About canter new england

WHAT IS CANTER NEW ENGLAND?

CANTER New England is an affiliate serving Suffolk Downs in East Boston, MA, and also assisting Thoroughbred owners and breeders in the New England states: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

CANTER is dedicated to the welfare of the racing Thoroughbred and assisting ex-racers in making the successful transition to life after the finish line. Through direct rescue work, collaboration with other horse welfare organizations and by helping trainers and owners seeking to retire horses to connect with non-race buyers, we help to ensure that these remarkable athletes find loving homes and new careers off the track.

Currently CANTER NE operations are centered on Suffolk Downs, located just adjacent to Boston's Logan Airport. Visit the track's web site, www.suffolkdowns.com, for more information and directions.

CANTER NE is proud to be a CANTER affiliate; in seven years of operation, the national CANTER program, which is endorsed by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association along with state breeders and various horseman's associations, has helped literally thousands of horses transition from a life in racing to life as competitors in other sports, as pleasure mounts, or to peaceful existence as companion horses.

And everyone involved with CANTER is a volunteer--assisting these horses is a labor of love.

Through the Network for Good, you can make a donation to support horse welfare efforts by clicking on the button--using either a major credit card or by sending a tele-check. All donations are fully tax-deductible and used for horse welfare efforts. No CANTER volunteer is salaried.

We do have a significant need for volunteers in several key capacities. Please read more about our current needs by clicking here.  

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MISSION STATEMENT

The Communication Alliance to Network Thoroughbred Ex-Racehorses (CANTER) provides retiring racehorses with opportunities for new careers after the finish line.

Through its web site, CANTER provides the means for the public to preview horses that are ending their racing careers and are available for purchase. CANTER volunteers have track licenses and walk the shedrows on the backside of the racetrack, taking listings and photographs of horses for sale, and then posting them on the web site. CANTER receives no commissions from trainers (sellers) or buyers: we are 100% volunteer!

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WHAT MAKES CANTER DIFFERENT FROM OTHER PROGRAMS?

CANTER is unique in that it was conceived, developed and implemented by the racing industry itself! CANTER founder Jo Anne Normile and her husband had raced their two home-bred Thoroughbreds and successfully transitioned their most recently retired horse to the sport of eventing. During this period, Jo Anne served on the Board of Directors of the Michigan Horsemen's Benevolent and Protection Association (which organization represents Michigan's 1200 Thoroughbred racing trainers and owners).

CANTER seeks to help transition horses that are not successful in their racing careers, or those which simply need to move on, by connecting buyers and sellers. By providing direct access for prospective buyers, we are able to assist a larger number of horses.

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HOW LONG HAS CANTER BEEN AROUND?

The program was founded 1997 after Jo Anne Normile fielded repeated requests from racing trainers for help in finding nonrace buyers for their horses at her track, Great Lakes Downs. The Michigan HBPA program was first publicized nationally the following year, 1998, in The Horsemen's Journal, the national magazine of the HBPA. In 1999, the program became a separate entity from the Michigan HBPA and it incorporated as a nonprofit, received 501 (c) (3) exemption status with the Internal Revenue Service. Each CANTER affiliate is a separate legal entity operating under the larger CANTER umbrella.

CANTER programs around the nation continue to receive encouragement, cooperation and endorsement from the racing industry nationally and from local equine and racing associations.

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