Celestial City learned how to be a racehorse by continually proving himself against top competition. Each time he raced, he showed that the lessons he was learning were taking hold. Celestial City became a graded stakes winner, but just when his promising career was finally taking flight, he sustained an injury that ended his days as a racehorse. Now, he has a new home and a new purpose.

On February 12, Celestial City joined the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation's (TRF) herd at the Lowell Correctional Institution for Women in Ocala, FL. He will provide vocational training in equine care and stable management as part of the TRF's Second Chances Program. The TRF is the nation's oldest and largest Thoroughbred rescue organization.

Forty years ago, the TRF started Second Chances at the Wallkill Correctional Facility in New York. The idea was that inmates would learn how to take care of horses and maintain the stable and grounds, while the horses got daily, supervised care. Many Second Chances graduates have gone on to find careers as farriers, veterinary technicians, and even farm managers. Since its start in 1984, Second Chances has expanded to several states. TRF expanded to Lowell in 2002 and has since added a Second Chances Youth Program located near the women's prison. Both the women's and youth programs have achieved deserving praise for helping horses and people find better lives.

At five years old, Celestial City is the youngest member of the TRF's national herd, half of which are 20 years or older, and average a stay of 15 years. Unlike the majority of other horses, Celestial City had a standout pedigree, terrific connections, and every reason to succeed.

A son of Uncle Mo, Celestial City's racing education was the responsibility of Hall of Fame trainer Claude “Shug” McGaughey. Under McGaughey's management, Celestial City had a record of 3-2-2 from 10 starts and earnings of just under $350,000. Two years ago, Celestial City came up short in a pair of stakes races at Saratoga Race Course. Both times, Celestial City's efforts were encouraging. He was figuring out racing while McGaughey was figuring him out.

Then in late October of 2022, Celestial City overcame a stumble at the start and posted a 2 1/4-length victory in the GII Hill Prince S. at Aqueduct. There was plenty of reason to be optimistic about Celestial City's 2023 racing season.

“He was doing well, and we gave him a blowout,” McGaughey said. “He was on the training track at Belmont and he fractured his right-hind ankle. He had surgery, and he would look like he was doing good, but then he would have a setback. We finally decided to pull the plug and not race him anymore.”

Celestial City's ankle was operated on by Dr. Patty Hogan, a noted veterinary surgeon who works with Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds. She is also a staunch advocate of aftercare for racehorses and encourages owners to include an aftercare plan for each horse they race. McGaughey had such a plan already in place.

Since Celestial City had his early racing education at Niall Brennan Stable in Ocala, he was assured a safe landing after he could no longer race. Niall Brennan and his wife, Stephanie, have developed racehorses since they went into business 33 years ago. In 2009, they started their own non-profit Thoroughbred aftercare program, Final Furlong Horse Retirement, to make sure that any horse that had been in their care for any length of time would find a decent home and, perhaps, a new career.
While most of McGaughey's retirees join Final Furlong, Stephanie had her own plan for Celestial City. As a TRF board member since 2022, she felt that Celestial City would be a perfect fit at TRF's Second Chances at Lowell.

“The inmates would learn how to 'let down' a racehorse and down the line, he will be a great horse for their riding program,” Stephanie said.

While TRF and Final Furlong are independent of one another, the chance to work together for the good of a horse will always be accepted.

“Later on, if Celestial City gets adopted, his connections will know that he is guaranteed a lifetime placement with TRF,” she added. “So, if circumstances should change, he can always come home to TRF. That is a huge selling point. Very few aftercare programs offer that safety net.”

Celestial City wasted no time in winning over everyone over at Lowell.

“The women are used to working with much older horses,” Stephanie said. “Along comes Celestial City and he is young, slick and fit. They were excited to meet him and they have taken good care of him. Now, they are helping him get used to being around other horses.”

“That shouldn't be a problem. He has always been such a cool horse.”

The post A Quick Study on Track, Celestial City Now Teaches at Lowell appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

“I started back in the eighties,” Purdom said. “I had a really promising career. I was the leading apprentice one meet at Pimlico. That's where I got introduced to cocaine. It gradually just took over my life and, therefore, my career. I wasn't available mentally or physically, which you have to be to be able to do the job.”

