Aftercare Editorials

“There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man” is ringing true more than ever in Thoroughbred aftercare.

Successful Thoroughbred aftercare organizations run like well-oiled machines. Wanting to help horses is one thing, but having the industry knowledge and business acumen to effectively place racehorses safely into new homes while being efficient with funding is quite another.

Over the past few years, the Thoroughbred aftercare and pro-off-track-Thoroughbred movement has exploded. Not only have the post-racing lives of racehorses become more top of mind for industry participants, but aftercare organizations have also been expanding their facilities, allowing more horses to be served.

Is it possible to teach humans how to be compassionate caretakers of horses?

That’s what Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance-accredited Equine Advocates near Chatham, N.Y., is working on. The 22-year-old nonprofit organization operates as a sanctuary and rescue, serving all breeds of equines, with an emphasis on humane education. 

NYTHA’s TAKE THE LEAD works with TAA-accredited organizations to facilitate a safe transition off the track and into new homes and careers.

Maryland’s Beyond the Wire program facilitates a safe first exit from racing for horses and places them at Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance-accredited organizations for retraining, rehabbing, and rehoming.

“The investment in aftercare is better viewed as an insurance premium, as in a business expense, or if you prefer, an obligation to the sport. … With the TAA, our sport now has the basic infrastructure.”

“Horses literally and figuratively are the vehicles for the racing and breeding industries. Their treatment is rightfully the focus of public perception and scrutiny, and, therefore, the sustainability of the Thoroughbred business depends on how we take care of our primary resource both during and after their careers,” writes Gainesway’s Antony Beck

Santa Anita’s sign-out policy for foal paperwork is becoming more widely known, is being lauded within the aftercare community because it could eventually evolve into a best-practice way to track where racehorses go and exactly who is responsible for them upon any exit from a racetrack or licensed training center.

“I said then, and I say now, aftercare is not a charity issue. Aftercare is essential to the health and the longevity of this sport.” — Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center’s Susanna Thomas.