In 2022 BTRC began their project, Horses Helping the Community with the aim of spreading positivity and happiness in the local community through the use of horses, especially to those who may not otherwise have the chance. The BTRC visit care homes/schools/community groups with retired racehorses and the BTRC shetland pony mascot to improve the mental health and wellbeing of the community.
If you know of a group who would be interested in a visit please email lauren@thetrc.co.uk.
Read below about some of the visits that have already taken place:
Summerhill Care Home
BTRC My My & Washbear visited the residents of Summerhill Care Home in Kendal on August 5th on what was a beautiful, sunny day. This was the first time BTRC My My (11 year old, ran 10 times and trained by John Feane Racing) had been out on a visit and he was fantastic, so calm and quiet as he strolled around the garden stopping to meet each and every resident and putting huge smiles on their faces. Some of the residents had their families visiting as well so it was great to chat to the families and learn more about the people we were meeting.One resident said “I’ve had a great day, the horses are absolutely lovely, thank you so much.”
These visits are so important to the work of BTRC as they give our horses a purpose and they bring so much joy to the community. It is vital we continue to work together for the benefit of retired racehorses and the local community. Summerhill Resident Liaison Officer Sean Moore said “Thanks again to the BTRC for visiting, the residents loved it and have been telling all their families.”
Hartland House
The sun was shining for the residents of Hartland House Care Home as they welcomed retired racehorse, Bomb Proof and Shetland pony Washbear from The British Thoroughbred Retraining Centre (BTRC) on Friday 8th July.
The residents enjoyed a morning sat outside in the sunshine spending time with the horses, getting to stroke them and learn more about the work of BTRC. Resident Ron said, “We have had a brilliant morning, we are so grateful to BTRC for bringing these horses along to see us, it brings us such joy and makes us so happy.” The BTRC arrange these visits as part of their Community Engagement work, spreading the word about their work caring for and rehoming retired racehorses. BTRC Communications & Engagement Manager, Lauren Lindsay said “It is so important to reach out to those people in the community who may not otherwise have a chance to spend time with horses and feel the mental and physical benefits of being around them. Our visit was full of smiles and laughter and the residents could not thank us enough for visiting.”
This was the second care home visit for 5-year-old Bomb Proof who raced 9 times during his career on the track trained by Group One trainer James Fanshawe.Hartland House Care Manager Leanne said “The BTRC visit gave us something special to give to our residents which meant meeting new friends on a glorious day. This is priceless and we want to thank them for giving us this wonderful opportunity of bringing sparkle to the residents at Hartland House.”
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