In 1992, he made the decision that would change his life for the better. He entered a treatment program and has now been sober for more than 31 years.

Purdom, 65, went back to riding but never could jump start his career. He retired in 1997 with 371 career victories and moved to Ocala where he worked horses at the sales. But what he really wanted to do was to help people. He saw that as a requirement, exactly what he needed to stay on the right path.

“For me, helping people is a necessity,” Purdom said. “I have been in recovery a long time and a huge part of that is once you get your act together, to be able to keep it together you need to help others. In recovery, life can get pretty good. And when that happens it's easy to forget how bad things were. So helping new people is important. I've been able to help a lot of people along the way. But they were helping me, too.”

He has devoted his life to making a difference. The first stop was a job at Mending Fences, a mental health treatment center in Delray, Florida where equine therapy was part of the program. He might still be there if it weren't for a chance encounter with John Evans, who was running the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation's program at a women's prison, the Lowell Correctional Institution. Purdom had met his future wife Niki after she left the Lowell program and when the two were married, Evans walked Niki down the aisle.

Evans was looking to retire and saw in Purdom the perfect replacement. Last May he took over from Evans, who had been at Lowell for 17 years. It's been an eye-opening experience.

“I had been driving by this prison for years,” Purdom said. “One day I was driving by with Niki. I had seen all these horses out in the field. I told her that the whole thing didn't make any sense to me. Why were they keeping all these old, broken-down pasture ornaments? I didn't understand the economics of that. Most horse people would have had that same attitude. She explained to me their true value and what these horses do for the inmates. These inmates, their self esteem is pretty much in the tank when they get here. They haven't had anything go right for a long time. When they walk into the stall, especially the first time, these horses will greet them. They haven't had something like that in a long time. They end up getting really personal with them. They start gaining some self esteem. They start to get their self respect back as well as confidence. It's all because of the horses.”

Having struggled with many of the same problems that led many of the inmates to prison, Purdom was happy to share his story with the women of Lowell.

Female inmantes in the TRF program near Ocala | Stephanie Brennan photo

“Probably 80, maybe 90 percent of the women who come here have addiction issues,” Purdom said. “They don't have meetings here for them. So I openly talk about my own struggles.”
Once he settled in at Lowell, Purdom's goal became teaching the inmates skills they could use to get jobs at the many farms in Ocala. Lowell is the only TRF program where the inmates are allowed to ride the horses. That's how Niki Purdom got started as an exercise rider.

With there being a shortage of help in Ocala, Purdom knew that the graduates of his program could easily find job at local farms if taught the right skills. The easiest way to find a job would be for them to learn how to prep weanlings and yearlings for the sales.

“The TRF allowed me to bring some yearlings here that were prepping for the sales, so the women got experience handling them,” he said. “That gives them a way to get into the farms. They can get hired and it's something they can do right away because they've been taught and have experience. This is something that can be a huge springboard. I know most of the owners and trainers in this area. I rode for them for 20 years. I can be a liaison so these women have an opportunity the day they get out and there's a job waiting for them. I want the local horsemen to call me and ask if there's anybody getting out.”

It's also a way to see to it that the women don't pick right up where they left off before coming to Lowell.

“If they go back to where they came from, the likelihood that they will stay out of jail is slim,” Purdom said. “What I want to do here is offer them an option.”

The relationship between the horses, the women, and Purdom, is mutually beneficial, and Purdom knows that he's getting as much out of this as anyone.

“At this stage of my life, having a purpose is pretty important,” Purdom said. “It's what gets me out of bed every day.”

To learn more about the TRF or to donate, visit www.trfinc.org 

The post Former Jockey Purdom Finds His Calling at TRF Farm appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

“We are thrilled to welcome Maggie Sweet to the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation as our new Chief Operating Officer,” said Patrick H. Mackay, Chairman of the Board of Directors at TRF. “Maggie's desire to support equine welfare, coupled with her extensive leadership experience, will undoubtedly contribute to the continued success and growth of our organization. Her skills and enthusiasm align seamlessly with our commitment to providing a dignified retirement for these magnificent animals.”

Sweet served the Todd Pletcher Racing Stables in a variety of roles for over a quarter-century, most recently as its COO, a position from which she stepped down in September 2023.

