Aftercare Charles Town (ACT) is a racetrack based 501(c)(3) aftercare program serving Thoroughbred racehorses from Charles Town Races. Since it was established in 2014, ACT has assisted over 450 racehorses on their journey to a safe and appropriate new home. Our mission is to help the Charles Town horsemen retire their horses safely through our network of partner organizations. Every horse we place has its own specific needs. Many horses come to us sound and ready for a second career; some have limitations or need rehabilitation for injuries they incurred at the racetrack. Some of these horses will still go on to successful second careers, while others need to find a place to go and be a horse for the rest of their lives. We pride ourselves on assessing each horse as an individual to be sure we are setting them up for their best chance at a successful post racing life.

Ensuring the long-term health and safety of these amazing animals starts as soon as we get a call from the horse’s owner or trainer. First, we take a thorough history of the horse and discuss any behavioral concerns to be sure we have a complete picture of the horse’s needs. If it has a previous injury, the owner will give us access to its veterinary records. Then, every horse that enters our program undergoes a full veterinary assessment. If the horse has been injured, the veterinarian will x-ray or ultrasound the injury and prescribe a rehab program for the injury. These evaluations are critical to the lasting success of our horses, allowing us to place them with a partner best suited to their specific needs.

Unlike many organizations, ACT does not maintain a facility of its own. Instead, we use three different rehabilitation facilities for a “letdown” transition period between leaving the racetrack and starting their next chapter. This transition period allows us to get to know each horse as well as giving them time to unwind. Next, we move them to one of our partner farms for retraining and adoption, or in some cases, for permanent sanctuary. Our partner farms include Thoroughbred restarting and rescue facilities in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Kentucky. All these groups hold themselves to the highest standards in horsemanship and have equally high standards for their adopters. Our partners know that we are always an additional resource for one of our horses. Whether that is additional funding for medical care or re-networking to find a better fit, we see ourselves as an integral part of that horse’s life-long safety net.

Approximately half of our funding comes from a portion of the paddock fee that each horse’s racing connections pay to enter it in a race at Charles Town. However, there is no additional fee for a horse to be accepted into our program. Therefore, we rely heavily on grant funding and private donations to move these horses to their next chapter. We are so grateful for the support we have received over the years from Thoroughbred grant making groups, local horsemen’s associations, corporate sponsors, and individual donors. We could not do this vital work without their generosity.