Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation Second Chances program celebrates 20 years

The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation is nationally renowned for its Second Chances program at various incarceration facilities, which provides a lifelong home for retired racehorses while instilling vocational and life skills in inmates. Two decades ago, that program, appropriately, came to the Thoroughbred Capital of the World, and this week, the TRF will celebrate the 20th year of the program's implementation at the Blackburn Correctional Complex in Lexington, Ky.

“The impact of this public-private partnership cannot be overstated,” Kimberly Weir, director of major gifts and planned giving for the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, said in a release. "For two decades, the TRF Second Chances program at Blackburn has provided hundreds of aging equine athletes with a safe, secure sanctuary for the remainder of their days, while opening doors to new careers for hundreds of men seeking their own second chances as contributing members of society. This unique and powerful collaboration is a shining example of a program that truly makes the world a better place.”

To celebrate the anniversary of the TRF-Blackburn partnership, on Nov. 6, the program will host a unique horse show to showcase and raise awareness for the program. Guests will visit the TRF Second Chances barn, classroom, and paddocks, and will meet the horses, program manager, Blackburn Correctional Complex leadership and the incarcerated men who work with the horses. The men in the program will “show” their horses by demonstrating grooming, ground handling, and general anatomy knowledge to the audience.

“We look forward to celebrating this significant milestone in our partnership with the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation on Nov. 6, and welcome this opportunity to showcase the meaningful impact that the retired racehorses enable us to make on the lives of the men here at Blackburn," warden Amy Robey said in a release. “Not only is this program beneficial for the retired Thoroughbreds, it benefits our staff, the community, and the offenders working in the program. The offenders learn patience, a sense of empathy, trust, and responsibility, which they take with them when they return to the community.”