As COO, Sweet will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the organization, implementing strategic initiatives, and fostering collaborative relationships with stakeholders and donors.

“I am honored to join the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation and be part of an organization that is making a significant impact in the lives of retired racehorses,” said Sweet. “I look forward to working with the talented team at the TRF and contributing to the ongoing success of their vital mission.”

The post Sweet Named COO of Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF) has been a pioneer in aftercare for retired racehorses since its founding in 1983. Joined by TRF Board Member Katie LaMonica and Warden Abby Caudill of Blackburn Correctional Complex, the Keeneland team presented the TRF with a donation of $4,000 toward the care of the TRF herd in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The TRF currently operates three farms in Kentucky, caring for 70 horses, including 40 at the TRF Second Chances farm at Blackburn Correctional Complex and 9 at the TRF Sanctuary Farm at Chestnut Hall.

The TRF will also host a table on the apron during Sunrise Trackside Saturday, Oct. 21 between 8 and 10 a.m.

The post ‘TRF Cheers To 40 Years’ Day Staged at Keeneland appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

No chance? Not even one? That was all Chris Courtney wanted: a single opportunity to break the cycle, a single precarious plank to bridge the abyss dividing a convicted felon from the world of work; from consuming taxes to paying them. Turns out, one chance was all he needed.

“He kept calling me,” Jeannie Larkin remembers. “I kept saying, 'I'm sorry but I'm just so busy right now, I really don't have time to sit down.' And he finally just said, 'I'm coming.'”

First impressions being what they are, he can't have seemed any more promising in person than he must have sounded on the phone.

“Okay,” Larkin said. “Can you just walk with me while I finish up work here?”

“Because we had to get ready for a show the next day,” she explains now. “He came out at 5 p.m. and I thought, 'At this point I'm still going to be in this barn at 10 p.m.'” She pauses and smiles. “We were done by 7.30 p.m. Chris had two horses bathed and shining in no time. All these farms he'd been to, nobody had let him touch a horse. And when I said, 'Okay, you take this one and I'll take this other one and we'll turn them out,' he got to the edge of the barn and started crying. It all came out: it was just like that, letting go of everything. A new start.”

Jeannie and Nick Larkin from Wainui Farm | Sue Finley photo

That was two years ago, and today Courtney remains a diligent employee at Wainui Farm near Paris, Kentucky. He has seized his one chance.

It has been a long and winding road. His dream had been to be a jockey, like his dad. But he fell into bad company on the racetrack and, trying to keep his weight down, became dependent on cocaine.

“I can't count the jockeys I got high with in the parking lot,” Courtney admits. “I was at Ellis Park, living in the tack room on the backside. My dad had brought a rider in, he called me over there and I couldn't believe it, all these guys sitting there doing their thing right before the race. Next day my dad's horse got beat in a photo finish and he said, 'What were you on?!' It was the jockey that couldn't finish, not the horse.

“A lot of bad stuff went on at the racetrack in the 80s and 90s. I've been everywhere. River Downs, Latonia, Beulah. If I stayed in one place too long, I would get in trouble and had to go on the road again.”

In the end, his addiction became so desperate that he held up a series of motels. He was sentenced to 10 years for armed robbery.

“I didn't hurt anybody,” he stresses. “But let me tell you, doesn't matter how often you see it on TV, when you're in that courtroom and your final judgement comes, and you're looking around and see people that you love and they can't do anything for you, and then they put you in handcuffs and walk you through that door, and it bangs shut behind you, it's scary. You're thinking, 'Wait a minute, is this really happening?'”

And the following years, similarly, introduced him to all the nightmares of prison life. For the first five and a half years he was in a high-security prison, his brutalization measured by a transformation of the 90lbs track rider into 270lbs of misery, barely able to tie his laces.

“They turned me into an animal,” he says. “They put me in this cage, shut the door, walked away, leaving me to fend for myself. Because of my crime, having a weapon, I was classified as violent. So they wouldn't let me go into any rehab, which is what I needed.”

