“Can I call you back in a little while?” asked Barbara Luna on a recent wet, cold afternoon. “It’s miserable here, and I want to get the horses fed.”
An hour later, the horses taken care of, Luna can talk. Which she does, willingly, at length, telling the story of how she made a dream come true.
“I found that the horses that I loved the most were the older racehorses,” Luna reflected. “They were harder to adopt. With all the incentives for Thoroughbred show horses, people wanted the younger ones, and it was difficult to get the 7-, 8-, 9-, 10-, even 11-year olds into homes.
“So I thought about starting my own program.”
Continue reading at The Racing Biz…
Photo of System Restore and Hermosillo courtesy of Barbara Luna
Brooklyn Backstretch 
Your continued emphasis on retired race horses is admirable. I’ve long said, that if the industry ever wants to gain new, long-term fans and new owners, it needs to forthrightly and completely address what happens to thoroughbreds when their racing careers are over. Programs such as this (and others you have highlighted) help, but their needs to be a concerted effort on the part of the industry to places retired horses with individuals or groups who agree to properly and completely care for them as they live out their lives.
It never used to be a big deal as to what happened to horses after they stopped racing. It is now, and some who might otherwsie become fans won’t because they don’t like what happens in some instances, post-racing.
I am no bleeding heart animal rights guy, just a 40 year racing fan and handicapper who’d like to see the sport regain just a bit of its old-time fame.
Thanks for reading, JK. While there’s still a long way to go, so much progress has been made, and I always hope that telling these stories will encourage more owners and trainers to do the right thing. The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance is a huge step forward, as is NYTHA’s Take The Lead. Let’s hope more are on the way.