Young Writer Wins Grant from Thoroughbred Charities of America for FFI

Friends of Ferdinand Inc. (FFI) is thrilled to announce it will be a Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) grant recipient thanks to a young horse-crazy writer.The love of Thoroughbreds often starts at a young age; such is the case for Hadley Macey, aged 10, of Noblesville. When she learned of an essay contest sponsored by the Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA), she was eager to enter.The contest was for writers under the age of 18 who have been impacted by a TCA grant recipient, and Hadley immediately knew she wanted to choose Friends of Ferdinand, Inc., an Indianapolis based non-profit that retrains and re-homes ex-racehorses.

In an essay entitled "Friends of Ferdinand is a Friend of Mine!" Hadley describes a childhood heavily influenced by off track Thoroughbreds.When Hadley was 4, her mother adopted an ex-racehorse through Friends of Ferdinand. Hadley quickly fell in love with the breed she described as elegant and graceful.Now at age 10, Hadley and her family have welcomed three ex-racehorses into their barn through FFI. Hadley says that having ex-racehorses has taught her many lessons to make her successful in life and that the gentle giants are her best friends.

A group of select TCA Board Members and Blood Horse staff judged the many essays entered into the contest.They found that Hadley's entry showed her strong passion for Thoroughbreds using excellent grammar, vocabulary, and style. Hadley was awarded an Honorable Mention, which secures a $500 grant for Friends of Ferdinand.This grant will be used to support the direct expenses of rehabilitation, retraining and adoption of the Thoroughbreds in the FFI program. Hadley's award winning essay can be viewed here: http://www.tca.org/Domains/www.tca.org/CMSFiles/Do...

is to provide a better life for Thoroughbreds, both during and after their racing careers, by supporting qualified repurposing and retirement organizations and by helping the people who care for them. Over the past 25 years, TCA has granted over $21 million to more than 200 Thoroughbred-related organizations in four categories including: retirement, retraining and rehoming; research; backstretch and farm employee programs; and therapeutic riding programs.

Friends of Ferdinand Inc. (FFI) is an Indiana-based non-profit which strives to provide ex-racehorses with the retraining they need to find steady homes beyond the racetrack. Horses that have gone through the FFI retraining program have found second careers as eventers, hunter/jumpers, dressage mounts, trail horses, and more. FFI, with the motto “retired from racing, not from life”, is accredited by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. http://www.friendsofferdinand.com

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