Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation
Encyclopedia
The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF) is an American
organization founded in 1982, whose mission is stated to be: "To save Thoroughbred
horses no longer able to compete on the racetrack from possible neglect, abuse and slaughter."
The Foundation says that the "sad truth is that a vast majority of the general public and even many racing fans are unaware of the sad fate that awaits thousands of Thoroughbreds each year. They assume each animal is assured a safe and graceful retirement once its racing days are over. Their perception of the "Sport of Kings” is one where great personal wealth and life-long benevolence to all horses are givens. Unfortunately, it is a perception that does not reflect reality."
In 2001, the estate of the prominent horse owner/breeder Paul Mellon
created a $5 million endowment for the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation for use in its efforts to rescue and rehabilitate retired race horses. The slaughterhouse
killings of famous horses such as the U.S. Hall of Fame
horse Exceller
and the Kentucky Derby
and Breeders' Cup Classic
winner Ferdinand
, both occurred outside the United States but helped raise awareness of what can happen to Thoroughbreds, even champions. The TRF also reminds people that the "reality is a Thoroughbred industry made up largely of owners with only modest resources and current economics that dictate that among all owners, no matter how responsible and well-intended, only a relatively few are capable of maintaining even a single Thoroughbred once it is unable to earn its keep on the track."
In April 2002, Churchill Downs Incorporated
established the Green Pastures Program in partnership with the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation.
Two years after its founding, the TRF had its first retiree. His name was Promised Road, and he was typical of the type of horse that needs someone's help and a caring home. He was then 9, an undistinguished campaigner whose career ended with a sixth-place finish in a $3,500 claiming race
. There have been hundreds more like him who have come under the care of the TRF. Today, the TRF claims to be the world's largest, best known and most respected charitable organization devoted to equine rescue. Ron "Gibby" Gibson the trainer of Promised Road knew that the horse deserved to be taken care of in retirement as Promised Road took care of him while racing. Mr. Gibson went on to teach at the facility before retiring.
The TRF is about more than helping horses in need. Early in the TRF’s history, Founder and Chairman of the Board Monique S. Koehler negotiated a milestone agreement with the State of New York Department of Correctional Services. In exchange for land use and labor at the state's Wallkill Correctional Facility
, the TRF would design, staff and maintain a vocational training program in equine care and management for inmates.
Upon the completion of their sentences, many former inmates who have worked with the horses have gone on to become productive, solid citizens and have been quick to give credit to the TRF program. The inmates cannot have committed a sexual crime or first-degree murder. This unique prison program has been replicated at TRF farms located at the Blackburn Correctional Facility in Kentucky
, the Marion County Correctional Facility in Florida
and at the Charles H. Hickey School for youthful offenders in Maryland
.
The horses at these farms and several of our other facilities often are so infirm when retired from racing that they can do little more than enjoy their days in their paddocks and fields. However, hundreds of TRF horses have successfully been trained for second careers, as show jumpers
, companion horses
, handicapped
riding horses, even polo
horses.
The TRF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit tax-exempt organization entirely dependent on public contributions. Income is derived from donations from horse racing
fans, owners, breeders
, trainers
and racing officials who believe racehorses deserve better than a trip to the slaughterhouse when their track careers are over.
On March 18, 2011 a New York Times article reported that the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation "...has been so slow or delinquent in paying for the upkeep of the more than 1,000 horses under its care that scores have wound up starved and neglected, some fatally, according to interviews and inspection reports."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
organization founded in 1982, whose mission is stated to be: "To save Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
horses no longer able to compete on the racetrack from possible neglect, abuse and slaughter."
The Foundation says that the "sad truth is that a vast majority of the general public and even many racing fans are unaware of the sad fate that awaits thousands of Thoroughbreds each year. They assume each animal is assured a safe and graceful retirement once its racing days are over. Their perception of the "Sport of Kings” is one where great personal wealth and life-long benevolence to all horses are givens. Unfortunately, it is a perception that does not reflect reality."
In 2001, the estate of the prominent horse owner/breeder Paul Mellon
Paul Mellon
Paul Mellon KBE was an American philanthropist, thoroughbred racehorse owner/breeder. He is one of only five people ever designated an "Exemplar of Racing" by the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame...
created a $5 million endowment for the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation for use in its efforts to rescue and rehabilitate retired race horses. The slaughterhouse
Slaughterhouse
A slaughterhouse or abattoir is a facility where animals are killed for consumption as food products.Approximately 45-50% of the animal can be turned into edible products...
killings of famous horses such as the U.S. Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
horse Exceller
Exceller
Exceller is widely considered one of the best horses to race in the United States not to win a year-end championship. Despite his exemplary achievements as a racehorse, and his unique accomplishment in being the only horse to ever defeat two Triple Crown winners in the same race , Exceller is now...
and the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
and Breeders' Cup Classic
Breeders' Cup Classic
The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3 year olds and older run at a distance of 1¼ miles on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships...
winner Ferdinand
Ferdinand (horse)
Ferdinand was a Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1986 Kentucky Derby and 1987 Breeders' Cup Classic. He was voted the 1987 Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year.He entered stud in 1989 and was later sold to a breeding farm in Japan in 1994....
