substance abuse | Horse Racing Free Tips

Morfin Meth Case Highlights Backstretch Substance Abuse Problems

Towards the end of December, the Sergio Morfin-trained Grazen mare Wishtheyallcouldbe was loaded onto a van from her stable at Los Alamitos to be shipped to Santa Anita for a $12,500 claimer. She would ultimately finish second.

Isidro Paez was the freelance groom hired to care for the horse that day. In February, Paez had his license suspended for 90 days by the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) for disorderly conduct “under the influence of Amphetamine and Methamphetamine” on Jan. 27, at Santa Anita.

According to the stewards' minutes of the hearing, Paez voluntarily provided a urine sample that day which resulted in a positive finding for both methamphetamine and amphetamine. In explanation, “Paez stated he snorted methamphetamine while attending a New Year's party on January 1, 2024,” the minutes state.

On March 3, Morfin was issued an interim suspension by the Horse Racing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) as a result of Wishtheyallcouldbe's positive post-race test for methamphetamine, a banned substance under the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA).

Since then, Morfin has remained provisionally suspended while his case is being processed.

According to John Tyre, Morfin's attorney, because of Paez's chronicled history of methamphetamine use, he has reached an agreement with HIWU that on April 6, Morfin's suspension will be lifted after some 30 days. Crucially for this more lenient sanction, Morfin did not pursue a formal hearing, said Tyre.

The length of Morfin's suspension also reflects a recent shift by HIWU in applying lesser sanctions than in the past for violations stemming from common drugs of human abuse like cocaine and methamphetamine, in accordance with proposed rule changes pending approval by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Rather than confront a possible two-year ban and $25,000 fine for a methamphetamine positive, say, trainers will face a maximum 60-day suspension and $5,000 fine under the proposed rules, if they are indeed approved.

In a note on HIWU's website, it states that the organization “has elected to stay all pending Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program cases whose potential periods of Ineligibility would be affected by these rule updates, including due to either the reduction of the applicable periods of Ineligibility or the removal of the automatic application of penalty points for certain violations.”

“[Morfin] will be back to training the first week of April. And then, that'll be the end of it,” said Tyre, who was quick to add that rampant substance abuse problems among backstretch employees–and its overlap with positive tests in racehorses–is an issue that's far from over, despite the proposed lessened sanctions.

“I've been doing criminal defense work for many, many years, and if it wasn't for methamphetamine, alcohol and marriage, I'd be broke,” said Tyre.

As such, the ultimate insurer rule that places the burden of responsibility solely on the trainer's shoulders is leading to decisions that don't always reflect the complicated nature of the problem, Tyre said. “HIWU and HISA need to conduct some kind of investigation to determine how widespread [substance abuse] is around the backside of the racetracks.”

Coady Photography

THE PROBLEM AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

Tyre's suggestion hardly comes as a bolt from the blue.

The long hours, early mornings, sometimes poor pay and living conditions, coupled with the dangerous nature of backstretch work make drink and drugs something of an all-too convenient crutch–especially while blind eyes are turned in an industry where hard-drinking and hard-partying have long been worn as a badge of honor as much as a release from the grind.

Indeed, there's a reason so many exercise riders say they ride better after a drink, why so many shed-row ice machines have bottles of beer nestled in them, and why so many see the antidote to the dreaded four-a.m. alarm clock as an inhalable stimulant. Just look at the numbers.

Since HISA's ADMC program went into effect last year, there have already been 13 either pending or resolved cases for methamphetamine positives, and another two involving cocaine.

Darin Scharer is executive director of the Winners Foundation, a presence at every California track to provide information, support and referral services for backstretch employees and their families going though addiction issues.

Scharer said he was unable to estimate just how many backstretch workers have substance abuse problems. But he doesn't argue with the contention it's significant.

“We're not having the fentanyl problem or the heroin issues that other places have,” said Scharer, about California's backstretches. “But we definitely have a marijuana issue. And we definitely have a methamphetamine issue.”

Indeed, veteran California trainer Hector Palma was suspended for 81 days for a methamphetamine positive, a portion of that time after multiple grooms in his care tested positive for the drug. The positive occurred near the start of the ADMC program going into effect, before the new rules were proposed.

What Scharer bemoans is the lack of any unified approach to providing support to racing's phalanx of essential workers.

“Unfortunately it's only us, Kentucky and New York. That's the only three that I know of,” said Scharer, about the number of jurisdictions armed with substance abuse support programs like the Winners Foundation. “I would love to be involved in a program where we make this more uniform across the country.”

