CANTER provides retiring thoroughbred racehorses with opportunities for new careers.
About CANTER
The Communication Alliance to Network Thoroughbred Ex-Racehorses (CANTER) provides retiring thoroughbred racehorses with opportunities for new careers.
CANTER Executive Board
Lauren Maas
Executive Director
Lifelong thoroughbred enthusiast, horse mom to 3 throroughbred boys
Executive Director, CANTER California
Lori Hudson
Board Member
Lifelong horse lover, and proud owner of OTTB Merlin.
Polly Poppy
President
Teacher by trade, OTTB advocate at heart. Have owned 3 OTTBs.
Acquired current horse from CANTER Ohio.
Board member for Ohio & Kentucky.
Robbie Timmons
Treasurer
With CANTER from beginning in 1998.
Exec Dir/Treasurer, CANTER Michigan.
Exec Dir/President, CANTER Kentucky.
Daniel Michaels
Board Member
An Eventer at heart, with a passion for OTTB's. Owner of Magic, from CANTER Michigan, who absolutely loves jumping and her new career.
- board member, CANTER Michigan
Tom and Clare Mansmann
Board Members
Owners of Pacific Farms Inc. Specializing in training thoroughbred horses after racing and coaching thoroughbred owners.
CANTER, founded in Michigan in 1998, is made up of an Executive ‘USA’ Board of directors that govern the 14 independent local Affiliate chapters throughout the US. These independent local Affiliates (usually based in areas with racetracks) are made up of local volunteers, each with an local Affiliate Director and various other roles. These local Affiliate Directors, along with the Executive Board, make up the CANTER USA governing board.
Jonathan Horowitz
Past-President
Voice of the Thoroughbred Makeover, columnist for Paulick Report, announcer of horse races and horse show, and eventer on OTTBs.
Kim Oliver
Racing Liaison
5th-generation racehorse trainer with a passion for OTTBs who has also helped found a nonprofit home health agency as an RN
Learn About CANTER
The Thoroughbred
They’re beautiful, intelligent, fast. And they have tremendous heart – the desire to compete, to please, and to win.
Yet despite all this, most Thoroughbred’s racing careers are over at age three or four when other riding horses are just beginning. Some are retired from racing due to an injury, some are simply not fast enough to compete on the track.
They’re out, but they’re not done. These Thoroughbreds still have the heart to excel in other areas and are waiting the chance to show it.
Through our different programs and our website, CANTER and its volunteers provide retiring Thoroughbred racehorses with opportunities for new careers by helping to place, rehabilitate, and retrain these amazing athletes.
100% Volunteer Managed
CANTER volunteers come from all walks of life, from corporate pros to equine industry experts.
National Support Network
CANTER Affiliates (or local chapters) are operated across the country offering a national network of support.
20 Years of Experience
CANTER has been helping to transition Thoroughbreds since it was founded in Michigan in 1998.
CANTER Programs
CANTER I Post. Place. Win.
An Owner/Trainer Listing Program
“Post. Place. Win.” is a free CANTER program offered by all CANTER Affiliates that provides a website advertising service to owners and trainers to assist in placing their non-competitive or retiring racehorses into a NEW home. CANTER volunteers visit racetracks and walk the backside taking photographs, videos and getting descriptions of horses for sale. The horses are then posted on the canterusa.org website. CANTER is not involved with the actual sale of the horse. Buyers contact owners/trainers directly.
CANTER I Rehab. Retrain. Rehome.
A CANTER Owned Program
“Rehab. Retrain. Rehome.” is a full-service CANTER program that is offered by select CANTER Affiliates. Often, owners and trainers will forego selling their non-competitive or retiring racehorse and donate the horse to CANTER (a tax deductible donation). The select CANTER Affiliate will assume ownership of the horse and all associated expenses. Then, the horse will enter into the CANTER Program, receiving veterinary care, rehabilitation as needed, retraining and then be adopted into a “qualified” home and second career.
Recognition / Awards
2021
2021 GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency
2015
Thoroughbred Charities of America Industry Service Award
2014
A.A.E.P. “LAVIN CUP”
2010
USEF/EQUUS Equine Humanitarian of the Year Award
Join us by making a donation or signing up as a volunteer and help these amazing Thoroughbred athletes transition to their new lives.
Partners / Sponsors
ASPCA Grant Recipient
“Rescuing Racers Initiative” to help with expenses for the Care, Rehabilitation, Training and Rehoming of Retired Racehorses’ through CANTER USA was made possible through a generous grant from the ASPCA.
TAA Accredited Organization
CANTER affiliates in Phase II, accredited by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance:
California | Kentucky | Michigan
All exceed very stringent TAA requirements and excel in the CANTER program of rehab, retrain, rehome off the track Thoroughbreds.
Thoroughbred Charities of America
CANTER thanks Thoroughbred Charities of America, TCA, for its support of our CANTER program.
The Equine Welfare Data Collective
The Equine Welfare Data Collective is a collaborative effort to accumulate, analyze, and report data to enhance programming for transitioning and at-risk equines.
RedTop Fly Trap
RedTop donates $1 for every trap bought when customers enter the code: canterusa at checkout. More than 85 million RedTop Fly Traps have been sold worldwide over the last 25 years.
Champions of the Track
Champions of the Track is a horse racing blog dedicated to spreading the love of horse racing through writing and photography. All purchases help to support this mission while also supporting CANTER USA. Champions of the Track donates 5% of sales to Canter USA.
United Horse Coalition
CANTER USA is a non-profit member. The United Horse Coalition grew out of the Unwanted Horse Summit, which was held to bring key stakeholders together to start a dialogue on the plight of horses at-risk in America. Its purpose was to develop consensus on the most effective way to work together to address this issue. In June 2006, the UHC was folded into the American Horse Council and now operates under its auspices.
GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency
CANTER USA received GuideStar's Platinum Seal of Transparency, its highest recognition, for 2021.
Racetrack Supporters
Thanks to the following Racetracks for supporting CANTER in their Thoroughbred Aftercare Programs:
- Arapahoe (Colorado)
- Delaware Park Racetrack (Delaware)
- Churchill Downs (Kentucky)
- Turfway Park (Kentucky)
- Mahoning Valley (Ohio)
- Thistledown Racino (Ohio)
- Penn National Race Course (Pennsylvania)
- Sam Houston Park (Texas)
- Charles Town Racetrack (West Virginia)
- Mountaineer (West Virginia)
- Emerald Downs (Washington)
Thanks to our generous partners.
CANTER is a 501(c)(3) non-profit providing retiring thoroughbred racehorses with new career opportunities.
