LongRun Thoroughbred Retirement Society celebrated its 25th anniversary as a registered charity this year and is proud to have helped countless Thoroughbreds who either were foaled in Ontario or competed on the Ontario circuit, either directly or through financial support. Our affiliation with Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance enables us to support upwards of 60 horses, granting them rest, rehabilitation, and a new career or permanent sanctuary on our 100-acre Hillsburgh, Ontario farm. LongRun is bound to provide for as many horses as we are able, no matter what they accomplished on the racetrack, with a happy and dignified retirement.
With the help of Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, LongRun continues to promote the beauty, intelligence, and athleticism of the Thoroughbred through our Graduate Showcase, Open House, Ladies’ Lunch, and LongRun Day at The Races hosted annually by Woodbine, as well as presentations to various business groups and clubs and a constant social media presence. We are also honoured that two stakes at our sister track of Fort Erie are named for LongRun – The LongRun Thoroughbred Retirement Stakes and The LongRun Thoroughbred Aftercare Stakes – and are pleased to personally present the grooms of the best turned out horses in each division with a monetary award.
This year, we are thrilled to have forged a partnership with retired jockey, Eurico Rosa da Silva, who ruled the Woodbine jockeys’ colony for years prior to his retirement in 2019, winning Canada’s Sovereign Award as top rider seven times and being inducted into The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2021. Eurico’s generosity to LongRun during his riding career speaks for his genuine love for the horses he rode, and he is now happy to work with them in a different capacity. Recently certified as a F.E.E.L. (Facilitated Equine Experiential Learning) practitioner, Eurico has successfully retrained a number of our permanent residents to participate in the programs he will be holding at the farm, which will use his mentoring and healing skills to help people experiencing troubles and give our sanctuary horses a purpose and the human interaction they crave.
We at LongRun are very grateful that Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance always has our back, provides us with guidance and helps us help the horses who play such an important role in all our lives.
