Coming soon! Please welcome Slicked Back, a low in the totem pole fellow looking for his new adventure partner!
Full details coming soon π΄
Kisses for his adopter!! π
Kisses for his adopter!! π Congratulations to Jessica for recently adopting Unity!! She shares, βLet me tell you about my boy. Unity (now Roman) is the light of my life. We immediately clicked. His favorite hobby is licking my face. His life will be filled with nothing but love, trust, and team workβ¦and of course green pastures! I am so very grateful to have found this boy. I love him so much. I could probably write a book about him, truthfully. He is the most gentle boy who is so eager to learn and grow with me. π€β
As far as adopting from Friends of Ferdinand, she told us, βAdopting from you guys has been a breeze. Your organization made the process easy, but I also appreciated how thorough it was.β
We live for these fairytale endings! We can help you find your dream horse too! π¦ Check out our website to meet our available horses & find out how you can add one to your barn: https://friendsofferdinand.com
Hank & Vinny - Silly Boys
Oh happy day!! π Hank has found his πforever homeπ & itβs with another Friends of Ferdinand graduate who also came home from Puerto Rico just like him! These two silly boys will spend the rest of their lives at the farm of FFIβs President, Erin S.!
If youβve been following along with Hankβs saga, you know itβs been a long journey. When he was racing, Hank (Jockey Club name Haynesfield Best) proudly stood in the winnerβs circle 13 times in his illustrious career. When he was 6 years old, he was claimed out of a race, and his new owners sent him to Puerto Rico to continue his racing career there. He traveled to the island in a container ship β a 1,200 mile journey that is dangerous for a horse. Hank arrived at his new home, and unfortunately, in his very first race in Puerto Rico, he suffered an injury that ended his racing career.
Racehorses retiring on the island have very limited options β they are, quite literally, βtrapped on the rockβ. The sad reality is that many of these horses wind up euthanized or abandoned, due to a lack of space and resources. Hank was very lucky that the hardworking volunteers at Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare Inc., one of our sister Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance-accredited organizations, rescued this sweet gelding. As part of our #PoniesOfTheCaribbean Initiative, we fundraised to bring Hank back home to the mainland to join our retraining program. This time, instead of a cramped and dark container ship, Hank was flown home in an aircraft specially designed for horses β he was going to be getting the first-class treatment he deserved from here on out!
When this warhorse arrived at our barn, he was an instant star. He has a presence about him that is truly special. Once he was settled in to one of our barns in Indiana, Hank received the surgery he needed to clean up his old injuries, as well as lots of love, and much-needed TLC. After he healed, he began training with our western trainer and was doing
#PoniesOfTheCaribbean update! Mantronix being a super good boy for his shockwave therapy appointment.
Shockwave therapy is a great, non-invasive procedure to help horses recovering from injuries, musculoskeletal problems, or inflammation. It also provides pain relief.
Thanks to Horse & Hound Veterinary Clinic for taking good care of our horses & helping them heal! π
Mantronix will continue his way through rehab until he is vet cleared to begin retraining. He is such a sweet, down to earth fellow & is loving life at his foster home in the meantime. This guy is a love bug & is going to make someone a wonderful partner!
Thanks to our friends at Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare Inc. for helping us bring this boy home from Puerto Rico!
βHey, whatβs all this white stuff!?β Mantronix & Peter Castleboy, who we recently brought home from Puerto Rico as part of our #PoniesOfTheCaribbean Initiative, enjoyed playing in the snow that hit central Indiana this week. We arenβt sure, but based on the way Mantronix acted, we think it might have been his first time seeing snow βοΈ
Check out these happy boys! Mantronix is the first through the gate (the chestnut in the blanket), followed by Peter Castleboy. Does the third horse look familiar to you? He should! Thatβs Vindication Alley (aka Vinny) another horse we brought home from Puerto Rico. He graduated from our program & was adopted several years ago by Erin S, who is now fostering our new #PoniesOfTheCaribbean as they prepare to join our retraining program soon. We bet these three are swapping all kinds of wild stories of their travels βοΈ
Thanks to all the generous folks who donated to help us bring these guys home & stay tuned to our pages for updates on them as they work their way through our program & prepare to start meeting adopters! π
Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare Inc.
Adoptable Air Temple has a special New Yearβs message for you! π₯ π
Make sure you follow his trainer Laura on TikTok at @horssportsnaturally for behind the scenes videos of him, as well as more adoptable & soon-to-be-adoptable Friends of Ferdinand horses! (https://www.tiktok.com/@horssportsnaturally?_t=8igLoBAziTT&_r=1)
βOn the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to meβ¦12 fun facts about the Friends of Ferdinand family!β
As we countdown to Christmas, learn an interesting fact about our program every day. Todayβs topic β PASTURE PALS.
Sometimes, we get a wonderful Thoroughbred into our retraining program who, through some past injury, ailment, or limitation, will never be able to be a riding mount. These horses still have a lot of love and life left to give, but finding adopters for them can be a challenge.
We decided to do something about this, and in early 2023, we launched a new facet of our program called Friends of Ferdinand Pasture Pals, with a focus on placing the companion-only horses who come through our barn into long-term homes where they can enjoy the life they so richly deserve.
