Stacie Clark-Rogers started thinking about second careers for Thoroughbreds in the mid-1990s when she was a jockey at Fort Erie in Canada.
“I started to wonder, 'Hmmm, where do these horses go from here?'” she said.
A decade later, after she retired from race riding and had worked as a simulcast host at Woodbine, she helped launch the Adena Retirement Program for Frank and Frieda Stronach. It was a first-of-its-kind program for the Stronachs' multiple Eclipse and Sovereign Award winning racing and breeding operation that had farms in Ontario, Kentucky, and Florida.
“We adopted out 400 horses over the 10 years I was there,” Clark recalled. “These were such nice horses that were well bred and stopped on in time, so very few came to us with injuries. Richie Purcell did an amazing job getting them legged up in Florida, then they were sent to me (in Ontario). We had an indoor arena, trails, and an outdoor ring to work with them. It got so easy that people would be calling and asking when the next van load was coming. Fifteen or 20 years later I'm still getting emails with updates on some of the horses.”
In 2011, when Starlight Racing's Jack Wolf pushed for the creation of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance – to be institutionally funded by different industry stakeholders – Rogers was brought in to share her experiences with the Adena Retirement Program and an aftercare initiative the Stronachs funded at Gulfstream Park that she also helped run. Two years after the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance's official launch in 2012, Clark joined the 501(c)(3) organization as operations consultant.
“It was such a good industry initiative,” Clark said of TAA. “We were answering a call of crisis at the time, and it had great momentum. I wish it had the same momentum now.”
Funded initially with seed money from Breeders' Cup, Keeneland Association, and The Jockey Club, the TAA initially set a financial goal of between $10 million and $20 million annually to fund various accredited aftercare and Thoroughbred retirement operations.
“We're not hitting that mark,” Clark said. The TAA distributes around $3.5 million per year.
“All of the other aspects of the strategic plan – accreditation, marketing, getting the message out there – we've done well as a board and a staff,” Clark said.
Clark said the foundation of TAA is strong, thanks to the contributions of people like Madeline Auerbach, who started California's retirement program, CARMA; the late Richard Violette, who created New York's retirement program, Take2/Take the Lead; Erin Crady, executive director of the Thoroughbred Charities of America; and many others. An accreditation committee has been holding weekly meetings for 10 years, Clark said, examining every accredited organization and their horses. “They are second to none,” she said.
But the financial goals have fallen short.
“We did not want to have 'bake sales' to raise money,” Clark said, “but we find ourselves doing them. Events like a VIP or Breeders' Cup campaign might make $40,000 or $50,000, but it's a drop in the bucket compared to what our organizations need. There has to be more institutional funding or automatic funding. The industry has to understand that it's not an aftercare issue — it's a funding aftercare issue.”
The financial challenges run counter to the narrative that Clark says she often hears from people in racing when the issue of unwanted horses comes up.
“Many people think the problem has been taken care of because organizations like the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance exists,” she said. “Then there are the areas of the industry where they stick their head in the sand and say, 'It's none of your business. These are our horses.' Some of those people think it's a good thing if they can get $200 selling their horse to a kill buyer. It's our problem as an industry.”
Despite the challenges, financial and otherwise, Clark points to the many successes since aftercare became a front-burner issue. “The Retired Racehorse Project is one of the best things that's happened to the industry,” she said. “It's shown that the Thoroughbred can do all sorts of things.
“The list of positive impacts our industry can contribute to society is massive,” she said. “These horses are good healers, good sport horses, good for autistic kids, veterans — they are good for so many things. The horse is so powerful, it can be so much, and it's right in front of us. This is the best marketing we can do for our industry.”
Clark doesn't plan to slow down on her efforts to make a difference. “It's important that we don't take our foot off the gas pedal,” she said.
If you would like to make a difference, please consider a donation to the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.
Difference Makers is presented by Richard Pearson's Avion Law, a Newport Beach, Calif.-based firm that primarily represents owners in the private aviation sector. Avion Law has a “giving back” program supporting awareness campaigns and donating to charitable organizations in and outside of horse racing. For more information on Avion Law, click here.
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