From the TRF website:

The Second Chances Program is a unique and pioneering program where inmates build life skills while participating in a vocational training program as they provide supervised care to our retired racehorses. Located at correctional facilities in eight states, inmates from every imaginable background take part in a rigorous training program where they learn horse anatomy, how to care for injuries, equine nutrition and other aspects of horse care. Graduates of the program receive a certification based on the level of expertise they have mastered. After their release from prison, graduates of the TRF Second Chances Program have gone on to careers as farriers, vet assistants, and caretakers.

What Makes the Second Chances Program Different

The inmates must learn about protecting a sentient creature; they have to think about a living thing other than themselves. The Second Chances Program is distinctive among vocational prison education because it is based on the horse, a being requiring complex care and training.

But vocational education doesn’t just help the inmates. The TRF program rehabs ex-racehorses, a concept known as “aftercare.”

Horses go to TRF with various needs due to age, injury or circumstance. Aftercare helps keep them from possible abuse and neglect. If they can’t be retrained as riding horses, or are not suitable for a particular program, they will go to a sanctuary farm managed by TRF staff who aren’t in the corrections system.

The Program’s Impact

In prison management, the focus is about keeping the population quieter, increasing positive communication, and tempering behavior, says TRF Director of Major Gifts and Planned Giving, Kim Weir. The inmates see improved self-esteem and gain a greater sense of purpose.

A warden at the flagship men’s program at the Walkill, N.Y., facility comments that the Second Chances Program constructively impacts all the people who work in the prison, including the women’s staff. Corrections news can be “dark” much of the time, but the equine education helps provide a positive environment, and the staff is part of a project having a favorable outcome.

Participants in the program, many of whom don’t have experience with horses, are each responsible for the care of four horses, including their feeding, stall cleaning and general health. They work an eight-hour day, and the hands-on education is supplemented with a course in Equine Science Management from the College of Central Florida.

Helping Incarcerated Women

The Second Chances Program at Lowell Correctional Institute in Ocala, Fla., specializes in incarcerated women. Most are convicted of drug offenses; violent offenders aren’t allowed in the program.

Chelsea O’Reilly, program manager, says the Second Chances training gives inmates “a different kind of teacher.” They learn how to diagnose a creature “who can’t tell what’s wrong with words.”    

O’Reilly comments that “the women are more open about their emotions than the men; they are forthcoming.”

The Department of Corrections (DOC) supported the idea of the women’s program; historically, women have not had as much opportunity for vocational rehabilitation in prison as men. Many are mothers, so they are eager to earn the credit of completing the program and get out to see their kids.

“I don’t have to worry about them running away,” says John Evans, former program director, of the women who qualify for the program. “The women are a lot less angry when they bond with a horse.”

To qualify for the program, the women must be within a few years of being released from the facility. After graduation, they get referred to work primarily at horse facilities or a non-equine job where the focus and communication tools they learned can be applied.

Lauren Vanucci, a former hunter/jumper rider, served a sentence for DWI manslaughter, wherein the victim was paralyzed. After graduation from the program, she was hired in a client relations position by Niall Brennan, a leading racehorse trainer in Ocala, Fla.

Vanucci says that the skills she learned from Second Chances, such as how to be a team player and how to be a leader for yourself, apply to any kind of work.                       

Lowering Recidivism

The DOC cites an average 20 percent recidivism rate (a measure of the tendency of convicted individuals to reoffend). Studies have shown a reduction in recidivism rates at facilities that host the Second Chances Program.

According to Weir, their behavior prior to release improves, providing more reason for the parole board to end their sentence, and helping prevent them from going back to prison after release.

Evans also maintains a broad spectrum of contacts in the horse industry that help newly released participants with finding jobs.

Funding and Donations for Second Chances

The funding supporting the horses initially came from the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association. Currently, TRF is supported by private donations.

Donors are prompted in part, says Weir, by the belief that humans brought racehorses into the world for entertainment, so the horses deserve to have a healthy, happy life. The second reason is that the Second Chance Program is profoundly changing the lives of inmates.

The racing industry also contributes to Second Chances through promotion in broadcasting and media; Gulfstream Park and Santa Anita Park had a race named in honor of the program on the same day.

“They are teaching generations about equine aftercare,” says Weir.

There are some famed former racehorses in the Second Chances herd, including Shake You Down, who earned more than $1.4 million on the track. He recently passed away at the age of 23, but had been retired to the TRF’s Second Chances Farm at the Lowell Correctional Institution for Women in Ocala, Fla., for 15 years.

