Friends of Ferdinand- An Aftercare Ally

In April I attended the IFAR conference in Lexington, Kentucky, and met many other individuals who work in Thoroughbred aftercare. Among them was Erin Smith, President of Friends of Ferdinand. Recently, we reconnected so that I could learn more about this organization.

Where is Friends of Ferdinand based?

Friends of Ferdinand (FFI) is an Indiana-based non-profit with two training farms in Ohio, one foster farm and one training farm in Indiana.

How did your program begin?

In 2005 there were two men named Jim at Indiana Grand, who were not owners but loved to gamble. Somehow they met Sara Busbice and asked her what happened to horses when they finished racing. They realized that there was not a great ending for a number of Thoroughbreds. They also learned about Ferdinand, who died in a slaughterhouse in Japan, even though he was a Derby and Breeders Cup winner. The Jims, along with Sara, decided to make a difference. They started taking horses off the track that were retiring from racing. They didn’t know what to do with them, so Sarah took a bunch of horses and figured out quickly where they would go. She found foster homes. The Jims and Sara named it Friends of Ferdinand in honor of the champion.

What makes FFI unique?

FFI is the only TAA-accredited aftercare program in Indiana. It is a “boutique” aftercare program, as it is very small. We only take in eight to eleven horses at any given time. We do things a little differently. It’s not about quantity, but about the quality of our adoptions that is important to us. Our goal is for the efficacy of the adoption to be permanent. We want the right fit the first time. Friends of Ferdinand have a 96% success rate for placements.

We are one of the only programs that offer a 30-day trial. In fact, we require it. We also require that you come and test ride the horse. We don’t adopt out unless the potential owner comes to ride and see it’s a good fit. Quite often the one they come to see isn’t the one they end up adopting. During the first 30 days you can do a pre-purchase exam and make sure the horse is a fit. No questions asked if you decide to return the horse,and you get a full refund. We always take horses back. 

As an example, Mr Bartlett had been adopted for approximately for 16 years. After he retired from riding, his owner had severe health issues. FFI brought him back. Once a horse is with us, that horse is always with us. We track every horse. 

What happens when a horse is accepted into your program?

We have three different programs.

• Regular intake- riding horse. This program’s requirement is that the horse has to be able to move onto a second career. We talk to the horse’s trainer and consult with one of our veterinarians. We want a full history of the horse. We will do rehab, if needed, but the horse needs to be able to have a riding career after rehab to be included in this program.
• Pasture pal- This program is for younger horses that are pasture sound. These need to be sound horses but that can’t be ridden. 
• Broodmare bunch- This program is for mares that can go onto a third career with a requirement that the mare be 15 years or younger. We complete a pre-donation exam and Friends of Ferdinand pay for it. If the mare passes the exam, FFI will accept her.

For all three programs, once we accept a horse, we determine which trainer or foster is best for that horse. We complete an intake exam with our vet. It is a total workover, including teeth, soundness, vaccines. We figure out what each horse needs: downtime, rehab, etc. FFI has three trainers: two English, one Western. We base our decision on what we know of the horse. We will switch trainers, if needed. The horse stays in training until he or she is adopted.

How many horses have gone through your program?

We have worked with just under 200 horses.

How does Friends of Ferdinand receive funding?

We receive 95% of our funding from grants or private donors. We also host a couple fundraisers annually.

Do you have a story about a horse that we can share with our readers?

Every couple years we partner with Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare (CTA) and take a couple horses. We typically pick ones that are Indiana-bred to get them back. We get thick blankets to prepare them for winter, as they don’t have thick coats in Puerto Rico. One horse from there that stands out is Peter Castleboy, a Florida-bred. He raced in Florida and ended up in Puerto Rico. He raced there for a while and was adopted via Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare. His owner trained him as a hunter/jumper. Peter was doing three foot fences. Then the owner’s parents divorced and had financial issues. CTA didn’t find out until later, but Peter was left in a pasture to starve. By the time CTA found him, he was very emaciated. They got him back, rehabbed and put weight on him.

They told us his story, and we brought him to Indiana. He spent a few months with me. He was a foster that was hard to let go; he is an amazing horse. However, he needed something bigger for his career. I got him to a trainer in Columbus. Within a few months she knew what he needed to do: trainer with IEA. We had the trainer, Katie, and her mom (who has a walker) come to visit. The trainer’s mom went into the ring. Peter hugged her. That was it. Katie took him. He has been to the World Equestrian Center with her students. Different kids ride him all the time (students and her own children), and this does not faze him. To see where he was and now where he is, that’s why we do what we do.

If people want to help your program, what can they do?

The biggest help is monetary donations, no matter the amount. The other way people can help is by spreading the word about Friends of Ferdinand and making people aware of what we do. 

Click here to learn about another aftercare ally: Kentucky Equine Adoption Center.