Retired Thoroughbreds at Home in Senior Living Community

As soon as Bev Passerello retired as a riding instructor, she and her husband John sold their home in California, bought an RV and traveled the country. At some point along the way, they ended up in Louisville on the first Saturday in May.

“After I saw the Kentucky Derby for the first time, every trip back and forth across the United States went through Kentucky,” Bev said. “John finally said, ‘I give up, it looks like we’re going to move to Kentucky.'”

So they parked their motor home in the Bluegrass State for good, bought a broodmare and got in on a few racing partnerships, and fell in love with the people and Thoroughbreds of Central Kentucky.

Last year, they were looking for a senior living residence where they could receive some assistance but still live independently when they came across Ashton Grove Senior Living in Georgetown.

For Bev, horses were the only thing missing from the picturesque community. When she discovered that half of Ashton Grove’s 80 acres were unoccupied and on part of the old Hill ‘n’ Dale property, an idea began to form.

John and Bev reached out to Michael Blowen, the founder and president of Old Friends.

“We had been associated with Old Friends for quite a while,” John said. “I knew that every once in a while, people offer horses to Michael, and he doesn’t have the room. So we made a phone call to Michael, and he said, ‘Sounds great.'”

The partnership between Ashton Grove and Old Friends quickly formed, and the team got to work with the dream of creating a unique arrangement where retired Thoroughbreds could interact with the residents at the senior living community on 40 acres of land that features eight paddocks and a 12-stall barn.

“We’re so fortunate that we had this barn and all of this land,” said Ashton Grove’s Executive Director Davonna Saeir. “We went ahead and started to fix up some fences so we could get horses out here.”

The plans were brought to a halt this spring due to the pandemic.

“Just after we got started, the Coronavirus set in and the whole thing just sort of started falling apart,” Bev said. “But Davonna and Michael have never given up and have never failed to support us and what we were trying to do.”

Last month, the first seven retired Thoroughbreds finally stepped onto the grounds.

“We wanted to find horses that were really good together and had a gentle nature to them so that they could be around the residents,” said John Bradley, who will serve as manager of the new Old Friends facility, helping to acclimate the senior residents with their new equine neighbors and overseeing the daily care of the Thoroughbred retirees.

The new arrivals include dual Grade I winner Daytona (Ire) {Indian Ridge (Ire)}, 2002 Preakness S. runner-up Magic Weisner (Ameri Valay) and Chilean champion Porfido (Chi) {Mash One (Chi)}.

Blowen was effusive in his praise for the new program.

“It’s all worked out really well,” he said. “The residents all seem to be very supportive. They’re learning about the horses and we’re going to have lunches and parties here.”

Blowen said he plans to have celebrity guest jockeys, trainers, and other industry participants visit to educate residents about horse racing and the Thoroughbred industry in central Kentucky.

The Passerello’s have been involved in every step of the process as they live on-site in independent living. Bev said that this gives them the opportunity to introduce other residents to the new equine seniors in their community.

“How do I feed a horse? Can I come down in my wheelchair? Will they get to know us? The questions are ongoing,” she said. “But a lot of them have had to give up their animal companionship. A lot of them have lost loved ones. To have these creatures down here has been very rewarding for them. It’s been a spectacular personal achievement for us to be able to bring these residents down here. It’s just what we dreamed would happen.”

Tom Emerson has been a resident at Ashton Grove for five months and has quickly developed into one of the program’s biggest supporters as he stops by the paddocks daily to distribute carrots.

“It’s been a wonderful experience,” he said. “I grew up in cities and had never been this close to a horse before. I had never fed a horse before and I’m glad he took the carrots and not my fingers. I hope these horses enjoy Ashton Grove as much as I do. When my wife passed away, I was looking for a great group of people for company and I found it. Now I’ve got a great bunch of horses to be with too.”

Ashton Grove’s Saeir said that visiting the horses at Ashton Grove has been rejuvenating for many of the senior residents.

“A lot of times when someone moves into assisted living, they’ve gone through a lot of loss,” she said. “They’ve lost their spouse. They’ve lost their vitality. Oftentimes they’ve lost their ability to drive and do things that really were meaningful to them. But these horses are part of their heritage. It’s just another aspect of true home and comfort that they are able to get by living here.”

Saeir added that as many of the normal community activities have been canceled due to the ongoing pandemic, the ability to be outside and interact with the horses and other residents has been a bright spot for many of Ashton’s Groves members.

“It’s fun to see, because I’m already starting to see some unique friendships start between some of the staff and the residents with some of the horses,” said Bradley. “This is just the beginning. Over time, we figure to have about 30 horses in this facility.”

Already in the first few weeks of operation, Old Friends at Ashton Grove has received inquiries from other senior living communities in Kentucky and beyond.

“There’s been a lot of interest in the concept,” said Bev. “We’re getting a lot of people talking to us now. I think it will become a model, I truly do, because there’s been so much interest.”