Hemingway’s Key, who placed third in the 2006 Preakness Stakes, was another favorite at Lowell who relocated to an adjacent farm in 2021 to become a part of the TRF’s Second Chances Juvenile Program. There, he helps give at-risk youth (young men ages 12-18) a chance to learn hands-on training in animal skills and life skills that they can use once released.

Skills Learned

Even the veterinarian visits spark thinking skills, as the vet asks inmates gathered there: “What would you look for? Why did this (condition) happen? How would you prevent this from happening? How do you treat it?”

O’Reilly notes the interdependence of the horse-human bond. The horse needs the inmate to care for its health, and the inmate needs the horse to learn about the benefit of bonding in nature to diffuse the effect of the tiled, cement-covered and loud environment they live in. The connection provides purpose with support and structure.

Confidence may be hard-won for those who end up in prison, but it can result from learning how to be sensitive to a horse while handling and training such a large animal and keeping it healthy.

More on the Second Chances Program

To learn more about TRF’s Second Chances Program, visit their website here. If you have felt moved by learning how much these horses and inmates impact each other’s lives for the better, consider donating. The program relies on donations, rather than government grants, to continue.

This article about the Second Chances Program appeared in the October 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Second Chances: Inmates and Thoroughbreds Helping Each Other appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

“I have to start out pretty early to be there by 7:30 a.m.,” she says. “But it’s worth it—you do whatever you have to do to help the animals.”

Spellmeyer became a volunteer at Longmeadow in 2010—about the same time she returned to the St. Louis, Missouri area. She didn’t have much experience with horses then, but she was willing to learn and eager to connect with the community.

“I really knew nothing [about horses] and I was quite fearful of these huge animals,” she recalls. “But when I moved back to the St. Louis area, I was at a kind of loss. I didn’t have any children to raise, so I thought, ‘Let’s see [what’s happening at] Longmeadow,’ and I thought about volunteering.”

Volunteer Hours for Horses

Spellmeyer is not alone. According to the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics, more than 62 million people volunteered for an organization between 2014 and 2015. More than 41 percent of those became involved with the organization of their own accord without being asked to help out.

More specifically, the 2017 American Horse Council (AHC) survey revealed that 1.37 million people were involved in horse-related volunteer activities. And in 2018, the service of each volunteer was valued at $24.69 per hour, according to Independent Sector, a national membership organization of nonprofits, foundations and corporations.

Statistics notwithstanding, volunteerism is critical to the success of most horse adoption organizations, says Jennifer Williams, Ph.D., executive director and founder of the Bluebonnet Equine Humane Society in College Station, Texas, and author of How To Start and Run A Rescue.

“We only have one employee—me—so almost everything at the rescue is done by volunteers, from serving on the board and fundraising to marketing and checking up on adopted horses,” says Williams. “There’s a tremendous amount that goes into the work behind the scenes that [allows] the rescue [to operate].”

A Job for Everyone

Much of that work involves interacting with horses, according to Tawnee Preisner, president of the Horse Plus Humane Society. So horse-savvy volunteers at Horse Plus do everything from grooming to exercising.

“They also assist our trainer with working the horses and data collection while the trainer is evaluating horses,” says Preisner. “The volunteers are also able to exercise the horses on trail rides on occasion, which is the highlight of volunteering [for many].”

At Longmeadow, the animal shelter for the Humane Society of Missouri (HSMO), volunteers are called ranch assistants, and they do everything from feeding and watering to cleaning stalls and mowing grass, says Anne McLaughlin, HSMO communications coordinator.

“They also provide our horses with positive human interaction and support a horse’s comfort and confidence around new people,” McLaughlin adds.

But while most horse adoption organizations rely on volunteers to do all kinds of tasks, becoming a volunteer generally requires more than just showing up. In fact, most organizations require that volunteers undergo training programs and more.

“We ask all [prospective] volunteers to complete an application and pay a $10 fee,” says Jerry Finch, founder of Habitat for Horses. “The fee does two things: it removes those who only want to show up for a couple of hours and never come back, and covers the cost of the criminal background check, which we do on everyone.”

In addition, all volunteers are required to sign a release holding the organization harmless from liability, and each is given a copy of the organization’s rules, including no hand-feeding and putting a hand on a horse while walking around it.

“There are hundreds of little things that experienced horse people know, but new folks never [do],” says Finch. “Those are what we want to convey to them.”

At most organizations, volunteers may sign up for specific duties or for consistent scheduling. But generally, volunteer scheduling is more fluid.

“Volunteering can be a hard thing to fit in everyone’s busy lives, so we post volunteer opportunities and let people volunteer for as many or as few as they can fit in,” says Williams. “Some volunteers may only be able to give a few hours per year.”

