#60 Giving OTTBs a new lease on life with Lauren Maas

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On this episode, we're talking with Lauren Maas, the executive director of Cantor California and Cantor USA, nonprofit organizations providing retiring thoroughbred racehorses with opportunities for new careers by helping to place, rehabilitate, and retrain these amazing athletes.

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We want to have been able to make that horse valuable in their skill set so that they're able to go to another home that is going to love them and cherish them.

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Welcome to the Equestrian Connection podcast from Wehorse. My name is Danielle Crowell and I'm your host. Lauren Mass began leasing her first love, a 1985 off-the-track thoroughbred gelding named Sunny, just before her 11th birthday. Her love of thoroughbreds has continued and grown ever since. After holding multiple volunteer positions throughout the years, Lauren is now the Executive Director of 501C3 Thoroughbred Aftercare Organizations, Canter California and Canter USA, which have placed more than 25,000 off-the-track thoroughbreds in a new home. Lauren has been hard at work to revamp the adoption and listing program and plans to continue to grow Canter's presence and place an even greater number of off-the-track thoroughbreds into their forever homes. Amongst all that, Lauren is now also a first-year veterinarian student at the Royal Veterinarian College in England. Want to hear more?

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Let's dive in.

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Lauren, welcome to the WeHorse podcast. I'm so excited to chat with you and talk all about off-the-track thoroughbreds. It's a love that I have as well, so I'm super excited that you're here.

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Thank you so much for having me. I am very much looking forward to chatting about it with you too.

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Awesome. Can you tell us about what first stood out to you about the off-the-track thoroughbred?

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That's tough. I think the first thing is you mentioned in my intro the first OTTB that I got to ride and lease was named Sunny. And I think... For me, my immediate love started with him. And it was because he had this profound story that really touched me. And so a little bit, I can share it. A little bit about him was he was born in Canada. He was a 1985 thoroughbred. And so when he didn't make it at the track, he had 13 starts. He was put on a slaughter truck. And so his owner ended up getting a phone call from someone in 1990 when he was five and said, there's a horse on this truck that should not be on this truck. And she bought him for the price of what he was going to sell for at the slaughterhouse. And he was a stallion at the time. So she yelled at him and she retrained him. And he was phenomenal. Fast forward until 2006 and, And he was 21, and that's when I met him. And it was just before my birthday, and I started leasing him. And when his owner told me that story, and of course, I was a little girl, so I had a really, like, you know, shocked reaction. Just like, I don't even know what I want to say. I was just completely like surprised that that could happen. I don't think I realized that that was part of what could happen in the industry or in the racing industry, because I think at that point in time, I probably had only seen really high profile racing, like the Kentucky Derby. And so, um, Anyways, I just, his story really stuck with me. And I, when I think back on it, I think that his story is what has inspired me to go down this path with Cantor is because, you know, I just don't want, um, That's to be the reality for the horses that have this ability to have a second career and have so much more to give. And he ended up he was euthanized when he was just shy of his 30th birthday. So he touched so many lives. And this is a really long answer to this question. But that is what stood out to me is just immediately from the get go. And I was a little girl. I was like, these horses have stories. And I have found that to remain true. You know, I'm 28. So we're several years down the line from that moment. And all the horses that I've met that have come off the track, they have their own narrative. And that's something that I like to explore and something that I think is really special.

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I love that. I love hearing the origin stories. My first horse was an off track thoroughbred. So I got her when I was 12. And prior to that, I've been leasing a pony. And my parents said, we can't buy you a pony because you're going to outgrow it and it's going to break your heart. And we can't afford to have a pony and a horse. So we leased the pony and then you have to get a horse. Um, all of my friends at the time were still on ponies. And so here I was lumbering around on this, like drop of the hat zero to 60, uh, thoroughbred that had like, she came immediately off the track. We didn't know what we were doing together. Some could say it wasn't like really the best situation. Um, but it was the best situation. For me, you know, like, yeah, it was it was one of those things where I look back and I think, thank you for teaching me so much, not only for teaching me how to ride and how to stay on, but also for this empathy that I may not have developed at that age if I had have you know, gotten a horse that didn't come from an auction that was pulled off of a trailer that the guy, you know, stopped by the boarding stable that I was at. And I took lessons at, and he said, does anybody want this horse? Um, so it's, yeah, it's, uh, it's just one of those things. I hold a special place in so many people's hearts.

