Track to Trail Thoroughbreds- rehab, rehoming, and rescue of ex-racehorses

12/20/2024

Volunteers love all the horses. But sometimes you have a favorite. Or two. Or three. Do you ever play the game- if I could adopt a horse, which would it be? It’s hard to pic just one!

This is Teddy or Jc SunnynSeventyFive

He’s a sweet sweet guy. But he’s a lot of horse! He would love a home w obstacles, Liberty, targeting, scent work, he’s just so curious and likes to be kept busy doing “stuff”.

Volunteer Lilly is pretty sweet on him. And Cypress. And Clay. And JT 🤣

Our next orientation is Monday Jan 6 th at 2:30. Application on our website!

12/20/2024

Feed me Friday is here!

Call the store or stand some holiday cheer virtually. It’s needed every day if every week. If you know Thoroughbreds you know how much they go thru!

Here’s the original post w the details! Thank you thank you! We have some coming in already from Patti and Sue! Let’s keep it going! Show your love!

Feed me Friday!
Posting early so more see it!

Right now and thru the whole winter season we really need to bulk up!

Hay from Hsy Naples comes every week. You can send $ to the horses account thru the QR code in comments

Another great way to help us call our feed store directly

Mini alfalfa cubes and Purina Strategy Heslthy Edge. Both at Sutherlands our local feed store!

We got bags from Enrique and Pauline earlier this week. We need about 8 total of each a week depending on the number of horses here! We also use Peanut hay which is just $20 a bale !

(786) 895-8014

You can fo individual items or just a certain $ amount. Every little bit helps! You can also join our monthly sponsors which help provide a more stable source of feed. One time, many times, monthly - all appreciated for these amazing horses

We have coggins tests for many coming up. That’s $65 each if you have a favorite horse that’s cool to help w too.!

12/19/2024

One of our horses has a lot of anxiety during feeding times if there’s another horse nearby.

This particular video is after they’ve eaten, but there’s still a food bucket in the horses stall next to him he shows no bad behavior towards his human feeders or handlers, but a lot towards his equine partners. He may kick lunge, bite and has a host of behavior that go along with this if they approach.

I’ve not found the root of the problem yet. Here I was sitting quietly with him seeing if there was anything in particular that would trigger him- trying to learn more about this behavior

12/19/2024

🎄Christmas Eve 🎄
We will be at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort In Estero FL

11-1 Come meet the ex racehorses, get your picture taken and help us raise a little hay!

Our favorite event of the year. The Hyatt is an amazing resort and they treat everyone like family. It’s an extraordinary Resort

We are in Naples, Florida and provide rescue, aftercare, rehoming and training to off track Thoroughbreds.

Offering Sanctuary where necessary.

We have a robust volunteer program and extensive educational opportunities

Join us poolside!

12/19/2024

It’s so important that we understand these things

W any of our classes we spend a large part discussing the horse and considering their viewpoint

Behavior issues, physically not being able to perform - its something to always keep in mind

I remember a few years back we had a horse coming off rehab. They had not been ridden much in the last 8 months and the human visiting him was saying they wanted to enter a 150 mile historical cattle drive across FL with this particular horse .

When I tried explaining the horse would not be fit for that in their current condition they looked at me like I had 3 heads. Of course the horse could do this- he’s a horse after all.

Oy vey

12/18/2024

Feed me Friday!
Posting early so more see it!

Right now and thru the whole winter season we really need to bulk up!

Hay from Hsy Naples comes every week. You can send $ to the horses account thru the QR code in comments

Another great way to help us call our feed store directly

Mini alfalfa cubes and Purina Strategy Heslthy Edge. Both at Sutherlands our local feed store!

We got bags from Enrique and Pauline earlier this week. We need about 8 total of each a week depending on the number of horses here! We also use Peanut hay which is just $20 a bale !

(786) 895-8014

You can fo individual items or just a certain $ amount. Every little bit helps! You can also join our monthly sponsors which help provide a more stable source of feed. One time, many times, monthly - all appreciated for these amazing horses

We have coggins tests for many coming up. That’s $65 each if you have a favorite horse that’s cool to help w too.!

12/17/2024

Sitting under the bamboo with Judiths Tango (JT) watching the clouds go by as the sun sets.

Horses can bring you all kinds of things. Peace is one. Friendship is another. Take care of your equine friends. It’s so easy for them to slip into bad hands.

Before I ran a rescue I had no idea. Actually probably the first few years I was blissfully ignorant.

My eyes are open now but often my heart is sad. Will our horses find homes that will care for them? Will they be a novelty for a year or so? Will they really find a home that’s loving and permanent?

These are the things I worry about sometimes on these quiet nights. Somehow sitting here. Listening to him munch hay- it makes good things seem possible.

12/17/2024

Busy day from Homeschool to volunteers coming to help to Hay arriving! Whew!

We have 2 spots open for our next homeschool class in Jan and also we have a volunteer orientation early Jan.

Info in our website!

12/16/2024

Our hay cart is broken!

The Vermont Cart is what I started an originally. It lasted 10 years w the heat and humidity and being outside. It distributes the weight so it’s easy to lug hat bales feed or whatever! Tried a less costly version and we didn’t get that much time out of it

We have soft uneven sand and this makes it possible!

Here’s the link if you would like to be a secret or not so secret Santa!

The carts Vermont M26 large Garden cart handles over 400lbs. of loads with ease! Also available in the mid-size version - the M20!

12/15/2024

Teddy At Liberty- they have been playing in the arena for about 10 minutes. Teddys not 100 percent interested in the ball yet but he is in people! They have had a few great sessions together.

