ATFL News
September 2008
Dear Friends,
Thank you
to everyone who made After the Finish Line's first annual fundraiser a success.
It was a wonderful day for the Thoroughbreds! The community was very supportive
of our efforts to help the racehorses. It is never too late to express your
appreciation for the work we do to rescue the horses. Your
donation to After the Finish Line
will rescue and transition these horses into a second career.
Please
visit the new
Fundraiser link on our
website. And make sure you don't miss next year's fundraiser!
Each year we will set our goals higher so we can help more and more Thoroughbreds.
This month our Emergency Funds go to three rescue organizations. Second Chance
Rescue in Elma, Washington needed veterinary funds for three horses including
Einstein, an ex-racer in his 20's.
Einstein
raced until he was 9 years old then championed a dressage career until the age
of 16. For the past 5 years he has been at the rescue. He has battled and survived
cancer for the past 3 years. When chased by another horse he broke out of his
pasture, ran into the hallway of the stables and then tried to jump over a small
tractor in his way. That spells trouble. The vet worked on
Einstein for 3 hours
to stitch his wounds. He also required antibiotics to help him heal.
Tender Mercy Equine Rescue in upstate New York took four Thoroughbred broodmares,
that may also have raced, from an SPCA seizure. The seizure was the result
of an ongoing animal cruelty investigation where a total of 82 horses were confiscated.
These horses are in very poor physical condition and have immediate and ongoing
medical, grooming and farrier needs. They are also hundreds of pounds underweight.
After the Finish Line donated funds for their medical, farrier and nutritional
requirements. Here is a picture of one of the rescued
mares.
Recently long
time horse advocate John Hettinger, who championed the welfare
of horses, passed away. Hettinger helped to raise awareness about horse
slaughter in the racing industry. In his honor and with the help of Another
Chance 4 Horses, After the Finish Line purchased and sponsored a mare saved
from a Pennsylvania auction. Her name is
Luna Laura. This
"unwanted" horse had people waiting in line to adopt her less than a week
after being rescued. She is a beautiful four year old bay mare with white
sox that stands 16 hands tall. Luna Laura last raced on September 6th at
Penn National. She is one lucky "wanted" lady!
This month we received donations in honor of Genuine Risk, the 1980 Kentucky
Derby champion. I was also contacted by an individual who is making a donation
to After the Finish Line as a wedding present to her friends. If there is someone
you want to honor please consider making a
donation to After the Finish Line.
The press was extremely supportive of After the Finish Line leading up to our
fundraiser. Visit our
Press page to read the August articles.
The press continued to support AFTL after the fundraiser. Rancho Santa Fe Review
featured a full page of color photos. We are also featured on
SDBackyard.com's
community website and
The Social Diary. ATFL was also the feature story in
SDBackyard.com's
premier print issue.
After the Finish Line is growing thanks to you. You have made generous
donations to After the Finish Line
and you are volunteering your time to help the Thoroughbreds. The Thoroughbreds
and After the Finish Line
need
you to get involved. Together we can help transition these horses off the racetrack
and into a second career in lieu of slaughter.
Sincerely,
Dawn Mellen
After the Finish Line