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Yeah. That's like one of those things where you feel like, I don't know, the universe aligned like for her to be in your life, you know, and teach you all those lessons. But yeah. And like that story is similar to mine. Right. And I feel like I was the same way. I remember going to my first four shows with him and I was a really tall, like 11, 12 year old. So it was, was fitting for me to be on like a 16 hand thoroughbred, but it was hilarious in these classes. Cause there's all these little girls on gray ponies and I was on this big red thoroughbred.

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Yeah.

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Yeah. Also, I don't know if this is similar for you, but I felt like that became part of my identity. Early on, I was like, oh, I'm a thoroughbred girl. You know, this is like, this is for me. So yeah, it was really special.

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He's like, yeah, still special. I think almost every single one of the horses that have been in my life, except one has had thoroughbred. They haven't been necessarily off the track thoroughbreds, but they've had thoroughbred in them.

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It's just a great breed.

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So with that in mind, what are some misconceptions about the off the track thoroughbred? Because, I mean, I know that I could I could go on a list of the different judgments that I received.

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Yeah, there's so many, right? I think the first one that pops into my mind, which is probably the most common, is that they're not all hot. They're not all wild. They don't all not have brakes. They're just trained differently, right? Which kind of will lead me to my next point. But I think something that I have had the opportunity to really see throughout my work with cancer and meeting so many of these forces is that We get some that didn't make it at the track because they really don't want to go past a slow canter, you know. So I think that's a common one. They're not all hot. We do get some that are more hot that we're like, oh, this is going to be a really cool event or like hot with a good brain. Like this will be a cool event horse. But they are all their own individuals. And I think it's really doing a disservice to them when we put like these blanket statements on the breed. And the other thing that I wanted to just kind of touch on, too, is that something that I hear a lot, I see a lot on the social in the social media world, but then also out of the barn, I'm hearing it is people saying like, oh, I'm starting this horse. And it really is restarting the horse because these horses are. especially the ones that have been at the track for a while. If you get a horse that has, you know, they're a war horse and they've had 50 or more starts, they've traveled all over to these different tracks. Those horses have seen a lot. Those horses do have a level of training that I think we should respect. It might not be the kind of training that we want for our pleasure riding or whatever discipline we're trying to retrain them for. But I think that It's important to recognize these horses do have some kind of education. It just might not be the kind of education we ultimately want them to have. But there's many things that they know.

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It's a great point.

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Yeah. And I think that's something that I found just to be a really, really common one. In addition to saying they're all hot, they're not all uneducated.

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Yeah. Yeah.

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Yeah, that's a that's an absolutely excellent point to make.

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It reminded me of I was speaking with somebody once and she had recently and off the track there, but it was really coming into her life like two months prior to our conversation. She was saying she was like, I just can't really connect with him. He just he doesn't really seem to want to leave his buddies. And, you know, he gets really attached to the horses that are in the arena and all of these different things. And I remember thinking, man, that horse has probably been around a lot of places in his young life. Like we just kind of maybe we just need to get some reverence to that horse. You know, the restarting thing, like you had mentioned, is it's a really interesting and complicated.

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Complicated is a great word for it.

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Can we speak a little bit to that as well about like how canter happens? helps these horses with their restart, their fresh start. Um, you know, what, what does the horse, can you walk us through what the horse would kind of expect, um, when it comes to canter?

