NY Times/Drape Write That TRF is Starving Rescues

[Hermes]

Wow. This is huge and damaging story, especially to Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF.) Did I miss another thread on it?

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/18/sp...horses.html?hp

Opening excerpt:

One of the largest private organizations in the world dedicated to caring for former racehorses has been so slow or delinquent in paying for the upkeep of the more than 1,000 horses under its care that scores have wound up starved and neglected, some fatally, according to interviews and inspection reports.

[thebeigeone]

OMG how incredibly awful. Never heard a bad word about the TRF until now. What a shame. Now what?

[algobbi]

[dreamer]

This also made ESPN news. The article totally disgusted and saddened me. It is unfortunate that the people that had those horses did not find another way to care for them in the meantime, and shame, shame, shame on TRF and it's board.

[Brooklyn Cowgirl]

This is really bad. I'd always thought of the TRF as being legit.

[songbird1]

wow, this is pretty shocking. actually it is stunning news and very sad

[pokeyman]

I mirror the comments above...just in shock.

[Charitable Woman]

I am sick about this---please where are these millionaire owners who spend millions on yearlings and broodmares--who use up these horses and spit them out like used furniture--they need to start spending part of the money they spend on unproven horses on these horses and save them---can you imagine---they only need to spend about $5 a day to care for 1 horse---look how many they could care for?!?

[djnorth]

CW and others,

Unfortunately this may serve to make some of those owners back off in charitable donations, regardless of why this happened. I've been a (relatively small) donor to TRF and have seen them regularly at Saratoga during the meet. I hope they figure out what happened and get it straightened out. (Didn't one of the founders get an Eclipse Award a while back, or is that another organization?)

However, this type of thing, which should never be covered up, will make more donors, large and small, think twice about donating. If something that appeared to be as well-run and well-backed as TRF is in such a state, the tendency is to believe that they're all just ignoring the horses and stuffing their own pockets with donated cash. I don't know if the farms took on more horses than they could, or what.

I also want to blame the individual farms but wonder of some of them are near foreclosure themselves. That doesn't eexcuse the condition in which some of the horses were found but it does make me wonder.

[GeorgeWashington]

I think it is disgusting how many here are criticizing the TRF. Ask yourself this, how much have you contributed to thoroughbred retirement. These people do more than just about anyone and they are strapped for cash.

Unless you are forking over quite a bit of your own money you have no right to criticize them. They simply are in a tough spot financially. So are most charities in this economy. Just think how many $3 coffees you buy or how much money you waste and ask yourself what your are doing.

Unless you have a second job where you are donating all the money to help retired thoroughbreds you are likely doing much less than these people are doing to help horses.

It costs money to take care of horses, something many here that probably have never spent a dollar taking care of one seem to forget.

What is funny is usually the people that complain the most have never given a single nickel to the cause.

[Saluter]

Unless you have a second job where you are donating all the money to help retired thoroughbreds you are likely doing much less than these people are doing to help horses.

I'm doing a lot less to contribute to their starvation, too.

Did the TRF do ANYTHING to get the word out that they were this hard up? According to the article they've been running at a deficit for two YEARS.

[Charitable Woman]

I for one have a retired racehorse that I rescued. He is a graded stakes winner of over $400,000 which he made for his previous owner/breeder. This same owner/breeder who has a farm and still has the mare. This horse was injured and brought back to race, never the same again-and was slowing going down the claiming ladder. He was claimed by a trainer that runs them into the ground. I was a huge fan of the horse and had known his since he was a 2 year old. We kept watch for him in the entries--we were going to claim him just to retire him, but he was a vet scratch. We then gave the trainer money to take him off of his hands. When he came to me--he was practically on 3 legs---6 months of stall rest, now he is out in a paddock with some donkey buddies where he will live out his years. This is not my farm--I don't own one---I was just a fan in love with a horse--I pay considerably more than $5.00 a day to keep him happy. But love to go visit him and give him treats. He is happy as can be.
So many owners/breeders out there can do the same thing--and they have farms--horses don't need much to be happy--take an acre on your farm and keep some of your old war horses---or pay a little bit more to a farm yourself to take care of these horses---you don't need to go through a foundation. I call to the owners/breeders--and yes even these millionaire trainers---just do something to help these horses that give you so much joy.

