Happy Summer from the Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare! We have been very busy this year, and would love to share with you everything that has been going on at the farm!
A Successful Open House 2024!
CTA had our annual Open House on Saturday, April 13th at the Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare's 10-acre farm in Rio Grande. We had beautiful weather and a great turnout!
The day was filled with educational talks, visits with the horses, great food and entertainment, and spreading the message about Thoroughbred aftercare. We would like to thank all of our sponsors and vendors for help making this day possible: Potrero Los Llanos, PR Breeders Association, Glorymary Carrillo Agro Servicios, John Velazquez, Loinaz Equine, Antonio Paz, The Lucky Horse, Big Ass Fans, Municipio de Rio Grande, Manny’s Rental, Handsome Halters, Patricia M Gonzalez Medina, Brew Taller Experimental, Hacienda Siesta Alegre, Esteban Alicia, Di Massa, Mary Music, Ommy Robles, La Nata Puerto Rico, and Estribos Restaurant Sports Bar.
🌟 Adoption Success Story 🌟 Miraculous Word
We love watching our horses thrive in their new homes. We recently got a wonderful update from one of our past adopters we want to share!
When I was at university, I discovered CTA on Facebook and reached out to Kelley Stobie. After an interview, Kelley informed me that she had several horses available for adoption and invited me to visit. Among them was a horse she had just received that week, which piqued my interest. That's when I met Miraculous Word, now known as Biggie. Despite his small size, he caught my attention. Initially, I wasn't convinced to take him as I had plans to turn him into a "jumper." However, after seeing him in the round pen, something told me he was the one.
In December, I contacted Andres Espinet to discuss Biggie. I took him to the farm in Guaynabo, PR, where Andres was offering riding lessons, to get his professional opinion. At the end of the week, Andres said, "I'll help you with the classes and I'll talk to the owner about stabling, and take him because he has a lot of potential." That's how our journey as jumpers began. Under Andres's training, we achieved many milestones in Puerto Rico. Despite being "average" in height, Biggie impressed everyone by soaring over the jumps.
In 2021, my partner received a job offer in the USA. I said, "If Biggie doesn't go, I won't move." Thankfully, Biggie was able to fly with me to the USA. He arrived in June 2021, and by July, we were competing at the WEC. Competing there was nerve-wracking as it meant competing against high-performance horses. However, my trainer, Andres, never doubted us. Initially, we planned to compete in the OTTB-only category, but since we were the only ones, Andres decided to enter us in the open category. Biggie gave his all on that track, clearing every jump and winning us the WEC blue ribbon.
Since then, Biggie has enjoyed about two years of being a horse—living loose, grazing, and only doing flatwork twice a week. A month ago, we began training to jump again, so expect an update from us soon.
I want to thank Kelley Stobie and the entire CTA team. Meeting Biggie has been my greatest blessing, making all my childhood dreams come true.
I didn't rescue Miraculous Word—Biggie rescued me!
📷: Miraculous Word
2013 LA-Bred Gelding
🐎 Well-Deserved Retirement for 2 Incredible War-Horses 🐎
This summer we were very excited to welcome to the rescue two horses that have been on our Watchlist for quite awhile. These geldings had over 100 starts each!
"Hipocrates" is a 13-year-old bred in Puerto Rico with an impressive 197 starts over most of his life. After running his last race in May 2024, this amazing horse finally got the retirement he deserved! Hipocrates was gelded, and is enjoying some time to relax.
"Caramelo" is a 12-year-old Florida bred with a whopping 140 starts in his career, with total earnings of $172K. After running his last race in June 2024, Caramelo is moving on from racing.
📖 🐴 Equine Academy a Huge Success 🐴 📖
Caring for a horse, especially an off-the-track-Thoroughbred, is such an important aspect of Aftercare. CTA has begun hosting "Equine Academy" workshops one weekend a month, to help educate people on what it takes to care for these beautiful animals. Each workshop features talks from equine care professionals, hands-on demonstrations, case studies, and interactive discussions. At the end of the course, each participant gets a certificate of completion.
Five workshops have been completed, and each has been filled to capacity. The overwhelming support for this educational experience has been amazing! We are looking forward to continuing this resource to the community. The next Academy is August 17th & 18th. To learn more about Equine Academy, Click Here.
🐴 Sponsor a Sanctuary Horse 🐴
Sponsoring a sanctuary horse is easy, and every donation makes a difference. Whether you're looking to make a one-time contribution or set up a recurring monthly donation, your support will help us continue our important work and provide a safe and loving home for our horses.
It has been a busy first half of the year at CTA as we had several horses transferred back to the mainland, as well as adopted locally.
✈️ Relentless Lion, Ramba, Ramwil's Chrome, Triple Delight, Appealing Lalibela, My Big Heart, Gato Guapo, Morning Ladies, and Caramelo all flew back to the mainland either to other TAA Rescues or to new homes!
⛱️ Miel, Arch de Amor, Unbridled Sharp, Cantaora and Saltina both found new homes right here on the island!
📣 Our current statistics are 13 new intakes and 3 returns so far in 2024. Currently at the CTA we have 21 horses, 13 of which are looking for a forever home.
🏇 We have helped a total of 313 Thoroughbreds since we began!
🏦 Financials
At CTA, transparency is at the core of everything we do. We believe that it's important to be upfront and honest about our financials, so you can see exactly how we are using your generous donations to make a difference in the lives of the horses we serve. That's why we are pleased to share our latest profit and loss statement with you.
