Second Chances

Dear friend of the TRF:

Everybody deserves a second chance. At the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, we are trusted with an incredible chance to help provide a second chance for both horses and for people. Throughout the country, our horses are able to show the generous spirit of the Thoroughbred as they serve as equine teachers in our life-changing Second Chances programs.

Horses are the great equalizer. They don’t see a person’s past mistakes – they live in the moment and reflect back what is given to them. They are forgiving, kind and generous in spirit. These are all traits we could learn from and through the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation’s Second Chances programs, individuals who are incarcerated have the opportunity to do just that.

TRF’s Second Chances programs have been saving horses and changing lives for decades. Now located at correctional facilities in seven states from coast to coast, individuals who are incarcerated from every walk of life are taking part in a training program where they learn horse anatomy, how to care for injuries, equine nutrition and other aspects of horse care and farm management. Graduates of the program receive certification based on the level of expertise they have mastered and some graduates have gone on to careers as grooms, farriers, vet assistants, and farm managers among others.

Supporting these programs is an investment in your community and we are asking you to help us continue to grow and expand these valuable resources. Many of the horses that serve as equine teachers in our programs are horses that, due to injury or age, are not candidates for a traditional second athletic career, but still have so much left to give and thrive in these jobs.