Big Farms StepUp To The Aftercare Plate w/ In-House Programs
Jun 25, 2015 22:54:59 GMT -5
Post by Evelyn on Jun 25, 2015 22:54:59 GMT -5
This is good news!
Large Farms Step Up To The Aftercare Plate With In-House Programs And Policies
by Sarah Coleman
Paulick Report
Equine aftercare has been an increasingly important issue to most people involved in the Thoroughbred industry for quite some time. Years ago, when it was decided that a horse’s racing days were done, the horse may simply have “gone away.” Rarely was the owner asked where he or she would like the horse to go, much less to what specific adoption organization or retirement facility. Few owners truly understood the options available to their retiring racehorses.
Thankfully, times have changed. Now when asked what will happen when their horse retires, many owners know exactly where their horse is going, and what type of facility it is. Although much has been written about the adoption agencies themselves, many people don’t realize that some of the sport’s larger farms have their own policies in place to guide retiring racehorses on to a viable second career—even if it’s not something they advertise.
Darley in Lexington, Ky., makes the decision to retire a horse based on each animal as an individual, not on a predetermined age or race record.
“We may have a horse that just doesn’t enjoy being a racehorse or we have other horses that may come up with injuries,” says Emma Browne of Darley. “But with some care and time, they are able to go on into other careers. We predominately retrain our fillies for the broodmare program, so the majority of the horses we rehome are geldings.”
Darley rehoming candidates are given all the time and veterinary care they need at their home farm before they begin training for second careers.
“When they get close to being ready [to go back to work], we have them vetted again to make sure there are no issues, and we make sure they are sound of mind and body to go on to second careers,” said Browne. Darley is adamant that no horse goes into transitional training until it’s ready.
Darley has a strong alliance with CANTER Kentucky and with the Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center (MMSC), which is based at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky. Director Susanna Thomas views the Darley horses that are rehoming candidates and selects which ones she thinks will work best for the MMSC program. Other Darley horses are rehomed directly from their own facilities.
“If we have horses that need a lot more time to get ready for a second career, we send them to Caddel Equine [Therapy Center in Georgetown, Ky.], where they get the one-on-one care and education to prepare them for new careers,” Browne said.
Darley has gifted nearly 100 horses to new owners over the last five years; the horses have gone on to various careers including polo, eventing, hunting, companion animals and everything in between.
Because of the positive word of mouth, Darley can have a waiting list of up to 50 potential new homes at any one time. When Darley gifts the horses, they advise new owners that if the horse doesn’t work out for any reason, Darley will take the horse back, rehabilitate or retrain the horse as necessary and rehome the horse again. The farm also asks to be notified of any accolades or achievements the new owner garners with the horse. It’s important to Darley that the horses they gift go to good homes; if an owner chooses to sell the horse, Darley asks to be notified so they can keep tabs on where the horse has gone.
Chiefswood Stables in Toronto ensures that each of its racehorses finds a good home upon retirement by basing all of their rehoming efforts from their facility. Stacey Krembil and the team at Chiefswood pay close attention to each horse that races for them, bringing them home to train on the training center track at the farm if they are falling into the claiming ranks or making the decision to retire them, based on the individual horse.
Actively running about 30 horses at any given time, Chiefswood made a conscious decision to play an active role in the retirement of their racing horses, and chose to build a facility where the horse can be retrained once they retire. The back portion of the farm is dedicated to horses that are coming off the track, with a barn and paddocks built specifically for letting the ex-racers “learn to be a horse again,” said Krembil.
Most of Chiefswood’s racing horses retire sound or with minor injuries, like a bowed tendon, notes Krembil. Krembil and her staff adopt out five or six horses each year, and spend a lot of time riding the horses in the paddock at the walk and trot. They also ensure that the horses learn to crosstie, stand at a mounting block, and go through some desensitization training before they’re cleared for adoption.
“They raced so hard for us, their care doesn’t stop being 100 percent because they aren’t racehorses anymore,” she said.
To help ensure no Chiefswood horse ends up in a bad place after adoption, Krembil has a strict policy in place that the new owner cannot sell the horse for two years and that she has the first right of refusal.
Some horses retire because their injuries are too significant or their condition too compromised to allow for a second career. These horses are candidates to live out their remaining years at equine retirement farms or sanctuaries. One such sanctuary is Mereworth Farm, a 1,200-acre former Thoroughbred nursery in Lexington, Ky., operated by the Salmon family for more than eight decades. Upon the death of Susan Salmon Donaldson in 2011, the farm was transferred to the Susan S. Donaldson Foundation to preserve and operate Mereworth as a home for horses that would otherwise be at risk of unnecessary euthanasia.
Currently, there are 142 horses living at Mereworth Farm. Many of these are Donaldson’s own broodmares and retired racehorses; some were horses she took in during her lifetime; others have been taken in by the Foundation at the request of rescue operations. There are also 15 Thoroughbreds living temporarily at Mereworth Farm, laying up or rehabbing in preparation for retraining by New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program.
Any of Donaldson’s horses that were sound enough to begin a second career were given to New Vocations for retraining.
For those horses that remain, the Susan S. Donaldson Foundation is structured to fund the rest of their lives in comfort and security at Mereworth Farm.