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Yeah. So when we take a horse in, um, You know, we ask for them to be vaccinated before coming into our program. If they're at a major track, they have at least flu rhino and should have the up to date on vaccines. But sometimes we get horses from different situations. So, you know, we recently got one who was, we think, running it more like unsanctioned races. And so there's no regulation. So we ask for that at a minimum before they come in. Once they arrive, um, the biggest thing for us is we have an intake form and we kind of like are going to look over their whole body. We're going to just kind of like do a little report on like, what is their body condition? How is their hair? How is their hooves? Um, Do they need shoes? A lot of times we get horses with really long feet just because as soon as their connections at the track decide they want to retire them while they're waiting for transport, they don't get their feet done. It's like, well, the nonprofit will do that when they get to them. So we kind of do a whole horse lay person exam. Right. And then we also call our veterinarian. And so usually that's actually before the horse arrives. The horse is actually also going to, soon after they arrive, see the veterinarian, get a physical exam by a vet. We, at this point, probably had the horse a few days. So we've been able to kind of assess the horse. And if we have any concerns, we're going to tell our vet team so they can specifically look into whatever the concerns are. We'll get our farrier out if needed, get their feet done. Usually their teeth need to be done. So it's really like the intake process is the first thing that the horse is going to have when they arrive. And so all of those bits, and then it's going to depend, is this horse a rehab or is this horse ready for retraining? So, or ease, I'm going to say it's not a rehab, although we get a lot of rehabs and each rehab is going to look different depending on what the injury is. And if it is, let's say they had a bowed tendon injury, We're going to probably have our vet also investigate it, even if we receive diagnostics from the previous owner, so that we know exactly where the horse is in its healing process and where we should start with the rehab process. If the horse is ready to be retrained, so that's the path we'll go on, because the rehab bits we could talk about forever. It's going to depend on the horse. So we do try to just like really just take into account that each horse is an individual. We have some horses we really aim to give them like at least a month of letdown where they are going to their bodies are going to completely change because they come to us completely fit for racing. lean and they are fit and so in the first month their bodies change a lot their metabolism is going to change their body comp is going to change and so in that time they are being handled but it's like we're going to start working on cross tying because many of them tie phenomenally, but haven't been in cross ties. So we'll teach them basics like cross tying. A lot of them aren't used to just like traditional leading and, you know, walking around the property. So we'll do stuff like that. Taking them out, bonding with them, letting them graze, just be horses. We have turnouts. So if they're sound, they're going out in those turnouts and just being a horse and, So that's kind of how we like to begin. That being said, we have had some horses that prefer or I'm anthropomorphizing a little bit, but they seem like they want to do something. And so then the transition from being on the track to off the track is we do do a little bit more work with them to keep their brain stimulated if that's what they need. So it kind of just depends on the individual, but that would be the process. And then once they're ready to work, we do everything. We start everything on the ground. So we're going to start with basics like long lining or ground driving and then also teaching the basics of lunging as well.

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I love that so much. And I also just want to go back to a point that you made as well. And the idea of giving the horse some time to like settle in physically, emotionally, like all of the things. Um, that's so important. I mean, it's important for an off the track thoroughbred. And I think it's even just important for a horse that like relocates.

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Yeah, absolutely. I think so. Well, I know for me growing up, we would take a horse to a show or whatever. And the things we expect our horses to do. Yeah. It's pretty crazy if you think about the nature of a horse, right? To take them away from their herd, even if that's just their group of horses at a boarding facility and have them perform. And then maybe they stay for a few days, maybe it's a one day show, take them back. But I totally agree that it's important for all horses. I think a lot of the thing will probably be applicable to all horses, but of course my little corner of the world is with these thoroughbreds.

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Yeah. Yeah. And so I just wanted to highlight that because, um, It makes me so happy that you incorporate that in the program, you know, and not only just do such a good, well-rounded retraining of these horses and in some cases foundational training and like introducing them to foundational things like you mentioned with cross ties and leading and all of that. It's so well-rounded training. There's something that I heard somebody say once, and that is that the horse that has those sorts of things, it's not as likely to get bumped around to potentially bad home to potentially bad home. The horse that doesn't have those foundational things generally isn't, unfortunately, treated with the same care and love and reverence as the horse that does have those things. So I think it's setting... the people up that purchase the off the track thoroughbreds with success, but it's also setting the horses up for success for its future life. Um, so yeah, that's, that's really important. Um, and I'm glad that you, I'm glad that you do that. And I just want to say too, that when I look on the social media of both Canter USA and, and, um, the Canter California, the horses look so happy.

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Thank you. We appreciate that really.

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Yeah, like, they just look really happy. Not only just, like, being out, but just their faces. Like, you just see something in their eyes that's almost like this sense of, like, appreciation. And it's funny how you can see it through, like, an Instagram post. But you see it, you know? Like, there's just a happiness that it looks like in the horses, so...

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Yeah. Well, thank you. We definitely appreciate it. And, um, you know, we're California, so we're a pretty small adoption program. Um, like we currently have five horses and, um, my part of, we probably talk about this at some point later, but, you know, I get all these goals and I want to like make the program bigger and, um, You know, there's something also really special about being a small program because these horses are like really getting individualized care. And we really, you know, like you were mentioning with giving them these foundational skills that ultimately could lead to their lifetime safety. Yeah.

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Yeah.

