Foundation brings equine ambassadors to Saratoga
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » Most of the five horses grazing peacefully in the paddock areas of Heading for Home Farm on Route 29 have been to Saratoga before. Now retired from careers as race horses, they are visiting Saratoga, this time as ambassadors of the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, a non-profit organization that has cared for more than 5,000 horses since 1983.
TRF, whose national headquarters is based in Saratoga Springs, provides lifelong sanctuary to horses after they have given their all to their owners, trainers and fans. While many of the horses are no longer able to race, they still have much more left to give.
While the term “thoroughbred aftercare” has become something of a buzzword over the last several years, TRF stands out as one of the pioneers in the equine racing industry. All too often, a horse that is no longer able to compete on the racecourse ends up being abused, neglected or sent to slaughter across the border, in Canada or Mexico.
TRF operates a network of 20 farms in 12 states, where the horses who are fortunate enough to be rescued will go on to find new work as service or therapy animals. Others find caring adoptive homes and continue to enrich people’s lives as companions and trail riders.
Perhaps the most outstanding contribution that TRF has made to the equine aftercare movement has been the creation of Second Chances Farm, which orig- inated at the Wallkill Correctional Facility near New Paltz, NY. The horses who live at this and eight other Second Chances facilities are tended to and cared for by the inmates serving out their prison terms.
Jennifer Stevens, Director of Development and Communications at TRF, said that working with horses offers so many benefits to the inmates who are part of the program. She explained that many of those inmates lack the ability to negotiate or effectively communicate with others. A horse comes to an inmate with no preconceived notions, no judgment and no expectation other than to have its needs met.
“A horse only knows you in the moment,” said Stevens.
The inmates who participate in the program have been able to let down their guard and be accepted for themselves, in many instances for the first time in their lives. There is a symbiotic relationship that forms between a horse, who is perhaps injured and broken, and the man or womanwho has also been beaten down by life and circumstances.
Heading for Home Farm is located at 683 Route 29, approximately five miles from downtown Saratoga Springs.
The five horses staying at Heading for Home Farm are guests of the facility, which itself is a leader in the aftercare movement. Joe Battaglia, president of Heading for Home, is pleased to be able to provide temporary sanctuary to his five fourlegged guests and allow the public to visit the farm and get to know the animals. Cherry Tree Arena, which is located on the farm, serves as a training and demonstration facility, where horses can strut their stuff and enjoy some of the activities that they have been trained for since birth.
The arena was completed in 2015 and named in honor of the late Alan Kirschenbaum, a well- known breeder of standard bred horses in New York and California, who was active in the aftercare movement for standard bred horses retiring from their careers on the harness track.
The farm will be open to the public on Tuesdays for the duration of the racing season. Stevens, Battaglia and other members of their teams will be on hand to answer visitors’ questions and introduce these amazing animals to the public. Stevens is hoping that some, if not all, of the horses here will find loving homes and be adopted so they can live out their lives in a loving and caring environment.