Second Wind Thoroughbred Project

05/21/2026

Those ISO ads for horses that say *no Thoroughbreds* are going to be a thing of the past! Smart trainers are seeing the added
$$$ classes and soon we will be seeing ISO ads looking specifically for a Thoroughbred.
This is just the beginning- there will be more big $$ classes on the horizon for Thoroughbreds. Get yours now before prices go up!

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Bill Graves Memorial Thoroughbred Challenge Offers Major Bonus to Upperville & Warrenton Horse Show Top Thoroughbreds

Momentum continues to build for Thoroughbred show hunters with the introduction of an exciting new incentive—the Bill Graves Memorial Thoroughbred Challenge. Created to bring opportunity to Thoroughbreds, the Challenge will award a $5,000 bonus to the horse earning the highest cumulative score across two premier derby events at the Upperville C**t & Horse Show and the Warrenton Horse Show. In addition, a $1,250 bonus will be presented to both the top junior ridden and top amateur ridden Thoroughbreds.

These inaugural bonuses are generously sponsored by Muirfield Insurance owned by Mike and Meg Levy—close friends of Bill Graves. The initiative is designed to further promote demand for Thoroughbreds beyond their racing careers, highlighting their success and adaptability in the show ring.

The first leg of the Challenge will take place at the Upperville C**t & Horse Show which will debut its $25,000 Thoroughbred Hunter Derby on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in the main hunter ring. This class is supported by prominent sponsors, including Ann Hormel, Jacqueline Mars, and Tisbury Stud, among others.

The second leg will be held at the Warrenton Horse Show during its 127th annual event. The $7,500 William E. “Bill” Graves Memorial Thoroughbred Hunter Derby, generously sponsored by Gainesway Sale Company, will take place on Thursday, September 3, 2026. Both derbies will be conducted as two-round hunter classes at a height of 3 feet and are open to Thoroughbred horses of all backgrounds.

Bill Graves, a beloved member of the Virginia Horse Shows Association Hall of Fame and Senior Vice President at Fasig-Tipton for more than 25 years, dedicated his life to the Thoroughbred industry. Like many horsemen of his era, he began by retraining off-the-track Thoroughbreds into successful show horses. A highly respected rider and horseman, Graves competed at the highest levels nationwide, with deep ties to Warrenton. His passing in 2018 left a lasting void in the equestrian community, but his legacy continues to inspire through initiatives such as this Challenge.

Muirfield Insurance is a full-service equine insurance agency located in Lexington, Kentucky. Their knowledgeable staff has over 100 years of experience working in the equine industry and is dedicated to putting that experience to work to help protect all of your equine-related investments.

For more information about these Derbies go to www.Upperville.com and www.WarrentonHorseShow.com.

05/09/2026

Some of our lovely mares enjoying the great weather and the nice green grass. These ladies range in age from 4 to 30 !

05/08/2026

Yep!! 😁😎👌

05/06/2026

🐴 This week's horse is Betty and she's about to start the best chapter of her life.

Her name is Bustier. We call her Betty. She is 4 years old, and last fall she walked off the track and into the unknown.

Betty had been racing. Then she wasn't. And when she arrived at Second Wind, she brought two things with her: a need to decompress, and severe abscesses in both front feet.

If you've never seen a horse with a bad abscess — imagine the worst toothache you've ever had. Now put it in your foot. Now put it in both feet. Now try to walk on it.

That was Betty, every day, for months.

But our farrier is wonderful. And Betty is tough. And slowly, week by week, her feet got better.

She's been decompressing over the winter — learning that not every day has to be a race, that grass exists, that other horses can be friends instead of competition.

Now she's ready. Ready to start retraining. Ready to figure out who she is when she's not a racehorse.

We don't know yet what Betty's future holds. Maybe a hunter. Maybe a trail horse. Maybe something we haven't thought of yet.

But we're going to find out. And we can't wait.

🐴 Follow Betty's journey and meet the rest of our herd:
www.secondwindtbs.org/adoptable-horses

🛒 Shop our Amazon Wishlist — every item ships directly to the farm:
www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2NEB74G0KYJSX

05/05/2026

Good luck to everyone who enters, but I hope I win!

