Page 70 - 2021 TAA Magazine

Mitchell Farm

Equine Retirement SANCTUARY

TESTIMONIAL:
“TAA not only serves
as an accrediting
body, holding
facilities to the high-
est standards, it also
backs up excellence
with support. Funding
from TAA has allowed
Mitchell Farm Equine
Retirement to provide
OTTBs in our care
with the safe,
comfortable,
permanent sanctuary
they so deserve.”

FOUNDED: 2004
ADDRESS:
300 East Haddam Rd.
Residents of Mitchell Farm Equine Retirement in Connecticut enjoy an afternoon of grazing. Salem, CT 06420
PHONE:
Mitchell Farm Equine Retirement is a sanctu- the off-the-track Thoroughbred named Nijinsky (860) 303-8705
ary for aged equines. Sun (aka “Walter”), a grandson of the great Nijin-
Founded in 2004 by current executive director sky II who was unplaced in several starts during MAIN CONTACT:
Dee Doolittle, the organization provides a perma- the mid-1980s. Upon leaving the track, Walter Dee Doolittle
nent home for more than 20 older and often infirm served more than 20 years as a beloved lesson and WEB ADDRESS:

horses of all breeds. show horse for children until earning his much-
The purpose of Mitchell Farm is not to retrain deserved retirement at Mitchell Farm, where he mitchellfarm.org
or re-home, as the majority of program members lived out the rest of life to the ripe age of 35. SOCIAL:
are unrideable due to injury or advanced age. The organization is fully accredited by the
Each Mitchell Farm horse has its own stall and a Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries in addi- mitchellfarm.org
pasture to graze in Connecticut’s gorgeous Salem tion to the TAA and has been recognized by such @mitchell_farm
Valley. groups as Thoroughbred Charities of America, the @mitchell_farm
“Our equine retirees have earned their retire- Doris Day Animal Foundation, and the Unwanted
ment and will never be ridden again,” Doolittle Horse Veterinary Relief Campaign. AVERAGE NUMBER OF
said. “Without the pressures of competition or Mitchell Farm is run largely by volunteers, THOROUGHBREDS PER YEAR:
bearing human weight, they are free to remem- who feed, groom, and care for the equine senior 5
ber, or learn, what it means to be a horse.” citizens on a daily basis. The program also strives
Horses in the program must be a mare or geld- to educate the public on animal-welfare issues
ing at least 20 years old, pasture-sound, in veteri- whenever possible.
narian-verified good health, and current on shots. Mitchell Farm’s annual music festival has been

One of Mitchell Farm’s best resident stories is of a successful early-autumn fund-raiser.

PAGE 68 DAILY RACING FORM