He came out believing that the system had no true interest in reformation, when reoffending would only lock in profit for prison operators. He was grateful, however, to complete his time at the low-security Blackburn Correctional Complex near Lexington, and to excel in the TRF program there. Nonetheless the lack of solid pathways back into society, at that time, left anyone with his history all too vulnerable to relapse.

“I've been good, though, I haven't been back,” he says. “But I was bad when I first come home, I was lost. My dad and my brother both died on me while I was in the joint. I came home and everything I knew was gone. Nobody would hire me. And this is all I know how to do.” He gestures at the barns. “I can't even wash dishes. For two years I tried to find a job. Sometimes I'd get hired but at the end of the [first] day they'd call me in the office and say, 'Well, Mr. Courtney, you're a convicted felon and we run tours here: we can't have you in the barn, out in public.' There was always some excuse.

“Statistically, you will go back. About 80 percent do. Some of them I saw come in three times. And that little gap, between being released and trying to find where you fit in, you get mad, you get frustrated, you try to relieve it with drugs or alcohol, and then it just spirals.”

As things have turned out, however, his love of horses has now restored the trapdoor it opened in his youth–thanks to the intervention of Laurie Mays at the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. As project manager of the Agriculture and Equine Talent Pipeline, Mays was determined to dovetail a labor crisis on Bluegrass farms with a route back into society for released prisoners. Those plans were still evolving when she put Courtney in touch with Larkin and her husband Nick at Wainui Farm.

Chris Courtney in the stall with `Alex' | Sue Finley photo

“We've had a farm for over 20 years,” Larkin says. “And we've had a lot of people come through and work for us. And I have to say it's just a handful that have truly cared about the horses. We've had highly educated people wanting to do horses, people with PhDs. But compassion and caring is what it really comes down to. And Chris has a natural ability. Even from a distance he can look at a horse and see when something's wrong. From the start, he was somebody we could depend on. We trusted him immediately. He's been through a lot, but we're just looking to the future, and beautiful days with the horses.”

“I thank God every day that Miss Jeannie trusts me to be out here,” Courtney says. “I mean, look at this!” He surveys the rolling paddocks, the shades of green altering with the breeze, and laughs. “I'm being paid right now! Can you believe that? I ought to be paying them. I came through that gate and have been here ever since. I never had a job this long in my life. I'm 50 years old, and sometimes I've had three jobs in a week. I'm happy every day I come here. I feel my heart full. They've taught me to be human again.”

He relates how another troubled creature, a mare named Miss Cocoa, had also found sanctuary on the farm about a month previously.

“She was a really nervous one,” he says. “She'd pace and work herself up in a frenzy. But she has finally started to come around. And today I walked through the field and said, 'Hey, Cocoa.' And she raised her head up and started walking towards me, paid no attention to the other horses, came over on her own. And I told Miss Jeannie, 'You know what, that's the moment in a horseman's life when you know you got that horse. This is 'my' horse: she's comfortable, she trusts me, and I trust her.”

The parallels are too obvious to require stating. The question is whether these redemption tales, the kind that united Miss Cocoa and her groom, could be emulated elsewhere? After all, this is an industry nearly as lacking in skilled and willing labor as Chris Courtney had been lacking opportunities to provide just that.

'It's about Breaking down That Stigma'

The fervent ambition of Mays, back at the Kentucky Chamber, is that people sharing this kind of odyssey might now find their path to a brighter future better signposted.

“We now have a pipeline from Blackburn straight into the industry,” she explains. “Whereas Chris came in a roundabout way, now we work very specifically with the instructor and the warden to make sure when guys are coming out, we know exactly where they're going.”

Laurie Mays | Sue Finley photo

Many who enter the TRF program at Blackburn have no previous experience with horses; nor will they tend to know a great deal about the surrounding region and its premier industry. At the same time, many potential employers know little more about the program than they might have glimpsed from the interstate. So a connection had to be fostered from both sides.

“Within the prison system, we help with resumé writing, cover letters, interview skills,” Mays says. “A lot of gentlemen, if they've worked jobs before, maybe in manufacturing or construction, don't know how their skills transfer into the equine industry.

“And then on the flip side, we educate. Oftentimes, they've hired people with a criminal record, but they've not done it on purpose. So we're helping them figure out how to be good employers.

