The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) has unveiled a new initiative that will aid in the retirement of Thoroughbred racehorses. Six equine rescues and sanctuaries across the country were selected to take up the challenge of saving more Thoroughbreds than ever before.

The six grant recipients are:

• California Equine Retirement Foundation in Winchester, Calif.;
• Old Friends in Georgetown, Ky.;
• MidAtlantic Horse Rescue in Chesapeake City, Md.;
• Kentucky Equine Humane Center in Lexington, Ky.;
• Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, headquartered in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., with contracted housing in 14 states; and
• Communication Alliance to Network Thoroughbred Ex-Racehorses (CANTER) in East Lansing, Mich., with chapters in eight states.

"These grants will enable organizations devoted to equine rescue the ability to save more horses and further advance their mission," said ASPCA President & CEO Ed Sayres.

The selected recipients cover a wide range of Thoroughbred rescues, and the grant funding–ranging from $100,000 to $350,000–will be distributed over the next two to three years to help each of the groups increase capacity and rescue more horses. Plans include expanding direct intake programs, incorporating physical therapy/rehabilitation programs, renovating facilities to accommodate more horses, creating voucher programs to increase adoptions, and implementing training programs for Thoroughbreds to ready them for second careers