John added, “More Thoroughbreds need to be saved, so if this can happen in other places it would be great for the horses and for the senior citizens.”

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Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Accredits 34 Organizations

The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance announced Tuesday that 34 Thoroughbred aftercare organizations have been awarded accreditation.

The 34 organizations include 26 previously accredited organizations and eight that received accreditation for the first time. The TAA, the only accrediting body in Thoroughbred aftercare, now has a network of 81 organizations with approximately 170 facilities in North America.

“We congratulate the aftercare organizations that earned TAA accreditation this year, including the new organizations joining the TAA roster,” TAA President John Phillips said.

“We are proud to have a total of 81 accredited organizations across North America representing the gold standard in Thoroughbred aftercare. As our list of organizations receiving TAA funding increases, we ask industry participants to continue to support the TAA
as we in turn fund these amazing accredited aftercare organizations and their 170 facilities.”

The 34 organizations earning accreditation this year are: After the Races; Bright Futures Farm; CANTER Kentucky; Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare; Center for Racehorse Retraining; Central Kentucky Riding for Hope; Down the Stretch Ranch; Equine Advocates; Equine Rescue and Adoption Foundation; Final Furlong; Friends of Ferdinand; Galloping Out; Harmony and Hope Horse Haven; Healing Arenas; Heart of Phoenix Equine Rescue; Hidden Acres Rescue for Thoroughbreds; Hope's Legacy Equine Rescue; Illinois Equine Humane Center; L.A. Pet Rescue; Lollypop Farm, the Humane Society of Greater Rochester; Mitchell Farm Equine Retirement; NEER North; Out Side In; R.A.C.E Fund; Remember Me Rescue; RVR Horse Rescue; Second Call Thoroughbred Adoption and Placement; Second Chance Thoroughbreds; The Foxie G. Foundation; The Susan S. Donaldson Foundation, Mereworth Farm; This Old Horse; Thoroughbred Retirement Network of Louisiana; Thoroughbred Retirement, Rehabilitation, and Careers (TRRAC); and War Horses at Rose Bower.

TAA-accredited organizations undergo a thorough application and inspection process prior to accreditation being awarded to ensure they meet the TAA's Code of Standards, which covers five key areas: operations, education, horse health care management, facility standards and services, and adoption policies and protocols. Facility inspections are conducted at all facilities housing Thoroughbreds for each organization. Ongoing updates and re-inspections are required of all organizations as a condition of TAA accreditation.

All organizations that hold TAA accreditation are eligible to receive financial grants to support the care of their Thoroughbreds. Grant applications are currently being reviewed and the total grant amount awarded by the TAA will be announced this month. Since 2012, the TAA has awarded $17.2 million to accredited organizations.

The full list of 81 organizations, information about the accreditation process, and TAA's Code of Standards can be found on
ThoroughbredAftercare.org.

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Over $140,000 Raised Through New Vocations Breeders’ Cup Pledge

 New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program announced today that the early estimate of funds raised during their Breeders' Cup Pledge will be over $140,000. Authentic's win in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic was one of seven winning pledges during the event with the whole partnership group including Spendthrift Farm, Starlight Racing, Madaket and MyRacehorse participating, as well as trainer Bob Baffert.

Additional pledges and final donations are still being received, but the program is thrilled with the overwhelming support of the fundraiser. This marks the Pledge's eleventh year with over $790,000 raised since 2009, and 100 percent of funds going directly to support the program's rehabilitation, retraining and rehoming efforts.

“We are truly thrilled with the increased participation for this year's Pledge,” said Anna Ford, New Vocations Program Director. “All of our other fundraising events had to be cancelled this year, so more than ever, we needed the Pledge to be successful and raise funds. To have seven pledged contenders win was incredible. We are very grateful for the support from all the generous owners and trainers who joined the Pledge. All of the funding raised will go directly to support our program and will allow us to serve the increasing number of horses needing aftercare.”

A total of 50 Championship contenders with prominent connections pledged a percentage of their Breeders' Cup earnings.  Pledge participants included Albaugh Family Stables, Bass Stables, Bethlehem Stables LLC, Bob Baffert, Breeze Easy LLC, China Horse Club Inc, CJ Thoroughbreds, Michael Dubb, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, eFive Racing, John and Diane Fradkin, Gatsas Stables, Tim Hamm, Harrell Ventures LLC, Head of Plains Partners LLC, Heider Family Stables, R.A. Hill Stables, Michael Hui, Klaravich Stables, Robert V. LaPenta, LNJ Foxwoods, Madaket Stables LLC, Richard Mandella, Maximum Security/Coolmore, Michael McCarthy, Peter Miller, Monomoy Stables, H. Graham Motion, MyRacehorse Stable, Todd Pletcher, Repole Stable, River Oak Farm, Kirk and Judy Robison, Sackatoga Stable, Domenic Savides, SF Racing LLC, Siena Farm, Jack Sisterson, Spendthrift Farm, Starlight Racing, Stonestreet Stables, Damon Thayer, The Elkstone Group LLC, Three Diamonds Farm, Wertheimer et Frere and WinStar Farm.