One key obstacle to meaningful movement in this arena is an ongoing cult of shame that surrounds the issue. “There's still a lot of stigma associated with people that have drug problems and mental health problems,” said Scharer. “For people accessing services, it's still a scary thing.”

Another reason appears to be more mercenary.

At a time when the industry grapples with a profound dearth of good, reliable help, there's a fear among some in the industry, said Scharer, that tackling the problem head-on could lead to an even more attenuated workforce. “Sometimes people don't want to know the truth of how bad it really is,” he said.

Though not everyone is as averse to such truth-telling. “I know that Richard Mandella tests everybody in his barn before they go work for him,” said Scharer. “He doesn't want anybody who works with his horses to be working under the influence.”

At the same time, some substance abuse rehabilitation programs offer a tantalizing answer to the industry's staffing woes.

“It could turn the backside upside down,” said Frank Taylor, director of new business development at Taylor Made Farms, about a joint venture he's helped build between Stable Recovery and the Taylor Made School of Horsemanship for men and women suffering substance abuse problems.

The partnership includes two halfway houses and a 12-step program, along with vocational rehab to teach those going through the 90-day course the basics of horsemanship. The idea is to provide them with an avenue towards meaningful employment–in the process, providing a new workforce source for the Thoroughbred industry.

Graduates of this program, said Taylor, have found work at a variety of key farms in the area including Coolmore, Darley and WinStar. “We've got about 10 farms that are currently working with us,” he said.

“If trainers started hiring these people, they would absolutely love it,” Taylor added. “It's just the right thing to do to help these people, give them an opportunity in life. Plus, we're putting them with the most therapeutic animal on earth.”

Taylor estimates upwards of 50 percent of backstretch employees have a potential substance abuse problem. And it's a topic Taylor knows well.

A recovering alcoholic, Taylor quit drinking a few years ago, which is when he visited the DV8 Kitchen, a Kentucky restaurant that provides employment to those in the early stages of substance abuse recovery.

DV8, said Taylor, proved the inspiration for the second chance venture he's built at Taylor Made. What's more, their program works.

“Generally, somebody goes into a 90-day program only about 15% of them stay sober to the end of the 90-days,” said Taylor. “We're running more like 85%. The reason is, they get completely out of their old environment and come out and work immediately.”

While the program is primarily geared towards those with little to no prior horse experience, they've taken on individuals from the racetrack–jockeys, trainers, even farm managers–who act as tutors, said Taylor.

“We'll have them helping the green guys coming in,” said Taylor, who explained how they adapt their program to the skill sets of the individual.

“Folks from the track, they're going to see some guys in there, picking feet and whatnot, and they're going to say, 'do this, do that,'” said Taylor. “The thing about addiction, to get and stay sober, you've got to help another addict.”

Ultimately, Taylor envisages a recovery program with a racetrack backstretch-located dormitory.

“The idea would be to put them through our program, get them sober 90-days, then move them into that dormitory with a house manager and keep the drug testing going,” said Taylor.

“I don't know how it's going to go or how it's going to grow,” Taylor added. “But I know there's a huge need for it. And I know it's a win-win for the industry, for the horses and the horsemen.”

Lisa Lazarus | Carley Storm

HISA'S ROLE?

Substance abuse on the backstretch is on HISA's radar, said the organization's CEO, Lisa Lazarus.

“If we have a significant amount of our population that we depend on to run racing that is struggling with addiction or abusing drugs, I think we have a moral obligation to help those people and to do something for them,” Lazarus said, adding that she's already discussed the need for providing a stronger network of industry treatment programs with those already working on the problem.

For the sake of improving safety and integrity in racing, “it's just not acceptable to say that meth in the workplace is okay. And I think it's everyone's job to fix it,” Lazarus said. “The trainers deserve to have a whole lot of help from racetracks and other organizations to help prevent employees from using meth on the backside. It's not only their responsibility.”

That said, “I would like to encourage more trainers to think to themselves, 'you know what? For $25 more, I don't need the cheaper groom. I could find a groom that I actually know and feel more comfortable with and use them instead,'” Lazarus said.

But given how ubiquitous drug use is on the backstretch, what about those trainers unable to find reliable drug-free help because of the industry's chronic staffing shortage? Or those struggling trainers unable to fork out premium prices?

