The Center requires three (3) reference forms as addenda to your adoption application. These forms should be submitted by the references:

1. Personal Reference: To be completed by any non-family individual.

2. Equine Professional Reference: To be completed by any non-family individual professional in the equine industry. The preferred individual is the applicant's current trainer or riding instructor. Other suitable individuals include: the barn manager of the facility where the applicant is boarding or has boarded a horse, a secondary vet, or a farrier.

3. Equine Veterinarian Reference: If the applicant currently owns or recently owned a horse, this should be the vet who treated that horse. If the applicant is new to horse ownership or hasn’t owned a horse in a long time, the form can be completed by the vet who will care for the adopted horse. If that’s not possible, a small animal vet who treats the applicant’s pets (like dogs or cats) is acceptable.

As the applicant, you are responsible for contacting your references and asking them to submit a reference form to the Secretariat Center. Please note that the forms for each type of reference are different, so make sure your references complete the correct form.

References completed online will be submitted to the Center automatically upon completion.

Once we receive your completed application (including photos and three references), it will be reviewed by our Adoption Review Committee. Applications are approved or denied based on the applicant’s suitability to adopt an off-track Thoroughbred. Please note: applications that include barbed-wire fencing will be automatically denied.

If approved, a member of our team will contact you. Your approved application will remain valid for 3 years. You may adopt at any time during that period, as long as your information stays the same.

If anything changes—like the facility where the horse will live—you’ll need to update your application before moving forward with an adoption. This can be found in forms.

We encourage adopters to visit the Secretariat Center’s campus in Lexington, KY, to ride the horses before finalizing your adoption. We place a high priority on ensuring a perfect match between adopter and horse. It's important that your skills, expectations, and personality align with the horse’s needs, and there’s no better way to assess this than through a trial ride. Every adoption is treated as an individual process, with each horse and adopter evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Scheduling

To schedule a trial ride, please plan ahead. Horses are adopted on a first-come, first-served basis to approved adopters who are a good fit for the horse and have a trial scheduled first. If travel to Lexington, KY is not possible, we can arrange a virtual trial as an alternative. If you are visiting the Kentucky Horse Park (KHP) for a horse show, trade fair, or tour, please schedule a trial with our trainer in advance. To schedule a trial ride, please email us at: programs@secretariatcenter.org

What to Bring

• Helmet: Adopters are required to bring and wear their own helmet.

• Tack: The Center will provide all necessary tack for the trial. If you prefer, you may bring your own saddle.

Pre-Purchase Exam

If you wish to arrange a pre-purchase exam for a horse, it must be completed before the horse leaves the Secretariat Center. This exam is the adopter's financial responsibility. If you need a recommendation for a veterinarian, please contact us. Please note that once the pre-purchase exam is completed, you must decide on whether to proceed with the adoption within 24 hours. While we want to give you time to make the right decision, we also cannot hold the horse indefinitely, as it may miss out on another potential home.

Adopted horses may remain at the Secretariat Center for up to 7 days at no charge to allow time to arrange transportation. After 7 days, a boarding fee of $35 per day will apply until the horse departs. Adopters are welcome to bring a trailer when visiting the Center and may take their adopted horse home the same day. However, for the safety of the horse, the Secretariat Center reserves the right to refuse loading if the trailer is deemed unsafe or too small.

For a list of recommended commercial transporters, please click the button below.

The Secretariat Center tracks each of its adopted horses for its lifetime. Each year, adopters are required to submit a new Track for Life form by July 1. Adopters must give a brief update on the horse, including its current place of residence, any injuries or illnesses it suffered in the past year, and any training successes. Adopters are also required to submit at least two (2) conformation photos of the horse at this time, showing each side of the horse. Photos of the horse and adopter are nice additions to the standard photos and may be shared with the original owner of the horse and/or shared on our website or social media.

Adopters are permitted to sell their Graduate, but adopters must first notify the Center of their intention to sell. The subsequent purchasers of the horse must sign a Transfer of Ownership Contract with the Center. This form must be completed before the new owner takes ownership of the horse so the Center can continue to track its horses with updates, every year, for the rest of each horse's life.