Types of Volunteer Work Required for Horses

What’s important is that prospective volunteers understand that most of their horse-related activities, from feeding to mending fences, requires hard work.

“Some people think they will come and ride or groom the horses, [but] there’s a lot to learn first,” says Spellmeyer. “It’s hard work. You’re in work boots all the time and you have to wear heavy jeans. When it’s hot you’re out working, when it’s rainy you’re out working, and when it’s cold you’re out working.”

Even so, volunteers need not be horse savvy to help out at most organizations. For instance, along with caring for the horses, Spellmeyer’s volunteer duties also include leading guided tours of the facility and lending a hand with children’s horse camp activities in the summer.

“We do a lot of tours,” says Spellmeyer. “And I think our job is to educate the next generation—to teach them how to care for animals.”

Meanwhile, some of Bluebonnet’s volunteers perform administrative work, help plan fundraisers and other events, and manage the organization’s public relations and social media activities. Others check up on horses that have already been adopted or are residing in foster homes.

“There is a form with questions to ask the foster home/adopter to fill out, and a list of photos to take,” Williams explains. “That’s all sent to the inspection coordinator, who reviews it. If there’s a problem, we deal with it.”

Star Power

Finally, its location near Nashville allows Horse Plus to benefit from a group of high-profile volunteers, some of whom are not experienced equestrians.

“Our celebrity volunteers are a tremendous asset to raising awareness of our organization,” says Preisner. “They include actress Payton Christian, who helps with auction rescues and intake, plus singers Ryan Hinkle, Templeton Thompson and Sam Gay, who perform free concerts at our events. Payton has been a huge asset because she has such a big network, and we’re starting to see other professionals volunteer their time and expertise from her network.”

Brought up around horses since her childhood, Christian initially visited Horse Plus last year as a prospective adopter after her own horse died at age 36. Since then, she has adopted a horse and fostered others.

“When a horse goes on to be adopted, I can speak honestly when the adopters ask about his behavior or temperament,” she says of her experience fostering.

Christian has also assisted in rescue operations and with a one-day clinic in California where some horses were euthanized due to age or injury at no cost to their owners.

“Volunteers must realize that they’re going see [things] that they don’t want to see,” she says. “But when you see the horses that are helped, you realize why you do this.”

Ultimately, it’s not just the horses that are helped.

“We have all sorts of folks who just want to come out and be with a horse,” says Finch. “Cops, school teachers, a judge, the occasional stranger that drives into the parking lot and stands at the fence petting a horse … people from high-tension positions that know the magic of unwinding by simply being in a horse’s presence. The few moments between a stranger and a horse is pure bliss for both.

“Call it therapy, a meeting of the minds, or whatever label is appropriate—it’s a healing act for two souls,” Finch continues. “If everyone took the opportunity to spend 10 minutes a week standing quietly with a peaceful horse or donkey, this world would be in a much better place.”

The post The Volunteer Spirit appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Bud Kamrud has been challenged by muscular dystrophy (MS) all of his adult life. But once a week he is free of the disease’s limitations thanks to a therapy horse named Claude and the staff at the Colorado State University (CSU) Equine Assisted Activities and Therapies (EAAT) Program.

“My legs are pretty much useless and I spend most of my time in a wheelchair,” says Kamrud. “Equine assisted therapy helps strengthen my core and stretches my legs in a way that I would not be able to do any other way.”

Kamrud, who has been riding once a week for the better part of 20 years, is among the more than 50,000 men, women and children who, according to Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH), participate in equine-assisted therapy programs across the U.S. This therapy helps them cope with a range of physical and mental challenges, including MS, autism, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and Alzheimer’s disease.

Horses in Transition: Finding the Right Horses

Horses used in those programs represent a variety of breeds, but nearly all are what are considered “horses in transition,” donated by owners whose animals have moved on after having successful initial careers.

“We get our horses from a variety of sources, but generally they are retired from careers as hunter/jumpers and other [disciplines],” says Janet Mayberry Laughlin, interim executive director of Dream Catchers at the Cori Sikich Therapeutic Riding Center in Virginia. “We also have a couple of veterinarians who may have clients who can’t ride anymore or their kids are going off to college, and they think the horse would be a good candidate for us. We also have a trainer who is always looking for horses that are appropriate for us.”

Other horses move on to EAAT programs from the Dumb Friends League Harmony Equine Center in Franktown, Colo. The center takes in horses seized, removed or surrendered in law enforcement cases, and currently supplies all the animals for the Temple Grandin Equine Center at CSU, according to Harmony’s Director Garret Leonard.