“I recognize that sometimes it's not achievable,” said Lazarus. “But obviously, the anti-doping system is based on a system of fault. So, when trainers have come forward and have evidence of workers in their stable that are on the drug, they obviously get a much more relaxed penalty because they have an explanation. And that's only fair.”

The “complicated question,” said Lazarus, is how to find the correct balance between “being fair to horsemen and what they can control while also requiring some level of responsibility.”

At the launch of HISA's anti-doping and medication control (ADMC) program, the screening limit for meth was the same as for the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC), said Lazarus. “We've ended up quadrupling it,” she added, of the screening limit.

Though many cases have been dismissed as contamination, has HISA's approach been a fair one for the horsemen and women so far?

“It may be that the science shows that in time the screening limit needs to be raised,” said Lazarus.

“The one thing I would say is there is no racing jurisdiction in the world or horse sport in the world that doesn't test for and sanction for meth. And actually, our rules are amongst the most lenient with regards to meth because we do take into consideration the risks on the backside,” Lazarus said, pointing to the recent case of Harness racing trainer Clarence Foulk suspended for one year stemming from a 2023 methamphetamine positive.

When asked if the way Morfin has been treated has been reasonable, his attorney, Tyre, responded that the constraints of the system guided their approach.

“If we were to fight the case forward it would take months,” said Tyre, adding how his client could have remained suspended for that period. “This was the best way to get him back to work,” he said.

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Stable Recovery Honored With William Cooper Faith And Community In Action Award

The William Cooper Faith and Community in Action award was bestowed upon Stable Recovery Tuesday according to a release from the organization. Honored at the Annual Governor's Prayer Breakfast, Stable Recovery was celebrated for their support of individuals and families affected by substance abuse.

“We are humble and grateful to receive the Faith and Community in Action Award,” said CEO of Stable Recovery Christian Countzler. “We wake up every day and try to make a difference. Our mission is challenging but worthwhile, and it is heartening to be recognized by the governor and the state for all the hard work we do.”

More information about Stable Recovery and their mission can be found at their website.

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ITBA Mental Fitness And Resilience Seminar Sheds Light On Mental Health Awareness, Resources

In an industry where the hours and expectations fall far outside of the typical 40-hour work week, peers are also your biggest competitors, and the fine line of balance between work and life can be nonexistent, the struggle with mental health is prevalent among the Thoroughbred industry's participants. However, growth of understanding through research, increased discussion and an expanded network of resources is hoping to change all of that, as shared in the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (ITBA)'s Mental Fitness and Resilience in the Thoroughbred Industry online seminar, held Wednesday evening, in association with Equuip.

Nearly 70 participants across Ireland and elsewhere tuned in to the panel led by Dr. Jennifer Pugh, Senior Medical Officer of the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB), Lisa O'Neill, Welfare Coordinator of Equuip, and Dr. Ciara Losty, a sports psychologist for The Jockey Pathway.

“When your mental fitness is in a good place, you have clear space for thinking, you make better decisions, your mind is clear and you have a structure and a pathway to how you handle things. When you're in a negative mindset and you don't have a lot of mental fitness, everything's scrambled and you may not be able to make good decisions,” said Pugh, as she dove deeper into the definitions of mental fitness and resilience. “Whether you're big or small, there are challenges at every single level and success brings its own challenges as well. Mental health difficulties don't belong to one particular group, we are all susceptible to them.”

“The other thing that's important here is that you don't have to be in the middle of a major life event to need resilience, I think you're probably facing times every single day in your work where you need to be resilient. If something's stressful for you, it's stressful for you, you can't put it in a compartment.”

Alcohol misuse, depression, anxiety and psychological distress were all common mental disorders identified in Mental health difficulties among professional jockeys: a narrative review, a study conducted in 2021 where 105 jockeys across the UK were surveyed. The researchers identified four core categories of stressors experienced by jockeys, relating to competition (ex. pressure, injuries), the wider racing industry (ex. making weight, workload, travel demands), interpersonal challenges (ex. relationships with trainers, expectations) and career stressors (ex. career uncertainty, transitions).

“Mental health is really an area that is being discussed more, it's an area that we're talking about a little bit more in society and it's an area that is being researched more, but I would say overall, it is probably lacking behind some of the physiological sciences or some of the sciences that support the physical performance of certain things,” said Losty. “When we compare and put these statistics with other sports and other athletes in other areas, the jockeys are generally outliers. They are presented with much higher common mental health disorders.”

The study also revealed that burnout was a common feature among the jockeys, along with the high prevalence of adverse alcohol use, and nearly a quarter of the jockeys revealed that they were contemplating retirement.

