Unless you live in the southernmost and westernmost parts of our country, you had a heck of a winter, and you’re glad that in the last few weeks we’ve occasionally been able to string together a few days of above-freezing temperatures.
Unless you’re in Saratoga, which is, as I write this at 7:30 am, 30 degrees; the low today is expected to be 7. There’s snow in the forecast for two days this week, and plenty of white stuff still on the ground. As my parents have said too many times, with more than a little grimness, “This winter is never going to end.”
Like us, animals eat more when it’s cold out. The cats on the Oklahoma backstretch get more food from their caretaker, Michele Jennings, and she gives them more canned food than usual, because they expend so much energy trying to keep warm.
Horses are no different, and at Old Friends at Cabin Creek, just outside Saratoga, the horses have gone through an awful lot of feed as they’ve managed this bone-chilling winter.
Yesterday, farm manager JoAnn Pepper appealed to her 350 Facebook to each make a $10 donation to help offset the farm’s “enormous” feed bills. “Our 15 beautiful retired/rescued thoroughbreds have had a difficult winter,” she wrote. “If all of you could each donate $10, we could feed the horses for weeks.”
Thoroughbred owner Mike Repole has agreed to match any donations that come in through the appeal.
A couple of clicks. Your $10 donation gets doubled, and you help feed the horses. And while you’re at it, like the Old Friends at Cabin Creek Facebook page, too. JoAnn and the farm’s volunteers do a great job of keeping fans updated with photos, news, and upcoming events.
Brooklyn Backstretch 
Had trouble with the direct donation links here, but I just went to their website and used the one there with no problem.
I heard about some other people having trouble, too– but glad that you were able to do it from the site. I’ll look into the link problems. Thanks–
I visited Old Friends yesterday to say hello to my buddy Mr. Cool and to drop off a feed bill donation. I was the only visitor there. Old Friends is such a very special place and JoAnn and her volunteers give the horses the very best of care. Despite the tough winter, all of them looked wonderful. Mr. Cool was his usual bossy self. I would urge everyone to take advantage of the matching donation opportunity and send funds to pay down the feed bill.
Thank you for posting this, Teresa. Old Friends at Cabin Creek represents the very best in retirement care for thoroughbred racehorses and it deserves our support.
Thanks for the update, Andrea–great to hear about Cool N Collective, and I agree: it’s a wonderful place. Last I heard, Old Friends had received nearly $1,000 in donations yesterday.
Just wonderful and hats off to Mr. Repole, an owner who loves the horse as much as he loves the game.
Very cool of him to have offered to match the donation.
Nice article
Will donate – hopefully Repole will match if we give more than
$10. Also will match if we mail it in..
Sort of a nice gesture by him, but in this Triple Crown season, he should offer to TRIPLE every contribution…
Not too late, Mike.
Repole has been a generous supporter of Old Friends since its inception. As I understand it, he’ll match whatever total donations are made to this appeal.
Why didn’t Mike Repole retire My Man Marty to Old Friends?
It seems to me, Susan, that that is a question best asked of Mike Repole directly, rather than here, in a transparent attempt to undermine both Old Friends’ appeal and Repole’s generosity.