Tag: Horse Care

It has been a very busy year for the TAKE THE LEAD Thoroughbred Retirement Program. TAKE THE LEAD has found placements for 155 racehorses retiring from the New York Racing Association tracks in 2023, an accomplishment that would not be possible without the commitment of its Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance-accredited partners.

In appreciation of their hard work and dedication, and in keeping with the spirit of the season, TAKE THE LEAD has distributed $20,000 in holiday donations to these invaluable organizations.

“We cannot overemphasize how vital our TAA-accredited aftercare partners are to ensuring happy and healthy lives beyond the track for New York's racehorses,” said TTL President Rick Schosberg. “It is a real challenge to provide the rehab, retraining, and rehoming that the horses require, and an even bigger challenge to raise the funds needed to do the job. We want to take a moment during the holidays to say thank you. Our only wish is that the donations could be even bigger.”

TAKE THE LEAD was created by the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association in 2013 to find homes for NYRA's racehorses. To date, more than 1,100 Thoroughbreds have been retired through TAKE THE LEAD. The majority of the horses head to New Vocations and ReRun, with ACTT Naturally, Akindale, Final Furlong, Lollypop Farm, Lucky Orphans, Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, and War Horses at Rose Bower also doing their part over the past year.

Schosberg added, “We also want to express our gratitude to New York's owners and trainers, who have embraced responsible retirement through TAKE THE LEAD, and have been staunch in their support of our program. We are seeing more and more horses retired 'one race early,' which helps everyone – the horses retire sounder, the aftercare organizations have an easier time finding their forever homes and can help more horses, and the owners save on added training and vet bills. It's a win-win-win.”

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Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Board of Directors voted at its meeting on December 14 to elect six new directors for 2024. For a third consecutive year, Jeffrey Bloom, Managing Partner of Bloom Racing Stable, will serve as President of Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.

Directors beginning service in 2024:

• Christina Blacker, Racing Host and Analyst at FanDuel
• Jay Privman, Former National Correspondent at Daily Racing Form
• Dean Roethemeier, Assistant Director of Sales Operations at Keeneland
• Barbara Vanlangendonck, Owner of Summerfield Sales

Directors returning for a second term in 2024:

• Walter Robertson, Attorney at Stites & Harbison
• Yvonne Schwabe, Owner of Persley Den Farms

The recently appointed directors will join the current board, which comprised of Jeffrey Bloom, Madeline Auerbach, Laura Barillaro, Price Bell, Dr. Jeffrey Berk, Aidan Butler, Tom Cannell, Dr. Bonnie Comerford, Jack Damico, Joe De Francis, Terry Finley, Georganne Hale, Melissa Hicks, John Keitt, Josh Rubinstein, Richard Schosberg, Mark Simendinger, and Ric Waldman.

The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Executive Committee, determined on an annual basis, will be as follows:

• President: Jeffrey Bloom, Managing Partner of Bloom Racing Stable
• Vice President: Price Bell, General Manager of Mill Ridge Farm
• Vice President: Madeline Auerbach, Founding Board Member of Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, Founder of California Retirement Management Account (CARMA), and Thoroughbred Owner/Breeder
• Treasurer: Melissa Hicks, Director of Tax Services at Dean Dorton
• Secretary: Walter Robertson, Attorney at Stites & Harbison
• Executive Committee Member: Aidan Butler, Chief Operating Officer of 1/ST Racing and President of 1/ST Content
• Executive Committee Member: Tom Cannell, Treasurer of Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association and Thoroughbred Owner
• Executive Committee Member: Mark Simendinger, Formerly of Turfway Park and the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission

Each Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance director may serve for up to five consecutive years. After completing five years, he or she is required to rotate off the board for at least one year before becoming eligible for renomination. Having dedicated five years of their time, expertise, and resources, Craig Bandoroff, Simon Bray, Donna Brothers, Boyd Browning, Chip McGaughey, and Tom Ventura will conclude their service on the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Board of Directors at the end of 2023.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the outgoing directors for their tireless efforts on behalf of Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance,” said Madeline Auerbach, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, Vice President. “So many people in our industry have served over the years to guide, lead, and mentor this organization. To those past and present, we owe all of you debt of gratitude. I hope that you are as proud as I am to be a part of this unique organization that we have fostered together.”

About Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance

Based in Lexington, Ky, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that accredits, inspects, and awards grants to approved aftercare organizations to retrain, retire, and rehome Thoroughbreds using industry-wide funding. Along with continued funding from its original partners Breeders' Cup, The Jockey Club, and Keeneland Association, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance is supported by owners, trainers, breeders, racetracks, aftercare professionals, and other industry members. Since inception in 2012, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance has granted more than $31.9 million to accredited aftercare organizations. Currently 86 aftercare organizations comprised of approximately 180 facilities across North America have been granted accreditation. To learn more about Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, visit thoroughbredaftercare.org.

