About Lowell Correctional Institution
- Ocala, Florida
- Founded 2000
- 50 Horses
- 15 Women
- 100 Acres
Another facility in the heart of horse country, the TRF farm at the Lowell Correctional Facility in Ocala opened in 2001 and is the home to about 50 horses. The farm does have a couple of equine celebrities in the herd – Grade 1 stakes winner Forbidden Apple, a star on the turf who earned over $1.6 million on the track and popular warhorse Shake You Down, a graded stakes winning sprinter who earned over $1.4 million throughout his career. They are special members of the herd, but so are all the horses at Lowell regardless of their accomplishments on the racetrack.
“We are providing good character-building inmate training, and a haven to these once heroes of the track,” said Florida Secretary of Corrections Michael W. Moore when announcing the opening of facility.
He could not have been more right. The horses bask in the warmth of Florida’s perpetual sunshine and the inmates are learning skills that can be put to use upon their release including empathy, patience and responsibility.
In five months, an inmate, J.T. says she has learned “more about horses than I thought there was to know. I really like them.” Caring for the horses has changed her life’s direction, and J.T. hopes to work at a track or a horse farm.
Lowell Correctional Institution in the News
- Documentary: Ocala Prison
- May 2021 Second Chances for Horses and Humans
- March 13: As Anniversary Nears Lowell Evans Still Make a Difference, Fran LaBelle, TRF Staff Writer
- April 2018: Ladies of Lowell, Horse Capital Digest, George Weir