New Start

Q: Where is New Start based? A: It is based at Penn National and is a program of the Pennsylvania Horsemen’s Benevolent & Protective Association (PAHBPA).

Second Chances

In early June, our Community Evangelist, Michele Pesula Kuegler, was invited to visit the TRF Second Chances program at Central Maryland Correctional Facility in Maryland. Earlier that morning the program had held a graduation ceremony for one of the inmates.

New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program - Anna Ford

Q: Where is New Vocations based? A: We have two locations in Ohio and also are in Kentucky, New York, and Pennsylvania. We also just opened a location in Louisiana in March.

Kind of a Big DIll

Kind of a Big Dill (formerly known as Vineyard Harbour) has retired from racing and is now residing on a farm with Samyi, his new trainer. He is entering the new industry of barrel racing!

Retired Racehorse Project

1. What does the Retired Racehorse Project do? At its core, the mission of the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) is to increase the value and demand for Thoroughbreds after racing as riding and show horses. We do this through a number of ways, including putting on the annual Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium (the largest and most lucrative retraining competition for recently retired racehorses in the world), publishing Off-Track Thoroughbred Magazine (a quarterly magazine on-par with MidAtlantic Thoroughbred or Blood-Horse, but focused on all topics related to Thoroughbreds outside of (and often including) racing); putting on demonstrations, clinics and seminars around the country for equestrian audiences; maintaining the Bloodline Brag (the industry’s largest database of off-track talent in Thoroughbreds), by engaging our more than 160,000 social media followers and more.

MidAtlantic Horse Rescue

1. Where are you based out of? Our main farm is located in Chesapeake City, MD - there we do some rehab, most of the retraining and adoptions from this location. We have satellite farms in Thurmont MD (rehab), Westminster MD (retraining) and Salley SC (retraining). 2. How long has your group been active? Ginny Suarez and I started in September 2002 with 3 horses on a rented 3-acre field with a shed. We built our program gradually from there. Today we have a permanent home on 158 acres along the Sassafras River, just south of Chesapeake City MD. The main farm is home to approximately 40 horses, and we have about a dozen other horses out at our satellite farms. We adopt out about 60 horses a year. We have a small number of sanctuary horses as well.

Beyond The Wire

Wasabi Ventures Stables recently had an interview with Beyond The Wire, an industry-wide initiative between the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, the Maryland Jockey Club, the Maryland Horse Breeders Association and Maryland jockeys, that is designed to facilitate safe and enriching placements for retired Maryland based racehorses. What are some factors that can contribute to a horse retiring? Horses retire for a number of reasons. Some are just too slow to be competitive, some sustain injuries and still others have raced for years and the owner and trainer make a decision to let the horse go on to new, enriching activities. 2. What happens when a horse is accepted into your program? When an owner or trainer calls me to retire a horse, there is an intake form they fill out. I then meet the vet at the horse’s stall and we do an evaluation. I also take a picture to show our Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance accredited facilities and to put on our website. Once I have gathered all of the necessary information, I contact the TAA facilities to secure a spot. Last, I set up shipping and send the horse off to start their new life!