United States Eventing Association

Many event horses, from Beginner Novice packers to elite Olympians, got their early start in the racing industry, with many having two, three, and even four or more different careers before their retirement. Writer Kitson Jazynka had the opportunity to volunteer at a local horse rescue and got some hands-on experience with rescued horses, many of them originating from Florida racetracks, and surrounding areas. Do you have an ex-racehorse or rescued horse who events?

It’s one thing to read about discarded racehorses heading to slaughter in cramped, hot trailers. It’s another thing entirely to spend a summer morning hosing and sudsing a sweet, young nibbly Thoroughbred boy who might otherwise have ended up on a dinner plate in Europe. This was on my mind recently as got acquainted with Merlot (his Jockey Club name is Can’t Stop the Light) over shampoo and a bucket. As the adorable dark bay gelding snuffled my pony tail and enjoyed the spray of cold water on his face, I wondered where life will take this sweet, young horse.

The good news is that he’s got lodging at Pure Thoughts Horse and Foal Rescue in Loxahatchee, FL. My friends Brad Gaver and Jennifer Swanson started the rescue organization about eight years ago. They do any kind of horse rescue you can think up – taking on cases that range from good to bad to ugly. In the past year, Pure Thoughts has gotten involved with Florida race tracks. They are providing an outlet for race track folks who are courageous and honorable enough to divert their gorgeous, gleaming well-muscled cast-offs to a rescue organization. That is, instead of simply letting them go to auction which often puts a horse on the path to slaughter. Once a horse arrives at Pure Thoughts, he’s evaluated, rehabbed if necessary, trained, loved, fawned over by volunteers like me, ridden by a squad of enthusiastic volunteer riders and, hopefully, united with a happy adoptive home.

I feel lucky to have witnessed the process over and over again in the years that I’ve known Brad and Jennifer. I try to leverage my connections as a professional writer to get the word out about their great work and the profoundly wonderful horses they shepherd.

At Pure Thoughts, Brad leverages his insight and good horse sense to heal and train horses (and people) creating lovely unions. Jennifer runs the show, once rescuing 163 horses in one night after a show down with meat buyers at an auction in Ohio. The organization actually got started years ago when Jennifer’s teen-aged daughter Camille drained her savings account to rescue and foster and orphan foal. After that foal was adopted out, they found room for ten more, and so on and so on.

The Indigo Girls said it well – the darkness has a hunger that’s insatiable. These days, Pure Thoughts soldiers through the dark side of the business of horse rescue – the recession, the cost of hay, a pretty paint returned with ruined feet, and awful cases of neglect. The happy endings constantly seek to balance the dark side. Happy endings, that is, like the horses who’ve gone on to years of happiness with new owners and the horses who’ve been brought back from hunger and neglect to become winning show horses, treasured trail mounts and loveable pets in the arms of young riders.

My husband asked me the other day if the Thoroughbreds at Pure Thoughts were the same kind gorgeous race horses you see on televised horse races. Yes! The horses that fill the stalls at Pure Thoughts are the very same kind.

I’ve never met two people who “walk the walk” more than Brad and Jennifer when it comes to hard work and dedication to keeping horses safe. Their goal is to put an end to horse abuse, neglect and horse slaughter in the United States.

At the moment, Pure Thoughts is brimming with young, serviceable, beautiful thoroughbreds looking for forever homes. I met Soldier Bear, who is a big, bombproof TB with a gorgeous face, a soft eye and a delightful snip on his nose. He’s ten years old and I bet he’d make a great eventing partner for someone out there (pictured left: Liz Lamont Images). For more information about Merlot, Soldier Bear or any of the many horses at Pure Thoughts, check out their website at www.pthr.org. Click here to visit them on Facebook, email [email protected] or call Brad Gaver at 561-951-2108.

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Kitson Jazynka is a freelance writer based in Washington, DC. She contributes regularly to Horse Illustrated, Dressage Today, Young Rider and Phelpssports.com. She has also managed to write about horses for magazines like American Girl and National Geographic Kids. Her horses live the good life in pastoral Potomac, MD. She visits her friends at Pure Thoughts whenever she’s visiting South Florida.