How can you support that population? A lot of times, these justice-involved individuals come out with needs outside of the scope of work. Housing. Transportation. If they're in any type of recovery program because of a substance-use disorder, how can employers support their recovery so that they are the best employee that they can be?”

Though Covid delayed things, the next initiative was to invite potential employers to visit the program.

“Employers would tour the facility, and basically do working interviews with the guys, they could see their skills,” Mays explains. “Once employers could put faces to stories, it was a lot easier. It wasn't just 'an inmate', it was 'Steven'. And that really helped with the stigma we had seen in the industry.”

Mays liaises with the prison's re-entry co-ordinator and equine instructor. When they advise her of an inmate nearing release, with an interest in offering the industry the skills he has acquired (and these may be in masonry or maintenance, for instance, as well as in the equine program), she will circulate his details to potential interviewers. These employers can either come to the campus or interview remotely.

“Our goal is that they're hired before they leave Blackburn,” Mays says. “That way, when we know they're going to a certain farm, we can then work with the re-entry coordinator to make sure they have housing, transportation and all of the things that might present as barriers. Our goal is for them to start work within three days of release.”

This is only one of several channels–others include high schools and foster care–opened by the Chamber to supply a labor deficiency in the agricultural sector. But it's proving so successful that the model is now being adopted by other prisons at a higher level of security. Numbers have so far been relatively low, but should keep growing along with the confidence of employers. Over 70 released prisoners have now been placed, so far without a single report of recidivism.

To promote empathy among potential employers, for those leaving prison and/or addiction rehab, the Chamber offers a re-entry simulation.

“All employers are given an identity of someone who's just been released from incarceration,” Mays explains. “And you have all these things you have to do within a certain time limit, and with a certain amount of money. That way employers truly understand what justice-involved individuals are up against, and it really is eye-opening. Employers finally understand why this population often fails, because the deck is stacked is against them.

“A lot of the guys have been incarcerated for a very long time. And to go from 20, 25 years' incarceration, to being out and about within an hour is scary, and hard. A lot of prep work needs to be done. Just grocery shopping can be very overwhelming.”

Some employers have responded by maintaining zero tolerance on failed drug tests while also assisting entry into recovery programs, for instance, or with legal consequences.

Stable Recovery pairs people in recovery with jobs in the equine industry | Stable Recovery

“And so the employers are helping employees to navigate the system,” Mays says. “Employers will say, 'You can come back to us [once clean] and there will be a job here for you.' This support significantly increases the likelihood of success in recovery, and opens the door for the return of a valued employee. So that learning curve, on the employer side, is really helping to alleviate the `one-and-done' mentality. They see the barriers this population faces.”

Mays has gathered 45 farms into her Thoroughbred collective: a solid base, if still only a fraction of the Bluegrass total. But they extend from small family outfits to some of the biggest in the business, and the word should continue to spread as success stories proliferate. Farms that have embraced the program, moreover, tend to make themselves available to mentor those nervous about doing so.

“I think there's been a culture shift,” Mays adds. “It's been about breaking down the stigma. Over the last 18 months, we've seen a huge uptick in involved employers. Because a) they're desperate, and b) they're starting to really understand the benefits of hiring this population, and that it's doable. But I'll be honest, it's an upward climb.”

Because the reality is that there will, of course, be failures. Not every story ends with everyone living happily ever after. “You are going to have people that relapse or recidivate,” Mays acknowledges. “But that doesn't mean they're a lost cause.”

Often the best outcomes reflect best practice. One large show-jumping farm has promoted a Blackburn graduate to professional groom, but had to match his exceptional competence with exceptional commitment. They worked with parole officers, to allow him to accompany horses out of the state, and diverted a portion of his pay into a savings account to fund the purchase of a car.

The one environment of which the program remains wary is the racetrack, which tends to be too volatile for those vulnerable in early recovery. But farms and veterinary clinics have given purpose and engagement to many troubled characters trying to retrieve a foothold in society. Mays says that studies demonstrate a huge reduction in reoffending among those who secure not just a job, but “meaningful” employment. And the key player here, very often, is the horse itself.

“We talk with the guys all the time about how horses have helped them with trust, empathy and understanding responsibility,” Mays says. “A lot of them will tell you, 'I don't trust anybody because of my history and my background, and I was never responsible for anything.' But having been assigned horses, program attendees have to work as a team, with the horses and each other. They build a lot of interpersonal skills that they didn't have before.”

