11/08/06 Racehorse recycle

Racehorse Recycle Like all athletes, racehorses can suffer injuries that could end their careers. I'm Jeff Keane; I'll be right back to tell about some that are recycled. Racehorses that run at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minnesota have a pretty good insurance policy in the person of Lynn Hovda, chief veterinarian for the Minnesota Racing Commission. This horsewoman has started a "loosely organized" network to find new homes and more importantly, I think, new jobs for racehorses that can no longer run on the track called "Because We Care." Many horses with career ending injuries that only need relatively short term care will be taken to Lynn Hovda's own farm, but horses requiring rehabilitation of possibly two to three years are transported to fellow veterinarian Dick Bowman's ranch in North Dakota. Other Because We Care affiliates transport house, feed and care for racehorses at various locations all paid for by their own money. Hovda figures the "organization" has found new jobs for 20 to 40 horses every year since 1994. Because We Care receives thank-you notes, Christmas cards and pictures of horses that have been adopted. Some of the second careers that racehorses have now include police mounts, 4-H projects, award winning jumpers, and dressage competitors. One racehorse's new job is to walk to the mailbox with its owner everyday. That kind of gives a new meaning to Pony Express mail. I'm Jeff Keane. Cooperative Partners October/November 2006