Securing
The Future Of The Athletes Of The Equine World
We
love to watch them. We love to bet on them. We love the excitement
of the crowd on race days. But how often do we think of the fate
of retired thoroughbreds?
One
person who became all too painfully aware of just how insecure the
future of a retired racehorse can be is Carrie Humble. After a number
of careers in the United States, Carrie returned to the UK and spent
much of 1991 helping to prepare thoroughbred stock for sales. "It
was then that I saw at first hand just what can happen to a racehorse
that has come to the end of its athletic career," she said.
It
was then that Carrie came up with the idea of the Thoroughbred Rehabilitation
Centre (TRC), and ten years ago she achieved charitable status for
the organisation. The TRC's objective is to work with the racing
world to try to rehabilitate former racehorses so that they can
be re-homed in a caring environment. And visitors to the Midlands
Equine Fair taking place at the Three Counties Showground, Malvern,
on 8 and 9 March, will have the ideal opportunity to see the work
of the organisation at first hand as Carrie and her team work some
of their equine pupils.
The
success of the TRC has grown and grown since its inception. After
five years at the Birkrigg Park Arabian Stud where the TRC had only
seven boxes and five acres, demand was such that the organisation
moved to its present location, former livery stables at Poplar Grove
Farm in Nateby, Lancashire. Here, the TRC leases 24 stables in 50
acres of land which include an outdoor manege and a cross country
course. Since 1998 the TRC has added an indoor school, field shelters
and a 'join-up' arena.
Thoroughbred
Rehabilitation Centre founder Carrie Humble with one of her charges
And
continual growth is necessary of the TRC is to make a difference.
Said Carrie: "Hundreds of horses leave racing each year, and
many end up in the sale room where there is no control over their
destination. This is where well intentioned by inexperienced buyers
can find themselves with a bargain nightmare on their hands - a
highly-strung, finely-tuned, race-trained blood equine. It's a bit
like buying a Formula 1 racing car when in reality all you were
looking for was a family saloon."
The
problem does not end there. When faced with what appears to be a
troublesome animal, the inexperienced owner does not necessarily
turn to the right people for advice. In unsympathetic hands these
horses can become dangerous, branded as a bad lot and the first
step in the cycle of neglect is taken.
The
TRC works from within the racing world because the team there recognise
the pressures that trainers are under to achieve results. As a consequence,
the TRC works hard to provide trainers and owners who care about
the future of their animals with solutions and alternatives that
work.
Foremost
in the TRC's objectives is to provide a safe environment with experienced,
quality care so that former racing thoroughbreds can be re-educated
and trained for other uses. Such horses are given time to adjust
and relax before they are asked to rethink their way of working.
Horses that have been trained to race often find this difficult,
but the TRC makes this transition as pleasant and positive as possible.
When
a horse has reached a sensible, contented conversion, it becomes
available for re-homing. It remains the property of the TRC and
is loaned out under very specific conditions to ensure its lifelong
welfare.
The
TRC will be attending the Midlands Equine Fair in the Top Equestrian
Arena. There, visitors will be able to see 'before and after' and
ask questions about the work of the charity. Further information
about the TRC is available by logging on to its website - www.equine-world.co.uk/trc
- or by calling 01995 605007.
Tickets
for the Midlands Equine Fair are available in advance from Contour
Exhibitions & Events by calling 08700 115007 and advance booking
discounts are available. Further information and leaflets are available
by calling 01884 841644, or by logging on at www.contour.uk.net.
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