Aftercare
Aftercare—ensuring that horses live out their lives in a safe, healthy and productive way after their racing days are over—is a priority of the Standardbred Breeders Association of Pennsylvania.
Hanover Shoe Farms has long had a program to look after its retired mares. There are over 120 horses living out the remainder of their lives in one of Hanover's rolling green pastures. Fittingly, one of these mares is named Quiet Dignity.
On occasion, sadly, there are foals (very young horses) who are orphaned. In those instances, one of the mares will "come out of retirement" to love, nurture, and care for the orphaned foals.
We are also proud supporters of the Standardbred Transition Alliance, which provides grants to approved organizations which rehabilitate, train, and re-home Standardbred horses.
One of those organizations, which we also support, is the New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program, with locations in 5 states, including one in Hummelstown, PA. Founded in 1992, New Vocations has placed more than 7,000 retired racehorses with qualified homes nationwide.
We also provide assistance to the Standardbred Retirement Foundation. For the past 30 years, they have, likewise, provided rehabilitative services to Standardbreds who no longer compete on the racetrack. To date, they have facilitated the adoptions of more than 3,000 former racehorses.