If you have a lonely horse looking for a companion, an empty field that could sure use an equine to jazz it up, or just want to bring a new horse into your life to pamper, become a Friends of Ferdinand Pasture Pal! Youβll be added to our Pasture Pal list, and when one of these horses becomes available, we will reach out to you to see if itβs a good fit.
To become a Pasture Pal, fill out this form, and we will be in contact with you to help connect you with your perfect companion horse: https://www.cognitoforms.com/FriendsOfFerdinand1/FriendsOfFerdinandPasturePalRequest
You can learn more about us launching our Pasture Pal program here: https://friendsofferdinand.com/blogs/news/friends-of-ferdinand-launches-new-pasture-pals-program
Video: Soon to be adoptable Daily Ritual hoping Santa brings him just what he wants in his stocking β an adopter! Featuring some infamous Thoroughbred snorts! (Daily Ritual is not a member of Pasture Pals, he will be available for adoption as a riding horse! He is just helping us promote this program, as we donβt currently have a Pasture Pal horse in our barn.) Video courtesy of his foster mom, Diana C.
Welcome home, boys!! π΄βοΈ From Peurto Rico all the way to a Indiana. Our #PoniesOfTheCaribbean have arrived safely. From the folks with Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare Inc. in Peurto Rico, to Kelly Lupton providing a great layover for them in Florida, & Crossroads Equine Transport donating a ride all the way home to Indiana for them, thanks to all who made this possible! A special thanks to everyone who donated to our fundraiser to help us bring Mantronix & Peter Castleboy home safe & sound.
They both traveled well (they were exceptional gentleman on their long voyage!) Now, the amazing vet team at Horse & Hound Veterinary Clinic will check them both out & help us determine their next steps.
We are so excited to welcome them home & into our program. Friends of Ferdinand Secretary Diana Cooper was there to greet them the moment they stepped off the van with lots of love. β₯οΈ
Want to support these boys, & the other horses in our program? Consider making a donation here: https://donorbox.org/friendsofferdinand We are a Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance accredited non-profit facility dedicated to retraining & rehoming ex-racehorses π
Why itβs important β Our #PoniesOfTheCaribbean Initiative, where we partner with Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare Inc., helps us bring at-risk horses home from Puerto Rico. Racehorses retiring on the island have very limited options β many are euthanized or abandoned.
We are currently fundraising to bring two new horses home β Mantronix & Peter Castleboy. You can learn more about them & donate to support their journey home here: https://www.facebook.com/donate/7222530097766338/
Here, we share the story of Enough Said (aka Hamilton), one of our previous #PoniesOfTheCaribbean graduates, & why your donations are so important! Hamilton was sent directly to Puerto Rico as a young horse, having never raced on the mainland. He raced just 3 times before injuries necessitated his retirement at age 3. After a previous successful partnership between Friends of Ferdinand and Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare, we fundraised to bring him and his stablemate, Hank, home. And boy are we glad we did!! This big gray is the class clown of our barn. He won us all over immediately with his silly antics and puppy dog personality. His adopter, Heather, unexpectedly lost her heart horse Bisque (also adopted from Friends of Ferdinand), and Hamilton was able to help her heal from that devastating loss.
βHamilton is magical,β Heather shares. βYou just may not realize how magical he is under you fall under his spell. We suspect maybe he was a unicorn at one point, & he just lost his horn somewhere along the way.β He now lives an amazing life with two FFI-adopted brothers, Beach & Limerick, where he provides a constant stream of entertainment for all who know him. He also won the 2023 Friends of Ferdinand Virtual Derby, helping to fundraise to support more ex-racehorses.
Get to know Hamilton in this fun video!
You can help two new horses find their fairytale endings by supporting our latest #PoniesOfTheCaribbean fundraiser. Our Facebook fundraiser ends tonight, & we still
πΆ Leaving on a jet plane!! Our new boys, Mantronix & Peter Castleboy, high in the sky, going from Puerto Rico to Florida, a 1,000+ mile trip. βοΈ
Have you ever seen how a horse is shipped? Follow our new boys on their journey home to see behind the scenes!
#PoniesOfTheCaribbean
Bringing a horse home from Puerto Rico is expensive, & we need your help! If you are able to make a donation to Mantronix & Peter Castleboy on their journey, you can support them here: https://www.facebook.com/donate/7222530097766338/ If you arenβt able to donate but would still like to help, please SHARE this to spread the word.
Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare Inc.
Loaded up!! βοΈ Mantronix & Peter Castleboy, & several other ex-racehorse friends from Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare Inc. loading on their plane to come back to the mainland!
Have you ever seen how a horse is shipped? Follow our new boys on their journey home from Puerto Rico to see behind the scenes!
#PoniesOfTheCaribbean
Bringing a horse home from Puerto Rico is expensive, & we need your help! If you are able to make a donation to Mantronix & Peter Castleboy on their journey, you can support them here: https://www.facebook.com/donate/7222530097766338/ If you arenβt able to donate but would still like to help, please SHARE this to spread the word.
Friends of Ferdinand Inc is the only TAA accredited 501c3 organization in Indiana specializing in the transitioning, retraining&adoption of OTTBs.
