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Kelly Armer Appointed TRF Executive Director

The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF) Board of Directors announced the appointment of Kelly Armer as Executive Director following the forthcoming retirement of Pat Stickney. Assuming her new role Mar. 1, she will be based in the TRF administrative offices in Saratoga Springs, New York.

Kelly Armer served 24 years at the Saratoga YMCA where she served as COO for 15 years. More recently, she held the position of Development and Foundation Director for Saratoga Bridges, the largest nonprofit organization in New York State serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.

After having retired twice, Stickney accepted the position of TRF's Executive Director in 2019 and is now stepping down to return to her previous role as TRF's Chief Financial Officer in a part-time capacity.

Patrick H. Mackay, TRF's Board Chair said, “Kelly is an ideal fit to lead the TRF, possessing strong leadership, marketing, and development experience to help us achieve our mission of saving retired racehorses from possible neglect, abuse and slaughter. Her powerful community involvement with disadvantaged populations models the compassion of our Second Chances Programs which provide vocational training to incarcerated individuals in caring for retired racehorses, allowing them to go on to careers as farriers, vet assistants, and caretakers after their release.”

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TERF Awards $10K To TRF

Edited Press Release

The Thoroughbred Education and Research Foundation (TERF) has awarded $10,000 to the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF) to be used for educational reasons.

In 2021, TERF funding provided for the accreditation of the vocational instructors in the Groom Elite Program. In alignment with their mission to support and promote equine education by supporting organizations that are educating the public on the proper care of horses, TERF offers their financial assistance in 2022. TRF will use the funds to purchase teaching aides and equipment to enhance the learning experience as the incarcerated individuals move through the Groom Elite Curriculum offered at the TRF's Second Chances Programs. TRF's goal is to provide standardized level of education at each

facility, educate inmates on proper care of thoroughbreds, and create higher skilled individuals who can receive gainful employment upon release from prison.

TRF Executive Director Pat Stickney comments, “The staff and board of TRF are extremely grateful to the Thoroughbred Education and Research Foundation for their continued support of our Second Chances Program. This funding enables us to enhance the learning experience of the men, women, and youths who participate in this transformational program. With the assistance from TERF, we can further expand our Second Chances Programs so that we can continue to change lives while saving more horses.”

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Ky Derby 148 Bottle to Benefit TRF

For the second consecutive year, Stoneware & Co. will offer a signed, numbered and limited number of Woodford Reserve Kentucky Derby 148 bottles to benefit the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF). This year's signed collector's edition will commemorate the 10th anniversary of I'll Have Another winning the Run for the Roses, and will be signed by two-time Kentucky Derby winning trainer, Doug O'Neill and two-time Kentucky Derby winning jockey, Mario Gutierrez.

“It is an exciting time of year with the Kentucky Derby approaching,” said Pat Stickney, TRF's Executive Director. “With so many eyes on horse racing, we are happy to be able engage a new audience on the importance of Thoroughbred aftercare. We are so grateful for the continued support from Stoneware & Co., as well as the generosity of Doug O'Neill and Mario Gutierrez who are devoting their valuable time to participate.”

With 400 bottles available exclusively through Stoneware & Co. for $129 each, the bottle is offered for pre-sale at www.stonewareandco.com.

“We believe bourbon collectors and horse racing fans will be clambering to own one of these rare bottles,” said Steve Smith, owner of Stoneware & Co. and Managing Partner of Paristown. “These signatures represent the finest in KY Derby history and are a perfect complement to this beautiful bottle of the world's finest bourbon. It will make a great addition to any bourbon aficionado's collection, while supporting an organization that literally saves horses and changes lives.”

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TRF Expands Second Chances Program in New York

The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, in collaboration with the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCC), announced in a press release that the successful Second Chances program will expand to a new farm located at Wyoming Correctional Facility in Attica, about an hour outside Buffalo. The foundation has a rich history in the state with the flagship program at Wallkill Correctional Facility debuting in 1984 and still in operation today. There are 40 retired Thoroughbreds currently at the location.

The Second Chances program is a pioneer in its field, where incarcerated individuals build life skills while participating in a vocational training program, and provide supervised care to retired racehorses. It has successfully expanded to include eight correctional facilities across the US, including one juvenile justice facility at CSI-Ocala in Florida, and is considered the oldest Thoroughbred rescue in the country. The foundation also provides sanctuary to retired Thoroughbreds throughout their lifetime.

“The TRF is eager to launch the new program in western New York so that we can provide this important vocational opportunity to more incarcerated individuals, who will also care for up to 25 Thoroughbreds needing a safe haven after their racing careers are over,” said Pat Stickney, TRF's Executive Director, about the newest expansion. “We are grateful to the NYSDOCCS for their continued support in this collaborative effort which serves these two important missions.”

Work on the new property is slated to begin in the spring of 2022 to prepare the facility for the arrival of horses. The program at Wyoming Correctional Facility will operate within one of the former dairy barns, converted for housing horses just as the structures were at Wallkill Correctional, and will utilize approximately 50 acres of land near the barn. The pastures will be reseeded and fenced to maintain the equine teachers who will live there.

Wyoming Correctional currently has a strong offering of vocational services for incarcerated individuals including small engine repair, horticulture, welding, and HVAC. The addition of the TRF Second Chances program will add another layer of unique and necessary skills available for the men to learn while they are serving their sentence. It will also function as a much-needed place of sanctuary to the horses who will come to call the property home.

“The Department is elated to welcome the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation's Second Chances program to another one of our facilities,” said DOCCS Acting Commissioner Anthony J. Annucci. “TRF's mission is not only humane in offering sanctuary to retired Thoroughbreds but in the humanity it brings to its participants. This program has been life changing to countless incarcerated individuals over the years, and we are proud to expand this opportunity for a new lease on life to both incarcerated individuals and equines alike.”

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