Tag: Charity Spotlight

When the infamous Runhappy van pulls into Old Friends Farm in Georgetown, Ky., you might think another big superstar is onboard, ready for his new life of leisure.

Instead, a mare rescued from a dangerous situation and lacking the luster in her coat steps off, soon to regain that shine and learn to enjoy life again at the retirement facility. Podcast was bred by James McIngvale and last raced in a claimer at Evangeline Downs. McIngvale made the call to bring her to her new home in Kentucky and made sure she was handled like royalty.

So, maybe she wasn't a multi-millionaire, but she deserves the peace just as much as notable residents Silver Charm and Birdstone.

“We try to balance it out,” said Michael Blowen, founder of Old Friends. “For every superstar horse we get who has won a lot of money and is well-known, we try to take one or two that aren't and just need a place.”

Because of this mentality, Old Friends has expanded far beyond its Georgetown roots. New facilities are opening, with more in the works, each with the same goal: Give the retired racehorse a place to be a horse again.

“We don't retrain the horses, of course,” Blowen points out. “There are so many really good operations that do that. I'm completely inept at doing that kind of thing. But I tell people all the time, all their lives these horses have been trained to do something—trained for the races, trained for breeding, trained for aftercare. They are told what to do. And when they come here, our staff figures out what the horses want, and we let the horse train us. It's a total reversal, and that's why with these old stallions that we're warned will bite people, their whole behavior and whole attitude changes as soon as they realize they're in charge. They can finally just be horses again, eat grass and get the bald headed guy to come feed them carrots. It works alright.”

Old Friends at Cabin Creek near Saratoga Race Course, will be joined by a second Saratoga Springs, N.Y., location. Working alongside Jack Knowlton of Sackatoga Stable, Ed and Lisa Mitzen and other community members, an additional location will be opened on the Mitzens' farm just 12 minutes away from the racetrack. The group is also working with the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame to organize tours between the two Old Friends locations, the museum and the track.

“We have all these great New York-bred horses here, we have all these huge New York horses that are huge heroes in New York, but here they play second banana to horses like Silver Charm and Touch Gold,” said Blowen. “So, we're trying to expand up there to expand tourism and expand the operation to have more room for more horses.”

The cornerstone of Old Friends, Dream Chase Farm in Georgetown, has expanded to two subsidiary farms built on the green space in the Winding Oaks subdivision down the road from the farm and one built at Ashton Grove, a high-end senior citizen facility in Georgetown that'll allow the residents to interact with the horses daily.

“There's something about the outside of the horse that's good for the inside of man,” said Blowen. “They're fabulous pals. And they deserve everything we're giving them for sure.”

One last, and rather large development for Old Friends is the expansion into Japan. For the past two years, representatives from the Japan Racing Association and Japan Bloodhorse Breeders' Association (JBBA) have visited the Georgetown farm and met with Blowen to formulate a plan for an Old Friends in Japan. The facility opened ten months ago to the delight of Blowen.

“It's unbelievable,” he said. “They essentially copied us and did a fabulous job. They send me information on each new horse. It's created a whole new relationship with Japan racing that we've been working on the past two decades. They realized the number of tourists we were getting, and they wanted to improve tourism and get the visitors involved with the horses. They understood it's a great thing to do not only for the horses but also for the local economy.”

Because of this new relationship, Blowen has allowed his focus to change to bringing home American stars from Korea, such as Colonel John and Any Given Saturday once their breeding careers have ended.

“We just want to keep showing that these horses are really useful even though they're not professional athletes anymore, they're just retired,” said Blowen. “No matter their earnings.”

To learn more about Old Friends, visit http://oldfriendsequine.org

To learn more about Old Friends Japan, visit http://oldfriendsjapan.com

The Charity Spotlight is presented by Richard Pearson's Avion Law, a California-based firm specializing on the aviation industry. 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.

