About Stall 13

Stall 13 is a non-profit focused on helping Thoroughbreds get on (and stay on) the right path after the end of their track career or throughout their many years after that. Specifically, the organization is geared to address the challenging cases concerning horses who have struggled physically, mentally, or temperamentally in their previous careers or homes. Stall 13 therefore provides space, rehabilitation, and retraining for hard-to-place horses like warhorses, those needing rehab and some luck and those whose second careers have left them frustrated or without a safety net. 

Stall 13 provides a way to hit pause in the horse’s descent into ever-less-ideal situations. By stepping in with a team of experts, the program works to turn a horse’s life around, increase their potential and ridability, and work to make them happy in the process. Stall 13 also offers education for riders interested in working to be better horse(wo)men and better riders for their Thoroughbreds, thereby decreasing the rate of mid-career horses who fall through the cracks, become deemed “unridable,” or simply need assistance. Stall 13 will be the future home of Kivu Sporthorses' Thoroughbred School and will offer in person and online education opportunities.

Each Thoroughbred who enters the program is assessed by a team of experts: including but not limited to Aubrey as the head trainer, veterinarians, farriers, body workers, and dentists. A treatment and training plan will be made for each horse that aims to provide them the best chance at a riding career outside of racing. Should treatment, surgery, or any form of medical attention be necessary, the horses will receive the top care available and then begin their period of rehabilitation and retraining.

Stall 13 aims to not only make horses happy and ridable in the program but also works to ensure their success after they graduate by carefully matching potential adopters and horses.  When the Stall 13 horses are ready to be adopted, Aubrey will provide thorough history, description of their behavior and temperament and work to find adopters whose situations will allow the horse to continue to thrive. 

While there are many organizations out there that support off-track Thoroughbreds – especially at the moment that they are coming off the track, Stall 13 does things a little differently. 

·  Stall 13 does not just address at-risk horses coming off the tracks. Rather, the organization offers a dual stream approach to provide a soft landing and quality retraining to horses who have a need at any point in their lifetime. This means that in addition to helping out with horses directly from the track who need weight, surgery, care and support right after racing, Stall 13 also provides a spot for horses who have struggled with their second career. 

Due largely to no fault of their own, Thoroughbreds often pass hands post-track and in common circumstances, find themselves owned by riders who feel over-horsed and lack the knowledge or the trainer to help them fix whatever issues may have arisen. Unlike the track horses who often have an array of rescues and non-profits to help them these horses often struggle without available assistance. When riders or trainers no longer know how to help or run out of money to do so - unless they came from a reputable non-profit who will take them back - they often find themselves moved on down the line. This passing hands often leads them to situations where they are over-bitted, disliked, on craigslist, heading to local auctions, or wasting away in someone’s back field or given away online into ever more precarious positions. Stall 13 is poised with both the training staff and team of experts to address these “challenging horses” who are somewhere midway in their career. Like the recently off-track horses, a treatment and training plan will be crafted, and these “mid-career” horses will be retrained and offered for adoption with their return to health and ridability. 

·  Horses will not just be rehomed with one post-track ride or with images of the horse’s conformation, but active retraining will occur – putting the horse in 3-5 day a week work (once they’re able) and bringing them along in a discipline that makes sense to their condition, proclivities, and joys. Aubrey keeps upwards of 20 horses in her training program and does the majority of the work herself. As the program grows, she will be training working students to also help handle and ride. By actively conducting quality retraining and prioritizing it as much as their treatment, it will be possible to build the skills necessary for the horse’s future career. Additionally, this period spent training will allow a better ability to assess their personality, temperament, and physical potential so to best make a quality match. The idea isn’t just getting the horses out of the door, but to set them up to succeed in the future. 

·  Stall 13 is working on building a relationship with Pony Club to help young riders who need affordable access to quality horses. Pony Clubbers will receive discounted adoption rates and the organization will work directly with the club to help fell two birds with one stone: placing a horse in a solid, capable home, and providing a young or junior rider with a horse with whom they can learn. Horses of course can be adopted outside of the pony club connection as well. 

·  Education is a key part of this organization. The goal is not just to help the individual horses but to also spread awareness about their challenges, processes, and successes. In so doing, Stall 13 aims to not only create healthier, more ridable Thoroughbreds but also create humans who are more capable of training and caring for them. Building from Aubrey’s existing educational models –Stall 13 will take over Thoroughbred School and will provide on-site and digital training as well as symposiums and talks.Thoroughbred School provides a digital educational platform as well as in-person training for riders. The program hosts an interactive social media page and will provide monthly newsletters that will educate about the process of rehabilitation and retraining. Additional content such as video training sessions will be available as part of a donation to Stall 13. Thoroughbred School will also host localized educational sessions to assist in training riders to best be able to ride and address their horses.