Frank Taylor’s idea for the Stable Recovery program was born six years ago out of a need for help on his family’s 1,100-acre farm that has foaled and raised some of racing’s biggest stars in the heart of Kentucky horse country.
The area is also home to America’s bourbon industry and racing has long been associated with alcohol.
“If a horse won, I drank a lot,” Taylor said. “If a horse lost, I drank a lot.”
The basic framework for the program at Taylor Made Farm came from a restaurant he frequents whose owner operates it as a second-chance employment opportunity for people in recovery. Taylor thought something similar would work on his farm, given the physical labor involved in caring for horses and the peaceful atmosphere.
I agree but there’s actually a lot of work that has been done on training horses with compassion instead of the old ways of “breaking” them.
As long as the horses are treated right, have ample space to roam, healthy food, and aren’t exploited for work of some kind, I think it’s probably as okay as having any other kind of pet. Just sadly financially out of reach for most considering the land, food, and time requirements.
Obviously this place in particular is still raising them for racing, which is quite sad.