Second Stride- An Aftercare Ally

This month I spoke with the team at Second Stride to learn more about their TAA- and TCA- accredited program. Read on to learn more!

Where is Second Stride based?

Second Stride is located in Prospect, Kentucky, just east of Louisville.

How did your program begin?

Second Stride was started in 2005 when our founder, Kim Smith, noticed a lack of retirement options for owners and trainers. There were not many retirement organizations back then, and they could not keep up with the need, especially in Kentucky. She started assisting her friends who were owners and trainers and eventually became a non-profit. We now have transitioned over 2,000 OTTBs!

What makes Second Stride unique?

Second Stride is the only program that will transition broodmares and babies. We will find homes for retiring broodmares and get them started back under saddle after many years. These ladies usually end up as nice trail horses and lesson horses! The yearlings that we transition are usually not put together well conformationally, and it would be too stressful on their joints to race. We give them time to finish growing before we start them under saddle. Most of these horses will be trail horses and sometimes dressage or western disciplines. 

What happens when a horse is accepted into your program?

We gather as much information/history as we can about each individual horse that comes into our program. Once the horse is in our program it will be seen by our vet for an exam. The vet will watch the horse walk and trot on the ground and give us recommendations on any rehab that may be needed or to start slowly under saddle after rehab. We will also get recommendations on whether or not the horse can be used in an athletic discipline.

They will also see the farrier the first week they are with us. We will also get to know the horse and assess its personality. They get a good bath, and their pictures are taken for our website. 

Do you work with other locations or farms in your program?

We don’t work with other farms. We keep our horses on three farms, all in Prospect, Kentucky. The acreage of these combined is 200 acres.

How does Second Stride receive funding?

Second Stride is funded primarily by grants. We also hold fundraisers throughout the year. The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance is our largest donor. If anyone would like to donate to help our cause, they can donate here Second Stride, Inc. – Connecting Hearts with Second Stride

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

Myopic is currently in our program for almost two years. He is a 7 year old gelding who is blind in one eye and had a canon bone fracture that was repaired two years ago. Myopic is a fun horse to be around and a bit quirky. He has a stubborn attitude but melts around kids. Myopic is the world’s best and bravest trail horse. He loves to be groomed and loves to be out with his best buddies. Also, he loves to play with his friends and will befriend the new horse in the herd. He is a gentle soul with a will to please under saddle. 

Want to learn about an another aftercare ally? Check out Friends of Ferdinand.