The post Everyone’s A Star At Old Friends: Charity Spotlight Presented By Avion Law appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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There is a photograph on the California Thoroughbred Horsemen's Foundation website showing a groom caring for a horse. The accompanying caption states, “Workers often put the health of their horses ahead of themselves.”

I have no doubt that is true in many cases.

Fortunately, it doesn't have to be that way. Thanks to the California Thoroughbred Horsemen's Foundation Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit established in 1984, backstretch workers at state racetracks have access to health care at an affordable price, as a vast majority of them cannot afford medical insurance. The CTHF provides medical, dental and vision care on-site and offers referrals for workers who need to see specialists or visit imaging centers for more specialized treatment.

Hot walkers, grooms, exercise riders, pony riders, night watchpersons, assistant trainers and trainers are eligible for treatment, and over the course of a year there will be between 5,000 and 6,000 patient visits. Run by a nine-person volunteer board made up of track and horsemen representatives, a retired physician, several businessmen and an organized labor representative, CTHF has 13 full-time and six part-time employees, including two doctors and three dentists.

The organization is funded largely by racetracks and horsemen to the tune of about $1.5 million annually, but also through the generosity of readers like you.

Those are some of the facts and figures about the California Thoroughbred Horsemen's Foundation..

The following story, provided by longtime racing executive Cliff Goodrich, the CTHF's executive director, is a real-world example of the role the organization plays in meeting its core mission.

Horsemen Helping Horsemen – And Non-Profits Helping Each Other

By Cliff Goodrich, executive director, California Thoroughbred Horsemen's Foundation

The California Thoroughbred Horsemen's Foundation's Mission Statement is “bettering the quality of life for backstretch workers.”

Like most heartwarming racetrack stories, few people may know about a given situation, but those who do all feel an investment in helping those less fortunate than ourselves. The ability to help someone else makes everyone involved feel better about themselves.  It provides a sense of self-worth to both the “giver” and the “receiver” for the services rendered.

A recent case in point will underscore what I am attempting to convey.

A couple of months ago I received a call from Darin Scharer, executive director of the Winners Foundation, a non-profit association that provides assistance to racetrack personnel in the areas of chemical dependency, gambling addiction, and mental health in general.

Darin had several patients in recovery, clearly on the road to returning to work, but all needed major dental work, to the point where each would cover their mouths, while in the presence of others, whether talking or not.  They were embarrassed at the state of their teeth.

Darin called me and asked if we could help.  He said none of the patients had any money and that Winners would pay for it.  Knowing Winners was financially stretched like most of the industry's non-profits, I told him that's what CTHF was in business for, and that we would financially take care of it.

While treating the three patients at our Santa Anita Clinic over the course of several months, I remembered that a trainer who often uses our Santa Anita clinic for his own dental work, but who shall remain anonymous, would always write us a check over and above the amount due, while saying on every one of his visits, “Use the extra money for someone who needs it.”

We have tracked those over-payments for several years and ended up using most of the excess money he had donated to the benefit of the three individuals Winners Foundation had referred to us.  Bottom line, the patients paid nothing, Winners Foundation paid nothing, and the CTHF's contribution was its existing staff. Most importantly, these three individuals have ceased covering their mouths in public, and can now smile and be proud of their dedication to get their lives “back on-track.”

I took the liberty of calling this generous trainer.  When I told him how his donations to the CTHF had been used, there was a long pause on the other end of the phone.  Clearly, he was moved knowing he had helped those less fortunate than himself.

This is but one example of horsemen helping horsemen – and non-profits helping other non-profits.

In the end, we believe that happy workers make for happy horses.  We salute the hardworking backstretch community that cares for racing's greatest assets – the equine athletes, along with every person who understands and supports these often overlooked, dedicated workers.

Click here learn more about the California Thoroughbred Horsemen's Foundation.

Click here to make a donation to the California Thoroughbred Horsemen's Foundation.

The Charity Spotlight is presented by Richard Pearson's Avion Law, a California-based firm specializing on the aviation industry. 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.

The post California Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Foundation: Charity Spotlight Presented By Avion Law appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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