Just a Reminder...

[Observer]

With the recent upsetting news of Ferdinand's death in Japan, let's not forget about helping those who remain close to home .. there are lots of organizations with lots of horses who could use help, and I know at least some of these organizations do go to horse sales and do take horses back to their farms for some TLC .. horses that would have otherwise ended up in slaughter houses. I don't want to sound like a sales person or anything, but really ... no donation amount is too small.

Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (http://www.trfinc.org/)

NY Horse Rescue (http://www.nyhr.org/)

Exceller Fund (http://www.excellerfund.org/)

United Pegasus Foundation (http://www.unitedpegasus.com/)

California Equine Retirement Foundation (http://www.cerfhorses.org/)

ReRun (http://www.rerun.org/)

[Tom]

GREAT post, Observer...we all should make sure we give something back to those gallant horses who put on the show for us. A friend of mine bought a used up race horse - Darling Mont - back in about 1970 or so, and put her up at his place, in the back yard. She was a bundle of nerves when she got there, but after a while, you could see her calming down and actually enjoying life. I won money on her when she raced, and it was really special to see her get a break at the end. I wish we could do that for all of them.

[Observer]

Thanks, Tom.

I would recommend if there is anyone who is considering taking on the responsibility of horse ownership .. and have the means to do so .. consider adoption through one of these programs .. I know TRF and NY Horse Rescue adopt out horses.

Think of it this way .. could you imagine your life being at risk simply because you were not good at or couldn't perform the task you were assigned to do???

I know we've discussed this before .. but it really deserves mentioning again .. horses off the track can make wonderful companions .. believe it or not .. some are like big teddy bears .. apparently Ferdinand was this way. And, yes, they really can be re-trained for a switch to a different discipline .. like jumping, dressage, even western .. and I've even known ex-racehorses that became school horses for children to take riding lessons on.

If you're not up to the horse ownership task (it is a major responsibility) .. you can be a sponsor .. you can make a simple donation .. heck, you can even make a contribution of equine needs .. like horse blankets, halters, polo wraps, fly spray, etc .. gosh, there are so many ways to help!!

[Bubbles]

As said in "Seabiscuit," every horse is good for something. Some aren't racing. Some are lead ponies, some riding horses, some companions. It's a true shame when something like what happened to Ferdinand occurs. Donate something to an equine charity, whether money or materials.