SAQ is reopening the Horse Adoption Program for retired and retiring Standardbreds

by Melissa Bell

Picture collage of adoption horses enjoying their retirementIn response to an alarming increase in Standardbreds retiring from their racing careers having no safety net due to limited rehoming options, the SAQ have decided to reopen up our Adoption Program to all retired/retiring Standardbreds once again. In recent years we had to scale back our program and close our books to OTT Standardbreds retiring from racing due to lack of funds and resources needed to operate this program. During this hiatus, SAQ quietly continued its commitment to Standardbreds who were already part of our program, using our own resources to assist horses and owners in need. Despite the lack of an external funding for our horse adoption program, a program run solely by a handful of volunteers, SAQ feel it is important to offer this service to racing participants once again. To enable this to happen, we have set up a more structured system to assist us with the process of advertising horses and finding suitable homes for retired Standardbreds.

Our goal is to act as a stepping stone to assist Owners/Trainers to find suitable homes for their Standardbreds once their careers on the track come to an end. Once a suitable home is found, we will continue to monitor the wellbeing of your horse during the 12 month adoption contract period. Wellbeing checks are required to be completed by the adopter at three, six and 12-months – as well as visits to the horse’s new home to ensure that it is the right fit for the horse before any transfer of ownership can be approved by the SAQ Committee.

If you have a Standardbred who is ready to leave its racing career behind, then head to our Donate a Horse page to find out more information about our adoption program and download the forms to start the process.

The SAQ Adoption Program is Celebrating its 20 Year Anniversary in 2022, and currently has members wanting to adopt a Standardbred retired from racing through our long-established Adoption Program. Since 2002, SAQ has rehomed over 1,200 Standardbreds!

As part of our 20 Year Anniversary, we are offering all Standardbreds that have been adopted through our program over the past 20 years, free entry to our 3 State Championships during 2022 – Dressage, Showjumping & Hacking & Harness, so you may even get to see your horse as a superstar in his/her new chosen discipline.