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This Old Horse, Inc.

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United States
Hastings, MN
This Old Horse, Inc.

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is a private, nonprofit, volunteer-based multi-accredited organization whose mission is to provide dignified, lifelong support and sanctuary for horses in transition including rescued, retired and special needs horses. is a private, nonprofit, volunteer-based organization whose mission is to provide a dignified lifelong sanctuary for retired or rescued horses while they continue to serve as ambassadors to the positive effect of "horse power" in the lives of people.

11/04/2026

A memory popped up this week.

Ten years ago, our mission took an unexpected turn when a crisis unfolded in South Dakota. 907 neglected wild Mustangs were facing an uncertain future at a failing sanctuary.

Elaine Nash made an extraordinary promise. Her Hallelujah Horses mission would save them all.

And she did.

Not by finding one place for 907 horses, but by asking her social media network one simple question:

Who can take TWO?

Like Noah's Ark, two by two, the horses found their way to safety.

At first, her goal was simply to save some of them. When we offered to take two, we asked for older or special-needs horses—the ones least likely to find homes. Elaine selected two older mares with arthritis. Perfect. We were ready.

But since she had our attention...

She wondered if we might also take seven old, blind stallions from the rare Gila Mustang band.

Wait. Let's make sure we heard that correctly.

Seven. Blind. Wild. Stallions.

Um. OK.

Oh, plus the two older mares.

Check.

We knew almost nothing about wild Mustangs. And there were certainly a few moments after their arrival when we wondered what we had gotten ourselves into.

But what a joyful day that was.

Those horses became some of our greatest teachers. They taught us reverence for their autonomy, the extraordinary ways a herd cares for its own, and the quiet, astonishing resilience of horses who have every reason not to trust the world.

In the end, This Old Horse welcomed 48 horses through the Hallelujah Horses rescue mission. Many were blind. Most were old. Every single one was unique, remarkable, and utterly awe-inspiring.

It all began with the simplest equation.

Can you take two?

Can we collectively save 907?

Yes. And yes.

Love is good.

10/31/2026

One of the biggest misconceptions about off-track racehorses is that they need professional riders and experienced trainers to succeed in a second career.

Our Racehorse Reimagined program is working to change that perception!

On Saturday, November 14, at 1 PM, join us at Wishbone Ranch in Hastings for a special showcase featuring off-track Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds working alongside amateur riders, aspiring trainers, and everyday horse enthusiasts.

These partnerships demonstrate something we believe deeply: With thoughtful matching, appropriate support, and opportunities to learn, retired racehorses can be wonderful partners for a much wider range of horse people than you might imagine.

Showcase:

12 horses and their amateur training teams demonstrating their progress LIVE at Wishbone Ranch.

4 additional horses joining us by video from Claddagh Farm.

25 more horses featured in our online adoption auction.

AND WE’RE LOOKING FOR TRAINING PARTNERS!

Are you a professional trainer, aspiring trainer, or experienced horseperson interested in helping an off-track racehorse prepare for a new career?

We’d love to connect!

Our training partnerships help horses develop new skills, gain experience, and become more accessible to prospective adopters. Whether you’re interested in working with one horse or becoming an ongoing program partner, you can make a difference.

Come meet the horses, celebrate their amateur teams, explore adoption opportunities, and discover how you can be part of their next chapter.

For adoption preapproval or information, contact [email protected].

The finish line was just the beginning.

https://www.thisoldhorse.org/retrainingracehorses

Love is good.

10/30/2026

When we rescue a horse, we know we change its life forever.

Our mission is to provide a safe harbor and help each horse find its own path forward.

For some, that means a loving home with a new owner. For others, a new career. For some, it means a lifetime of sanctuary.

But for all of them, it means leaving the past behind.

We don’t come with preconceived notions or expectations. We meet horses where they are, keeping our doors and minds open about where their lives might lead.

We’ve always believed in building a community that values and reveres the life stories of horses who come to us for help.

Sometimes, that means discovering opportunities we never could have imagined.

Recently, we welcomed our friend Dr. Casie Bass back to Wisconsin as she launches an exciting new venture, Top Tier Reproductive Services, LLC

Dr. Bass has transformed some extra space at our Claddagh farm into a classroom and laboratory for her innovative work in equine reproduction. She’s also recruited some of our horses as teaching assistants, starring in demonstrations and educational videos to help train equine professionals.

