Second Chance Farm – Horse Programs

At Lowell Correctional Institution, 15 to 22 female inmates are engaged in a comprehensive year-long program which involves 22 written tests covering all aspects of horse care. The program trains inmates to rehabilitate retired thoroughbred racehorses for use by the Department of Corrections and other law enforcement agencies, adoption by the general public, and provide life-long retirement for some horses.

Upon completion of the program, the inmates graduate with a vocational certificate in equine care technology and in some cases graduates go to work in the industry as groomers and stable managers.

Our Program in the News

Prison to Paddock: A Winning Combination
Thoroughbred Retirement Farm Helping Turn Lives Around
From the August issue of Florida Horse

By Melanie LaCour

It was Winston Churchill who most accurately illuminated the human-equine emotional connection when he declared "there’s something about the out-side of a horse that is good for the inside of a man" or in the case of the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation farm based in Ocala, Florida; a Woman at the Florida TRF facility the horses are cared for solely by female inmates from the Lowell Correctional Institute, and the vocational program these Women participate in is the physical embodiment of Mr. Churchill’s words.

Media Coverage

The Florida Horse FTBOA & TRF Second Chance Farm | PDF 2.7MB

Former Preakness Runner Hemmingway's Key Serves New Role In Ocala at Second Chance Farm at Lowell Correctional (WCJB TV 20 – video included)

A Second Chance (GTN News- video included)

Thoroughbred Retirement Facility - Photos (Ocala Star Banner)