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is really important to us. And it's, you know, sometimes we, we just had a horse, we had two adoptions this week and we had one of our horses adopted. We'd had him, um, since last October.

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So almost for a year, um, Oh, is that that really cute gray?

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Yeah.

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Oh, my gosh. I cannot believe he hasn't been adopted. I was like, I'm in Canada or else I wouldn't take them all.

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But I was like, why? So Cosmo was a rehab. So that was part of the reason why it took so long is he had quite a lengthy soft tissue rehab process. But the other part of it is that when you have a horse that has had an injury or has some level of limitation, it's so important for them to have those foundational skills so that they can find a home that even if it's not a forever home, that's our ultimate hope, right? so that they're able to go to another home that is going to love them and cherish them and feel like that horse is safe for them to handle because that ultimately helps the horse remain safe, right? If they get a horse that they feel like, isn't well-trained, even on the ground, that can put a horse at risk, right? Because if we have a retiree that we're paying for and taking care of and loving, we want to be able to handle it and love on it. So, you know, it's important for the upper-level sport horse prospects, but it's also, like, equally, if not more important for For the really limited horses.

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So, yeah, that that holds a very special place in my heart. I have my mare. She's not an off the track thoroughbred. She has thoroughbred in her and she has like I had a really bad SI injury, something that. And we, we don't really ride anymore. I might get on her. Like I had a photo shoot last night done and I, and I sat on her back and it was just like, thank you for letting me sit on you.

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And, and so she's only 11 now.

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She will be... She's in my backyard. She will be in my backyard until we're both old and gray. And also, I also realistically know that if something ever happened to me, she would be rehomed, of course. If she cannot be ridden and she's 11, it's my duty to make sure that she has... good manners, like all of those things that you would hope that somebody that would take her in, if anything ever happened to me, knock on all of the things wouldn't to make sure that her doesn't. But it was just one of those things where I realized, okay, you're still so young and you have this injury that prevents you from what the horse industry would look at as having a job or a purpose. And how can I ensure that if something happened, you would still end up in a good place. Right. And I just think there's a sense of responsibility that, that comes with that, that, um, yeah, that you, you hit the nail on the head when you said it. And like I said, it just, it really, it really holds a special place in my heart.

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Yeah. I think it's a complete like different mindset that I actually think the industry is little bit at a time. But it is really important, I think. And so we try to put the same amount of resources and any form of resource, financial, just our own personal, like emotional energy and time and all of those resources. We try to do it equally with all of our intakes. So it doesn't matter. Like I said, it doesn't matter if it's an upper level prospect or a horse that unfortunately is going to be someone's You know, those things do keep them safe. So, yeah, we're totally on the same page. And your marriage is really lucky to have you.

[SPEAKER 1]
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Oh, thank you. I appreciate that. What do you think is important for people to know when planning to purchase an off-the-track thoroughbred? I

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think some of the, like, misconceptions are important. But I also think that... Thoroughbreds are because of these misconceptions. They're commonly misunderstood. And I think that one of the most important things, if you are going to purchase or adopt an off-the-track thoroughbred, you can adopt from a nonprofit, but then you can also purchase straight off the track or you could purchase from someone who's done some retraining, restarting. So there's a lot of different avenues. So I think that's important to know is like, what are my ways that I could obtain an off-track thoroughbred? But after that, I think the other thing is that you want to make sure that you can find a trainer that can work with you in that horse that understands thoroughbreds. I think there are some phenomenal trainers out there who have not worked with thoroughbreds, who don't quite understand them. I was talking to a trainer last week who I completely adore, and she is very honest. And she said to me, she's like, oh, you just love the thoroughbreds, don't you? So I said, yes. Um, how could you tell? And, um, she said, well, you know, I have had one and she was like, I do not understand him. She's like, I'm a warm blood girl through and through. And these horses coming off the track, like his behavior is just so different than other horses I've worked with. And so she said, so I don't think like thoroughbreds are really a good match for me as a trainer. And so I think it's something that, you want to make sure that whatever trainer you select or that you're working with is someone who is interested in working with thoroughbreds, respects thoroughbreds, respects what they know and what they don't know, kind of what the process is going to be and going to look like, all of those things. So I think that's the biggest thing that I could think of.

