all in Aftercare

Gabrielle Pearce developed a passion for horses at a young age, starting with ponies. As her confidence in the saddle grew, she transitioned to off-track Thoroughbreds (OTTBs). One of her earliest experiences with an ex-racehorse was riding Mr. Martini, an older Thoroughbred known for his calm and level-headed demeanor. He became the perfect bridge between ponies and larger horses, helping Gabrielle build the confidence and skills necessary to become a successful rider.

My 2025 Thoroughbred Makeover story starts like most of my stories do — with questionable decision-making skills. I sat in my house scrolling on social media one frigid January evening, a barn full of personal and client horses just a couple hundred yards away. As I took in the dozens of horse-related posts that fill my newsfeed, one made me stop and backtrack. A cute chestnut with four white socks and a blaze caught my eye.

River Shannon and I have been together since December 2023, and we’ve had quite the journey so far! “River” is my first off-track Thoroughbred (OTTB), and I adopted him from the Secretariat Center in Lexington, Ky. I explained to Shelley Mann, Director of the Secretariat Center at the time I adopted him, that I had recently retired my heart horse from competition, so my new project horse would have pretty big shoes to fill.

A few months after the 2022 Hillsdale County Fair in Hillsdale, Mich., Riley Clark began her search for a new horse. Her previous CANTER Michigan adoptee, Grander Plan (now known as Prince), had been a great fit, but Riley was looking for a younger Thoroughbred to retrain so she could eventually retire her competition mare. She also wanted to free up Prince to be primarily her dad’s horse.

Riley started her search at CANTER Michigan, where several horses caught her eye. However, it was a young mare named Tack Wise who truly captured her heart.

In the fall of 2020, Elizabeth McDougald had no plans to adopt a horse when she visited Horse and Hound Rescue Foundation in Guthrie, Okla. She was there to pick up a horse for one of her students, but with so many promising horses at the facility, she decided to look for a project horse for herself. Horse and Hound, an accredited Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance organization, specializes in retraining ex-racehorses and finding them new careers.

newsletter sign-up

Stay up-to-date with the best from America's Best Racing!

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Instagram TikTok YouTube
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Instagram TikTok YouTube