Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots announced Jan. 13 a $2,500 gift to two locally active rescue organizations helping to relocate more than 40 neglected horses discovered last week at a farm near Many, La., in the northwest part of the state.
The donation will be shared by the Louisiana Horse Rescue Association, a nonprofit dedicated to the rescue and placement of race horses; and Remember Me Racehorse Rescue, a similar nonprofit founded and operated by Donna Keen, wife of Fair Grounds-based trainer Dallas Keen. Those two organizations identified new homes for all of the surviving horses from the Ol’ Home Place farm and will help to nurse them back to health.
“All of us at Fair Grounds were sickened by the news of what happened up north,” said Fair Grounds racing secretary Jason Boulet, a Louisiana Horse Rescue Association board member, in a release. “Horses of all breeds are animals that possess considerable intelligence and anyone who has been around them knows they experience a wide range of emotions. Abusive and neglectful treatment of horses is simply unacceptable.”
Fair Grounds was a founding member of the Louisiana Horse Rescue Association. The racetrack has supported the organization through an annual sponsorship, membership dues, and fundraising events.
In addition, Fair Grounds has set up a process for other horse lovers to donate to Louisiana Horse Rescue and Remember Me Racehorse Rescue online. Visit www.FairGroundsRaceCourse.com/Shop to make a credit card payment in any amount, with the full amount to go to horse rescue efforts. To go directly to the donation page, visit http://fairgroundsgifts.myshopify.com/collections/donate-to.
All of the funds from the Jan. 13 donation by Fair Grounds will go specifically to the care of the many horses.
To learn more, visit the Louisiana Horse Rescue Association at www.LaHorseRescue.com or Remember Me Racehorse Rescue at www.TeamKeen.com.