[SPEAKER 1]
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Yeah, absolutely. That's a really good point to make as well. Do you wish you could have a better partnership with your horse but aren't sure where to start? Do you want to advance your riding or horsemanship but don't have access to the ideal resources in your area? Does the idea of learning about horse training whenever and wherever and at a price that won't break your horse bank sound appealing to you? Check out WeHorse.com to access over 175 online courses with top trainers from around the world. We have courses on everything from dressage to groundwork to show jumping to bodywork and and as a member, you get access to everything in our WeHorse library to watch whenever you want. Oh, and we also have an app, which means you can download a course or video to watch without Wi-Fi, which is perfect for those days of the program when you want a quick dose of training inspiration before your ride. So what are you waiting for? Go to WeHorse.com and check out our free seven-day trial to access our WeHorse library and see if it's a good fit for you. We can't wait to see you in there. And now, back to the episode. You mentioned earlier about the programs. You know, you're like, I want to do all the things, all the different programs. What are the current programs that Caner offers?

[SPEAKER 2]
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Oh, yes, that is a great question. So I'm just going to give you a little background on kind of like the structure of Cantor because it is a little bit confusing, but I think I can explain it in a way that it's not. So Cantor USA, which I'm director of Cantor USA and Cantor California, but Cantor USA is essentially the parent organization. And so Cantor USA is 501c3 nonprofit, and it oversees all of the affiliates or chapters that are throughout the United States. Okay. So my role with Cantor USA is kind of to be a resource for all of the other affiliates. We also provide grant funding and different opportunities like that to help and support all of the affiliates nationwide. Okay. So then we have Cantor, California, which is just one of several affiliates. And the way that the affiliates work is they can either be phase one affiliates or phase two. OK, so it's like I feel like I'm drawing like a little tree in my mind. But I wish everyone who's listening won't be able to see this tree that I'm imagining branches. So if an affiliate decides that they want to be just phase one, which is how all affiliates have to start, what their program is going to be is going to be a listing program. So their role is going to be talking to local tracks, getting on the backside of those tracks and helping list horses that are in search of a new home that are ready to come off the track. So actually, most of our affiliates are just phase one affiliates and they are just doing listing programs. So they're working really closely with racetracks in their areas. Now, if you are a phase two affiliate, it's a little bit more involved. So California is a phase two affiliate. So we have a listing program. We list horses. So if you go on our social media pages or on our website and go under Cantor, California and look at available horses, you will see some that are like trainer listings. So they are at the track. But we also have a adoption program. So that is our other program. So we do listings and we have courses that come into our program that we own for the length of time that they're with us. So those are kind of our Cantor's main two programs. Of course, being a nonprofit and well, being in California, especially, it's very expensive, which is part of the reason why we keep our program really small. And we are 100 percent volunteer run. So none of us get paid even at the executive director level. So we have a relatively small team, but we have a pretty close knit small team that is very dedicated. And so that's kind of how the structure works here. Let me know if you have any questions on that, if it was confusing. Hopefully I explained it okay, though.

[SPEAKER 1]
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No, you explained it very well. The question that I do have coming from that, though, is so... I'm looking at those listening who are thinking, okay, so I love this. I love off the track thoroughbreds. My goodness. I keep like, I am used to saying OTGB and I just, I want to like say the word all the way and I keep fumbling with it. So people that love the thoroughbred and when they, when they look at that, they might think, okay, so my only option is to adopt. And again, I'm not at a point in my life right now where I'm able to adopt. What are some other ways that people can get involved? Is there anything in terms of a donation or anything like that that people can be doing?

[SPEAKER 2]
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Yeah. Well, I mean, I think the first thing that I'll say is there are absolutely volunteer opportunities. So, you know, as I mentioned, 100 percent volunteer run. So when I get emails from really passionate, enthusiastic people that say I want to help, that makes my day. We actually recently just had someone join the Cantor California Board of Directors who's actually from Oregon. Um, because there's no major tracks in Oregon any longer. And so, um, canter Oregon is not a thing. And she said, well, you're my closest affiliate and I love thoroughbreds and I'd really like to get involved. And so she's doing, um, like a secretary role. So there are remote volunteer opportunities that would really help and get you involved. There are also in-person volunteer opportunities. So certainly look up Cantor and see if there's an affiliate and adoption program near you. Ours in California is located in Davis in Northern California. And that's how I actually got started is I got really lucky and the adoption program moved from the Bay Area in California to Davis right after I started college at UC Davis. So I was really excited and I started as a horse care volunteer. So yeah. We take volunteers that maybe don't have experience with off-track horses, but have been around horses and, you know, we can teach them the difference and what horses are like when they come off the track. And then, of course, we also have some more experienced volunteers that do the rehab and the retraining, um, restarting and getting on them for the first time and all of those bits too. So absolutely. And you mentioned donations, of course, um, donations are wonderful. Um, you can find information on our website, how to do so. Um, and we, um, accept donations on PayPal and Venmo.

