Retired Racehorses

Press Release
ASPCA Grants $458,000 to Equine Rescue Groups Joining Million Dollar
Rescuing Racers Initiative in 2011
Eight New Groups Join Grant Program This Year
September 21,2011
NEW YORK—The ASPCA ® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ® )
today announced that eight thoroughbred rescue organizations have joined the ASPCA Million
Dollar Rescuing Racers Initiative, a major program made possible by a generous donor, which
aids in the rescue of retired racehorses to save them from slaughter, instead rehabilitating them
and giving them a new lease on life for events or enjoyment.
“Too often, thoroughbreds end up at livestock auctions—or worse, are sent to slaughterhouses—
when their racing days are over,” said Jacque Schultz, senior director of the ASPCA Equine
Fund. “Each of these groups has demonstrated a dedication to promoting equine rescue and
welfare. We‟re proud to help them responsibly build their capacity and save more racehorses.”
The new organizations joining the list of thoroughbred rescues and sanctuaries as part of the
ASPCA Million Dollar Rescuing Racers Initiative for 2011 are:
Angel Acres Horse Haven Rescue in Pa., which will use the funding to build an
additional quarantine area and install fencing in two other areas of the property to
increase capacity;
The Exceller Fund in Ky., which will finance its „Racing Warriors‟ program to provide
sanctuary housing for five horses who competed on the track until physically depleted
and are incapable of being repurposed as performance horses;
Finger Lakes Thoroughbred Adoption Program in N.Y., which will use the funding for
training programs and therapeutic shoeing in order to reduce the time it takes to get
retirees adopted;
Glen Ellen Vocational Academy (GEVA) in Calif., which will overhaul its drainage
system so that the paddocks aren‟t a muddy quagmire during and after the rainy season.
Additional paddocks will be built to house thoroughbreds being rotated out of their areas
until the project is completed and then be used to house additional horses;
New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program in Ohio and other locations, which will
rehabilitate 40 injured thoroughbreds;
Oklahoma Thoroughbred Retirement Program in Okla., which will increase the number
of trainers working with retired thoroughbreds to make them ready for adoptions sooner,
which will enable more horses to go through the program annually;
Re-Run in N.J. and N.Y., which will pay for trainers at three of their facilities to prepare
retirees for their new homes; and
Tranquility Farm in Calif., which will employ qualified trainers to assist in the
rehabilitation of thoroughbreds for adoption.