Friday Standing Ovation: MidAtlantic Horse Rescue

Each week HN and Ovation Riding applaud an individual or organization that is doing good work in the horse world. Today we recognize MidAtlantic Horse Rescue.

Top photo: A MidAtlantic Horse Rescue success story — Taylor Cox and her adopted OTTB Ft Myers (show name: Southern Voice) compete in upper-level hunters in Virginia.

MidAtlantic Horse Rescue, based in Eastern Maryland, is committed to rescuing and retraining off-track thoroughbreds, giving them a second chance at a successful career.

From MidAtlantic Horse Rescue:

Horseracing is a truly thrilling sport, the “Sport of Kings.” There are hundreds of racetracks across the country, with many located right here in the heart of the Mid-Atlantic region. Fans come for the excitement, the glamour, the beauty… and the horses.

The horses are the centerpiece of the sport, with their glossy coats, pricked ears, flaring nostrils and keen, intelligent eyes. Every day, thousands of thoroughbreds answer the bugler’s call. They go and run with all they have and more. But there is usually only one winner in any given race.

What about the others? Many go on to run other races on other days. Some end up winning. Some end up on breeding farms. Others just aren’t fast enough to be competitive and eventually move on to lesser tracks to try again.

From here, the story gets a little gray. There are thousands of horses that just can’t make it on any track — they are too slow, or laid back, or sore to pay their way. We would like to think that these horses all end up in good homes, as pleasure or sport horses, or just “best friends.” Unfortunately, all too many end up at regional livestock auctions, where they are bought by dealers and sent to slaughterhouses in Canada and Mexico that export the meat overseas.

This is the sad reality of the industry. A lot of healthy, young, sound thoroughbreds never get a second chance. This is where we come in…

Mid-Atlantic Horse Rescue is a federal 501(c)3 non profit organization that buys slaughter bound ex-racehorses and adopts them into good homes as pleasure and sport horses.

Ginny Suarez and Beverly Strauss are lifelong horsewomen. Graduate B and A Pony Clubbers, both have had extensive experience in eventing, dressage, showing, and foxhunting, and are former racehorse trainers. For thirty years we have been buying thoroughbreds at livestock auctions, evaluating them, and starting them in new careers.

In 2002, we co-founded MidAtlantic Horse Rescue, Inc., to get more thoroughbreds out of the kill pens and into loving homes. Just because they are no longer competitive on the racetrack does not mean they aren’t useful or productive. These young horses have so much to offer…

Since our inception, we have saved over 800 horses. We started by saving three horses and then pulled ourselves up by our bootstraps. Experience, integrity, and a lot of hard work has helped us grow. We are now nationally recognized for our efforts — BUT our invaluable work continues. YOU can help — by donating, adopting, or just spreading the word–we need your support more than ever to save horses from a horrific end.

For more information about MidAtlantic Horse Rescue, its available horses and how you can help, visit the website here. You can also follow them on Facebook here and on Twitter here.

Go MidAtlantic Horse Rescue, Go Ovation, and Go Riding!

If you know someone who deserves a Standing Ovation, we would love to recognize them in a future post. Email the name of the person or organization along with a message about the good work they do to [email protected]. Photos/videos are always welcome, and include a link to their website if applicable.