[SPEAKER 1]
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So yeah. Awesome. We're going to link everything in the show notes as well. So if anybody's listening and they're like, I want to learn more about those organizations, um, look in the show notes, you can find everything there. What's your hope for the future of Cantor? That's a loaded question. But I'd love to know if you if you have any thoughts.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:32:27-00:37:12]
Yeah. So I think, you know, I started on as director of Cantor California first. So I've been in that role for almost two and a half years. And. For Canter California with the adoption program, my original goal, which I finally kind of mentioned earlier, is I immediately came in and was like, I want to do more fundraising because I want more horses at any given time. But what I realized is the more efficient way to do that is to try to be strategic about what horses we can accept into the program. So if we have a couple of rehabs, let's not fill the whole barn with all rehabs if we can help it. And we can get some horses that are a little bit more, um, like readily adoptable, like they need their letdown and kind of their basic retraining, then that will give us momentum because this sounds so crazy, but social media is so helpful for us. And what I have found is that if, you know, let's say we have a barn full of, which barn full, we only have five stalls, but if we have five stalls and they're all rehabs, our momentum gets really slow and we get less engagement and people are less excited about cancer because what people love to see are the adoptions. They love the happy endings. Right. And so I kind of realized, okay, it's okay to just have five stalls. We can still make an impact. And those, those are still, those lives all matter. Right. And so that is fine. And so what I realized is I need to just be, um, trying to be a little bit more strategic with the team and, um, on what our intakes are and what our intakes look like and how can we kind of keep that engagement with all of our supporters and our fans and keep those like stories happening. Right. Because people just love the happy ending stories. So I realized it's okay to have five stalls and it's more about, um, good marketing and like staying relevant and staying out there. And that's, what's going to help us find these horses homes. And then if we're able to keep that momentum going, we'll just get more adoptions naturally. And so it's not about having, you know, eight horses at a time. We can have five horses at a time, but if we have people who are cheering us on and following us and keeping in touch, we'll naturally get horses adopted more quickly and, Um, and so that's, that's, I think for cancer, California, long story, very long. Cause I'm just a long winded person. I just want to keep the program like sustainable and keep everyone like supporting us and interested and passionate about these horses because I, I am, I like literally each one that comes in, I'm excited, right? Each adoption that happens, I'm thrilled. And then each time we get to fill a stall with a new horse and I get to learn that story that that horse has, I'm so excited. And so, um, I think, yeah, just keeping Cantor California relevant and, um, keeping people loving what we're doing and keeping all those good stories happening. Um, it's going to be really important for me, especially since I'm about to move across the pond. Um, maintaining our five stalls is good. I have a great horse manager who shout out to her. She's phenomenal. She takes excellent care of these horses and, um, I hope from a distance I can just be, um, hyping everyone up about us on our social media pages. And, um, and then from Cantor USA perspective, what I want for kind of the organizations, all of our little branches out there, um, my hope is actually to add some more branches. So I want it to grow and that I'm hoping that we can get a couple of new affiliates going to cover more tracks, um, and get more listings going. So, um, I would love just to be able to increase the listing program kind of nationwide because people are finding thoroughbreds desirable. People do want to purchase them right off the track, which is phenomenal. And so there's a need, I think, for that, for listing these horses. And we're a little bit different than someone who does it for a career because there are people who go out there and, you know, list thoroughbreds of the track for a career. Yeah. we will do it at no cost to the connections. So it is a completely complimentary service. And so I think there's a need for that out there still. And so my hope is that there might be a couple of new Canter affiliates in the near future.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:37:13-00:38:23]
Yeah. On the last point about the cost, that's so important because I think of the So here locally where I am, we have a standard bred racetrack. So it's a harness racing. And like you had mentioned, a lot of times when they're done, they're done. The horse has all done its career in that industry and they're all done with the horse and they send it off to whoever wants to take it first. That... having to pay may not be appealing to that person. And in some cases thinking, okay, well I have to, if I have to pay to do this and I'm just going to send it to this place that may not be the most desirable place for the horse, but I'm not paying to list it to find a new home. And so with you guys coming in and saying, Hey, we'll do it for free. Then it gives once again, it gives that horse the opportunity to potentially have a new and better life.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:38:24-00:39:45]
