Untacked

CO T H . CO M | S E P T E M B E R /O C T O B E R 2 0 2 0    91 horses in adulthood, and she learned more about the Thoroughbred racing industry as a resident in Wellington, Florida. With a doctorate in clinical psychology, Gagnon-Blodgett worked at Nova Southeastern University's College of Psychology and the Health Professions Division Department of Geriatric Medicine before retiring to prioritize family and the CTA. "She's the brains of CTA," says Kelley. "She's got a photographic memory; she remembers everything." REHOMED With Gagnon-Blodgett based in Wellington, Kelley works on the ground with the horses in Puerto Rico, receiving help from dedicated CTA volunteer Ariana Rodriguez, 19. "I do all the rehabbing," says Kelley. "Sometimes they'll need 60 days stall rest, or they'll need 30 days and then turn out. Sometimes they don't need anything. So basically when they get here—depending on what the vet says—if they just need to learn how to be a horse again, they get turned out in a small round pen and get to socialize over the fence with my off-the-track Thoroughbred [Strike N Win], who is the local security guard. He just roams around the farm and visits everybody and keeps everyone in line." When the newbies graduate from Strike N Win's services, they're turned out in a pasture with another of Kelley's quiet horses. From there, groundwork begins in the round pen. "The spooky ones, we'll do a lot of stuff with tarps and plastic bags, just trying to desensitize them and get them used to scary things," says Kelley. "I just do groundwork with them: walk, trot, canter, work on their leads—most race horses don't like to pick up their right lead. I'll do some trotting poles with them; I'll do little crossrails with them, but I'm not really a jumper. Maybe do some trails, take them to the beach." The rehabilitation process goes smoother for some than others. "I get a few of them that detox really badly because they've been on anti- inflammatory painkillers for so long," says Kelley. "When they come to me, and they get taken off it, it's really hard. They colic; all their hair falls out; they drop weight, especially the older horses that are injured, and they keep running on bute all the time. Those horses tend to take a lot longer to rehab and get them used to the program." To ensure that their horses go to good homes, or can be returned to Puerto Rico in cases where rehoming doesn't work out, the CTA has an extensive contract for potential adopters. As a 501(c) (3), they receive funding from several organizations and private donors. "We're accredited with TAA, so we get funding from them," says Kelley. "Most of that funding is used for operations and care of the horses. We get 3 percent of on-track betting every first stakes race every month, which can go anywhere from $700 to $1,500. From the owners of the racetrack, we get $10 for every win; there are seven races a day. If a breeder has a horse that wins, we'll get $10 for that horse, and that works out to about $700. "That's really all we get from Puerto Rico; everything else comes from the States," she adds. "Mostly, we get different grants. We get grants from After The Finish Line, Dawn Mellen— she's been amazing. She gives us two grants a year, and it's usually to pay all quarantine and flights for a horse, which is like $6,000 a year. We have about six private people who donate a lot to us—they're just huge fans of what we do—and just fundraising." The CTA finds adopters through social media advertising, word of mouth and its website. For adoptions conducted in Puerto Rico, Kelley schedules an in-person meeting to assess rider and horse compatibility. When adopting out to the States, the CTA will often work with TAA programs to best match criteria. "Everybody that has taken a horse from us has been really happy with what we've sent them and is willing to work with us again, which is really important because that always worries me," says Kelley. "I never want to send a horse to anybody and not give them exactly [what I said it was] and tell them exactly. We send the horses up-to- date on vaccines, on shoes, deworming, all X-rays, endoscopes to check if they have any flap or breathing problems—a complete vet evaluation. "I've been really good at matching horses with people," Kelley continues. "If they're local, I always make an appointment with them. As soon as you meet a person, you can tell if that person knows about horses or really understands what they're getting themselves into. They come out, and I'll meet them, and 99 percent of the time they never take the horse they wanted because I'll be like, 'What do you want? These three would be perfect. Let's ride them and see, and we'll go from there.' "

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