The Secretariat Center, which has been hailed as “the gold standard in Thoroughbred re-schooling,” opened its doors in October 2004 and has rehomed more than 900 horses throughout the country.

The Secretariat Center uses its illustrious location at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington to:

• Promote the athleticism and versatility of the Thoroughbred in second careers to encourage adoptions nationwide.
• Ensure that each horse that passes through the campus has a safe and successful post-track career.
• Educate the public about Thoroughbreds.
• Highlight the many good things that the racing industry is doing to support aftercare.

The Secretariat Center is a retraining and rehoming facility that selects horses to be ambassadors for the breed and the sport of racing.  Horses are selected based on soundness of body and mind, temperament, and serviceability.

Horses in the program learn new skill sets that give them a foundation on which to build a new career. Located on 22 beautiful acres in the Kentucky Horse Park, the Secretariat Center is home to 12 to 18 horses at a time in various stages of retraining. Once adopted, Secretariat Center horses are tracked for the entirety of their lives to ensure their well-being and safety.

Potential adopters fill out applications and supply references and, once approved, come ride to make sure the fit is a good one. Adoption fees vary based on the length of stay, the extent of a horse’s limitations, if any, and the scope of the horse.

Secretariat Center offers college and high school internships, welcomes volunteers, and regularly hosts tours and demonstrations.

“The Secretariat Center does everything right,” said former jockey Rosie Napravnik, “from horse care to the horses’ new skills, to the staff’s amazing ability to find homes for them. The Secretariat Center is all about excellence, honesty, and the horse!”