The collaboration has brought some wonderful connections.

It reunited Casie with her old friend Rolex, 26, whom she knew from their days at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls.

And it introduced her to Lark.

Lark came to us with two other older broodmares rescued from a Texas kill pen. Her rescue was equal parts random kindness and extraordinary luck.

We had agreed to take the other mares, but when we loaded the trailer, there was room for one more.

So we offered Lark a room at the inn.

We didn’t know her story. We didn’t know what her future might hold. We just knew she deserved one.

And now, this once-forgotten 15-year-old mare is helping teach others.

Dr. Bass is giving our horses something wonderful: purpose, a job, and a chance to share what they know.

And our horses are helping make her dream come true.

It’s a beautiful reminder that rescue isn’t just about what we can do for horses.

Sometimes, it’s about what they still have to offer the world.

Maybe you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. But you can certainly help an old horse make a difference.

Love is good.

10/23/2026

WE DID IT AGAIN!

We're proud to announce that This Old Horse has earned another two-year reaccreditation from the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA).

We first achieved accreditation in 2020, joining a select group of Thoroughbred aftercare organizations across the Country recognized for meeting rigorous standards of equine care, organizational management, and accountability.

Six years later, we’re still earning that distinction.

And we don’t use the word earning lightly.

TAA accreditation is not simply a membership or honorary designation. It requires extensive documentation, financial transparency, policy and practice evaluations, and on-site inspections.

The standards are exacting, as they should be.

And while TAA accreditation focuses on Thoroughbreds, our commitment to these standards extends to every horse in our care, regardless of breed, age, or background.

Here are recent condition photos of our youngest Thoroughbred, Madeline (age 1) and our oldest, Amelia (age 29). Both were rescued from slaughter pens, are safe, and are stunning examples of our work.

We are enormously grateful to the staff, volunteers, farm partners, and supporters who make this achievement possible.

We’re proud of the recognition. We’re even prouder of the work behind it.

Love is good.

10/18/2026

The five beautiful mares pictured here share something heartbreaking.

Every one of them was once in the slaughter pipeline.

Five Thoroughbred broodmares who had spent years contributing to the racing industry, producing and raising the next generation of athletes.

When their breeding careers ended, they found themselves on a path to slaughter.

We were recently invited to contribute to a magazine article about retired racehorse broodmares, a particularly vulnerable population that is disproportionately represented in the slaughter pipeline.

It gave us an opportunity to reflect on something we wish more people understood.

These mares have given so much more than their genetics.

They have carried, delivered, nurtured, protected, and raised generations of racehorses. They have been mothers, teachers, protectors, and leaders of the herd.

We hold them in extraordinarily high regard.

Yet when their reproductive years are behind them, their value can plummet. Older mares are often seen as poor prospects for retraining, and the care they may need can outweigh whatever economic value someone assigns to them.

But their worth was never about what they could produce next.

For us, caring for these mares isn’t an obligation that begins when their productive years end.

It is a privilege to honor their lifetime of achievement.

The five mares pictured here were once considered expendable. Many more like them are in our herds.

Some arrived starved. Some neglected. Some bearing the physical and emotional scars of lives that had become terribly hard.

But none of them had lost their value.

Not for a single moment.

We thought you might like to see them now.

Love is good.

10/09/2026

“That was her magic—she could still see the sunset, even on the darkest days.” — Atticus

Today’s sunset marked the end of Haley’s cares and woes as she stepped off the trailer that carried her from a bleak life of neglect and hardship into the welcoming hearts of This Old Horse.

Instead of counting her exposed bones, we will count our abundant blessings for the privilege of helping her heal and live out her days in peace.

Our hearts ache—not with despair, but with the extraordinary weight of hope and promise.

Welcome home, beautiful girl.

Love is good.

09/30/2026

When summer says goodbye, a few goodbyes always tug a little harder at our hearts.

Each summer, some very special friends open their gates—and their pastures—to horses in our Pasture Prime program. With grass to spare and room in their hearts, they welcome our horses for a summer of green pastures, good company, and the simple pleasure of just being horses.