, both occurred outside the United States but helped raise awareness of what can happen to Thoroughbreds, even champions. The TRF also reminds people that the "reality is a Thoroughbred industry made up largely of owners with only modest resources and current economics that dictate that among all owners, no matter how responsible and well-intended, only a relatively few are capable of maintaining even a single Thoroughbred once it is unable to earn its keep on the track."
In April 2002, Churchill Downs Incorporated
Churchill Downs Incorporated
Churchill Downs Incorporated is the parent company of Churchill Downs. The company owns several other thoroughbred and standardbred racetracks.-History:...
established the Green Pastures Program in partnership with the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation.
Two years after its founding, the TRF had its first retiree. His name was Promised Road, and he was typical of the type of horse that needs someone's help and a caring home. He was then 9, an undistinguished campaigner whose career ended with a sixth-place finish in a $3,500 claiming race
Claiming race
A claiming race in thoroughbred horse racing is one in which the horses are all for sale for more or less the same price up until shortly before the race. Race types form a hierarchy in terms of the quality of horse they attract, with handicap races and graded stakes races attracting the "best"...
. There have been hundreds more like him who have come under the care of the TRF. Today, the TRF claims to be the world's largest, best known and most respected charitable organization devoted to equine rescue. Ron "Gibby" Gibson the trainer of Promised Road knew that the horse deserved to be taken care of in retirement as Promised Road took care of him while racing. Mr. Gibson went on to teach at the facility before retiring.
The TRF is about more than helping horses in need. Early in the TRF’s history, Founder and Chairman of the Board Monique S. Koehler negotiated a milestone agreement with the State of New York Department of Correctional Services. In exchange for land use and labor at the state's Wallkill Correctional Facility
Wallkill Correctional Facility
The Wallkill Correctional Facility is a medium security prison in New York state in the USA. The prison is located just north of the hamlet of Wallkill in the Shawangunk in Ulster County, New York.- Address :Wallkill Correctional Facility Box G...
, the TRF would design, staff and maintain a vocational training program in equine care and management for inmates.
Upon the completion of their sentences, many former inmates who have worked with the horses have gone on to become productive, solid citizens and have been quick to give credit to the TRF program. The inmates cannot have committed a sexual crime or first-degree murder. This unique prison program has been replicated at TRF farms located at the Blackburn Correctional Facility in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, the Marion County Correctional Facility in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and at the Charles H. Hickey School for youthful offenders in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
.
The horses at these farms and several of our other facilities often are so infirm when retired from racing that they can do little more than enjoy their days in their paddocks and fields. However, hundreds of TRF horses have successfully been trained for second careers, as show jumpers
Show jumping
Show jumping, also known as "stadium jumping," "open jumping," or "jumpers," is a member of a family of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes commonly are seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics...
, companion horses
Pet
A pet is a household animal kept for companionship and a person's enjoyment, as opposed to wild animals or to livestock, laboratory animals, working animals or sport animals, which are kept for economic or productive reasons. The most popular pets are noted for their loyal or playful...
, handicapped
Disability
A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...
riding horses, even polo
Polo
Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
horses.
The TRF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit tax-exempt organization entirely dependent on public contributions. Income is derived from donations from horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
fans, owners, breeders
Horse breeding
Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses...
, trainers
Horse trainer
In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...
and racing officials who believe racehorses deserve better than a trip to the slaughterhouse when their track careers are over.
On March 18, 2011 a New York Times article reported that the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation "...has been so slow or delinquent in paying for the upkeep of the more than 1,000 horses under its care that scores have wound up starved and neglected, some fatally, according to interviews and inspection reports."
See also
- Old Friends, Inc.
- The Horse TrustThe Horse TrustThe Horse Trust is a UK equine charity based at Speen, Buckinghamshire west north west of London. It was founded in 1886 to help the working horses in London making it the oldest horse charity in the world...
- Living Legends horse retirement homeLiving Legends horse retirement homeLiving Legends is an international home of rest for champion horses located on Oaklands Road at Woodlands Historic Park in Greenvale near Melbourne, Australia...