The South Carolina Committee of the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (SCTRF) through its Second Chances program at the Wateree River Correctional Institution offers a place of hope and renewal for retired Thoroughbred horses and prison inmates. Horses are safe, well cared for and loved at Seabiscuit Stables. The caregivers here are also renewed, learning skills and building character that will benefit their future days. SCTRF provides horses refuge from various inhumane and disheartening alternatives, while teaching inmates practical tools of the equine industry, applicable to an array of jobs in South Carolina.

SCTRF takes a unique approach to equine care in partnering with the South Carolina Department of Corrections to form the Second Chances program, which benefits the retired horses as well as the inmate laborers accepted to the program.

Second Chances, located at the Wateree River Correctional Institution in Rembert, South Carolina, allows inmates to interact with and care for retired racehorses-regal animals often forsaken once past their career primes or due to age or injury. As horses receive specialized care and restful retirement at this facility, inmates working in the program acquire usable skills in the equine field, building their confidence and post-sentence job marketability. It is not unusual for inmates to form attachments to the animals and adopt a new philosophy of life while in the program, decreasing their chances of returning to prison.

Currently 45 retired horses reside at Seabiscuit Stables on a 110-acre farm set aside at Wateree for the program by the State of South Carolina. Over the duration of each six-month cycle of the Second Chances program, participating inmates -- between 24 and 36 per year -- help tack, bandage, groom and exercise horses in the Groom Elite Program. The workers develop an understanding of a horse's digestive system, its bone structure, its mouth and its feet, and corresponding terminology. They also learn characteristics of specific breeds. Inmates completing the program receive a nationally recognized certification from Groom Elite, which will help them in securing employment upon parole.

The Second Chances program at Wateree improves the quality of life for its resident horses, its working inmates and the surrounding community. Thoroughbreds at Seabiscuit Stables will spend their remaining days, or time up until adoption, in a restful and helpful environment instead of facing the unfortunate and common fates of neglect, abuse or slaughter. Similarly, inmates graduating from the Second Chances program are more likely to lead healthy and productive lives and to find jobs in equine care or related areas. All of South Carolina benefits from the vocational development of Second Chances graduates, who are less likely to create problems in their communities and can, instead, go on to provide equine care as productive citizens in the state's horseracing industry.

To date, several parolees have entered the horse industry after graduating from the Groom Elite Program within Second Chances at Seabiscuit Stables. Their employement includes jobs in the horse idustry in South Carolina as well as Kentucky. Since inmates are not tracked after parole, we do not know how many more are working in the industry. However, we have no record of any graduates of the program returning to prison having failed to succeed at the Second Chance afforded by this program.

The SC TRF encourages horse lovers to adopt a Thoroughbred from Seabiscuit Stables and make him your own. Whether for pleasure riding, hunting and jumping or priceless companionship, a retired racehorse is a wonderful addition to a loving family and a happy home. To date, fifteen horses have been adopted from SC TRF, and you can read some of the inspirational adoption tales here.