2024 in Review

It was another busy year for us, filled with many successes, a few changes, and occasional challenges. Let’s take a minute or two to reflect on all of these happenings.

A Major Change

In June, we rebranded. Founded in 2021 as The Horse Fund, we recognized that the generic nature of our name did not reflect our work accurately. With the approval of the Board of Directors, as well as the State of Florida and IRS, we officially became the Wasabi Aftercare Fund. Aligning our brand with the racing stable makes the nature of our work more easily defined. The change has been received with extremely positive reviews.

Retirements

Over 2024 we assisted in the retirement of ten horses. Eight of these were horses that retired directly from the barns of Wasabi Ventures Stables. Three of these horses are moving into careers as broodmares, two are training for second careers (fox hunting and polo), two are receiving some downtime, and one has a home with a person who cared for her when she was a foal. The ninth horse was a WVS-bred, whose owner and trainer decided racing was not the best career. We helped connect the owner and a professional retrainer to assist in the horse’s racing retirement. Our final assist was for a former WVS horse who was injured on the track. We acted as a conduit, connecting the trainer with a non-profit aftercare group. We also made a donation to that organization to assist in the cost of rehabilitation.

Oversight & Updates

This year I continued to watch over 90% of the races in which our former WVS runners and WVS-breds raced. Being able to see how the horse looks before and during the race, in addition to reading the results, provides me with a better understanding of the horse’s current status.

For our post-racing horses, we increased our number of regular updates to 54 by year’s end. These come from 54 different people who have a Wasabi retiree. The general consensus from all of the owners is that they each have the best horse ever.

Content

We published 35 articles over the year. Included in these articles was a return to interviews. On a monthly basis we highlight an off-track Thoroughbred organization, sharing their program goals, successes, and needs. Educating the public about aftercare is one of our goals, and introducing them to other aftercare organizations is a great way to do that.

Additionally, we published 19 videos and 8 shorts on our YouTube channel. There is nothing like watching a retiree learn a new skill, make a friend, or just have fun to brighten your day. All of this content, and more, is shared multiple times a week on our social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter/X.

Communication

This was our most positive year in communicating with trainers and owners. When any of the horses I track is inactive for two months, I reach out to that horse’s connections. I was successful with 95% of these communications, receiving updates on the horse’s health and activity. I am truly grateful to have built a better known reputation, as well as a stronger set of connections, that enables me to keep better tabs on our horses.

Events

This year, we took a big step forward in events. In July we had a table at a horse show in Pennsylvania, where one of our retirees trains. Additionally, Michele attended two of the Horse Racing Women’s Summits (in Lexington and Saratoga). Finally, Wasabi Aftercare was a co-sponsor of the awards party at the RRP Thoroughbred Makeover.

Fundraising

This year was our most successful year of fundraising to date!

  • 12 Days of Giving- $14,587.52
  • Subscribing donors- $4,542.00
  • Donations via WVS horse purchases- $11,604.21
  • Auction sales- $3,113.39
  • Assorted donations- $5,976.91
  • Corporate gifting- $11,000.00

Challenges

Thankfully, this year contained the least amount of frustrations, but they still were present. First, I do have occasional owners and/or trainers who are offended when I ask about the status of the horse. When that happens, I typically receive zero update and am left wondering. Second, there are some trainers and owners who have no public profile, making it difficult to connect. Once again, I am left wondering as to the status of the horse. Finally, the lack of tracking post-racing career continues to dishearten me. There are a few horses who have retired, but where they are and what they are doing are unknowns. If there were a better system, there would be more accountability for the health and safety of our horses.

2024 in Review

I prefer not to end on a negative note. There really is no need, as I reflect on 2024. The majority of the year’s events were positive. We had successes in retirements, tracking, fundraising, and making connections. All of this places us in a good position for 2025 and providing more safe and secure retirements for our WVS horses.