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Though horses can develop laminitis from a myriad of factors, the most common form of the dangerous disease is hyperinsulinemia-associated laminitis (HAL). High circulating insulin levels cause laminitis, a painful hoof condition affecting the laminae of the hoof, which supports the coffin bone. 

Read more about laminitis here.

Unlike other forms of laminitis, HAL-induced laminitis may be partially reversible – but intervention must take place as quickly as possible, reports The Horse.

 Dr. Andrew van Eps, speaking at the 2023 Saratoga Vet & Farrier Conference, has found that using the “lucent zone,” seen on radiographs, can help determine the extent of acute laminitis damage. This zone is parallel to the coffin bone and represents the lamellae. In healthy hooves, this zone should measure less than 7.5 millimeters. Any increase in this zone, no matter how slight, is significant, he said. 

The lucent zone also changes shape and angle, particularly when the coffin bone begins sinking. Van Eps looks at the ratio of the lucent zone and total wall thickness to measure the separation, which is less affected by X-ray technique.

Though the lucent zone may increase within hours, improvement, as indicated by the shrinking of the zone, may take multiple months and aggressive treatment. Treatment of acute HLA often involves cooling the hooves, restricting the diet and administration of drugs that lower blood insulin as rapidly as possible. 

Van Eps recommends pulling the horse from pasture grass, offering hay that has been soaked (at 1.5 percent of the horse's body weight per day) and administering drugs like metformin or a sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor (SGLT2i). In some cases, early reduction of blood insulin concentrations has been shown to offer more rapid improvement of HAL. 

Read more laminitis updates at The Horse. 

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The California Retirement Management Account (CARMA) proudly announces the renaming of its grant program to the Howard “Howie” Zucker Grant Program, in honor of Howard Zucker, our late past president and long-serving board member. Accompanying this significant renaming, CARMA is awarding $451,000 to 23 aftercare charity partners this December, continuing our commitment to the welfare of retiring racehorses.

While the primary focus of these grants is to support retiring racehorses, it is noteworthy that many of our grant recipients are also vital community pillars. Beyond their core mission, many offer horsemanship skills, equine therapy, volunteer opportunities, and more, significantly contributing to their local communities.

Rigorous Selection Process for Enhanced Care

Each organization has undergone a stringent grant application process, ensuring they meet high standards of care and reporting. A critical part of this process includes annual site visits by CARMA representatives to confirm compliance with our standards and to ensure that each recipient, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, maintains their good standing.

A Legacy for Retiring Racehorses

The renaming of the grant program honors Howard Zucker's lasting impact on the racehorse retirement community. “Howard's dedication and commitment to CARMA, and more importantly, the horses, was unparalleled. He was a true horseman, always putting the care of these amazing athletes first. He brought that care and commitment with him when he joined our board in 2009,” said CARMA Founder Madeline Auerbach, “There are so many things Howard loved about CARMA, but the grants we award each year were what he believed in most. He was a constant champion for all the organizations we supported each and every year.”

2023 Grant Recipients

We are proud to congratulate the following organizations for their commitment and dedication:

• After The Homestretch AZ
• CANTER – CA
• Canter Haven Farm
• Champions Retreat, Inc.
• Dale and Patti Shirley Equine Encore Foundation
• Desert Oasis Rescue
• Down The Stretch Ranch
• Eclipse Thoroughbred Aftercare
• Fresh Start Sport Horses Inc.
• GEVA
• Harmony & Hope Horse Haven
• Healing Arenas Inc.
• Hope For Horses, Inc.
• Old Friends, Inc.
• Neigh Savers Inc.
• Redwings Horse Sanctuary
• Remember Me Rescue Foundation
• Sandia Creek Ranch Auxiliary Foundation
• Square Peg Foundation
• Tranquility Farm
• United Pegasus Foundation
• Whispering Meadows Ranch Equine Rescue
• Win Place Home, Inc.

Our grant recipients are key to building a strong safety net for retiring racehorses, both in California and nationwide, ensuring their well-being when their racing careers are over. We invite everyone to join us in celebrating the achievements of these organizations and their invaluable contribution to the well-being of retiring racehorses and our communities.

Donations to CARMA are tax deductible and may be sent to: CARMA, 285 West Huntington Drive, Arcadia CA, 91007 (Tax ID #80-0146395).

For more information about CARMA and our grant programs, please visit carma4horses.org.

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