“Racing is such a one-man's game. You're paddling your own canoe. You think 'I must be strong by myself, I just keep it to myself, I handle everything else.' I drive myself everywhere, I sort all of my rides, I sort my finances. You just become independent because you absolutely have to be, and I think it drips into the psychological side as well,” said one jockey who participated in the study.

However, when asked about why they were not seeking out support from medical professional health services in the study Barriers and Facilitators to Help-Seeking for Mental Health Difficulties Among Professional Jockeys in Ireland conducted in 2022, barriers included 'a need to appear strong in front of others' and a stigma towards accessing support services, a lack of knowledge about the support services available, confidentiality concerns and a self-stigma about asking for help.

“Confidentiality is a big part of my work as well, in that jockeys are very concerned about that if they actually seek out support, how confidential that particular service will be and how others will perceive that. If a trainer knows that a jockey is getting some kind of health support, are they maybe going to make different decisions about putting that jockey up on a horse? Will that affect their perception of that jockey from a hardiness type of perspective? These are some things to think and reflect on,” explained Losty. “If we understand these risk factors, we can put in programs and supports in place very early. It's okay to seek out support.”

Losty shared a similar study conducted in 2021 on Racehorse Trainer Mental Health: Prevalence and Risk Factors, which revealed many of the common mental health disorders that impact jockeys also impact trainers, in the form of depression, alcohol use, distress and anxiety. The stressors for trainers revolved around career dissatisfaction, lower levels of social support and financial difficulties, which would increase the likelihood of meeting the threshold for depression and anxiety.

“They are under pressure from owners to ensure high performance, a high standard, and they are also required to manage the staff. They are looking after staff welfare and they're looking after the horses' welfare, which again is high stress, and not a 9-5 role or somewhere where you can just leave your job at the gate when you leave the yard,” said Losty.

Though there has not been as much research in a broader sense on employees across Ireland's Thoroughbred industry, outside of the specific roles of jockeys and trainers, O'Neill referenced research from several studies conducted in Australia and the UK on stable staff that revealed they were experiencing extreme fatigue and poor sleep habits, along with symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression. Stressors included high workloads, poor work-life balance and a lack of training and career progression.

She explained that an industry-wide staff shortage was negatively influencing an already stretched workforce, dealing with increased workloads, heightened demands and intensified hours.

“Stable staff and those in the breeding sector are the largest population, they're the largest cohort within the Thoroughbred industry and they're the most important. They are the people that are the backbone of the industry. They're passionate, they're dedicated, they're determined to commit their lives to the care and welfare of the horses. Their dedication is vital to the welfare of the industry,” said O'Neill. “It's very notable that you don't see them as statistics, but they're real, they are individuals. They are the people that we need to be able to develop interventions with in this country, which we hope to be able to do in the future.”

Farmers are very relatable to those in the equine industry, and Thoroughbred industry more specifically, as they are a unique cohort themselves, often situated in rural, isolated places with isolated work and a seemingly endless workload, as independent sole traders.

“In general we are pre-wired to be negative about ourselves and hard on ourselves, so if we're not able to believe in things like, 'I am loved. I am worthy. I am good at this. I have good friends. I make good relationships. I'm successful,' then we start to feel the opposite of all of that and that can be a horribly negative space to live in,” said Pugh. “In general, the higher our self-esteem, the better our mental fitness is.”

In terms of moving forward and offering further support to those in the Thoroughbred industry, a common message among the panellists was an increased emphasis on removing the stigma that asking for help reveals weakness, when in reality, it's one of the bravest things an individual can do. This begins with education on what mental fitness and health is and what services are available to those in the industry, with a request for organisations to take a bigger role in sharing this information.

Helping to increase mental health literacy among those in the industry is a main priority. Along those lines, encouraging individuals to analyse what support they are getting for themselves and what they could offer in terms of support was also discussed.

“You don't take your car to the garage when it breaks down, you service it regularly so it's able to ferry you to and fro. So it's very important to be able to look after yourself. Often the greatest strength is to be able to ask for help and I think it's very important for everyone to realize that there is support out there for anyone who does need help,” said O'Neill.

Losty shared the major points that fall under 'how to be a good adult,' which can be applied broadly in every day life, including listening to people, giving them time and space, looking for windows of opportunity to have those important conversations about someone's mental health, not judging them and using personal experiences to relate to the conversation at hand.

