DONATE A HORSE

Smile Happy Adopted 2024

At the Secretariat Center we believe in a compassionate and responsible approach to your horses' adoption. Here are the key principles that guide our retraining process:

Focus on Second Careers: We specialize in Thoroughbreds ready for retraining in a second career.

Dedicated Retraining: We understand that successful transitions require patience and personalized retraining. Our approach prioritizes the unique needs of every horse, and our professional staff is dedicated to making sure each horse receives thorough retraining before they are rehomed.

Extended Training: Our average stay is 90 days, ensuring the horse receives the support and retraining necessary to thrive in a second career. This longevity fosters trust and helps the horses develop into well-adjusted partners for their new owners.

Holistic Support: Essential expenses include quality board, grain, hay, veterinary care, specialized farrier, and chiropractic care. We prioritize their health and comfort, ensuring they are ready for their forever homes.

Transparency and Trust: We believe in fostering a relationship built on trust with our supporters, donors, and adopters. We are transparent about our processes and encourage potential adopters to engage with us to understand the journey of our horses.Secretariat Center, with a premier location inside the Kentucky Horse Park, is open to evaluating retired Thoroughbreds that are needing to transition to new careers. Due to our mission to personalized retraining of off-track Thoroughbreds, we are selective about our candidates. We take mares or geldings, raced or unraced, and typically under the age of 10. We cannot take unregistered Thoroughbreds.

**Should you have a horse that you would like to donate to our program, please review the Frequently Asked Questions below, then contact us at adopt@secretariatcenter.org or 859-246-3080. If accepted into the program, we pledge to give your horse the necessary reschooling for a new career, match them with an ideal adopter, and follow the horse throughout their lives in their new career. We appreciate your generosity and your responsible ownership of your racehorse.

  • The Secretariat Center, which is located at the Kentucky Horse Park, is dedicated to three things:

    1. Giving retired Thoroughrbed racehorses new skill sets after racing so they can go on to different careers.

    2. Educating the public about the athleticism and versatility of the OTTB.

    3. Broadcasting the news that owners and breeders do care deeply about horses and are willing to participate in an aftercare solution.

  • Because of our premier location at the Kentucky Horse Park, our limited space (17 acres of paddock and one ten stall barn), and our mission to showcase the athleticism of the off-track Thoroughbred, we have to be discriminating about our selection of candidates.

    We reschool geldings and mares, raced or unraced, and typically between the ages of 3 and 9. We do not take in Thoroughbreds who are not registered with the Jockey Club.

    For horses that are older or have former injuries that could significantly compromise new athletic endeavors, we are happy to recommend several other local TAA accredited facilities.

  • Should you have a horse that you would like to donate to our program, please contact us at adopt@secretariatcenter.org or call 859-246-3080. Please provide information about the horse, including age, injury history, height, and vices. The horse must be registered with the Jockey Club. If the horse has a known injury history, we would appreciate copies of any vet reports, radiographs, or ultrasounds, as appropriate. Depending on the proximity, the director may ask to come see the horse or request photos/videos for horses we are unable to visit.

  • If the horse is accepted into Center training program, the donor must complete the Intake Agreement and Questionnaire provided below. The horse must have a current Coggins and a health certificate issued within the preceding 30 days.

    As part of our ongoing commitment to provide the Gold Standard of care and training to retiring thoroughbreds, the Secretariat Center will now require a $500 donation to accompany each horse admitted to the program. Any donation more than $500 is tax deductible.

    This one-time fee helps cover essential costs for one month of care, including feeding, veterinary services, and specialized farrier and chiropractic treatments. Owners and trainers who are interested in donating a horse are encouraged to reach out to the Secretariat Center directly with any questions regarding this policy change.

  • If your horse is accepted into the program, the Secretariat Center will provide you with documentation acknowledging the donation of the horse. You will also receive an acknowledgement letter for any donation you provide to help support the horse’s care and reschooling while at the Center. If the horse’s Jockey Club registration papers are provided to the Center, we will have them stamped as “Retired from Racing” by the Jockey Club in order to protect the horse as much as possible in its future.

    The Center pledges to give your horse the necessary reschooling for a new career, match it up with an ideal adopter, and track the horse for life. We can herald your generosity and your responsible ownership of your racehorse.

  • While the horse is in training at the Center, the donor of the horse or any of the horse’s connections are welcome to come visit during normal business hours. The Center tracks all adopted horses for life and this information is available to the donor upon request at any time.