Program Spotlight: Neigh Savers

Neigh Savers' Jenny trail riding with her off-the-track Thoroughbred (Photo by Neigh Savers).
Started by Karin Wagner in 2007, Neigh Savers doesn’t have a traditional aftercare program story.
While Wagner was involved in racing as an owner, she didn’t have experience with training horses or caring for them. But when she realized that Thoroughbreds have a lot of potential for second careers after their racing days, she decided to jump into the aftercare game.
Wagner used her talents in business and finance to start the program and then surrounded herself with volunteers who knew how to take care of the animals in order to make Neigh Savers successful.
Her plan worked as the California-based program has found new homes for about 250 horses since it started 6 1/2 years ago. Just like the story of its beginnings, Neigh Savers approaches its adoption process differently than many other aftercare programs.
“Interested applicants can fill out our short Interested Adopter form and we will contact them within a few days,” said Rachel Masen, operations manager Neigh Savers. “After that we discuss what their needs are and if we have a horse in our program that is a possible fit for them. Sometimes we do not have a horse that is a good fit for them and potential adopters will wait for many months until we have a horse that is a match for their needs
“Once we match a horse or two up with the potential adopter, we have them fill out a thorough adoption application. After review, which takes a matter of a day or so, we will return to the potential adopter with any concerns or questions. Once everything is squared away and approved, we set up a trial for the adopter to look at the horse-ride the horse. We are very careful about our matchups and adoptions. We want to ensure the horse is happy and that the new owner is happy. We have very few returns because of this.”
Potential adopters don’t just come from California. Neigh Savers also adopts horses to out-of-state homes in certain situations. All adopters have to fill out a contract that agrees to never race or breed the horse and also to never sending the horse to an auction.
New owners must also send updates during their first year owning the horse so Neigh Savers can make sure the match is truly a good fit.
There’s no set amount of time horses adopted out by Neigh Savers stay in the program. Each horse’s training plan is individually tailored to what the animal needs. The program has a variety of training facilities to choose from when finding the perfect fit for any horse going through retraining or rehabilitation. Some horses may stay with Neigh Savers for only a few months while others can be in the program for much longer, depending on their needs.
Some of the horses who have gone through the program are recognizable names to racing fans around the country, including Battle Won, the winner of the 2005 Churchill Downs Handicap and a Breeders’ Cup Sprint participant; and graded stakes winner Goldigger’s Dream.
The program also has reunited racehorses with their previous owners, such as multiple stakes winner Star Nicholas, whose former owners saw the gelding on Neigh Savers and immediately adopted him from the program.
SOME OF NEIGH SAVERS' SUCCESS STORIES

Neigh Savers hasn’t seen a significant change in the Thoroughbred market since the program opened in 2007, but Masen does think that awareness of the breed has increased with the educational material put out by Thoroughbred lovers around the country.
Neigh Savers also has expanded from adopting out horses to also participating in the creation of Thoroughbred shows in California.
“Last year, the Thoroughbred Classic Horse Show series in California was created,” Masen said. “This show series is the brainchild of the Neigh Savers Board President Nicole Schwartz. She worked with the Siegel CARMA Foundation [which sponsors the event] to make it into a successful show series in 2013. This series provides a much-needed stage for Thoroughbreds to show off their athleticism and achievement against other Thoroughbreds. Events like these help increase the public awareness of Thoroughbreds for sport and increase demand for Thoroughbreds for show careers.”
The show series continues this year with three dates for those interested in entering their Thoroughbreds: April 12-13 at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank, Calif., June 14-15 at Galway Downs in Temecuela, Calif.; and Dec. 13-14 at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank, Calif.
As for those wondering why they should buy a Thoroughbred, Masen has both a Thoroughbred and a Warmblood and says the Thoroughbred is her favorite horse.
“[Thoroughbreds] are athletic, agile, strong, fast, hard workers, intelligent, highly trainable, sensitive and courageous,” she said. “They can succeed at any activity:  jumping, dressage, polo, working cattle, barrel racing, or just being someone’s pleasure hack. My personal mounts are an OTTB gelding and a gorgeous Warmblood gelding. The warmblood is a great ride. The OTTB has my heart. A good Thoroughbred can put you in the ribbons every time, even when you’re in open doing a class you’ve never done before. A great one can be a world beater.”
For those who love racing and want to help aftercare efforts by starting their own program to find retired racehorses new homes, Masen warns about the up and downs that come with being involved with a program that finds horses new careers.
“There are a lot of stressful moments,” she said. “There’s a lot of figuring out where you can find the money to help one horse with a surgery or special rehab facility. There are those moments when you come across a truly abused and unloved horse that just rips at your heart. You have to learn to deal with that and proceed in a way that’s positive for the humans and horses involved. The longer you do it, the easier it gets. The first few years can be a real struggle, emotionally and financially. Make sure you're ready for it.”
She also recommends having a diverse group of supporters that have different specialties working with the aftercare program. There are many different roles in the running of a program, so it is best to make sure that all bases are covered from marketing the program to retraining the horses. In addition, having the support of other aftercare programs can make a major difference in working toward a common goal.
“We have been very happy to find that over the last couple of years connections between rescue groups and other organizations have gotten much closer,” she said. “We cannot exist separately if we hope to make a change nationally. We have to work together toward the same goals. We appreciate our fellow organizations and are happy to work with them to find as many horses homes as possible.”
Neigh Savers has many different ways fans can help the program: donating money or supplies, volunteering to help the program with office work, or even fostering horses. One requirement for anybody interested in working with the program is that they must realize Neigh Savers is pro-racing.
“Neigh Savers is very pro-racing, the core group consists of several lifelong racing fans. We like to work with the industry, not against. We enjoy our friendships and connections in the industry and are glad that we can be a part of the movement toward having aftercare for every horse,” Masen said.
For those who want to learn more about Neigh Savers, you can visit their website here or their Facebook page here.
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.