“I love thoroughbreds. They are versatile and can be used in any discipline,” says Jim Rhodes, founder and director of Equine Rescue of Aiken.
Since its founding in 2006, Equine Rescue of Aiken has adopted out nearly 1,000 horses, with nearly 700 of those horses being Thoroughbreds.
“I actually own racehorses, so I’m involved in racing,” Rhodes says. “I can work from the inside out and provide owners and trainers with a way out for their horses.”
While Equine Rescue of Aiken accepts many different breeds, the program's location offers a immense number of potential homes ideal for Thoroughbreds.
Sign in Blood horse Daily
“Aiken, South Carolina is huge horse country,” Rhodes said. “Thoroughbreds can participate in three-day eventing, fox hunting, polo or a trip to the forest…we have the largest urban forest, Hitchcock Woods, nearby. We are in an area where Thoroughbreds are in demand outside of the race track.” “
The organization creates a budget for 65-70 horses per year, which equates to an annual budget of nearly $600,000. Grants from TCA not only assist with overall costs, but also with community programs at the facility.
“I employ the majority of my grants for programmatic expenses, not operational expenses,” Rhodes says. “Our mission statement is people helping horses, horses helping people, and we have found our niche in the world where we can make an impact for these horses while they are here. I think Aiken Equine Rescue has the potential to assist many people. I I am proud that we have donated approximately $400,000 in disaster relief items to various areas over the past three years.
“We were able to take five horses from Puerto Rico and they are asking us to take another one.”
Recently, TCA assisted in a large-scale horse neglect case at a farm in Fresh York. With more than 40 Thoroughbreds in need of rehoming, TCA reached out to several of its grantees, including Equine Rescue of Aiken. “We got three horses from Fresh York and they were all adopted,” Rhodes said.
In addition to their rehabilitation and rehoming program, Equine Rescue of Aiken hosts two outreach programs at their facility: the Saratoga War Horse program and the Juvenile Justice System program. Saratoga War Horse offers veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder the opportunity to visit the farm and work individually with Thoroughbreds off the track. The program is mutually beneficial for both the veterans and the horses, allowing both to build bonds and heal emotional wounds together. The team in Aiken has also helped launch the Saratoga War Horse program, founded in Saratoga Springs, NY, in other regions of the country.
The Juvenile Justice System program helps troubled youth find direction and meaning in their lives through community service with horses. The farm offers a unique community where children can feel valued.
“It’s peer-on-peer based,” says Rhodes. “We bring kids into the system or make our way there – robbery, drugs, alcohol, we’ve seen it all. I had a newborn lady here from downtown, and every pasture we went to, the horses came to her. Horses.” Know whether you have a good soul or not. The second week she came out, she put her hands on a horse's face and said, “You'll be fine, and so will I.”
“She went from school grades of Fs and Ds with the occasional C and within three months moved to As and Bs with the occasional C. She is now training to be a veterinary assistant.”
