Retired Racehorses

the horse‟s soundness and personality, they may become polo ponies, show jumpers, trail horses
or riding horses for therapeutic use by the disabled.
Quotes:
“‟Working with the horses saved my life,‟ said Jay Schleifer, a former Wallkill inmate who is
now and alcohol and substance abuse counselor with the New York Department of Correctional
Services. „Around them I could let my guard down. I could be myself. I could also learn from
them…about love, trust and caring. And I also realized how much in common we had. We were
all in pretty bad shape and we might have been beaten down, but we were definitely not out.
Together, we could all make it.‟” (“Partners, Horse and Man, in Prison Pasture,” Mike Wise,
New York Times, 8/10/03)
“This program is not saving the horses, it is saving me. This is giving me a second chance at life
also. Taking care of the horses is starting to give me back some self-respect. I am learning
responsibility which was totally lacking in my life. I have a sense of purpose when I wake up
everyday. … I love every single one of these horses but there are a couple that I am really
attached to. There is one horse (Rusty) he was severely abused so he doesn‟t trust anybody. I
have been working with him every day and he is really starting to get better. He has taught me
patience and gentleness, because if you don‟t have either one of them you will not get anywhere
close to him. …I am not saving him, we are saving each other, and I believe that is what this
program is all about.” (Letter to TRF from Rick Martin, Inmate at Putnamville Correctional
Facility, Greencastle, Indiana)
(Source: TRF working documents, New York State Department of Corrections and Community
Supervision (DOCCS))