“You don't have to have the answers for them, but you can be that key 'one good adult' or that link person for them to engage in those support services. Again, it's about not being afraid to have those conversations,” said Losty.

A new concept that the panellists shared will hopefully be rolling out in the next few months is that of 'Well-Being Champions,' where individuals who are interested will undergo resilience training, mental health awareness training, risk management training, and bullying and harassment training. After training, the well-being champions will serve as an extra source of support for their peers in the industry.

O'Neill also shared that further research will be conducted on relevant industry personnel to explore the challenges and difficulties they face, organizing a panel of external counsellors across the country and including mental health training within the overarching field of first aid training.

Though the lives of those in the industry revolve around the horses, first and foremost, it's crucial that industry participants remember that their well-being and mental health is just as important. There is never a bad or wrong time to ask for help and accept support.

For more information on this seminar and the information discussed, visit the ITBA website.

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Walden Racing Gives Fresh Start to An Improbable Team

Kyle Berryman has a lot to look forward to as he opens a new chapter in 2023. He recently celebrated six months of sobriety and, two weeks ago, his boss Will Walden asked him if he would be interested in running the stable's shedrow.

“It's just a title, but it's pretty cool,” Berryman said after wrapping up a busy morning at Turfway Park. “I only have maybe five months of experience working with horses right now, so I'm still brand new and still learning a lot.”

He may shrug off those recent achievements, but Berryman's long days at Turfway this winter are worlds away from the life he was living when the calendar turned over last year.

Berryman is a member of the improbable team that makes up Will Walden Racing. The group consists of six men recovering from substance addiction. They all have their eyes on the winner's circle, but the overarching goal of the team is to encourage each other in remaining sober.

“There is no shedrow if this group of guys makes a decision to go do what they used to do,” Berryman explained. “There would be no Will Walden Racing. Sobriety is our number one thing and the care of these horses is number two. They wouldn't get the care they needed if we weren't sober.”

Will Walden, the 32-year-old son of former Grade I-winning trainer and WinStar's President and CEO Elliott Walden, went through his own painful battle with drug addiction and alcohol abuse. After spending nearly a year at the Shepherd's House, a drug treatment facility in Lexington, Walden began laying out the plans for a substance recovery-based racing barn.

The stable launched in April last year and has steadily added new members–both human and equine–since. Taylor Made's School of Horsemanship, a program designed to work with people recovering from substance abuse and teach them a new vocation in the Thoroughbred business, has sent several graduates interested in furthering their career in racing on to Walden.

“It's about giving guys a second chance,” said Walden. “It's for guys who were in the system, who served prison time, who came from sordid backgrounds and have had their tails kicked in by life. When I got sober, [racing] was all I knew and is what I've always loved. I couldn't think of anything better than to be able to give this to guys I met through something so ugly and so heinous.

“Most of these guys have never touched a horse before, but because of where they came from, they have a hunger for a purpose and a drive for life, and these horses give that to them.”

Eight months after saddling his first starter, Walden closed out the year with promising statistics for 2022. From 41 starts, the stable maintained a 21% winning percentage and ran in the money in nearly half its starts. In December, they brought home a major victory when Kate's Kingdom (Animal Kingdom) gave them their first stakes win in the My Charmer S. at Turfway Park.

While the win was a significant personal achievement for Walden, it meant even more to be able to watch the celebration unfold amongst his team.

“These guys were homeless, they were in jails–myself included,” Walden said. “We've been in some really hopeless places, some really tough spots. But the day that Kate's Kingdom won, they were on top. That day they had the victory. That day they were the champions.”

Walden said that Kate's Kingdom, who was purchased for $400,000 out of the Fasig-Tipton Digital Flash Sale in November by Stephen Screnci, remains in training and is pointing for an upcoming stakes at Turfway on January 14.

Kate's Kingdom's success is doubly special because the 5-year-old is owned by a partnership that includes Frank Taylor. To help Walden get his stable off its feet last year, Taylor formed Ready Made Racing–a pinhook-to-race venture that provided Walden with his 10 original trainees.

Walden's stable has grown so rapidly since it first launched that they are now transitioning away from relying on Ready Made Racing as its sole client and officially transferring into Will Walden Racing. With 15 horses currently stabled at Turfway, they're steadily adding in new owners like Cypress Creek Equine, Elliott Logan's TEC Racing and Three Diamonds Farm.

“These [owners] are willing to put in their time and money to back us when not a lot of people would,” Walden explained. “But our goals are big in this game. We're not out here for any participation trophies. We want to be the best. We hope to accrue more horses, but we're not really worried about that now. We're grateful for the 15 we have.”

