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Mellon Estate Gives $5 Million to Horse Adoption Program31 January 2001New York -- Jan. 31, 2001 -- As reported by Bloodhorse.com: ``The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF), the nation's largest organization providing homes for retired and injured racehorses, has received a $5 million endowment gift from the estate of horseman Paul Mellon. And according to TRF president John Stuart, that amount represents just the beginning of a major funding drive. "Gifts like this grow an organization, legitimize it," Stuart said. "We're hoping to match that sum over the next year. As we take in more horses, our expenses go up. This is a big problem, one that will cost several million dollars a year if we're to continue to do it right." In 2000, the TRF operated on a budget of around $750,000. ``…Currently the organization has some 350 horses in its care, and estimates that number will grow by at least 100 per year. The TRF plans to invest the lion's share of the $5 million. "Not all our horses can be recycled. If a horse breaks his leg and isn't going to be able to become a jumper, that's an expense. That horse will be with us a long time. The horses from Greentree Farm, including Bowl Game, we've been feeding those guys for six years now." ``The TRF is involved in several new programs around the country wherein it works closely with racetracks to save at-risk horses from the slaughterhouse. At Charles Town Races in West Virginia, for instance, the TRF gives trainers a credit in their horsemen's account if they sell a horse to TRF rather than to killers. ``…The TRF's goal is to have someone on each backside of every racetrack in the country so when a horse breaks down, its trainer can bring it to a designated barn or stalls instead of passing it on to the slaughterhouse. Although one likes to think that trainers care about their horses enough to do the right thing, that's not always the case. "At the Northampton Fair in Massachusetts, when the meet ended, 23 horses were left behind. Just left there," said Stuart. "We went over there and got them all. It happens. ``…As a residual benefit, the TRF farms are often affiliated with correctional institutions, giving inmates a chance to not only learn a marketable skill, but to build their self-esteem and pride. After just 18 months of operation, the Blackburn facility in Lexington has had five former inmates procure jobs in the horse business..." |