all in Horse Country

Allison Moorhead and her mother, Robin, first met Concord Joe at Horse and Hound Rescue Foundation in May 2018. The 2013 Kentucky-bred gelding had raced 13 times between 2016 and 2018, earning $33,254. Robin immediately fell in love with Joe, a sweet and gentle giant, but at the time, another tall, dark bay named Yarnaby Road also caught her eye. In the end, Roadie went home with them.

As I pulled out of the Kentucky Horse Park last October after another successful Thoroughbred Makeover – ending in third place with Prince Loki in eventing – I looked over at my husband and swore I was going to take 2025 off. But as we all know, with horses that is rarely ever the case. I had no idea the phone call I would receive in a month would completely change my mind.

“The moment I first saw him, I fell in love,” says Jen Murdoch, barn manager of Willowbrooke Farm, a CANTER Michigan facility.

CANTER Michigan (Communication Alliance to Network Thoroughbred Ex-Racehorses) has been transitioning racehorses into second careers since 1998. Turnagain Tide, affectionately known as “Turner,” was one of the lucky horses taken in by the program.

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.

Heather Rowan had always dreamed of owning a horse, and for her adoption was the only option. “I knew how special Thoroughbreds were, and I was thrilled at the chance to give one of these magnificent horses a loving home for the next chapter of their life,” Heather shared. Knowing that CANTER Michigan consistently offers exceptional horses, she decided to submit an adoption application.

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