CANTER placed more than 1,000 horses in 2012

LEXINGTON, Ky. – CANTER, the free service that lists retiring racehorses to help them find new non-racing homes, last year placed 1,015 off-the-track Thoroughbreds in second careers, the organization said.

The group, whose name stands for the Communication Alliance to Network Thoroughbred Ex-Racehorses, listed the horses for a total of 596 trainers at 30 racetracks nationwide. CANTER volunteers made more than 600 visits to racetracks to meet with retiring horses’ owners and/or trainers, the group said in a release. They photographed the horses, wrote descriptions of the horses, and collected contact information for the CANTER website listings. The site, which lists the available horses for free, received a total of 651,783 visits, including 455,647 from returning visitors.

The Jockey Club’s Thoroughbred Incentive Program, which committed $100,000 for restricted Thoroughbred show classes and high-point show awards, has helped CANTER’s efforts to promote the value of ex-racehorses in second careers such as hunter shows, show-jumping, three-day eventing, and other endeavors. This year, 375 horse shows throughout North America will participate in the Thoroughbred Incentive Program.