Ohio HBPA Donates $50,000 to Support New Vocations’ Aftercare Efforts

New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program announced that the Ohio Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA) has donated $50,000 to support the program’s aftercare efforts at their Ohio facilities. In 2017, New Vocations took in over 450 retired racehorses, 64 of which came directly from an Ohio racetrack or farm.

“It is important to the Ohio HBPA that our retired Thoroughbreds be given a chance to thrive in a second career. We are proud to continue our partnership with New Vocations, an organization that began 26 years ago right here in Ohio to give our horses that chance,” said Dave Basler, Ohio HBPA executive director. “New Vocations’ adoption process is very thorough—it ensures that the horses will go to good homes. We know from the training they received that the horses leave the program well-prepared to begin their second careers.”

“The continued generosity and support from the Ohio HBPA over the last several years has allowed us to expand our rehabilitation program and ultimately help more horses. The funding is greatly needed and will help us continue to serve horses retiring from Ohio racetracks,” said Anna Ford, New Vocation Program Director.

The donation comes during a time of transition for New Vocations as the program opened two facilities upon the closing of the Marysville location. The new Ohio facilities are in Medina, to service both Thistledown Racino and Mahoning Valley Race Course, and Xenia, to service Belterra Park.

With five additional facilities in Kentucky, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania, New Vocations has grown into the largest racehorse adoption organization in the country. Its mission to rehabilitate, retrain and rehome retired racehorses has led to the placement of over 6,600 horses. New Vocations serves over 40 racetracks and focuses on working directly with owners and trainers in need of racehorse aftercare options. To learn more about the program, visit www.newvocations.org.