The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) announced March 5 that Thoroughbred aftercare organizations can now apply for TAA accreditation. Passing the TAA’s on-site accreditation inspection will make a facility eligible to receive financial support for the ongoing care of retired Thoroughbreds.

Facilities eligible to apply for TAA accreditation include those conforming to the following four broad standards:

• Possess 501 (c)(3) tax exempt status;
• Have been operational for at least three years;
• Care for a resident population of at least five, with at least 50% being Thoroughbreds; and
• Follow a euthanasia policy consistent with that of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP),

Applications for accreditation must be submitted by June 1 for organizations to be eligible for consideration for grants in 2013 and 2014. The complete TAA Code of Standards for aftercare facilities and the accreditation application are available at www.thoroughbredaftercare.org/.

"The Code of Standards and application materials are products of a great deal of input from all around the Thoroughbred community, including the American Association of Equine Practitioners and the American Humane Association," said TAA executive director Mike Ziegler in a release. "Our guiding principle in the creation of all of these documents was to make the welfare of retired Thoroughbreds our top priority