CANTER stands for The Communication Alliance to Network Thoroughbred Ex-Racehorses. CANTER started as a solution to help racehorses find new careers by connecting buyers and sellers through posting racehorses for sale on the Internet. The program quickly became a national web-based phenomenon.  Since the first CANTER Michigan program started in 1997, it and has grown to include chapters in California, Illinois, the Mid Atlantic Region, the New England Region, Ohio and Pennsylvania. All the CANTER programs are all-volunteer organizations with 501c3 non profit status.

The chapters in Michigan, Ohio, New England, Mid Atlantic and Illinois have also expanded their CANTER programs to include owner relinquished horse adoption programs, where CANTER assumes ownership of the horse and all associated expenses.  Many of these CANTER Phase II programs have affiliations with veterinary colleges such as Michigan State University and Ohio State University, where horses receive necessary surgical procedures to return to soundness.