Program Spotlight: Equestrian Inc.

An Equestrian Inc. horse jumps with his new rider. (Photos courtesy of Equestrian Inc.)
Originally working to rehome Arabian horses, Glenda Smith made the switch to Thoroughbreds in the 1980s and hasn’t looked back. Today, Smith is the CEO, president, and founder of Equestrian Inc., an adoption organization that focuses on finding horses new homes, with a focus on Thoroughbreds.
Equestrian Inc. keeps the horses they get into the program whose injuries are so severe that they can’t be rehabilitated but most horses are sound enough to take the next step in the program’s rehoming process. One of the first things the program tries to figure out is if a horse can be turned out with other horses, something it can learn while the horse is turned out for its letdown period. After that, the trainers who work with the program evaluate the horse to see what it will be best suited for in its next career.
“We have several trainers that work with us and we evaluate [the horses] starting from when they come in and they start calming down,” Smith said. “We give them 30 to 60 days just to be a horse then we see how their personalities are and how they adapt to being with other horses. Some horses just flat don’t want to be with another horse so that’s something we have to deal with at times. But for the majority of them, they pick a friend … So it just depends on the horse.”
Equestrian Inc. prides itself on the fact that no horses have ever been returned, something that can be credited to its adoption policies.
“We are very, very strict about our policies,” Smith said. “The horse will pick [their adopters] always, so we encourage them to spend at least 2 ½ to 3 months coming out and really getting to know [the horse]. Unlike a lot of facilities we do allow them to ride because we want to know what they are capable of doing.”
ONE OF EQUESTRIAN INC.'S HORSES PLAYS IN THE WATER

Those who adopt a horse from the program must agree to never race or breed the horse and must notify and get approval from the program if they are planning on selling the horse.
“If somebody’s unhappy the first thing we’re going to do is take that horse back, but we know where everybody is,” she said. “We do make periodic checks on them and we encourage people to send us photographs and let us know what they’re doing, if they’re going to shows or if they’re going on trail rides or what have you.”
The program has seen the popularity of off-the-track Thoroughbreds grow recently and the popularity growing from here with more people returning to using Thoroughbreds as show horses. For those afraid of the reputation off the track horses have, Smith believes that the reputation is unearned and that horse owners need to keep something else in mind when working with their Thoroughbreds.
“What you get out of the horse is what you put into the horse, I believe,” she said. “People are cutting cows with Thoroughbreds now, which is something you’ve never seen in the past or very little of it. They’re capable of doing anything, they are very versatile.”
She does recommend that people who aren’t experienced with Thoroughbreds don’t go and get a horse from the track as they take a period to acclimate to life away from racing. But if an inexperienced person does decide to get a newly retired racehorse, she recommends employing a trainer in the desired discipline so the new owner knows if the horse is suited for what they want to do.
As for those who have experience with off-the-track Thoroughbreds who are thinking of starting up an aftercare program, Smith recommends that the new program works at getting its 501(c)3 designation so it can accept donations.
“I’d recommend that they go through the process of getting their 501(c)3 so that they are eligible to accept donations because it is a very, very expensive thing to do,” said Smith. “The one thing you really have to be careful of is not to get too many because if you get overhorsed, the quality goes down for all of them.”

Another good process for all aftercare programs to go through is the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) accreditation that allows them to get grants from the organization in addition to recognition from more people in the racing industry. Equestrian Inc. was accredited by the TAA last November, recognition it is thankful for.
“We were just approved and we’re very, very thankful for it. It’s going to help us financially, it will help us have more people come to Equestrian Inc. look at the horses we have at the farm and we couldn’t be any happier,” said Smith.
For those who want to help Equestrian Inc., there are many different things they can do. Equestrian Inc. always welcomes volunteers in addition to donations of supplies and money.
“What [aftercare] requires most is money and patience and the love of the animals,” Smith said. “It’s the love of my life.”
For more information on Equestrian Inc., you can visit http://equestrianinc.sharepoint.com.
If you know of a Thoroughbred Aftercare program that you think should be covered in America’s Best Racing’s Aftercare Program Spotlight, email Melissa Bauer-Herzog (mbauer-herzog@jockeyclub.com) with the program’s name and website.