Matthew and Candace Chew retired from the racing industry in 2020 to facilitate a safe haven for retired racehorses and to share equine therapeutic benefits with those in their community.
Champions Retreat is home to approximately eight Thoroughbreds retired from racing on West Coast tracks. We provide rehabilitation, retraining, adoption, and permanent sanctuary for the horses we take in. Our 18-acre ranch overlooks beautiful Hayden Lake in the panhandle of North Idaho. Surrounded by towering conifers and flanked by two creeks, this secluded, peaceful setting provides the perfect environment to connect with horses and nature.
Through years of experience, we have seen that mental and physical challenges can respond favorably to equine interaction. During the four years we have been in operation, we have
developed a program in conjunction with Fostering Idaho to provide equine therapeutic interaction for children in the foster care system. In 2024, we were able to facilitate 64 sessions for these children, all with special needs. In 2025, we are on track to provide over 60 sessions. Of the eight horses we typically have in residence, four of our more senior horses are used for the therapeutic programs. Both horse and human benefit from these interactions. There is no charge for the sessions; we are committed to give back to the community that has welcomed us so warmly. The equine interactive sessions have opened many doors for us and connected us with our neighbors in a positive way.
Our primary reason for existing is to help retired racehorses find the best possible future. We have adopted out several Thoroughbreds over the past four years. One has become a working ranch horse on a cattle ranch in St Maries, Idaho, one is becoming a proficient barrel horse in Rockland, Washington, and another lives in Montana, training to be a hunter/jumper and trail horse. Two are in training to be safe trail horses that may become program horses or may find a perfect home.
Champion’s Retreat includes indoor and outdoor arenas with jumps and obstacles, oversized stalls, multiple acre paddocks with shelters, two 4-acre pastures, plus miles of groomed riding trails on site and in the adjoining national forest land. We have built two cross country jumping courses to keep things interesting, and we spend many hours with our horses in retraining on the trails. Idaho is home to multiple wildlife species that also keep our rides interesting. The horses learn to stay calm and trust their rider, and they become desensitized to the different encounters and obstacles. We jump logs, cross water, trot and gallop on undulating terrain, navigate fallen trees, and bravely go forward near a flock of noisy wild turkeys. A deer, elk or moose encounter is always a possibility and the most frightening, a mountain bike rider. We learn to persevere.
