Retired Racehorses

THOROUGHBRED RETIREMENT FOUNDATION
(Source: http://www.trfinc.org/)
The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF) is the largest equine sanctuary in the world
devoted to the rescue, retirement, rehabilitation and retraining of Thoroughbred racehorses no
longer able to compete on the track.
Currently, the Foundation cares for more than 1,100 retired racehorses and has adopted more
than 700 to permanent homes since its founding in 1982.
The TRF prepares racehorses for adoption as riding and companion horses at retraining farms
throughout the country. Additionally, the Foundation runs a vocational training program at eight
correctional facilities across the country where inmates build life skills while providing
supervised care to retired horses. In New York, the TRF runs a rehab program at Wallkill
Correctional Facility.
Horses at these farms and other facilities often are so infirm when retired from racing that they
can do little more than enjoy their days in their paddocks and fields.
Former TRF horses have been trained for second careers, as mounted police horses, show
jumpers, companion horses, handicapped riding horses, even polo horses.
In early 2010, the TRF’s Herd Intake and Management Committee with pro-bono assistance of
the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) and financial support from the estate
of Paul Mellon, began an exhaustive and comprehensive evaluation its current 1,100 horses. The
committee has also undertaken a thorough review of participating farms’ intake, adoption,
euthanasia, and care policies.
The TRF continues to pursue partnerships with racetracks and horsemen’s associations, but is
now striving to engage more horsemen in “the process of making good decisions for their
Thoroughbreds and for the racing industry as a whole.”
The TRF, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit tax-exempt organization, depends entirely on public
contributions from “thousands of racing fans, owners, breeders, trainers and racing officials.”
The Foundation offers several levels of sponsorship, each with its own promotional rewards for
the donor:
Gold ($1,000 or more)
Silver ($500 to $999))
Bronze ($250 to $499)
Gift Of Love ($100)
The TRF also holds singular fundraising events. A single gala held in August 2010 in Saratoga
Springs raised more than $500,000 from more than 600 guests.
NOTE: TRF Director of External Relations Diana Pikulski is a member of the Task Force on
Retired Racehorses.