Welcome to Horses 4 Horses

In conjunction with For The Horse Equine Rescue and The Racehorse Experiment, Horses 4 Horses is initiating a self-sustaining form of horse rescue.

In 2004, I was told of 18 horses who were being neglected and starved.  The two girls who stepped in and got the owner to allow them to find homes for the horses told me that the worst case was a grey Thoroughbred gelding. I have a soft spot for Thoroughbreds in general, and greys in particular.  Without hesitation I said I would take him.  I knew nothing about him other than that.

When he was delivered to me the next day it was heartbreaking to see him. 

The girl who trailered him was worried he wouldn't make it, but in all honesty, I wasn't worried.  Not because he didn't look terrible, he did, but because his face showed no sign of his troubles. His spirit was indomitable.

The owner had come along and had brought photos of him when he was in his prime.  Quite a difference!  She told me he had never raced, and that she had competed him as a jumper, dressage horse, and eventer.  Since the photos were clearly taken at shows, I had no doubt she was telling the truth. 

After a few days I found it hard to believe he hadn't raced. Even in his pitiful condition, he exuded the ephemeral quality known among horse people as "class".  Whenever I looked at him, I pictured him running.  Really running.  It was at that point that I looked at his lip.  Sure enough, there was a tattoo.  I contacted the TRPB (Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau), sent in photos of him and of his tattoo, and eventually received his pedigree and race records.  Not only had he raced, he had been very successful, earning just under half a million dollars - back in the mid to late 80's - equivalent to a million dollars today.  (Gran Judgement aka Legacy is the horse featured in the photos above.)

To me, that made his situation all the worse.  Here was a horse who had more than earned his keep.  He had served people well, and his reward was to be neglected and starved nearly to death.  Of course, he was one of the lucky ones!!  Someone had stepped in and saved him.  And now here he was with me and my herd. 

For every horse like Legacy, there are countless ones who do not get lucky. I wanted to do something about that. 

Today it is my mission to improve the lives of the thousands of racehorses in the United States.  Much ado is made of champions like Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra.  But even they do not have the kind of life that horses crave.  Virtually all racehorses live in conditions that are little better than torture.  Money and fame do not make up for being confined to a small box over 23 hours per day. The equivalent of leaving a dog in a crate all day - EVERY day - then taking it out, making it work and putting it back in the crate.  Worse, really, since dogs are animals who like caves.  Horses are herd animals and crave wide open areas, and the safety of numbers.  (For more information on how racehorses live and are treated click here.

In 2005, I started For The Horse Equine Rescue, in order to help as many horses as I could.  In 2009, I began The Racehorse Experiment.  Now I think I have found a way to help horses help other horses.  The goal is to rehabilitate racehorses, while letting them live natural lives.  When they are ready to return to racing - as a job, not a lifestyle - whatever money they earn will go right into the rescue, providing not only for their future, but that of other horses who need homes.  All horses involved, whether or not they successfully return to racing, will have permanent homes for the rest of their lives - at the rescue.

It's high time the horses benefited from the risks and hard work of racing.