The point is that farms are short of “help” when that is precisely what some of these people could really use. Mays is trying to bring those needs together. But if the Bluegrass community needs to hear the same message from one of its own, then they do not have far to seek. Because one of its premier farms has launched an exemplary rehab program, from the ground up, through a tremendous commitment of both moral and financial resources.

'The Best Thing I've Ever Been Involved In'

“There's been literally miracles happen,” Frank Taylor says. “Guys that would be dead. Guys reunited with their families. A bunch that are now employable and sober. I didn't even dream it could go as well as it has.”

Frank Taylor | Keeneland photo

With the cooperation of his brothers, since 2021 Taylor has helped as many as 40 recovering addicts back onto an even keel through their Stable Recovery program at Taylor Made. At the moment, he has 20 housed together in downtown Lexington, with another dozen sharing a smart residence on the farm.

Responding to a chastening challenge within his family environment, two and a half years ago, Taylor renounced the bottle himself and reset his whole lifestyle. And he resolved to match this spiritual renewal with a hugely practical walking of the walk.

On the one hand, like so many others, Taylor and his brothers were finding it increasingly difficult to hire reliable help. They did muster a score of “super people, very hard workers” through the H2A Visa program. But then Taylor went to see Rob Perez, whose two DV8 Kitchens in Lexington are staffed by recovering addicts.

“What do you think?” Taylor asked. “Could this work in the horse business? Tell me what you've learned doing this.”

Perez replied that you do it, first and foremost, because it's the right thing to do. Other fulfilments, notably finding yourself a useful employee, are incidental. And he warned that there would be a lot of groundwork. DV8 starts with 90 days' training, half of which is spent patching things up: hauling people to doctors, dentists, lawyers, parole officers.

“But Rob said that once you get somebody through that fire, you'll find they start to develop all the characteristics you look for in an employee or team member,” Taylor explains. “They're honest, loyal, hardworking, grateful, and they work well with others. And I've found that to be totally true. When you bring these guys together, it forms a brotherhood like nothing I've ever seen.”

Stable Recovery addresses the exact same gap highlighted by Chris Courtney and Laurie Mays. Because even when addicts manage the resolution and good fortune to get onto a 30-day detox, they will often drop straight off a ledge once back out in the world.

The Taylors started by dovetailing their School of Horsemanship with the work of Shepherd's House in Lexington, but Stable Recovery only came together once they hired Christian Countzler.
“He was a coal miner and then a soldier,” Taylor relates. “Went to Afghanistan and Iraq, saw a lot of bad stuff. Got into addiction. That took over his life, he lost his family, his wife, his finances. He lived under a bridge here in Lexington for four years. And then he went to Shepherd's House and got sober there. That was five years ago, and now that's what he lives for: to help people get sober, and stay sober.”

The Taylors put Countzler in charge of a program they were bankrolling at arm's length. It was to have financial independence: there would be no Taylor on the board, which instead recruited the likes of Dan Pride from Darley and former University of Kentucky quarterback Freddie Maggard. This was not to be perceived as any kind of private benefit, for the farm, but something that other donors could get behind.

Anybody who comes to Stable Recovery has made a vital first step. They have admitted to themselves that they're in a corner, and need to be lifted out. They start with the detox, gathering basic tools of recovery. But then comes the game-changer: a structure, a navigable path.

The Stable Recovery Workers at Taylor Made | Stable Recovery

“In Stable Recovery, they're around people that are trying to do the exact same thing as them, 24/7,” Taylor explains. “Now, the first 90 days they're going to all these appointments, doctors, therapists. So we only work them about 30 or 40 hours a week. But once they've gotten through all that, they start their typical day at 5 a.m. They make their beds, their rooms have to be spotless. They get something to eat, and have to be ready for an AA meeting in the house at 6.15 a.m. And then, 6.50 a.m., everybody hits the barns. They work until 4 p.m. and then come back, do chores, eat dinner. Then usually they have another meeting, and by that time they're ready for sleep.”

