“It’s important that these horses that do so much for us have a good place to go when their racing career is over,” said Louisville, Kentucky-based trainer Dale Romans. “Second Stride does an awful lot for Thoroughbred racing and for these horses. A lot of them leave racing every year and there are homes for every one of them.”
Those words capture the essence of Second Stride’s mission.
Second Stride provides professional rehabilitation, retraining, and placement of retired Thoroughbred racehorses, offering a safe path to a successful new career for these athletes. In 2024, horses came to Second Stride from 19 different racetracks and training centers located in 15 states, and 176 horses were placed with committed adopters throughout the US and Canada.
In spring of 2022, Second Stride initiated Broodmare & Bloodstock, a transitional service for retiring broodmares and yearlings unsuited for the track. Second Stride now serves Thoroughbreds in all phases of life, knowing that the breed’s versatility extends beyond athleticism into careers of the heart: equine therapy, trail-riding and as beloved companions.
Located outside Louisville, Kentucky, Second Stride’s multi-campus facility is easily accessible to horsemen and ready to always receive horses. Since 2005, Second Stride has built a reputation for being a trusted partner to racehorse owners, trainers, and adopters and prioritizes securing the best possible second career fit for every horse. Second Stride provides services supporting a full range of needs, including castrating and socializing colts, rehabilitating injured horses, starting young horses under saddle, and restarting broodmares in preparation for third careers.
Second Stride invests extensive time and resources in adoptable horses, providing veterinary, farrier, and dental work, as well as highly individualized retraining. As a result, Second Stride horses find success in a wide range of disciplines every year. In 2024, Second Stride horses excelled in mounted archery, eventing, dressage, therapy work, barrel racing, hunter/jumpers, competitive trail, civil war reenactment and more.
Visitors are welcome at Second Stride’s Oldham County, Kentucky farms, with tours available through visithorsecountry.com. Second Stride invites you to come see these amazing adoptable Thoroughbreds preparing for new careers.