This summer, Skol Factor and Always Close (“Ali”) got that gift.

Skol is a gray off-track Thoroughbred whose life after racing took him to another important job—as an outrider horse at both of our local racetracks. When an injury sidelined him, he came to us to recover, regroup, and begin looking toward whatever chapter comes next.

Ali is a bay off-track Standardbred whose road after racing took a much darker turn. He landed in a kill pen, far from the life he had known. But the freeze brand on his neck told his story. It connected him to Minnesota racing—and connected him back to us.

We got him home.

Here, Ali had time to heal not only his body, but his spirit, and find his way back onto a kinder road.

Two racehorses from two different racing worlds. Two very different journeys. And somehow, two very good friends.

They spent their summer together with a new friend, Jasper, at his summer home, surrounded by green grass, sunshine, and the kind of loving care that asks for nothing in return.

Now Jasper has gone “back to school,” and Skol and Ali have come home to us—back to familiar faces, old friends, and their winter routine.

But this goodbye came with the sweetest words:

“Come back next summer.”

And they will.

There are so many ways to rescue a horse. Sometimes it is pulling one from danger. Sometimes it is healing an injury. And sometimes, it is simply opening a pasture gate and saying, "There’s room here for you."

To those in our community with room for one more, we will never stop being grateful.

Love is good.

09/25/2026

Twice a year, we take body-condition photos of our horses to track their condition over time.

Skilled photographers volunteer their talent and their “good cameras,” while our crews groom and pose each horse.

These aren’t glamour shots. They’re technical reference photos—but there is something deeply gratifying about seeing, again and again, the progress we hope for: healthy weight, improved body condition, and that unmistakable “bloom” of a horse benefiting from good nutrition. As they say, "You can't groom the bloom!"

Every photo evokes a memory. None more so today than Elizabeth’s.

Exactly two years ago, Elizabeth was picked up from a Texas kill pen in devastating condition. She was skeletal, covered in pressure sores, bites, and insect bites. The hauler who brought her to us said he had never hauled a horse in worse condition.

He told us he prayed every mile that she would survive the trip.

She did.

Then it was our turn to pray that she would recover.

She did.

Look at this new photo of Elizabeth’s current condition: a beautiful 18-year-old mare standing in a green pasture. Not a care in the world.

Before. After.

Love is good.

09/24/2026

"He didn't mind how shabby he grew, or how his tail came unsewn, or how the pink lining of his ears turned white. He only knew that he was loved, and that he loved in return, and he wanted to stay with the Boy forever."-- Margery Williams in The Velveteen Rabbit

If horses are or have been part of your story, you will find your herd here.

We have two upcoming annual events that reflect our mission to support and celebrate horses across their lifespan.

Holistic Horse Fair — Saturday, September 26 | 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
This Old Horse / Claddagh • New Richmond, WI

A Day of Remembrance — Sunday, October 4 | Noon–2 p.m.
Wishbone Ranch • Hastings, MN

Love is good.

09/14/2026

"As you ought not to attempt to cure the eyes without the head, or the head without the body, so neither ought you to attempt to cure the body without the soul."--Plato

At This Old Horse, caring for horses has always meant looking beyond the basics. We believe their well-being comes from the whole picture—body, mind, environment, movement, nutrition, comfort, connection, and thoughtful care at every stage of life and under every circumstance.

That’s the spirit behind our annual Holistic Horse Fair.

Meet practitioners, watch demonstrations, explore new approaches and resources, and visit our vendor market—all centered around one thing we share: a desire to do the very best we can for our horses.

Whether you’re curious about holistic practices, already incorporate them into your horse’s care, or simply want to learn something new, we’d love to have you join us.

Saturday, September 26 | 10 AM–5 PM
Claddagh Farm - This Old Horse in New Richmond, WI

Love is good.

Address

19025 Coates Boulevard
Hastings, MN
55033

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 9pm
Tuesday	9am - 9pm
Wednesday	9am - 9pm
Thursday	9am - 9pm
Friday	9am - 9pm
Saturday	9am - 9pm
Sunday	9am - 9pm

Telephone

+16514371889

Website

http://www.thisoldhorse.org/

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