December 2020/January 2021 Issue

Page 4 December 2020/January 2021 EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN By Suzanne Bush They advertised it as “a horse show like no other,” and it lived up to its billing. Actual- ly, it surpassed its promise and provided an authentic, heartfelt demonstration of horse/human re- lationships built on trust, respect and the wonder of discovery. Like everything else in these COVID-infused days, the horse show was live-streamed. With differences. Unlike most horse shows, this one—in mid-Octo- ber—featured several inmates of Blackburn Correctional Complex in Lexington, KY. They were shy. They introduced their horses: My Turf Hero, Walinski, Chief Cashier. They demonstrated how they had worked with their horses and taught them to walk over ground rails, to back up and to lead. They answered ques- tions about horse anatomy with confidence and pride. It was clear these individuals and their horses had far more in common than one might expect. The inmates had learned skills that would help them find meaningful work after their release. The horses have be- come permanent residents of the Blackburn Correctional Complex, part of an innovative, successful program created by Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF). Promised Road Arrives at the Promised Land In 1982 Monique S. Koehler created TRF to ensure the safety, care and quality of life for retired racehorses. She approached the Corrections Department at the State of New York with an offer that they could not refuse. In fact, they embraced it whole- heartedly. Koehler promised that, in exchange for use of the land surrounding the state’s Wallkill Correctional Facility, TRF would train inmates on equine care and management. Additionally, TRF would staff the training program and provide full veterinary and routine care for the horses. The program, called Second Chanc- es, has proved to be just that for horses as well as the inmates who care for and learn from them. Promised Road, a nine-year- old gelding was the first horse to arrive at Wallkill in 1983. Since then, TRF has expanded the program to seven facilities across the country, including a location at the Central Maryland Correc- tional Facility in Sykesville and a new one in Florida for women. “It’s an interesting niche and it helps twofold,” Chelsea O’Reilly explains. “Helping hors- es and changing lives. We’re a unique program, in that we cross state lines and operate in many jurisdictions.” O’Reilly, TRF’s Program Development Manager, says that over the years thousands of inmates have graduated from the Second Chances program. About 500 horses enter TRF annually, she says. Behind Prison Walls, Inmates Learn Skills and Horses Thrive (Continued on page 18)