Once Harmony horses arrive at the Temple Grandin Center, they’re paired with students pursuing degrees in equine science, according to Adam Daurio, Esq., the Center’s director of administration and outreach. The students spend four or five months preparing the animals to participate in EAAT programs, including the one at CSU.

While most of the horses arrive at the Center already trained to halter, lead, load and ride, their student handlers assess how well the animals tolerate routine grooming and tying. At the same time, they desensitize the horses to a variety of sights and sounds they may encounter on the farm.

“We generally know within two sessions if the horse is appropriate for an EAAT program,” Daurio says.

Those that do make the grade participate in a variety of EAAT programs, including therapeutic classes in which people learn to ride, generally at the walk and trot levels, says Sharon Butler, DVM, a certified therapeutic riding instructor at the CSU Equine Science Department.

EAAT: Learning to be a Therapy Horse

As part of these classes, horses are exposed to various toys and games, riding patterns, and trail riding around the CSU Equine Center. Meanwhile, therapy horses may also take part in hippotherapy sessions as part of another program where physical and occupational therapists encourage their clients to improve their physical and cognitive functions by riding.

“These sessions also involve games and toys to encourage the clients to reach and stretch,” Butler explains. “These sessions may have the client sitting astride, facing backward or even lying across the horse’s back to give more input as part of the therapy.”

And while therapy horses may be of any breed or discipline, they all must have a unique skill set, says certified hippotherapist Brent Applegate, HPCS. Applegate is the owner of My Heroes, LLC, which has programs at CSU, the National Western Stock Show in Denver, and the Chastain Horse Park in Atlanta.

“They must like people and they have to be able to cope with everything that we put them through,” Applegate explains. “For example, former show horses are accustomed to being around other horses and around people and noise, and former polo ponies are good at [EAAT] because they are used to noise and having riders hanging off to their sides.”

Mustangs in Service

But not all therapy horses have had human-centered careers. Some, like the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Mustangs used by the BraveHearts Equine Assisted Therapy Programs in Illinois, have traded the range for a more domestic life.

In 1978, wild horses residing on ranges in the western U.S. were federally protected and placed in the care of the BLM. That agency conducts gathers aimed at maintaining the sizes of wild herds and puts some of those gathered horses in its adoption program. BraveHearts has adopted its team of Mustangs from the BLM.

“BraveHearts uses [both Mustangs and domesticated] horses in transition for its therapeutic riding, as well as physical, occupational and speech therapies that use hippotherapy as a treatment strategy,” says Meggan Hill-McQueeney, BraveHearts’ president and chief operating officer (COO). “Our Operation Mustang also helps veterans cope with PTSD and combat-related physical disabilities.”

Veterans gentle the formerly wild horses as well as doing ground activities, driving and riding. Army veteran Mitchell Reno believes the horses changed his life.

Reno served two tours of duty in Afghanistan when he landed in a veteran’s hospital in Chicago with a broken back, a broken neck and addictions to alcohol and prescription drugs. After a fellow veteran encouraged him to visit BraveHeats’ facility, Reno joined the program, doing everything from cleaning stalls to gentling Mustangs.

“I’d do anything to be around the horses,” he recalls. “I’d be there from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. shoveling out stalls, feeding, bringing horses in and out—whatever they needed.”

Two years later, Reno credits the Mustangs with helping him find his way though PTSD-related depression and anxiety, as well as the long-term effects of his physical injuries.

“People are depressed because they’re focused on the past, and they’re anxious because they’re focused on the future,” says Reno. “The Mustangs are special because not only do they force you to be in the moment, but because they know fear—of helicopter roundups, of people handling them. They have a lot in common with us. I lost my wife and my children, and these horses gave me back everything I had lost.”

Equine Assisted Therapy: A True Connection

Likewise, Bud Kamrud believes that the horses at CSU are enhancing his quality of life in a way no human therapist could. According to Kamrud, the EAAT program at CSU helps him not only get the physical exercise he needs, but encourages him to socialize with other EAAT clients and equine science students too.

He believes the connection with horses and humans is transformational.

“I suppose that a physical therapist might be able to give me exercises to do to help me, but I probably wouldn’t keep up with them. As it is, there have been days when I’ve said, ‘Maybe I don’t want to go through all this to get on the horse,” says Kamrud, who uses a special ramp and lift to mount the horse.

“But it makes me feel good that I can do this. Besides, Claude looks out for me. Really, I’m very fortunate.”

This article about horses in transition through an EAAT program originally appeared in the July 2018 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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