before...

The California Retirement Management Account, one of the sectors of horse management in the Golden State being deeply impacted by the current shutdown, will temporarily suspend the intake of new horses into the program, the non-profit announced Thursday. In a letter to California owners and trainers, CARMA said, "Due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the CARMA Placement Program will be temporarily suspended. The program's main source of funding is through purse contributions and matching funds during live racing. During this time, we will not be accepting new horses...

The United Pegasus Foundation (UPF) was founded in 1994 by Helen Meredith. Meredith moved here from England in 1990 to work in the Thoroughbred racing industry as she had in the United Kingdom and France. Currently, UPF has two farms, one in Tehachapi with 46 horses, and the other in San Jacinto that holds the remaining of the 124 horses in UPF care. UPF was one of the first Thoroughbred sanctuaries to be accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries and the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. UPF and Meredith have...

Turning for Home, Inc. was created by the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (PTHA) in 2008 as a model program for racehorse retirement at Parx Racing. Parx was the first to implement a mandatory funding plan simultaneously with rules forbidding horse owners and trainers from sending horses to, or allowing horses to end up in slaughterhouse kill pens. The program was a success from inception and it has evolved from there. We caught up with the current program administrator Danielle Montgomery to talk about the program's solid support, success stories and...

Since the TDN first interviewed Katie Larsen, who founded Southern Belle Thoroughbreds in 2017, the organization's impact on safe placement of racehorses at Woodbine and Fort Erie has grown exponentially. Southern Belle has placed 257 racehorses in two years and it has become a regular source for Thoroughbred Makeover prospects. The operational model at Southern Belle resembles that of Canter in the United States. Southern Belle has volunteers on the racetrack grounds who serve as the organization's ambassadors and facilitators, making contact with trainers who have racehorses they wish to...

Organizations wishing to apply for accreditation by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) are now available.  Applications are due by Apr. 1, 2020 at 6 p.m. ET. Only organizations with their accreditation status set to expire in 2020 that want to remain accredited need to re-apply. Accreditation status is determined after a complete review of five areas of an aftercare organization: operations, education, horse health care management, facility standards and services, and adoption policies and protocols. Organizations passing the application review will be subject to site inspections of all facilities housing...

In addition to honoring excellence in 17 equine and human categories this year, the 49th annual Eclipse Awards on Jan. 23 will pay tribute to those Thoroughbreds who have moved on to a second athletic career. The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) is inviting fans to participate in saluting Off-Track Thoroughbreds by submitting photos or videos of their OTTBs on Twitter and Facebook using the #NeverEclipsed hashtag. Selected submissions will be included in video montages to be played throughout the Eclipse Awards at Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino in tribute...

The fourth International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses (IFAR) will be held in conjunction with the Asian Racing Conference (ARC), which is scheduled for Feb. 18-23, 2020, in Cape Town, South Africa. Both events are being hosted by the Asian Racing Federation (ARF) and the ARC local organizing committee, consisting of Phumelela Gaming and Leisure, the Racing Association, Gold Circle Racing and Gaming Group, Kenilworth Racing, and The National Horseracing Authority of Southern Africa. IFAR will host sessions that span a range of topics related to aftercare, including case...

New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program announced today that leading owner SF Bloodstock has donated $100,000 to co-sponsor the aftercare facility's indoor arena. In doing so, they join co-sponsor Stonestreet Stables, who were the first to pledge their support, and Fasig-Tipton, who are co-sponsoring the ring in honor of the late Bill Graves. The indoor arena is used to retrain off-the-track horses as they work towards new lives as riding horses. "There's nothing's more important than life beyond the racetrack for our equine athletes," said Tom Ryan of SF Bloodstock. "SF...