OUR DONORS…..THE HEARTBEAT OF TPR!!!
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 They need your help. Birdie and Wills have both suffered in their past. They bonded and have found strength in their partnership. They need each other and because of your support, we have been able to keep them together while we look for a home. We continue to seek a suitable adopter who will keep them together but this is a very difficult placement since neither is a good riding horse. You can donate directly to Birdie and Wills here. |
 Fixed Income Larry came to us this fall after retiring from racing. He does have some physical issues that will limit his life after racing but Larry has a wonderful temperament and he’s beautiful. He has been castrated, and now will enjoy a rest before receiving the training to enable him to move on to a happy life. All of this happens because of the help and support we receive from our donors and grantors. Donate to help us help horses like Larry. |
 Queenie retired from racing in 2018 only to be given questionable retraining and resold. She ended up being too much horse for her new owner so it was necessary to take her into our training program. All too often horses are rushed and sold before they have a chance to develop the skills or even to understand their new direction in life. The results can be devastating. We are able to give Queenie the skills for a successful future because of you. Donate directly to help Overdriven Queen here. |
 At five months Graycie was rescued by Clark’s mentor in rescue and aftercare. The purchase of Graycie as a yearling is how they met and began Clark’s work with retired racehorses. Graycie, now aged 16, will live out her days in sanctuary with us. She inspired and financed the retirement program we now call Thoroughbred Placement Resources. Almost all of the $85,000 she earned as a racehorse went to helping other racehorses find new lives once their careers ended. Graycie is a sanctuary resident at Leighton Farm. Donate directly to support Clouds Honor here. |
 “Punkie” is about to turn 31 years old! He’s a sanctuary resident at Leighton Farm, the home of Thoroughbred Placement Resources. He is an ambassador of the retired racehorses, demonstrating to everyone who visits how kind and gentle they are. He also represents the commitment we have to providing these horses with the life they deserve. Without your support Punkie would not have this wonderful life where he continues to give. Make a donation to sponsor Punkie here. |
 We were able to find Jed Tennessee a most wonderful home, where he was loved and adored. Although his owner intended to keep him forever, life intervened. Sadly, his adopter suffered serious health issues requiring him to give his beloved horse up. As agreed to in our adoption contract, Jed’s owner contacted us and returned him to our protection. We were there for Jed and his human because of the support we receive from our donors. Donate to help us help horses like Jed. |
NO REFUNDS GETS A NEW LIFE!
A Huge Thank You To Our Donors
No Refunds, or Nora as we call her, retired from racing at the age of 3 years old with chips in her knee. She came to TPR in May and we held a fundraiser to have surgery to remove those chips. This could enable her to lead a sound and pain free life. Due to the generosity of you, our donors, Nora received this much needed surgery from Spurlock Equine who has been instrumental in helping countless horses including Nora. You can donate to help Nora continue to thrive here.
This wonderful filly is currently turned out and enjoying life. This time she will grow and heal from the surgery. Sometime in the spring she will begin retraining and evaluation for placement in her forever home. Nora thanks you for your wonderful gift!
IRISH DECEIVER
Smashing the OTTB Stereotype
Irish Deceiver didn’t even make it to the races, but not because he wasn’t fit physically. He was too easy going to care about getting ahead of his friends, so his connections decided to send him to us at the age of 2 years old. He’s such a lucky horse, because his owner takes great care to ensure his horses enjoy a lovely future after their race careers end. Al Gold supported responsible retirement of racehorses before it was fashionable. We at TPR and the countless horses he has helped thank him for his support.
Irish arrived at Leighton Farm, home base of Thoroughbred Placement Resources, Inc., in 2016. Even at 2 years old, he was extremely bomb proof, trusting and really fun. So many people say Thoroughbreds are high strung and nervous and Irish was anything but that. How could we represent his wonderful nature in our efforts to find him a new home? Well, it was really rather easy, we just allowed him to represent himself in videos. First we asked him to walk over a tarp, something horses normally don’t want to do, but Irish did it first time! Then we fly sprayed him without putting a lead on him and Irish didn’t mind. It soon became a game to see what Irish could do next. I threw a beach ball to his rider and he then threw it back to me, no problem for Irish. Soon after we began to post these videos, we began to get countless inquiries. Irish ended up in Aiken, SC with Shonna Athmann, a very experienced owner who has given this young horse the education he needs for the wonderful life he deserves.
We recently checked in on Irish and Shonna to see how it was going. For the past few years, they have been learning a discipline called Working Equitation. It combines dressage with a gymkhana type event in which the horse must navigate obstacles such as bridges and gates. The goal is to show the partnership between the horse and rider. This has provided a fabulous foundation in his training. So it was only natural that they would work to join The Aiken Volunteer Mounted Unit.Horses have to attend two training “in service” events and then go through the certification test. The in service consists of formation, drill riding and obstacles. Testing consists of side pass, walk and trot a serpentine, turn on the forehand and, stopping, standing, sirens, umbrella opening and the ever-dreaded, walking over a tarp. Addition to all of these accomplishments, Irish has started jump training and has demonstrated a very natural “hunter style”.
There’s a really cool side story to Irish’s story. Just last month, Shonna emailed me to tell me that Bob Alexander called her to help him get Lady Chace, his beloved mare, out on some nice easy trail rides. Bob began to tell Shonna about Lady. When he started to talk about Maryland and TPR, Shonna realized that both horses had come from TPR to Aiken and both had been owned by Al Gold! Small world, isn’t?
If you are participating in #GivingTuesday, please remember the horses. You can donate or hold a FB Fundraiser to benefit TPR and the horses. Contact us and let us help! If every person we reach out to donated just $2 we could keep up our good work!
To DONATE click here. Please spread the word about the important work we are doing.
Birdie and Wills
A Special Bond
“Studies show that horses form lifelong relationships. Birdie and Wills are proof of this and they truly need each other.
Birdie was horribly abused before coming to TPR. Although we gave him extensive training, he is not a good riding horse. Despite his past, he is kind and loving.
Wills is a very insecure horse. He believes you run from danger and ask questions later. Suffering from EPM further depleted his extremely fragile confidence, making him dangerous to ride.
Putting these two friends together has created amazing results. They have formed a strong bond with incredible benefits for their health and well-being. Birdie’s relationship with Wills has enabled him to gain confidence and let go of some of his fear so he can enjoy his life. Wills has found a friend in Birdie. Now he’s not alone which has given him a sense of well-being.
We continue to pursue finding adopters for both horses, but un-rideable horses are extremely difficult to place. It’s no surprise that they are still at Leighton Farm. In 2018 we made the decision to keep them together, offering them for adoption only as a pair. This makes the prospect of finding them a home even more difficult, but it’s in their best interest to stay together.
We held a fundraiser in 2018 that raised the funds to cover the cost of their care for 2019. This enabled us to help more horses such as Nora who is featured on the front page of our newsletter. We also attracted several monthly donors who serve as “foster parents” of Birdie and Wills. The expenses for the proper care of a horse in our area are on average $600 per month and that’s being extremely conservative. Thoroughbreds require more hay, more grain, and more protection for their feet. All this is in addition to the regular required maintenance such as vaccinations, deworming and dental care. The costs add up quickly but our donors have ensured that Birdie and Wills will continue to enjoy a happy and healthy life together!
Donate to keep Birdie and Wills together.
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