The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, which is dedicated to the rescue, retirement, and adoption of Thoroughbreds, and the Florida Department of Corrections invite the public to attend an open house at the Lowell Correctional Institution's Second Chances Farm.
The free event will take place March 8 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with a brief formal program at noon.
"We want to offer our supporters, local leadership, the Thoroughbred racing community, potential adopters, and the general public a chance to see our life-changing racehorse retirement and vocational program up close," said Lisa Craig, TRF's annual fund director.
The farm is currently home to 42 ex-racehorses who receive supervised care from non-violent female offenders participating in a vocational training program in equine care technology. After their release, many graduates of the Second Chances program have used their new skills to help acquire jobs within the equine industry and beyond, and are often quick to credit their equine teachers with helping turn their lives around.
The open house will include a meet-and-greet with the horses, demos of adoptable horses ridden by current offender-students, farm tours, and brief formal program that will feature a recent Second Chances graduate who is successfully employed in the local equine industry. Admission is free but an RSVP is requested. Please visit www.trfinc.org for details.