Founder and President Dayle Eldredge created Second Wind Thoroughbred Project (SWTP) with her mother and lifelong friend in 2015. Dayle’s grandfather was a lover of Thoroughbred racing and took Dayle’s mother to the racetrack in Miami, Florida when she was a child. She has followed horse racing ever since and is proud to be an integral part of the program to help ex-racehorses face bright futures in new “careers” or as pleasure mounts for recreational riders.
SWTP provides quality care, rehabilitation, retraining, adoption/sales to qualified new owners, or permanent sanctuary on lush pastures for off-track horses needing a soft landing.
What makes the program unique is its core group of people. They were all horse-loving teens whose passion was ignited when they started riding Thoroughbreds. They all became industry experts who have had lifelong careers at the highest levels of their professions in both the racing and horse show worlds. Second Wind’s group of talented horsewomen includes a U.S. Equestrian Federation “R” hunter/jumper horse show judge who serves on state and national committees, a horse show steward, a competitive amateur hunter/jumper rider, an equine veterinarian whose client list includes Hall of Fame racehorse trainers, and Olympic dressage riders.
In addition to our talented Board of Directors, our volunteers are a very important part of our program. Some ride, some do barn work, some groom and bathe the horses, others help with feeding, and some keep up our social media presence. We work hard and also find time to have fun!
Second Wind is now located in the heart of beautiful northern Virginia horse country. We are surrounded by dozens of horse farms, and the area boasts several fox hunting clubs, as well historic horse show venues.
SWTP has a booth at various venues to educate the public and other horsemen about the needs of ex-racehorses, and create excitement about their versatility as sport horses in many other riding endeavors.
Our President has initiated the Thoroughbred Task Force under the umbrella of the United States Hunter/Jumper Association. This task force has big plans to promote the breed by creating a “Thoroughbred Ecosystem”, with serious prize money offered for Thoroughbred hunter classics at rated hunter/jumper shows. Once that initiative takes off, they will do the same for the Thoroughbred jumper classics. This will create more of a demand for Thoroughbreds as show horses, which will, in turn, result in more adoptions.
SWTP hopes that racehorse owners will be just as excited about their horse’s second career as they were about their racing career. The hope is that the “one more race” mentality will change, so that more sound horses are sent to aftercare programs.
As a small operation, Second Wind allows each horse the opportunity to progress at its own pace. A positive outcome for every horse is the number one priority. We are always proud of our graduates and receive many photos, videos, and updates of their accomplishments in show hunters and jumpers, eventing, fox hunting, dressage, trail riding or just silly or memorable moments. We carefully screen potential adopters, and we keep track of the horses once they go on to new homes.
We typically care for about 18 Thoroughbreds at a time. Half are permanently retired in our sanctuary program; the rest are in our rehabilitation or retraining programs. We have a few very good riders who help us keep the horses in training.