12/15/2024

Broken fence boards Nobody is taking credit but they are supervising the repair. Just in case

I can’t say enough about how cool ex racehorses are

They are smart and funny and honestly better company than most people.

This is Took it From Him and Bibliotecario- both injured in racing at Gulfstream but living the good life.

12/14/2024

What’s your opinion?

I saw this w a description of —what a great rider. — and this picture.

12/14/2024

Morning from Louie! Drinking his soup. He hardly ever drinks from the water trough anymore so not sure if he’s just picky and prefers this? I might try a few different flavored waters- what you see called a water buffet and see if he has a preference. Last time I made him a carrot smoothie he refused it! That was a favorite for him in the past

If you don’t know- LuJean or Louie is our most senior senior. Not many teeth and no grinding teeth so he has to drink his meals.

12/13/2024

Just a few pics! At the Hyatt!

12/13/2024

Speaking of yesterdays Liberty post
What the first thing you purposely do when you begin a Liberty session?

For me, it’s I catch their eye. A look of interest in them. Fun. Partnership. A feeling I try to convey

It’s us, together Not me, telling you, the horse, what to do.

This is one of our horses. He’s a bit of a smartie pants. He really enjoys engagement. As does Teddy. They are the two easiest horses to work with. After that I would say Stevie.

Racehorse- ex racehorse- liberty horse- friend. He’s all that.

12/13/2024

Sharing a meal under the bamboo on Feed Me Friday
Both sanctuary horses rely on us to provide what they need. Not just at intake but throughout their lives.

It’s a hard, expensive process. Many rescues are filling w sanctuary horses. Those that have medical issues, unridable and deemed by many as “ worthless”. I’ll tell you nothing could be further. Injuries and neglect cases- they take a toll on the horses bodies. But they are never worthless.

We do have options to sponsor horses here w a monthly contribution to hay or grain - reach out if you are interested- just $50 will buy 100 pounds of food each month! We go thru over $4k per month at the bare minimum in hay and grain and cubes!

We are in Naoles FL. If you can adopt and provide a loving home or volunteer- that would be even more amazing!

12/12/2024

Any liberty people out there?

Lots of discussions going on now how it can be very forceful and not consider the horse

I’ve not personally seen this as there are not many y people that I actually see doing any kind of liberty

What I can say is that personally I use liberty to bring horses in and out of stalls, turn out, mostly a working type of liberty.

And I do use a whip

But here’s the thing.

I want the horse to move on their own idea, but I want to be able yo reinforce it as well

Example s horse turning out stops in a gate. Normally I could spend the time not using the whip and get the horse to decide to go thru on his own

But at a rescue, we have horses coming and going. Not all horses know or can perform something on cue- so when that horse stops, and there’s another horse coming right at us, I might use the whip by lifting it up encourage forward movement. Rather than risk maybe a safety issue or the other horse trying to barge thru the gate while the other horse is standing there

So doesn’t happen often, but I carry it just in case. Sometimes a horse might want to pick on another horse. Move him off the hay basket- there are many- and if I carry the ship it’s a lot less likely.

So I’m wondering if anyone else out there does this. Working Liberty. And if so, do you carry it use a whip? I don’t think any kind of treat based positive reinforce can help in the moment.

I do believe wholeheartedly that it has wonderful success in training sessions.

In a turn out environment with many horses that have varying degrees of Liberty training, I do bring the whip - not to hit them- but it does give them the idea that I’m serious about things. It’s less about their choice and more about working w out tack , going where we need to go and safety

But maybe there are folks out there that don’t agree w this and say the whip has no place

What’s your opinion? To me it seems like a quick way to ensure safety w a large group of big horses but I wonder if down the road I will find a better way and look back at this post and feel I was not forward thinking in these methods.

I’m curious if anyone uses liberty in this way rather than more of an artistic approach. I think if I had a few horses that were mine, a stable herd population then I would feel differently then w a larger number of horses that come and go as they do in rescue.

Stevie and Typhoon are the first to start on one if the group hay baskets in turn out after a meal - most of the horses come in to eat in stalls or paddocks then go back out for hay when they finish.

And they are all sweet w people, it’s w each other sometimes they don’t get along and you need to be a bit of a referee 💕

12/12/2024

Feed me Friday!
It’s coming up!

Call Sutherland General Store and order (hours 8-6)
786-895-8014
Grain - Purina Strategy Healthy Edge $25 a bag
Mini Alfalfa Cubes $20 a bag
Timonthy Cubes $20 a bag

Or send it directly to the horses, you can check out our website or look to the QR code in the comments

Last week we were most generously helped by

Kim Down the Street
Haywire Ranch
Deb
Mikayla
Karin
Karen and Poppy
Alex
Pam
Anne
Noreen
Patti (she did Louies vet bill!!)
Simona

New volunteers Laura and Joanna

Feed and Hay runs about $4.5K per month depending on how many horses we have.

Remember, that even the smallest amounts, when mulitplied help so much. So don't feel like you can't help - you can!

And really we have some spectacular kind and beautiful horses looking for homes. Adopting and providing care for life is one of the greatest gifts you can give a horse.

We have volunteer opportunities on Mondays

We are in Golden Gate Estates, Naples FL

We go thru 8-10 bags a week on average.

Call the feed store and order something up - I will go fetch!
Here is their number
Sutherland General Store
(786) 895-8014

You can also Venmo or PayPal. I’ll put those links below
Our Amazon list is also full of needed items from new security lights, to cotton wrap, and so much!

Help a horse and buy him something to eat. Holiday season is coming so that’s another great reason. Or seriously adopt one of our horses! They are so amazing!