Old Friends Cares for Retired Racehorses and Celebrates the Sport of Racing in Kentucky
In partnership with: Kentucky Department of Agriculture
Take a tour at Old Friends headquarters in Georgetown, and you’ll meet horses like Hall-of-Famer Silver Charm, the oldest living Kentucky Derby winner, and 2012 Derby Winner I’ll Have Another. While admiring these incredible athletes, visitors learn about Thoroughbred racing and the important work of equine aftercare.
“Imagine Cooperstown, in baseball, if you not only had the Hall of Fame and a great museum that celebrated the sport, but you also had Ruth, Gehrig, and Mantle who lived there, and that’s the atmosphere that we have created at Old Friends,” said John Nicholson, President and CEO of Old Friends.
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Beyond the Track
At the end of a career on the track, a Thoroughbred racehorse has limited positive options: Begin training in a different discipline, begin a breeding career, or begin retirement.
When horse racing enthusiast Michael Blowen and his wife, Diane White, former columnists for the Boston Globe, retired to Kentucky in the early 2000s, they heard about the challenges surrounding Thoroughbred retirement and the prevalence of negative options.
“We don’t want our horses ending up in the slaughterhouse or forgotten,” Nicholson said. “Old Friends was the first large organization that really brought attention to the need to make sure that our horses are safe in their post-racing and post-breeding careers.”
So, in 2003, Blowen’s vision of a retirement farm to care for and celebrate Thoroughbred heroes was born. Blowen spent the next two decades growing Old Friends into an award-winning leader in equine aftercare, where the public interacts with its decorated residents. Now, it consists of four farms, more than 20 employees, and around 40 volunteers, and it cares for about 280 horses.
As of 2023, more than 85 organizations across the United States were accredited by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance to care for retired Thoroughbreds. It is now understood that owners, trainers, and breeders have a moral obligation for the animals’ entire lives.
“It’s expected now, and Old Friends had a great deal to do with that,” Nicholson said.
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Horsing Around
Old Friends retirees revel in leisure and fun.
“For the first part of their lives, being highly trained athletes, they did what they were told to do,” Nicholson said. “Now, at this stage of their life, we do what they tell us to do. They have earned that right.”
Each horse enjoys a customized diet and individualized healthcare, plus ample time and space outside. Despite their retirement, the horses – some of whom are quite old – are in remarkably good shape.
“They’re also ambassadors, and they see thousands of people through the course of a year,” Nicholson said. “It’s very stimulating, and they get lots of treats and carrots. They have a lot to look forward to every day.”
The four-hoofed ambassadors showcase the beauty of racing and the good life of retirement after their job is done – a well-deserved stage of their life.
“Old Friends has earned a stellar reputation when it comes to providing a wonderful life for retired Thoroughbred racehorses,” Nicholson said. “The need is not decreasing; it’s increasing. The organization will be planting its flags in other places and meeting the needs not only in Kentucky but other places where there are retired Thoroughbred racehorses.”
As a nonprofit, Old Friends relies principally on charitable donations and support from the equine industry. You can support the work by donating online or, better yet, taking a tour to celebrate the sport of horse racing and meet some equine superstars.
Visit oldfriendsequine.org to learn more about Old Friends’ work, plan a tour or donate.