Tyler Maxwell is an integral member of Walden's team. Maxwell grew up out West riding cutting and sorting horses and now serves as Walden's assistant and exercise rider. The pair met at the Shepherd's House and after they both completed the program, Walden invited his friend to join him in starting up a stable.

“Never in a million years did I think that I'd be riding for living,” said Maxwell, who has been sober for two years. “I had never ridden Thoroughbreds before and I really didn't know anything, but I have come a long way and it's because of Will. I never would have done this if I didn't trust him.”

Maxwell added that he considers Walden to be a brother first and an employer second.

“Some days that gets a little quirky,” he said with a wry grin. “But God has put me in his life and him in mine for a reason.”

Walden's team is more than just a collection of co-workers. The group is working and living together during the Turfway meet, but the bond they share runs much deeper than their admiration for the horses they care for. Along with Will, Tyler and Kyle, the team includes Scott, who has been with them for almost two months, as well as Mike and Nate, who both joined the group two weeks ago.

“These guys are coming to us from addiction or alcoholism and they see all these different walks of life and all these different lengths of sobriety that come together to form our team,” Walden explained. “We enjoy each other's company. We enjoy each other's mentorship. We enjoy this journey that life is. Where I used to be addicted to how I felt every single minute of the day, now I can walk into the barn and take a deep breath, let the slack out of my shoulders and just enjoy what is in front of us today.”

There's an unmistakably light atmosphere in Walden's barn at Turfway and the conditioner said that the horses have responded to it.

“What you think, they feel,” he explained. “So if you're walking around with a low head worried about yourself and how miserable your life is, you're going to pass that on to these horses. If you keep things light and positive and jubilant, that energy passes on to them. If you walk down our shedrow at any given time, these horses aren't sitting in the back of their stalls with their ears pinned back. They're out there bobbing their heads and looking for attention.”

“The energy and love that we have for these horses is contagious,” added Maxwell. “And they carry it out there on the track.”

Last week, the Will Walden Racing team got its first win of the year with Clear the Air (Ransom the Moon), who broke his maiden at second asking on Friday while carrying the Cypress Creek Equine silks.

When they're not busy at the barn, Walden places an emphasis on furthering the education of each member of his team. Recently, the group began taking off-track field trips to learn about various aspects of the industry. Their first outing was to Jonabell Farm, where they visited the Darley stallions.

“We don't want to bring them onto the racetrack and say, 'This is it for you,'” Walden explained. “We want to encourage these guys to pursue their dreams in whatever facet of the industry, if it even is this industry, that they want to be involved in.”

While Walden aims to maintain a recovery-based stable even as his list of employees grows, his goals for the operation go beyond just the members of his team. He hopes that their barn can be a safe haven for people on the backside who carry struggles similar to the ones he and his team have gone through.

“Nobody wants to go around and talk about their alcoholism and addiction,” he said. “But if people know we're here and they know we're open and willing to talk about it, maybe they come in and voice what they're going through.”

During his first year in the industry, Maxwell has found a lifelong passion for the sport and for sitting on the back of a Thoroughbred.

“Horses have definitely played a big part in my recovery,” he said. “On the days that it was hard for me to find God, horses were there to talk to. Some people probably think I'm crazy because I'm sitting there talking to a horse, but these horses are intuitional.”

While he could easily further his career by finding another job, Maxwell said that Walden's barn is where he belongs.

“It's not about me anymore,” he said. “It's about these guys coming in and watching that spark come inside.”

Maxwell stays with Walden's team for people like Kyle Berryman, who made a commitment to living and working alongside people who are also recovering from substance addiction during the first year of his sobriety.

“Experience is the greatest teacher,” Berryman explained. “Chances are that Will and Tyler have been through what I'm going through. We all share this common bond.”

While the encouragement of his teammates has been key to Berryman's sobriety over the past six months, so too has been the connection he has formed with the horses.

“The bond I share with them is like no other,” he said. “If you really don't feel like dealing with humans that day, you go in and start grooming a horse and I know they're listening. I can feel it. I can see it in their eyes. These horses, they rely on us. I take pride in that. When you take one up to the paddock, there's that minute where I'm thinking of nothing but what is going on right in that moment. That's not how my past has been. It's been ten miles in the future or ten miles in the past. But I feel like with this, I can finally feel like I can be in the moment, and that's precious to me.”

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