Yeah. And that's something where, you know, so Cantor kind of came to be in the late 90s and things have changed a lot since then, especially, of course, of course, in the racing industry. Right. Things are changing rapidly. But at that point in time, it was very much like this horse is done racing and we don't want to pay for it for another day. And things have changed now where people realize, oh, well, someone is going to be willing to pay for this animal. So I can no longer, I don't have to keep it any longer and pay for it to be at this track or at my property or whatever. But I can also sell it and make a little money on it. But like you mentioned, I think where canter kind of stays so helpful and meaningful are with those connections who maybe they don't, have the money to keep the horse there that much longer, especially if they, um, are going to have to give a cut to the person that's helping them network that horse. And so I definitely think that's a great point. And, um, Yeah. I hope that, you know, like I said, the racing industry is changing a lot, but I really hope that Cantor can keep growing, you know, and hopefully some new affiliates covering some new tracks. That would be really exciting. I would love to see that.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:39:47-00:40:04]
For everyone listening, if you're interested in volunteering or being an affiliate or any of the things, then we know once again that it's all in the show notes or if you know anybody that Lauren, I have one more loaded question for you with this. What's your hope for the future of the equestrian industry?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:40:04-00:40:13]
Oh, it's such a big one. It's so hard. I feel like with all these questions, I have such a hard time picking one thing. And then I just babble on about something.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:40:13-00:40:17]
Oh, you were talking to a long winded person.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:40:17-00:42:01]
So don't worry. Oh my gosh. I just, yeah, that's me. I'm long winded. That's in my character description. So same. But anyways, yeah, You know, I think I'm just going to have to go with something that's kind of in the vein of aftercare because we're talking about thoroughbred aftercare. My hope is, as I'm sure every listener can tell, I love thoroughbreds, but I love all horses. And my hope is that there's some bad things in the thoroughbred industry, but something that I think that the thoroughbred industry does better than any other industry is aftercare. There are so many other organizations like Cantor that are focused on thoroughbreds, which I think is phenomenal. And so if there's not a Cantor affiliate near you, look into thoroughbred aftercare near you. There might be a different organization that is phenomenal that you could volunteer with and learn more about this kind of work. Um, but my hope would be that other disciplines, other breeds would have initiatives like this, um, where there could be aftercare. Um, just as an example, uh, I show jumping horses that are retiring warm bloods, you know, there's no, there's not as many aftercare organizations for other disciplines and other breeds. Um, and I think that's something that we can always do better. The thoroughbred industry could certainly do things better. Um, but that is something that I think is going pretty well. And I would love to see more aftercare and more just responsibility to these horses that give so much, um, in the later stages of their life when they can no longer be ridden.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:42:03-00:43:04]
I love that. I love the idea of like you had said, like the aftercare, um, Retired show horses, whatever, whatever industry, whatever discipline to have a next step for them. Yeah, that's a great point. Lauren, we have four rapid fire questions that we ask all the podcast guests. But before I get into that, I just want to take a sec and just like show you out for a minute because here you are. As you mentioned, you're going across and you're going overseas to the UK. I mentioned this in the intro, but if you didn't hear, Lauren is about to go into her first year of veterinarian school. And you not only are about to embark on becoming a vet, but you're the executive director for free of of this incredible organization. And I saw your LinkedIn, you do a lot of other things as well.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:43:05-00:43:09]
So I didn't know you're going to look at that. Oh, I did.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:43:09-00:43:28]
I did. And so I want to show you out and just like, say, thank you for, for doing this, um, within the industry and also like just well done. Um, yeah, yeah. You're doing a lot and it doesn't go unnoticed.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:43:29-00:43:32]
Thank you. I do sincerely really appreciate that.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:43:32-00:43:35]
All right. Are we ready for rapid fire questions?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:43:36-00:43:38]
Okay. Yeah. Let's do it.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:43:38-00:43:42]
Do you have a motto or favorite thing?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:43:44-00:44:42]
