By Anthony V. Coppola and Geoffrey Wertime, Staff Writers
Whether on the track or by way of auctions, racehorses that suffer life- or career-threatening injuries are being euthanized at a seemingly uncontrollable rate, according to some local horse enthusiasts.
One of the organizations seeking to prevent this is ReRun, a national nonprofit organization headquartered in Kentucky committed to buying unwanted racehorses, rehabilitating them and securing homes for the animals through adoption.
Now in its 13th year, ReRun works collaboratively with farms in New Jersey, New York, Illinois and Kentucky to nurse horses back to competitive shape, or at least so that they are healthy enough to make good pets.
The eighth annual ReRun Horse Show will raise funds for the group at 8 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, at the Horse Park of New Jersey on Route 524, in Upper Freehold. This year the show is open to all breeds instead of just thoroughbreds, which will have a separate division, as will ex-racehorses.
Christine Orman, of East Windsor, a volunteer with ReRun, said the group is hoping to attract 300 competitors this year, now that is has allowed other breeds. That would be almost double last year’s attendance, which she said raised over $10,000.
Ms. Orman said the opportunity for more people to compete “is good, because more people will see that thoroughbreds can be sport horses too.”
ReRun will also raise money for the competition through sponsorships, which are needed in the $50 to $1,000 range.
Ms. Orman said there are some disturbing practices that happen in the industry.
”People involved with the sport make a lot of money off the sweat of these horses,” she said. “To them, it’s a business. If something goes wrong, many owners aren’t concerned about the welfare of the animal.”
So many are sold at auctions, said Ms. Orman, and often shipped out of the country to be slaughtered.
”It can be quite costly to keep a horse that has no monetary value on your farm,” Ms. Orman said. “So these owners are cutting the fat. They don’t want an injured horse.”
But ReRun does.
”We strive to be a pass-through organization, not a permanent care facility,” Ms. Orman said. “Adoption is what we really try to push. Unfortunately, the number of safe havens doesn’t compare to the amount of horses that need them.”
In New Jersey, LumberJack Farm, in Cookstown, and Perfenick Farm, in Jobstown, board former racehorses for ReRun.
Betty Fenick, owner of Perfenick Farm, says one of her recent acquisitions, Devil Crab, suffered an injury to his sesamoid bone —located in the lower leg — during a race on May 29. The 5-year-old horse, who had amassed more than $140,000 in race earnings, was to be sent for slaughter, according to Ms. Fenick.
”The horse refused to get on the van and the track veterinarian intervened,” Ms. Fenick said. “He contacted ReRun, then we were called. He has already warmed up to life around here.”
Sir Wickley, a 4-year-old gelding, left the farm earlier in the summer to resume a career in dressage competitions.
”All signs point to him having a successful life,” Ms. Fenick said.
Having seen several different types of rescued animals on her farm, she said she could live without any, except horses.
”They are extraordinary animals that want so badly to please their owners,” Ms. Fenick said. “What happens to them is a great injustice and I can’t stand to see it happen.”
Aside from the reality that every horse can’t be spared from slaughter, the “inhumane, terrible conditions” surrounding the procedure are what troubles Ms. Fenick.
Felice Busto, vice president of the New Jersey chapter of ReRun, said horses are sent to Canada and Mexico to be killed and have their meat exported to Europe and Japan, where it is a delicacy.
”The horses are killed by having their throats slit or a metal rod shot into their head,” Ms. Busto said.
The National Horse Protection League, another organization committed to saving horses from slaughter, estimates 100,000 American horses are sent for slaughter each year. Ms. Busto said that roughly 10 percent of that total represents thoroughbreds.
ReRun has worked to save more than 500 horses, according to Ms. Busto, and continues work to raise funds to achieve that goal.
For Ms. Orman, who volunteers between 25 to 40 hours per week doing strategic planning, resource development and grant writing for ReRun, the commitment shown by people within the organization is overwhelming.
”I have a background working with animal sanctuaries and a lot of them have given me a growing skepticism,” Ms. Orman said. “Despite mounting hardships in the economy, which has impacted help from our primary donor groups, ReRun remains dedicated.”
For more information about ReRun, or to make a donation to the organization, call president Laurie Lane at 732-521-1370 or visit www.rerun.org. Information about the 8th Annual ReRun Horse Show and entry forms can be found by clicking on “events.” Entries in the show cost $20 in advance or $25 at the site.

