FLORIDA -- It was Winston Churchill who most accurately illuminated the human-equine emotional connection when he declared “there’s something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man” or in the case of the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation farm based in Ocala, Florida; a woman.
At the Florida TRF facility the horses are cared for solely by female inmates from the Lowell Correctional Institute, and the vocational program these women participate in is the physical embodiment of Mr. Churchill’s words.
The farm itself is roughly 100 acres of undulating green hills with a well-kept barn and paddocks surrounded by black four-board fencing. Notably, the plank
fences used to contain the 54 horses currently housed at the facility are the only ones on the property.
In fact, there is nothing one can see to suggest this farm is anything other than one of the typical sprawling thoroughbred farms historically endemic to this area, including the extraordinary level of care and attention the horses receive.
The horses housed at the facility consist of approximately 15-20 sponsored thoroughbreds who will live out their retirement years on the farm, grazing alongside those there temporarily with the ultimate goal of adoption and a new career.
These dedicated caretakers are a group of 25 female inmates, referred to as students, who are selected from the non-violent prison population.
The students rotate to work 15 at a time, 9 hours a day, with weekends staffed on a volunteer basis. Those who are selected to participate are given the privilege of being the primary caregivers of two or three horses per student, and of acquiring practical skills like grooming, feeding, mucking, daily care, riding, and doctoring, as well as learning a college curriculum with 22 written tests covering various aspects of horse care. When they graduate the women receive a certificate in equine care technology.
The students develop and maintain a close connection with their charges and the horses thrive under their care and individualized attention.
The women on the farm are remarkably confident and take an obvious and well-deserved pride in their depth of knowledge, responsibility, and hard work, and in
turn the horses learn to adjust to a more relaxed life away from the track. These women could have easily elected to while away their sentences within the prison walls, but instead they have taken the initiative to choose a path that ensures not only labor, sweat and commitment, but also confidence, hope and a chance at a future.
“I think that is why as inmates we bond so closely with these horses because we are both being given a second chance to start something new” explains Angela Cooper. Their stories, both horse and human, illustrate a personal evolution in which one is able to reclassify themselves in order to succeed
The most prominent theme among the student’s testimonials, however, is undoubtedly optimism, attained only through the hard work and education that are the roots of the program itself.
“The work is hard, hot and dirty” says Angela Cooper, but she is quick to add that the effort is absolutely worth it when she sees her horse resting comfortably in his paddock. And the work is indeed hard as the women are expected to perform every aspect of horse care as well as farm maintenance.
“It’s not always fun, our chores involve mucking stalls, haying, weed eating, feeding, and keeping everything in its place” says Sarah Hall, but along with the work “you learn patience and you learn to make the most of your time.”
“Prison is not easy, pretty, fun, or a great place for rehabilitation,” Erika Martin bluntly states in her evaluation of a life inside, but by being able to escape the everyday life in lockup, she is able to practice and further her skills every day.
Erika now plans to take what she has learned and apply it in her life after release. “The possibilities in the equine field are endless and I can’t explain how good it feels to know what I want to do with my life.”
This prospect of a successful future has become a reality for a number of the program’s graduates based on their unique ability to gain employment using the extensive and specialized knowledge they acquired working on the farm. Dawn Bieber, who graduated from the program in 2009, was offered an opportunity shortly after her release to work for Classic Bloodstock, LLC in Ocala where she remained employed for three years.
Prior to becoming part of the program at TRF, Dawn’s involvement with horses was minimal and went only as far as doing some combined training as a teenager. As a student in the program, she gained a great deal of invaluable
hands-on experience while assisting in the physical rehabilitation of the ex-race horses, helping them come back to form from injuries such as bowed tendons or bucked shins.
With the curriculum incorporating all aspects of equine care and farm maintenance, the women have the option of following their interests and focusing on a particular part of the trade. In doing so, they are able to prepare
themselves for a productive life outside when they are finished serving their time. The vocational training the women receive is essential to their success as it provides them with a means to support themselves in a world that might look down its nose at those with a troubled past.
Diane Garcia is the perfect example of someone who has taken the trade skills she gained in the program and transformed them into a successful career. Upon her release in May of 2011 after a seven year sentence, Diane quickly realized she was going to have to take the initiative if she was going to support herself.
Two weeks later she started her farrier business, Excellent Equine Care, located in Haines City, Florida. Diane initially began by going door to door looking for business, but within a year her reputation had flourished in the community and she started acquiring clients through word of mouth.
Having arrived at TRF as a Boston native with absolutely no horse experience, she admits she was initially timid on the farm. However, it did not take long for her to transform into a full-fledged horsewomen, and soon she was completely engrossed in her work. In particular, Diane had a fascination with feet. She started studying the hoof, observing the farrier, asking questions and devouring
books; she explains it by saying she became “absorbed by the whole medical aspect” of the farrier trade.
Thereafter, having been given the mental tools by the program and the physical tools of the trade by director Evans, Diane had the ability and confidence to strike out on her own.
“The biggest thing [the program] does is for the girls is self-confidence” she explained when asked what the most important take-away was for students.
She summed up her testimonial by saying that “girls in prison have made mistakes, followed the wrong people, went down the wrong path” but emphasized that it doesn’t make them bad people.
Like the thoroughbreds they care for, “the girls need a chance” she said, the emotion evident in her voice.
[Article edited for length. Click the link below to read it in its entirety.]
(The Florida Horse Magazine - August 2012)
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