Oh my gosh. I feel like throughout my life, I've like had different mottos and things that have stuck with me, but, um, one that I heard of, and it's part of a longer like quote, I think, um, And I think it, I think it's Henry David Thoreau just to give creds, but go confidently in the direction of your dreams is something that is like really has, has stuck with me. And the second part is live the life you've imagined. And there's even more to it after that, but just the part go confidently in the direction of your dreams is something that I've actually been thinking and like replaying in my mind over and over kind of in this, strange period of my life where I'm kind of at this crossroads and I'm about to start a completely new chapter. Um, and so if I'm ever feeling a little bit scared, I say that to myself, like, this is what I'm doing. Like I am taking these steps to go in the direction of my dreams. So I'm going to go with that one for today.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:44:42-00:44:47]
I love that. Who has been the most influential person in your equestrian journey?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:44:49-00:45:53]
Um, It's going to be like a human being. I have to say I don't have a single person. It's been all the people that I've met along the way. I think every single person that I have worked with that has been a client that has, you know, been a trainer of mine or a mentor of mine. I think each of them has shaped me. So it has to be human. I'm going to say it's cumulative. Um, and if it's, uh, if it can be a horse, then I'll give a shout out to my first horse, Dante, who, um, came after Sonny. Sonny has been a second influential, I think, um, the thoroughbred at least, but Dante was the first horse I owned. And, um, he's inspired a lot of this journey and a lot of this passion of the horse that is retired and, um, other people find to be non-useful or not worth anything. And, um, I got to learn very early in my life that a horse's worth has nothing to do with its ability to be ridden. And I'm very thankful to him for that.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:45:56-00:46:01]
I felt that. If you could give Equestrians one piece of advice, what would it be?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:46:01-00:47:22]
I think kind of going actually a little bit to the first thing I said about the last question. about how all the people that have been in my life have kind of influenced me into who I've become. I think it's important, especially for young questions, because this is something that I struggled with early on, is just to recognize that even if you end up in a situation where maybe your trainer isn't the right fit for you, maybe your barn isn't the right fit for you, anything like that, that The things that you don't like, so management that you don't love, teaching models that you don't love, training models that you don't love, anything like that is equally valuable as the things that you do love. So as you are kind of going forward and becoming who you're going to be as an equestrian, and this goes not just for young equestrians. Anybody out there, this will be me the rest of my life. Whenever you meet someone, work with someone, work with, I don't know, a barn or a program and you go, I don't like the way this is being done. Put that in your back pocket and remember that because that is going to make you who you're going to be. If you won't be that way. And so I think that's the advice that I would give.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:47:24-00:47:33]
Excellent advice. That's fantastic. The last one, please complete this sentence for me. Horses are.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:47:34-00:47:43]
Magical. I think that's, I don't think I need to explain. I think just they're magical. I felt that way when I was a little girl and I still feel that way. Yeah.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:47:43-00:47:55]
So where can people find more about, about cancer, cancer, excuse me, and, and connect with you and just all of the things related to Lauren and the canter organizations. Like I said, we'll put in the show notes.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:47:56-00:48:51]
Perfect. So I think I'll start, I'll start with the Cantor bits. So if you're interested in following Cantor, California, which is where you'll see more about the adoption program, kind of the horses that the organization owns, as well as California specific listings. Our Instagram is just at Cantor CA and Cantor, California. You can find us on Facebook as well. And then same thing for Cantor USA, but it's a little bit more broad and, And I try to, I manage both social media pages. So if you message those, you will find me. But with Cantor USA, it's going to be more broad across the nation. Instagram is Cantor USA, Facebook, same thing. If you're interested in connecting with me directly, following along with my vet school adventures, my personal horses, sometimes some Cantor stuff too. My Instagram handle is equine endeavor. So you can find me there.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:48:52-00:49:18]
Awesome. Like I said, we'll put it all in the show notes. Some people can connect. Thank you so much for coming on and chatting with me today. I enjoyed this so much. And I just, I feel as though this is only going to help spread the word, you know, about the off the track thoroughbred and what it is that people are doing to help rehome them. So thank you so much for everything that you do. And thank you for coming on here today.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:49:19-00:49:33]
Yeah, I really appreciate you having me and having the opportunity to talk about thoroughbreds and talk about cancer, which are, you know, passion project for me and extremely important. It's just been great. So thank you. I love the conversation.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:49:35-00:50:09]
in a variety of topics and disciplines. Until next time, be kind to yourself, your horses and others.

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