Aftercare options for retiring racehorses abound, and thanks to caring owners and trainers, many Thoroughbreds are getting a chance at a new life after the track.
Large Farms Step Up To The Aftercare Plate With In-House Programs And Policies
by Sarah Coleman
Paulick Report
Equine aftercare has been an increasingly important issue to most people involved in the Thoroughbred industry for quite some time. Years ago, when it was decided that a horse’s racing days were done, the horse may simply have “gone away.” Rarely was the owner asked where he or she would like the horse to go, much less to what specific adoption organization or retirement facility. Few owners truly understood the options available to their retiring racehorses.
Thankfully, times have changed. Now when asked what will happen when their horse retires, many owners know exactly where their horse is going, and what type of facility it is. Although much has been written about the adoption agencies themselves, many people don’t realize that some of the sport’s larger farms have their own policies in place to guide retiring racehorses on to a viable second career—even if it’s not something they advertise.
Darley in Lexington, Ky., makes the decision to retire a horse based on each animal as an individual, not on a predetermined age or race record.
“We may have a horse that just doesn’t enjoy being a racehorse or we have other horses that may come up with injuries,” says Emma Browne of Darley. “But with some care and time, they are able to go on into other careers. We predominately retrain our fillies for the broodmare program, so the majority of the horses we rehome are geldings.”
Darley rehoming candidates are given all the time and veterinary care they need at their home farm before they begin training for second careers.
“When they get close to being ready [to go back to work], we have them vetted again to make sure there are no issues, and we make sure they are sound of mind and body to go on to second careers,” said Browne. Darley is adamant that no horse goes into transitional training until it’s ready.
Darley has a strong alliance with CANTER Kentucky and with the Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center (MMSC), which is based at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky. Director Susanna Thomas views the Darley horses that are rehoming candidates and selects which ones she thinks will work best for the MMSC program. Other Darley horses are rehomed directly from their own facilities.
“If we have horses that need a lot more time to get ready for a second career, we send them to Caddel Equine [Therapy Center in Georgetown, Ky.], where they get the one-on-one care and education to prepare them for new careers,” Browne said.
Darley has gifted nearly 100 horses to new owners over the last five years; the horses have gone on to various careers including polo, eventing, hunting, companion animals and everything in between.
Because of the positive word of mouth, Darley can have a waiting list of up to 50 potential new homes at any one time. When Darley gifts the horses, they advise new owners that if the horse doesn’t work out for any reason, Darley will take the horse back, rehabilitate or retrain the horse as necessary and rehome the horse again. The farm also asks to be notified of any accolades or achievements the new owner garners with the horse. It’s important to Darley that the horses they gift go to good homes; if an owner chooses to sell the horse, Darley asks to be notified so they can keep tabs on where the horse has gone.
Chiefswood Stables in Toronto ensures that each of its racehorses finds a good home upon retirement by basing all of their rehoming efforts from their facility. Stacey Krembil and the team at Chiefswood pay close attention to each horse that races for them, bringing them home to train on the training center track at the farm if they are falling into the claiming ranks or making the decision to retire them, based on the individual horse.
Actively running about 30 horses at any given time, Chiefswood made a conscious decision to play an active role in the retirement of their racing horses, and chose to build a facility where the horse can be retrained once they retire. The back portion of the farm is dedicated to horses that are coming off the track, with a barn and paddocks built specifically for letting the ex-racers “learn to be a horse again,” said Krembil.
Most of Chiefswood’s racing horses retire sound or with minor injuries, like a bowed tendon, notes Krembil. Krembil and her staff adopt out five or six horses each year, and spend a lot of time riding the horses in the paddock at the walk and trot. They also ensure that the horses learn to crosstie, stand at a mounting block, and go through some desensitization training before they’re cleared for adoption.
“They raced so hard for us, their care doesn’t stop being 100 percent because they aren’t racehorses anymore,” she said.
To help ensure no Chiefswood horse ends up in a bad place after adoption, Krembil has a strict policy in place that the new owner cannot sell the horse for two years and that she has the first right of refusal.
Some horses retire because their injuries are too significant or their condition too compromised to allow for a second career. These horses are candidates to live out their remaining years at equine retirement farms or sanctuaries. One such sanctuary is Mereworth Farm, a 1,200-acre former Thoroughbred nursery in Lexington, Ky., operated by the Salmon family for more than eight decades. Upon the death of Susan Salmon Donaldson in 2011, the farm was transferred to the Susan S. Donaldson Foundation to preserve and operate Mereworth as a home for horses that would otherwise be at risk of unnecessary euthanasia.
Currently, there are 142 horses living at Mereworth Farm. Many of these are Donaldson’s own broodmares and retired racehorses; some were horses she took in during her lifetime; others have been taken in by the Foundation at the request of rescue operations. There are also 15 Thoroughbreds living temporarily at Mereworth Farm, laying up or rehabbing in preparation for retraining by New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program.
Any of Donaldson’s horses that were sound enough to begin a second career were given to New Vocations for retraining.
For those horses that remain, the Susan S. Donaldson Foundation is structured to fund the rest of their lives in comfort and security at Mereworth Farm.
Aftercare options for retiring racehorses abound, and thanks to caring owners and trainers, many Thoroughbreds are getting a chance at a new life after the track.