by Nicolle Neulist
Hawthorne’s third annual Help a Horse Day was a success for CANTER Chicago!
All over the country on Saturday, April 23, equine charities held Help a Horse events. Spearheaded by the ASPCA, the day commemorates the first time a person in the United States was arrested for abusing a horse. It has now been turned into something positive: a day when organizations can shine light on the good work they do for horses, and people can learn how to become more active participants in horse welfare. Hawthorne’s observance featured two local racehorse retirement organizations, both CANTER Chicago and Galloping Out.
We spent the day talking to racegoers about what CANTER Chicago does, and raising money for the organization. Between shirt and button sales, raffle tickets, and donations, we made almost $300 in proceeds. Since we are volunteer-run and funded 100% by donations, this will go straight to operational expenses that we need to keep helping thoroughbreds.
Congratulations to Bonnie Gerdes, winner of our 50/50 raffle! Bonnie was incredibly generous with her winnings: she donated her share to Galloping Out, making her win in the raffle a victory for both Chicago thoroughbred retirement organizations. Thank you!
The display board at our table showed off a pair of recent CANTER Chicago horses who are thriving in their new homes. We featured both Joe Matt and Monkey King, both of whom raced on the Chicago circuit for trainer Nick Perez. Joe Matt, who just left the track in February, lives in Kansas now. He is adjusting beautifully to his new life: trotting and cantering over ground poles, ponying, and going on trail rides. Monkey King, now named Monte, has become a resplendent shade of chestnut. Come the spring, he his now working outside, and he is cantering and going over ground poles as well. Both Joe Matt and Monkey King are loving life off the track, and we cannot wait to see what they do next!
Though Joe Matt and Monkey King have already found their new homes, we have plenty of horses for you to look into, if you are interested in bringing an off-track thoroughbred into your life. And, that includes one of their stablemates, the sweet and beautifully behaved Purplegreenandgold.
Right next to our table was Galloping Out’s. People who donated to Galloping Out got a chance to ride an Equicizer, a mechanical horse used by jockeys to exercise and stay in riding condition. Volunteer and photographer extraordinaire Connie decided to give it a shot!
A big thank you to everyone who came out to support us on Saturday! Thank you to anyone who bought a raffle ticket, shirt or button, anyone who came to talk to us, and anyone who told a friend about CANTER Chicago. All of those things help strengthen our role in Chicago’s thoroughbred retirement infrastructure, to both continue listing horses and continue building the broadest possible networks of trainers and potential off-track thoroughbred owners!
Make sure to stay up-to-date with our latest horse listings and events, by following us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and here on the blog!
