If you have room in your barn now’s the time to bring your shopping cart (i.e., trailer) down to Suffolk Downs. CANTER New England is hosting it’s annual Showcase next Sunday, October 24th from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
The Showcase is an opportunity for trainers to present horses nearing their retirement from racing to a large group of interested buyers. CANTER NE board members and volunteers will run the event and be available to answer questions from prospective buyers.
As the Suffolk Downs racing season nears its November 13 conclusion, CANTER NE’s focus is to help local trainers find new careers for their retired racehorses, be it in competitive jumping, trail riding, or simply lawn-grazing. Horses sold through CANTER NE go directly from their trainers to new homes, eliminating the costly need to care for them at foster facilities. The organization does not benefit financially from these sales.
CANTER NE is excited to build on the success of last year’s showcase, which saw a record turnout of both horses and people. Approximately 80 horses found new homes and careers. CANTER NE hopes to increase participation even more this year as more horse owners discover the possibilities and benefits of owning an ex-racehorse.
Interested parties wanting to learn more about the possibilities of owning an ex-racehorse and those actively looking for horses are encouraged to attend. The event will take place in the stable area and volunteers will be on hand to answer any questions. For more information please visit the CANTER NE website at www.canterne.org, e-mail canterne.events@gmail.com, or contact volunteer Jennifer at 617-208-8906.
This is a fantastic organization that deserves your support. It is entirely staffed by volunteers who work tirelessly to find homes for the horses.
And don’t let anyone tell you that racehorses are 1) too difficult to retrain 2) are all crazy or 3) are all lame. Freedom is a great example of a horse that’s willing, able and fun to ride (okay, I’ll concede that sometimes he’s a bit crazy).
I want to do upper level dressage, and would be THRILLED if my next horse were an ex-racer.
My current horse is, and the only reason we have “soundness” problems is once he discovers how to do something, he does it with as much of his enthusiasm as he can muster. For example, he is currently sore in the back end muscles. In the last two weeks he started to get the idea of bending his hocks and pushing from behind… so continued to attempt to conduct himself as would a Grand Prix horse, despite lacking the muscle and strength to do so, and despite the fact I wasn’t asking that much of him. This horse is an athlete, who by some fluke of nature was built much more suited to dressage than racing. He naturally tries to offer upper level movements despite not being trained for them, and my not having a clue how to ride them yet. He ignores my mistakes as much as possible, as long as I tell him “good boy” every once in a while.
The OTTB mind is AMAZING, and I highly recommend them to anyone!