(Edited press release)
The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation of South Carolina has received a $10,000 grant from the Thoroughbred Charities of America as the South Carolina group kicks off its 2007-08 fiscal year fund raising efforts.
The TRFSC, in cooperation with the South Carolina Department of Corrections, operates a rehabilitation and re-training facility for former racehorses and an equine care vocational school for inmates at the Wateree River Correctional Facility. The facility, located near Rembert, S.C., is home to some 50 former racehorses, many of which are available for adoption.
An important result of the collaboration between the operations is the positive effect it has on inmates at the facility.
"The impact that working with horses can have on individuals looking to refocus their lives is just amazing," said former warden John Carmichael. Former inmate graduates of the widely recognized “Groom Elite” program are now at work on farms and other equine facilities in South Carolina and Kentucky.
“We are greatly appreciative of the continued support of the Thoroughbred Charities of America as we launch our annual fund raising drive," said TRFSC president C. L. “Kip” Elser. "We are very proud to have our program recognized as helping both man and horse in South Carolina and are grateful to the TCA for this support.”
