After closing of tracks, programs like Galloping Out train retired racehorses for new lives

Horse racing makes Heidi Sheridan nervous, worrying whether the animals will get hurt. But now Sheridan is taking lessons and learning to ride a former racing thoroughbred, not for business, but for pleasure.

“I never in a million years thought I would own a horse,” Sheridan said. “My husband wasn’t a big fan, but he showed up in my driveway with a ‘96 Mustang, so I said, ‘I’m going to get my own horse.’”

As she spoke, her horse, Finley, a bay-colored gelding that won more than $50,000 in his racing year at tracks including the former Arlington Park and Churchill Downs, caught her under the chin with his muzzle, making her smile as she leaned out of the way.

Sheridan, a school social worker, bought Finley through Galloping Out, a program that retrains retired racehorses for new lives and careers. The recent closing of Hawthorne Race Course brought a surge in the number of surplus thoroughbreds. But programs like Galloping Out have been working for years to save them.

The Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association created Galloping Out in 2010 to find new homes for retired racers. The not-for-profit organization is funded by the horse owners, private donations, Hawthorne (before it went bankrupt) and from adoption fees that generally range from $1,000 to $5,000. Currently, the group has 28 horses on farms in Hampshire, Harvard, Kankakee, Monee, Manteno and downstate near Fairmount Park Casino & Racing.

A racehorse can be a valuable piece of property, winning money and notoriety for its owner. But the career is short — often only a couple of seasons, though horses can live 25 or 30 years. Only elite horses are used for breeding. Every year, thousands of horses are put out to pasture or end up for sale.

In the past, many would be killed. In 2005, Kentucky Derby winner Ferdinand was among those sent to a slaughterhouse. In response to public outrage, Illinois banned the slaughter of horses in 2007, and the federal government no longer authorizes inspections for horse meat. But horses still are shipped to Mexico or Canada for slaughter, so horse rescue operations see their job as a moral crusade.

Complicating their mission is the fact that thoroughbreds have one job: run as fast as they can. They are magnificent athletes, with high-running motors and a competitive spirit. But other horse disciplines depend more on finesse and control. So a big part of retraining is getting them to slow down and respond to precise commands.

On a recent afternoon at Tukaway Farm in Hampshire, trainer Kim Angerman stood in the center of an arena, calling out instructions to two teen girls trying to turn a pair of thoroughbreds into show hunters and jumpers. Hunters are judged on style while hurdling barriers, while jumpers depend on speed and clean jumps.

Sixteen-year-old Avery Kucan was riding Maggie, a horse that raced at Hawthorne and Arlington, winning numerous races and earning more than $74,000.

After retirement several years ago, Maggie had been adopted out to another owner, but it didn’t work out, and Galloping Out took her back under its unconditional return policy. That’s when Avery’s mother, Jennifer, spent $6,000 to adopt the horse, reflecting its market price.

Avery had been training for several years on barn horses, but Jennifer Kucan was willing to spend the money to get her a horse with which she could develop a permanent bond and develop her confidence. They hope for Avery to start show jumping next year.

“She was definitely a little spunky today. She wasn’t really listening, and was bucking,” Avery said after riding McHenry. Overall, she said of the experience, “It’s amazing. I love it.”

Avery’s mother advised taking time before becoming a new horse owner.

“We love this horse. She’s perfect,” Jennifer Kucan said. “But there’s a whole new world to learn. You’ve got to go through a few before you find the right one that really works with you.”

Galloping Out horses have been adopted for dressage, polo, for children with developmental disabilities, for trail riding, or simply as companions. One has appeared in a military parade, and another starred in a TV commercial.

Potential homes are thoroughly vetted and inspected prior to adoption. Generally, racehorses aren’t suitable for young children or beginners, and owners must have the space and wherewithal to feed and care for them, which can cost thousands of dollars a year.

Racehorses have advantages over other horses because they’re trained, or “broken,” to handle loud noises from crowds, fireworks, garbage trucks and brass bands, and are used to riding in trailers and being handled by multiple riders and groomers, explained Jan Ely, Galloping Out’s program coordinator.

“Racehorses are so smart. They’ve seen everything. So they’re worldly when they leave the track,” Ely said. “They know more than other horses ever learn.”

Another rescue operation, the Illinois Equine Humane Center in west suburban Maple Park, with a staff of 25 volunteers, has also saved racehorses from Hawthorne and Arlington.

Some horses come in severely injured, which is no longer necessarily a death sentence. Louis, whose racing name was Proper Empire, had won more than $80,000 racing at Hawthorne, Keenland and other tracks. But after retirement, he ended up in a feed lot in Alabama fighting with other stallions. He suffered a fractured skull, broken ribs and an infected bite mark.

The equine center nursed him back to health, and now at 17, he’s up for adoption.

“The most rewarding thing is seeing this horse living in a pasture, after he almost died,” Illinois Equine Humane Center President Sarah Mowat said. “That’s why we do it.”

rmccoppin@chicagotribune.com