The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, one of the largest Thoroughbred rescue programs in the country, was forced to defend its operation and practices on Friday in the wake of an article published in Friday’s New York Times detailing allegations the TRF was neglecting the very horses they were charged with caring for.
TRF chairman Tom Ludt – who is also president of Vinery Farm – along with TRF president George Grayson took part in a teleconference on Friday where they disputed certain claims made by the Times article written by Joe Drape.
The article claims the TRF was behind in paying many of the satellite farms it contracts to oversee the retired horses and, as a result, many horses were found to be in poor physical condition. Much of the information cited was gathered from an independent evaluation of the TRF’s herd population conducted by the estate of Paul Mellon, who had established a $5 million endowment for the TRF in 2001
Both Ludt and Grayson acknowledged the TRF’s financial struggles, but said it was fully aware of and endorsed the third-party evaluation, which was conducted by the estate’s veterinarian, Dr. Stacey Huntington.
One of the mores specific examples of neglect cited by the Times article said an inspection of horses at 4-H Farm in Oklahoma could only find only 47 of the 63 retired horses assigned to it and that “many of those were starving.” It also stated the farm’s owners, Alan and Janice Hudgins, would not let Dr. Huntington onto their property to inspect TRF horses until the foundation gave them $20,000 toward what was owed them for taking care of 63 horses since 2005. It also saidwhen the horses were released, nearly all of them needed urgent care, including three who were considered starving.
Ludt countered during the teleconference that some of the condition of the horses could be considered subjective and that one of the horses said to be starving was a 24-year-old gelding with no teeth.
“There is political pressure on the TRF because certain people believe some horses should be euthanized and certain other people who believe they should live until they die of natural causes,” Ludt said. “It is a very subjective opinion but we have got different vets who have given us different opinions so it would be difficult to say they were considered starving when some said they weren’t.”
Drape countered during the teleconference that he had an email from Dr. T. J. Loafman, who was on site to oversee horses’ removal from 4-H Farm, that deemed the horses to be starving. Grayson came back and said that Loafman’s words said many horses were “thin” but that they appeared to be “bright-eyed” with no obvious sign of sickness.
“Clearly that is not something anybody is proud of,” Grayson said of the horses’ condition. “But we felt (Loafman’s report) had a different tone to it than what we had read (in the Times article).
Ludt said the number of horses the TRF has taken on has grown from about 300 eight years ago to over 1,200 currently. That increase of its herd number combined with the declining economic climate has been an ongoing issue for the TRF.
“The last 18 months we’ve been trying to address what we did see coming which is the financial pressure of having such a large herd,” Ludt said. “When the executors (of the Mellon estate) asked about doing a herd evaluation…we embraced the idea and were thankful because in economic times like this, that is an expense. But the Mellon Fund is paying for this and helping us address it.”
Ludt said the TRF is currently holding off on taking any more horses in “until we get our house in order” but is still working to facilitate people looking to find homes for former racehorses.
Grayson added that while the endowment is worth about $7 million, the TRF is only allowed entitled to annually an amount “not to exceed five percent of the market value” which amounts to about $350,000 a year.
“There is a misconception out there that the TRF is very wealthy…so why don’t we use the endowment to pay for certain costs,” Grayson said. “But the reality is we are limited to the five percent per year, which is customary in the tax exempt world.”
Alicia Wincze Hughes is the turf writer for the Lexington Herald-Leader. She started riding at age 8 and was a four-year member of the Pace University equestrian team.
>>Ludt countered during the teleconference that some of the condition of the horses could be considered subjective and that one of the horses said to be starving was a 24-year-old gelding with no teeth.<<
The fact that the gelding was 24 years old and had no teeth is really no reason that horse should have been thin. A special regemin if feed and supplements and blanketing might be needed – soaked alfalfa pellets for sure – but it worries me that the President of the TRF gave age and no teeth as a reason for thinness. The horse was not being properly cared for. That is the only reason it was thin.