In other words, no free time. No idle hands for which the devil might make work. They do get a chance to lie in, every week or so, just to avoid burnout. But otherwise they don't leave those tramlines. There's sweat, but not the sweats. Countzler sets unsparing standards, and knows how to dish out a military bawling. He won't abide a bad apple. But so long as his guys are putting it all in, they'll be tired but safe.

“The other thing, in their first 90 days, is that they can never go anywhere without another guy,” Taylor adds. “So it's a buddy system. You can't go off to the store or do something by yourself. What's great is that when you can get somebody sober, the only way they can stay sober is by helping another person get sober. So if you get one sober, and he gets 10 sober, and they each get 10 sober, you can start changing this.”

Nobody pays a dime until they get a paycheck. Once they're getting their minimum 15 bucks an hour, they pay $160 a week for board, lodging, utilities, some clothing. Taylor belongs firmly in the school that you don't give a man fish to eat but instead teach him how to use a rod. But he's animated primarily by his faith, and a Christian duty to those in need.

“I think if everybody woke up in the morning and said, 'What can I do to make this world better?' and then took action on doing that, this place would turn around pretty quickly,” he says. “Not overnight, maybe, but pretty quickly.”

As it is, he's distressed to see young people in the thrall of fentanyl; and incensed by the greed that has nourished opioid addiction.

“The way I acted, when I was young, I might not have made it if I'd been born in this time period,” he says. “But look, the thing is that 70 to 80 percent of the people in jail got there because of addiction. And then you take how much it costs to keep a prisoner, when you're just housing them, not rehabbing them. What if you shifted all those funds into a bunch of things like this?

“What we're doing, the government ought to do. Because basically we're taking people that have become criminals on the dole, because they're addicted; we're getting them off the stuff; and we're making them employable. Now they're taxpayers. They go from costing $50,000 a year to paying $15-20,000. And they'll raise better kids too.”

Everyone on the program has started work at Taylor Made but several have graduated elsewhere: a couple placed at Spy Coast, a couple at Rood and Riddle, one at Darley. And Taylor wants them to aim high. One of the first on the program had never been anywhere near a horse in his life. He turned out to be a natural.

“And now he's a broodmare divisional manager for us,” Taylor says. “He's making a good salary plus utilities, car, insurance and a place to live. And his kids are moving out of inner-city Lexington. So it's just awesome to see that. And I've another guy that took over my maintenance, did the same thing.”

When he meets resistance from industry peers, Taylor tells them straight. “Basically, when you're hiring at that groom level, you're not going to get some Harvard graduate come in there,” he argues. “And basically the group you're hiring from is composed of two people: the ones that are addicted and not treated, and the ones that are addicted and treated.”

Okay, that might be overstating the situation. But if you're anything like the Taylor brothers, who toiled so hard to get where they are today, you definitely want someone that works as hard as you do.

True, when Taylor first proposed mining this unpromising seam of labor, there was pushback even from his brothers: “What if somebody ODs out here? What if they kill a horse? What if they steal everything?” And he replied: “Yeah, but what if you save somebody's life? Or get a family reunited?”

Recently they had a bunch of their guys in a winner's circle and counted up something like 37 felonies in the picture.

“But I trust those guys, I really do,” Taylor says. “They feel so good when they actually start working, start doing something positive. And then we haven't even talked about the secret ingredient in the whole operation. Because it is amazing how therapeutic those horses are. When you see these guys, down and out, in bad shape, and then they get to handle a horse? As they say, there's something about the outside of a horse that's good for the inside of a man. We've got all these things, but then, boom, put the horse in there, it's like icing on the cake.”

That should resonate across an industry with many affluent participants and patrons. As Taylor says, addiction is today so prevalent that he doesn't know one person whose life hasn't been in some way affected, through family or friends. Some donors have already supplemented the Taylors' own contribution, which was recently boosted by a six-figure dividend from the John Hall Memorial golf day, staged for the farm's late yearling manager. But Taylor believes that funding is all that prevents exponential growth of this venture.