[GeorgeWashington]

I'm doing a lot less to contribute to their starvation, too.

Did the TRF do ANYTHING to get the word out that they were this hard up? According to the article they've been running at a deficit for two YEARS.

Yes, they did get the word out they were strapped for cash. They have been for years. Taking care of horses that bring in ZERO income is not cheap.

Once again, how much have you contributed? Let me guess.

[Saluter]

Yes, they did get the word out they were strapped for cash. They have been for years.

How so? Other than the usual solicitations for donations, how did they communicate to the industry and the world that they were so behind on their payments to these farms that horses were suffering? Because that is precisely the message that should've been communicated before horses started starving. They had an obligation to those horses to publicly and explicitly state just how desperate the situation was.

Taking care of horses that bring in ZERO income is not cheap.

Having not just fallen off the turnip truck, I was already in possession of that nugget of wisdom.

Once again, how much have you contributed? Let me guess.

Firstly that's none of your business and secondly, what I have or haven't contributed doesn't have a damn thing to do with anything. I didn't take on the responsibility for caring for horses THAT I CAN'T AFFORD TO CARE FOR.

[GeorgeWashington]

How so? Other than the usual solicitations for donations, how did they communicate to the industry and the world that they were so behind on their payments to these farms that horses were suffering? Because that is precisely the message that should've been communicated before horses started starving. They had an obligation to those horses to publicly and explicitly state just how desperate the situation was.

.

You would know they were strapped for cash IF YOU ACTUALLY CONTRIBUTED.

I love the critics who do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

Almost all charities in the country are hurting for cash. Just look at how little has been contributed to help the Japanese.

Horses cost anywhere from $1000-$3000 a year to take care of (avg. $2000). They have 1000 horses in their care. Do the math. That means it costs on average $2,000,000 a year at a minimum to care for the horses. The basically have a $7 million endowment which means they probably have less than $1 million a year to operate. There is obviously a math problem.

[gravano]

Yelling at people does not help GW. I understand you feel bad for TRF, but if people weren't critical of them, this situation would have no chance of getting better.

[TBird]

I am sick about this---please where are these millionaire owners who spend millions on yearlings and broodmares--who use up these horses and spit them out like used furniture--they need to start spending part of the money they spend on unproven horses on these horses and save them---can you imagine---they only need to spend about $5 a day to care for 1 horse---look how many they could care for?!?

As the article points out, many owners do contribute, often large sums of money, to TRF.

The problem seems to be that those funds aren't getting past the admistrative offices to pay for care of the horses.

[the Bid]

The TRF made news a few years ago when some of it's executive salaries were announced. The folks at the top were living pretty well and they had hired several consulting types also at large fees. After that happened, I turned my attention to other organizations, like CANTER which use more volunteers and fewer paid hands.
While I certainly apppreciate all they have done, I don't think that the TRF is the most efficient retirement/rescue outfit out there. They do have the biggest PR machine though. Their fundraiser in Saratoga was always one fo the biggest of the year in terms of attendance and cost but it seemed that while they asked for donations to auction (including a trip to the DWC from Sh Mo, horseshoes, saddle towels, trips to exotic locales) they also paid richly for the facility and the food etc. They might have done better to use a less fancy place to keep expenses lower. The same folks would still turn up.
I read alot of racing material daily and this Drape piece is the first I have heard of this. With all the PR that TRF gets you'd have thought that they'd have made a special plea throught the usual outlets.
I do know that many racing owners send considerable donations for the care of their retirees. I was introduced to one such owner by Michael Blowen of Old Friends last summer. I know that Mary Sullivan of Sullimar Stable is very involved in retirement and covers costs for all her retirees.

[GeorgeWashington]

Yelling at people does not help GW. I understand you feel bad for TRF, but if people weren't critical of them, this situation would have no chance of getting better.

I feel bad for the horses, but an organization that tries to help them has a math problem. They simply don't have enough money to care for all the horses they take care of.

Should they only take care of 500 instead of 1000. Maybe, but then which 500 do you send to slaughter?

[Man o' Taz]

Hopefully, Joe's story will focus the industry on correcting this problem.