Soledad O'Brien, prominent television personality, documentarian, journalist, philanthropist and media executive, will deliver they keynote speech at the inaugural Equestricon Monday, Aug. 14 in Saratoga Springs, NY. O'Brien's speech will focus on Thoroughbred aftercare. A lifelong horse lover, she owns five horses, including a retired racehorse, and has adopted two former racehorses from Akindale Horse Rescue in Pawling, NY.
“Equestricon is putting the issue of aftercare front and center and for that I am grateful,” O'Brien said. “These beautiful animals need and deserve homes after they retire from horse racing so that they can be adopted by loving owners.”
O'Brien will deliver her keynote at 9:00 a.m. on the main convention floor of the Saratoga Springs City Center and will then moderate a panel on aftercare entitled “Success Stories,” presented by Equestricon's official charity partner, the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.
“It is essential that we share the stories of these incredible retired racehorses, and use the Equestricon platform to generate continued support for organizations that are caring and preparing horses for their off-the-track lives,” O'Brien added.
Equestricon co-founders and Pennsylvania-based horse owners and breeders Justin Nicholson and Kathryn Sharp have established a relationship with a local farm to retrain their retired racehorses and remain committed to increasing awareness for Thoroughbred aftercare.
“These equine athletes give us so much during their racing careers, it feels incumbent upon us to ensure they end up somewhere safe when their racing days are over,” Nicholson said. “We're honored to have someone like Ms. O'Brien not only speaking in support of this cause, but actively providing some former racehorses a great home already.”
Equestricon, the first international horse racing convention, trade show and fan festival, will be held in Saratoga Springs from Aug. 13-15. Visit equestricon.com for more information.
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