“If we had the housing and the money, we could have 150 to 200 in the program in 60 days,” he avows. “I've been dreaming big. In five or 10 years from now, you could have a Stable Recovery with 100 people at Belmont Park, 100 at Churchill, 100 in Ocala. And starting in Ireland, England, all over the world. I think it just works so well and, if you can keep the human tendency to screw up out of it, and stay focused on what God wants done, I think it will grow like that. I just think it's a no-brainer. And it's a no-brainer for anybody trying to build a workforce. Our taxes are paying able-bodied people not to not work, and that's crazy.”

A meeting at Stable Recovery | Stable Recovery

Not everyone who enters the program will walk out the door as another miracle. Taylor remembers one tragic case: couldn't see it through, went away and drank himself to death. But even he bequeathed moments of enrichment.

“We're all sitting around this campfire, the sun's coming up,” Taylor recalls. “We're talking about how you don't need to be judging other people. And he goes, 'You ever heard that saying, that you need to walk a mile in a man's shoes before you judge him? Well, I think that's great. Because at least you're a mile away from that sonofabitch–and you got his shoes.'”
Taylor's laughter is laced with sorrow. But overall he is astounded at the extent and degree of reformation his program is achieving. He refuses any credit, instead reproaching himself that he should have tried something like this decades ago.

“This is literally the best thing that I've ever been involved in,” he says. “These guys, I love them. I mean, they've become so close to me. If you hear their stories, and what they have been through, to see them come out of it, see the joy and happiness, man, it really is awesome.

“There's one guy in there, he's been addicted for 32 years. Drugs, alcohol, everything. Had a good family, grandkids, lost it all. For 32 years he's been in and out, hadn't been able to do anything. Now he's been sober 10 months, he's earning a good living, and he's a model employee. He is now running one of the recovery houses and helping a lot of men get and stay sober. He's spiritually strong, he's made a connection with God, he's a totally different person. And the other day, while we're out there working, out of the blue he comes up and gives me a big hug and says, 'Thank you for saving my life.' And you sell a horse for $10 million, it's not even close to what that means.”

The post `They’ve Taught Me To Be Human Again’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

“The Long Shot” is a tale of perseverance and hope, inspired by the true story of a racehorse named Benbang. Each copy sold contributes to the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing sanctuary and rehabilitation for retired racehorses. The autograph session will take place at 56 Union Avenue (on the porch) in Saratoga Springs, New York.

“The Long Shot” will be available for purchase on Amazon starting July 25.

Pre-orders can be made at the following links:

Amazon: click here

Barnes and Noble: click here

For more information or media inquiries, please contact: Emily Turner at emily.turner@trfinc.org

The post Former MLB Player Chris Carpenter to Sign Copies of ‘The Long Shot’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Included in the registration fee are greens fees, cart, lunch, range balls, a sleeve of TRF logo golf balls, an embroidered green golf shirt with TRF logo, a TRF baseball hat and more. Prizes will be given for the 1st-, 2nd- and last-place foursomes along with the longest drive and closest to the pin. Raffle tickets will be sold for the Justin Thomas line drive, mulligans, and a variety of fun and popular pet, golf and dining-themed raffle baskets. A silent auction of unique horse-racing themed items including a jockey-signed Woodford Reserve bourbon barrel and a morning on the backstretch with Dale Romans will help raise funds to support the TRF herd of 425 retired Thoroughbreds.

Racing celebrity golfers include jockeys Brian Hernandez Jr, David Cohen, Joel Rosario and Joe Rocco Jr. among others.

Limited golfer registrations remain available, so to register visit the TRF website.

The post TRF Anniversary Golf Scramble Set for April 18 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

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.”

The post Kelly Armer Appointed TRF Executive Director appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Horse Bitscuits are available for purchase at local Saratoga retailers and customers across the United States may purchase them online through LazyDogCookieCo.com.

TRF Executive Director, Patricia Stickney, shared “The TRF is immensely grateful to Amy and Keith for including us as a beneficiary of their new product and promoting our mission of saving horses and changing lives.”

Lazy Dog welcomes inquiries from interested retailers and product ambassadors. A Saratoga launch party is planned Mar. 10 at the Principessa Elena Society. Details will be announced on Lazy Dog and TRF Social Media.

The post Saratoga-Based Lazy Dog Cookie Co. Launches “Horse Bitscuits” To Benefit Retired Racehorses appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

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.”

The post TERF Awards $10K To TRF appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post