thoroughbred aftercare

The Secretariat Center will hold its annual fundraising event, "Bluegrass Brunch and Bubbles" at Godolphin's Jonabell Farm in Lexington, Kentucky Oct. 14 from 10 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. ET, the organization said in a release Wednesday. Bidding on everything from vacation packages and experience tickets to artwork, halters, saddles, sports memorabilia and more, will go live Oct. 1 and will close at Noon on the day of the event. All proceeds go toward supporting the Secretariat Center's mission of preparing off-track Thoroughbreds for post-track careers through rehabilitation and retraining. "Support...

The thoroughbred aftercare charities in Ireland, France and Britain-Treo Eile, Au-Delà Des Pistes and Retraining of Racehorses-met earlier this month in Newmarket with the aim of bolstering the care racehorses receive upon retirement.  RoR managing director David Catlow, Au-Delà des Pistes executives Carole Desmetz and Mégane Martins and Vice President Alix Choppin, and Treo Eile executive Anne Connor and co-founder and director Caoimhe Doherty met with Godolphin's charities manager Penny Taylor and IFAR steering group member and Treo Eile co-director Diana Cooper, for the brainstorming session. All three charities have...

Daryl Tropea, Ph.D., who served for more than a decade as the equine program director of the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS)--a well-regarded international accreditation organization that evaluates the extent to which animal sanctuaries and rescue organizations meet standards of humane and responsible equine care--has joined the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation as a member of its Board of Directors, the TRF announced Friday. In her role at GFAS, Dr. Tropea visited and assessed hundreds of equine facilities in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom, including 14 of...

The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) announced the launch of the second annual Off to the Races, an online auction campaign which offers the public an opportunity to bid on 17 VIP experience packages on major race days in 2023 and 2024. Each experience package offers a unique itinerary of horse racing-related bucket list activities and tickets to the specified race day(s). "With the help of the racing industry, the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance supports 81 accredited charities and thousands of off-track Thoroughbreds," TAA President Jeffrey Bloom said. "Outside of the TAA's...

In-person attendees of the Eclipse Awards will have the opportunity to donate to the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) and learn more about its mission through on-screen displays of TAA's messaging at the Eclipse Awards, to be held Jan. 26 at The Breakers, Palm Beach, Florida. The TAA is the official charity partner of the event. "As we convene to recognize the most accomplished horses and humans of 2022, the NTRA is proud to recognize the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance as the Official Charity of the 52nd Eclipse Awards," said NTRA President...

Edited Press Release Following a month-long effort to raise funds for the TAA's 81 accredited organizations, the TAA Holiday Giving Campaign concluded Dec. 31 with $180,000 raised for accredited aftercare. "It was encouraging to see such enthusiasm for our holiday fundraiser," said TAA President, Jeffrey Bloom. "Thank you to every person who donated to the TAA's Holiday Giving Campaign. It takes a great deal of funds to care for our industry's retired athletes, and large influxes of donations such as these are vital to the TAA's ability to support its...

The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) Board of Directors voted at its meeting Dec. 14 to add six new directors in 2023. For a second consecutive year, Jeffrey Bloom, managing partner of Bloom Racing Stable, will serve as president of the TAA. The directors beginning service in 2023 are: Price Bell, general manager of Mill Ridge Farm; Dr. Bonnie Comerford, DVM, veterinarian at Tiegland, Franklin, & Brokken; Joe De Francis, HISA director and managing partner of Gainesville Associates LLC; Georganne Hale--returning for a second term--vice president of racing development of Maryland...

The Thoroughbred Education and Research Foundation (TERF) has awarded award $4,000 to the MidAtlantic Horse Rescue Inc. (MAHR) for educational purposes. MAHR's mission is to rescue Thoroughbreds from feed lots and kill pens and transition horses directly off the track. After quarantine and careful evaluation, horses are adopted into loving homes as sport horses and pets. MAHR plans to continue their Thoroughbred-only clinic series at the farm with well-known professionals. These clinics are free for MAHR graduates and low cost for all other Thoroughbreds. This gives incentives to adopters to...

Edited Press Release As part of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA)'s month-long Holiday Giving Campaign, Hidden Brook Farm has pledged to match all donations up to $1,000 made to the TAA Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. Not only does Hidden Brook dedicate a portion of its operation to caring for their retired Thoroughbreds--the breeding, racing, and sales enterprise continually participates in supporting industry aftercare initiatives, such as the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. "As an industry, we cannot underscore the importance of the day-in and day-out efforts of the TAA," said Hidden Brook...

The TAKE2 Second Career Thoroughbred Program will recognize the results and count the points earned by TAKE2 Thoroughbred League members competing in the rated Thoroughbred Hunter and Thoroughbred Jumper Divisions at all USEF horse shows. This rule change will be retroactive to the beginning of the current TAKE2 season, which kicked off Aug. 29, 2022, and runs through Aug. 27, 2023. "When we started TAKE2, we required the USEF-rated horse shows to complete an application to affiliate with our program," TAKE2 Executive Director Andy Belfiore explained. "Unfortunately, there were horse...

Edited Press Release Forty-two Thoroughbred aftercare organizations have been awarded accreditation for 2022, including one that received accreditation for the first time, according to a press release from the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. The TAA, the only accrediting body in Thoroughbred aftercare, now has a network of 81 organizations with approximately 180 facilities in North America. "Congratulations to the 42 organizations who earned their Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance accreditation," said TAA President Jeffrey Bloom. "Earning TAA accreditation is a true testament to an organization's dedication to providing the best care possible for...

Ten years ago this month, the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance was formed to give racing a way to accredit its labyrinth of individual rehoming and retirement facilities, putting the gold seal on those worthy of the public's trust. A decade later, aftercare is front and center in the conversation as racing approaches its championship day, the Breeders' Cup, with several organizations holding their principal annual fundraisers around the event. I sat down to talk with the TAA's executive director, Stacie Clark, about the industry's developing feelings towards aftercare since the organization...