Standing Ovation by Ovation Riding: Turning for Home

Each Friday, Horse Nation teams up with Ovation Riding to spotlight an individual or organization doing good work in the horse world. Today, we recognize Turning for Home, an OTTB placement group based at Parx Racing.

Photo by Lorraine Jackson.

The Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association of Parx Racing based outside of Philadelphia opened Turning for Home in the spring of 2008, a placement agency located right on the racetrack grounds. Hailed as a model program for other tracks around the country, Turning for Home allows trainers to place horses coming off the track simply and easily. The organization then partners with area agencies and farms to find those retiring Thoroughbreds safe and loving forever homes.

If a trainer wishes to place a horse with Turning for Home, he or she fills out an information sheet and turns over the registration papers, which are marked with “Not for racing” to keep the horse from returning to the track under a new owner. Lame or injured horses are not refused; on-staff veterinarians examine each horse and plan a rehabilitation program. Local veterinarians partner to provide surgery at cost, which can change the outcome for many placed horses that might not otherwise be able to work.

Turning for Home is not a permanent sanctuary, but works to find every horse, regardless of its situation, a permanent home. While the majority of Turning for Home’s partner farms, which host Thoroughbreds coming off the track, are located in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, there’s also a farm in Aiken, extending the reach of the organization.

A registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, Turning for Home has placed an estimated 1,700 horses since its opening in 2008.

Simultaneously, Parx Racing has made a clear statement that responsible placement is a necessity for its horses; its zero-tolerance policy states that any owner or trainer based out of Parx who is found to be responsible for sending a horse to a kill sale or directly to slaughter will have his or her backstretch privileges revoked and cannot enter any horses to race.

To learn more about Turning for Home, please visit the organization’s website and “like” them on Facebook.

Many thanks thanks to Ovation Riding for their support of both Horse Nation and individuals and organizations that are doing good work in the horse world. 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.