"More and more owners and trainers are joining with aftercare organizations and donating their retiring thoroughbreds for rehabilitation, retraining, and placement in adoptive homes. It just leads to better outcomes and it's where the industry is going. It keeps a radar on each horse. Selling just doesn't guarantee that same safety net for these horses and they deserve that. I want that peace of mind too."

-Anonymous trainer

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Can I donate only horses with limitations (while selling those without limitations), OR, submit pasture sound only?

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Unfortunately, no. We create relationships with the trainers and owners we work with, and aftercare is a program/service that only works with a mixture of both (we look at it like 'an industry creating sustainability').

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We continue to work with trainers/owners who place BOTH types of horses with us (those requiring rehabilitation AND those with zero limitations). 

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While all adoption fees are far below market value, the highly limited horses are even further below that (ranging between $1,000-$1,500). The limited horses cost, on average, upwards of $3,000 for their longer stays, veterinary care and further diagnostics, feed, farrier, teeth, vaccinations, etc. There simply isn't adequate funding to operate and provide the service without also taking in horses that are more easily transitioned. 

 

Second, and as an advocate for the future success of racing, we feel it is important to keep a mix, and show case the 'happily ever afters' of those retiring sound as well. Thoroughbred aftercare organizations full of pasture sound and highly limited horses paints a picture we feel feeds into an ever spotlighted negative narrative of 'broken horses'. To change this we must be able to SHOWCASE this in our aftercare organizations!

 

While sanctuary is part of our longer term goal, and desperately needed, the costs to fund it are astronomical. We all have this idea that experienced homes seeking pasture pets are in abundance, and over the last few years we have learned the dire truth, having had only TWO people seeking such horses (out of hundreds of applications). For this reason, 'pasture sound only' are assumed to be 'lifers', unlikely to be adopted and requiring sanctuary. 

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Adoption VS Selling; Why Aftercare?

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Aftercare is a structured, mission-driven process that includes:

• Rehabilitating horses off the track

• Retraining them for second careers

• Finding safe, appropriate homes

• Following up with adopters and ensuring the horse’s ongoing welfare

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It’s holistic, hands-on, and horse-first.

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Posting a Sales Ad is just that:

• Listing a horse for sale, often with no commitment beyond the transaction

• Usually no post-placement oversight or return clause

• Typically done for profit or convenience

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Why True Aftercare Matters

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Aftercare Isn’t a Last Resort — It’s a Shared Responsibility

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At Wild Hearts, aftercare isn’t where a horse ends up — it’s where thoughtful, responsible retirement begins.

When owners choose to rehome sound horses privately, they also take full responsibility — not just for that horse’s future, but for any others in their care who may later require costly or lengthy rehab.

Our limited resources are reserved for owners and trainers who value aftercare as a core part of responsible retirement — not just an option when a horse becomes unrideable or unsellable.

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Aftercare Only Works When It’s Mutual

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Aftercare only works when everyone is engaged. It can’t function as a safety net only for the horses with injuries, while sound, easy horses are quietly rehomed.

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That approach places an unfair and unsustainable burden on nonprofit programs — and makes it harder for aftercare organizations to stand alongside racing connections in pushing back against the claims of sometimes negative critics. These critics often say that sound horses are sold quickly without oversight, while the more complex or expensive cases are left to become someone else’s responsibility.

 

The Public Sees What We Share — and That Shapes the Narrative

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Privately placed horses often disappear from view. But the horses that pass through aftercare programs like ours are the ones the public sees — the ones we post, promote, and fundraise around.

If the only stories we can tell are about lengthy, difficult rehabs, it doesn’t paint a complete or hopeful picture of the industry — even when we know many horses finish sound and ready to shine in second careers.

 

Retiring Sound Horses Responsibly Sends the Right Message

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When sound horses are retired through aftercare, we get to showcase the best of the breed — and the best of the people behind them.

It shows that the industry cares about life beyond the track. It gives adopters, donors, and the broader public a reason to believe in Thoroughbreds and those who raise, train, and race them.

 

We’re Here Because We Love the Horses — But This Work Requires Commitment

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We do this work because we believe in these horses. But aftercare only remains viable when it's treated not as a convenience, but as a commitment — to the horse, to the process, and to the bigger picture of what responsible retirement really means.

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Submit a horse into the Wild Hearts program

 

Owners and trainers may approach Wild Hearts with a horse(s) they'd like to place into the Wild Hearts adoption program. Horses can be submitted using the "Submit a Horse" button below. Applications are submitted to the Board of Directors and reviewed on a first come first served basis for program suitability. 

 

Eligibility:
 

• Horses must be Thoroughbreds that have raced or trained in British Columbia, Alberta or Washington State.  

• Horses must be retiring sound, or, can require rehabilitation during their time with us but vet imaging must be included with submission and vet prognosis indicating horse will be able to be rehabbed to at minimum flatwork (w/t/c and trails). 'Light riding only' (considered 'mostly walk, some trot') and 'pasture sound only' are not eligible at this time until sanctuary can be secured.

• The American Association of Equine Practitioners’ “Transitioning the Retired Racehorse: Guidelines for Equine Practitioners, Adoption Organizations and Horse Owners” will be followed by Wild Hearts board members and volunteers involved with intake assessment and decision-making.

• Stallions must be gelded.