Donate a Horse

BEFORE FILLING OUT THE DONATION FORM, PLEASE READ CAREFULLY THE REQUIREMENTS FOR DONATING A HORSE TO SECOND STRIDE:

Equine donations to Second Stride, Inc., will be acknowledged by a contemporaneous letter stating the horse was donated to an I.R.C. § 501 (c) (3) public charity upon request. Donees must consult their experts and advisors to determine the value and deductibility of their donations as relates to their particular situations.

Second Stride specilizes in accepting Thoroughbreds of any age or gender, while staying in line with our goal of accepting horses that can be transitioned into a new career, optimally in 6 months or less. We request that donated thoroughbreds have verifiable identification to help us track the horse. Severely injured, ill or dangerous animals are accepted on a case by case basis, and we have also accepted other breeds if there’s a need for our help.  Contact us to see if your horse is eligible for the program. Email info@secondstride.org

Donated horses who need extended rehabilitation before they can become useful and adoptable may be accepted on a case by case basis, and we encourage the donating owners to make a tax deductible donation to help cover part of the extended cost of care when they can. This amount would be based on individual equine needs, but it is estimated at $1200 per month (3-6 months).

Second Stride has a donation form that must be completed prior to arrival and donation. Information on this form includes medical history, vaccination history, disposition history, contact information and the like. If you need help filling out the form, please email or call us. We are here to help.

It is the responsibility of the donor signing the information form for the horse in question to be certain all ownership partners are aware of the donation. Second Stride and its adopters will not be held liable for any ownership disputes.

Donors are asked to provide transportation for the horse to one of our facilities. Second Stride can help arrange shipping if needed, and at risk horses may be eligible for a special grant funding for their shipping needs.

Second Stride makes every attempt to screen adoptive homes through an extensive application and reference check. The applicants agree to care for and train the horse in accordance with the American Association of Equine Practitioners guidelines. We follow up with adopters to see how the adopted horses are doing, at least every 6 months. Our adopters often send much more frequent updates that we share on social media.

The approved applicant who adopts a horse may train and sell the horse at their discretion. Second Stride provides a veterinary and disposition assessment and some basic retraining of all the horses for their intended use. We strive to place horses with qualified trainers or in some cases with amateurs or families if the horse is deemed suitable.

Adopters and trainers put a lot of time and work into the horses, helping to ensure their first year of retraining goes well. Often after the horse is schooling well at home and shows, trainers sell them to their students or other amateurs. Second Stride encourages these professionals by trying to have a source of useful horses of good mind and body, at reasonable adoption fees. Continued efforts after adoption creates a lifelong, useful body of knowledge for the horses. This helps ensure a safe transition and well adjusted, long term placement.

All of our horses can adopt out with a Jockey Club sanctioned “not for racing use” certificate that is valid for the life of the horse. Please transfer the electronic certificate to the Jockey Club Registry file of Second Stride Inc. Please mail in hard copy foal certificates to us at PO Box 143 Prospect, Ky 40059 or send with horse. Second Stride is TAA certified. Our placement contract requires no race use or public auction. The clause is required to follow the life of the horse. We will list the horse in virtual stable. The only way to ensure your horse never races again is to process the foal certificate out as not for race use through the Jockey Club. http://www.registry.jockeyclub.com/registry.cfm or 1-800-444-8521. Once the digital papers are received into out account, we will sign the transferred as retired from racing form and submit the pictures. Once you receive the form via email, you will need to digitally sign. For assistance, please call or email us at info@secondstride.org or  502-241-8440. Many thoroughbred lovers enjoy having the “not for racing use” registration certificates and feel honored to have the famous names show in the pedigree on the certificate, as well as famous race owners and racing record. The “not for racing use” certificate is a service that Second Stride provides for donating trainers and owners.

For broodmares, the Jockey Club sanctioned “not for racing use” certificate is recognized for thoroughbred race breeding or sport horse breeding.

We encourage donors to send horses with their leather halter and brass name plate if available. These racing memorabilia are often cherished by the new owners, who often clean the halters and hang them up in their home. Sometimes we forget how lucky we are to have racing legends in our back yard like we do here in Kentucky!