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Thoroughbred Aftercare Summit: Understanding OTTB Behavior And Equine Learning Key To Success

As anyone who has trained a horse knows, physical conditioning is only part of the equation — the mental side of an athlete's development can be just as critical to their career trajectory, if not more so. A recent virtual session of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Summit tackled questions surrounding learning theory and behavior in horses, and examined the way our understanding of equine learning can apply to retraining off-track Thoroughbreds (OTTBs).

Our academic understanding of the way horses learn doesn't always mesh with traditional training methods, according to Dr. Robin Foster, certified behavior consultant and research professor at the University of Puget Sound and Dr. Camie Heleski, equine lecturer at the University of Kentucky.

To understand the differences, it's important to know the basics of learning theory. Learning theory refers to the way an organism, from slugs to humans and anything in between, navigates its environment by creating associations between its behavior and its environment. Generally, different species are thought to have different capacities for learning and cognition based on academic research. On a basic level, an organism may learn from positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, or punishment. Reinforcement, whether positive or negative, is designed to increase the frequency of a behavior, while punishment is designed to decrease the frequency of a behavior. The term positive reinforcement describes the addition of something the animal wants — in a horse's case, a treat or a scratch on the face or withers, as a reward for a desired response. Negative reinforcement refers to the removal of something the horse doesn't want.

“In the horse industry, we don't use positive reinforcement enough,” said Heleski. “Negative reinforcement is mainly what we use for traditional training. We squeeze the horse with our legs, applying pressure. The horse moves forward, we remove the pressure.”

Of those three choices, horses (and lots of other species) are shown to learn best through positive reinforcement. Punishment is commonly employed with horses, but isn't actually the most effective way to teach them.

“This is not only true with horses but it is perhaps especially true with horses — when horses do something that is unwanted, maybe it's unsafe, it's not a behavior we're looking for, it's annoying — it draws our attention,” said Foster. “I can't tell you how many people will say, 'I just want to stop that behavior.' It we want to decrease a behavior we don't want, we punish it. But there are better alternatives because punishment itself does not provide any alternative for the horse. It's really important to focus more on the behavior you want the horse to do ad make sure you reinforce that.”

It's easy to think punishment is effective, because it often generates a quick response, but Foster said it's rarely a permanent one. Because the horse hasn't been shown what the handler does want, it's likely the horse will repeat the undesired behavior eventually. This is especially problematic with Thoroughbreds, who Heleski and Foster agree are more sensitive to perceived threats and are therefore sensitive to punishment or reinforcement.

Heleski said she tends to encounter a bias against positive reinforcement in much of the equestrian world because many trainers are averse to giving horses frequent treats. The concern for many is the horse will come to expect food, and become mouthy or pushy in search of it. Most experts suggest handlers ignore pushy behavior and focus on rewards in specific instances where a horse is exhibiting desired behavior — keeping in mind that sometimes, the desired behavior is the absence of something, like kicking out or pawing in a grooming stall. Some horses are especially reactive to treats and will get excitable, searching for the food or trying to guess what their handler wants from them (which, at the start of positive reinforcement training, may be unclear to them). In those cases, Heleski suggests putting a gate or stall door between the horse and handler at first, or dispensing treats into a pan on the ground rather than feeding by hand.

If handlers are really concerned about “mugging” for treats, Heleski said research shows scratching on a horse's withers is a hugely impactful positive reinforcement. The attention, which mirrors mutual grooming, has been shown to decrease heart rate. Foals are also well known to enjoy scratches to their foreheads or the undersides of their necks.

One question Heleski and Foster are asked often is what to do about stereotypic behaviors like cribbing and weaving, which seem to be a focus for some horses no matter what type of reinforcement or punishment is used to stop them. Foster explained that although it may not feel this way, horses aren't doing these things to frustrate the humans around them.

“These repetitive behaviors that bother us — and they really bother people — they are very soothing to horses,” said Foster.

On a biochemical level, many of those behaviors have been shown to provide an enormous stress relief for the horse. It's a coping mechanism for anxiety about something around them. If the horse isn't doing significant harm to themselves, Foster suggested, it may be better to let these things ride. Otherwise, you're trying to take away a coping mechanism that could be very important to the horse, probably without providing alternate stress relief.

The good news for OTTB owners is not only that Thoroughbreds are known as a breed to be quick learners, but they also come off the track knowing a lot already. The racetrack routine includes lots of different stimuli that a horse wouldn't necessarily get in a riding barn.

“If I were to adopt a 3-year-old of another breed, most of the time they would not have had anywhere near the number of experiences that a 3-year-old Thoroughbred has had,” said Heleski. “I think that's a huge selling point to adopting these horses.”

Catch a full replay of the seminar below.

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