What a week it’s been 🐎✨
From celebrating a Claiborne-bred and raised Kentucky Derby winner, Golden Tempo, to hitting 50,000 of you here with us. Why not keep the celebration going?
To mark the moment, we’re giving back in a big way:
✨ A private shuttle tour of Claiborne Farm
✨ A one room, two-night stay at Hotel Thoroughbred
Here’s how to enter:
1 Follow Claiborne Farm
2 Like & save this post
3 Tag 3 friends you’d bring with you
4 Share this post to your stories
Winner will be announced Monday, May 11th and the date will be a mutually agreed upon in 2026.
Thank you for being part of the Claiborne family. Here’s to the next mile. 🐴

05/05/2026

Elle Hattaway
Gayle Frasier
D'Anne Frasier Messer

What a week it’s been 🐎✨
From celebrating a Claiborne-bred and raised Kentucky Derby winner, Golden Tempo, to hitting 50,000 of you here with us. Why not keep the celebration going?
To mark the moment, we’re giving back in a big way:
✨ A private shuttle tour of Claiborne Farm
✨ A one room, two-night stay at Hotel Thoroughbred
Here’s how to enter:
1 Follow Claiborne Farm
2 Like & save this post
3 Tag 3 friends you’d bring with you
4 Share this post to your stories
Winner will be announced Monday, May 11th and the date will be a mutually agreed upon in 2026.
Thank you for being part of the Claiborne family. Here’s to the next mile. 🐴

05/01/2026

🐴 This is Private Trail. She is 30 years old. And she has outlived almost everyone she loved.

Private raced briefly as a 2-year-old. Then she retired to Westfield Farm in Virginia, where she lived for decades with her herd.

She had two daughters here. Pilgrim's Trails, who struck by lightning on Dayle's birthday in 2023. Gone in an instant. Holy Trail, her sister was euthanized in 2024 after cancer spread through her body.

And her daughter who is still here: Bridal Trail, 21 years old. Born at Westfield. Never raced. Just lived.

When Westfield Farm's owner passed away in 2020, they left a trust for their horses. Private Trail came to Second Wind. So did four others. One was rehabbed and adopted. Two are still here.

Private is 30. She lives in a small herd of retired mares. She is black, stoic, and quietly sweet — the lowest in the herd, and never asking for more.

She has watched her family leave, one by one. And she is still here.

Second Wind made a promise to Private Trail and every horse in their care: we know where you are. We always will.

That promise costs money. It costs feed and farrier and vet bills and the kind of sustained attention that doesn't stop when a horse is no longer useful.

If you believe that promise matters, help us keep it.

👉 Learn about our sponsorship program:
https://www.secondwindtbs.org/get-involved

👉 Donate now:
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=A96LEFQBT78K4

🤍 For Private. For Pilgrim. For Holy. For every horse who deserved a soft landing.

04/28/2026

I'm watching the movie about Michael Barisone. What I don't understand is-

Why didn't he simply evict her?? She was absolutely harassing him, and living on his property. He should've gone to court and filed eviction proceedings.
Or
Why didn't she just take her horses and leave, instead of writing all those crazy Facebook posts, and creating an unbelievably toxic environment. She is clearly crazy. In the trees at 3;00 in the morning!? What a crazy story!

04/27/2026

I have reached out to them numerous times. I have never gotten the court courtesy of a reply.
We have been TAA accredited organization for eight years, we've been at 501(c)(3) for 11 years. We've always received best practices in horse care and financial transparency from the TAA. We are a deserving aftercare program, yet in all the years we've reached out to Brennan Equine Welfare Fund, not even a reply. Now they're saying that their communication will be even more limited? It was pretty darn limited before!

ICYMI-
AN IMPORTANT UPDATE FOR 2026
FROM Brennan Equine Welfare Fund

For more than 26 years, the Brennan Equine Welfare Fund has remained committed to improving the lives of horses in need by supporting equine rescue, retirement, retraining, and rehoming organizations across the United States. That commitment—and our deep appreciation for our donors and grantees—remains unchanged. We are honored and proud that the teamwork we have established has made a lasting impact on many organizations and the equines under their care.

To ensure the strongest possible impact and thoughtful stewardship of charitable resources, we are returning to the fund’s original donor-advised model and refining how the fund carries out its work.

WHAT'S CHANGING

Public communications and administrative activity will be more limited.
Grantmaking will continue to be by invitation and discretion, consistent with our donor-advised framework.
Previous grant support should not be viewed as a guarantee of future funding.

WHY THIS APPROACH

As a donor-advised fund established through the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, this model allows Brennan Equine Welfare Fund to concentrate on careful evaluation, long-standing relationships, and mission-aligned grantmaking, while minimizing administrative demands and maximizing charitable impact.

WHAT REMAINS THE SAME

Our mission, purpose, and values are unchanged.
We continue to support equine welfare organizations nationwide.
Our 501(c)(3) charitable status remains in place through the Greater Cincinnati Foundation.
Ways of giving remain the same, and donations are always appreciated.
100% of all contributions continue to support equine welfare grants, just as they always have, and we are sincerely grateful to our donors for their confidence and generosity. Your support enables this work to continue with care, intention, and lasting impact for equines in need.

THANK YOU!!