Friends of Ferdinand Inc.
From AlexBrownRacing
Contents |
Basics
Web Address: http://friendsofferdinand.org
Phone:888-612-7402 or 317-679-8521
E-mail:contact@friendsofferdinand.org
Paypal link: please use the "donate" link on the homepage of our website
Our Mission
“Retired from racing, not from life” is our slogan. Friends of Ferdinand Inc. (FFI) is an Indianapolis-based 501(c)(3) organization run entirely by volunteers with a common goal: to foster and promote the humane treatment of Indiana's horses by providing options and educating individuals. FFI is a horse rescue organization that was established in 2005 in response to the fact that a common practice among racehorse owners and trainers desiring to divest themselves of injured or poorly performing horses was to send them to slaughter in exchange for a few hundred dollars. These horses are young, healthy and have viable options as athletes in other equine disciplines. Friends of Ferdinand Inc. (FFI) is dedicated to providing Indiana's horses that are not able to fulfill their intended purpose a chance at life through second careers or a dignified retirement.
Our Organization
The name “Friends of Ferdinand” is in recognition of a thoroughbred named Ferdinand who, in 1986, raced to victory at the historical and prestigious Kentucky Derby. One year later, Ferdinand won the Breeder's Cup and was also named Horse of the Year. He captivated the American Public and rekindled the dreams of horse racing internationally. During his career, Ferdinand earned $4 million dollars and in 1989 he was retired from racing and exported to Asia as a stallion. Six years later, this king among thoroughbred racing was led to slaughter for human consumption.
Our Accomplishments
FFI was founded with a primary mission of providing alternatives to slaughter to racehorse owners. Armed with philanthropic donations from horse lovers, FFI attended the thoroughbred auction at the end of the 2005 and 2006 race season at Hoosier Park in Anderson, IN. We provided owners of unsold horses the option to donate the horse to FFI and thereby provide the horse, who was otherwise at-risk for slaughter, an opportunity to transition to a new career as a companion animal. Twenty Eight horses have been donated and to date and all but three have found loving adoptive homes.
In 2006, FFI initiated a “track-listing” endeavor. Starting with the spring thoroughbred racing season at Indiana Downs in Shelbyville, IN, FFI volunteers visited the horse barns every weekend, met and presented trainers and owners with the opportunity to list horses for sale on the internet. Volunteers took detailed information on the horses and presented photos, descriptions and prices on both the FFI website and on sites such as www.equinehits.com and www.equinenow.com. Interested individuals were able to contact FFI volunteers for further information, and FFI volunteers were available to assist at the track, but all transactions were conducted with the listing owners or trainers. Over the spring season, this service gained acceptance and proved valuable to the horse owners, many of whom do not have internet availability. As more and more successful sales were made, the owners truly began to appreciate the option of listing and waiting for someone to contact them and give their horses that were at the end of their racing career, or younger horses that did not have the racing instinct, a chance at a new career. FFI volunteers provide this service, free of charge, to racehorse owners at Hoosier Park and Indiana Downs during the thoroughbred and harness racing seasons, and placed over 200 internet sale-ads that to date, have resulted in the sale of over 90% of these horses into non-race homes. Due to the positive feedback received by Indiana Downs and Hoosier Park management, Friends of Ferdinand volunteers have been invited back to the tracks in 2007 and 2008.
While FFI’ s primary purpose started as an interest in providing racehorse owners with an option to slaughter by accepting and transitioning racehorses into second careers, FFI does not restrict its mission to racehorses only. In 2005, five malnourished and neglected non-race horses were rescued from the Shipshewanna slaughter auction by FFI volunteers. These horses were nursed back to health and all but one has been adopted in loving homes as pleasure horses. If a horse is in need of help finding a new home, FFI will list the horse on the internet and assist in the adoption process. If a horse is in jeopardy and FFI has the funds and placement, we will accept the horse and do everything we can to provide it a new opportunity.
