Second Start Thoroughbreds

04/14/2026

When the tail spends the winter in a G.C. Collection tail bag ✨ 🪄

03/29/2026

When you can’t quite find the half pad you want… so you just wing it 🥳🧶🐴
This was completely eyeballed, start to finish — and definitely a learning experience. I made so many mental notes for what I’ll tweak next time, but honestly? So rewarding to see it come together into something functional.
I only picked up crochet while recovering from surgery back in early February… and here we are 😅
Second Start Thoroughbreds: apparently also retraining humans now.

03/24/2026

A new chapter, with the horses at the center 🤍

I’m incredibly excited to begin my partnership with Devoucoux.

For over 10 years, I rode in CWD and I’m truly grateful for the support they provided throughout so many phases of my career — it’s been a meaningful part of my journey.

As my program continues to evolve, my focus remains the same: developing happy, relaxed & confident horses with correct basics and thoughtful production.
Saddle fit plays a critical role in that, and I’m looking forward to moving ahead with Devoucoux in support of that goal.

Biggest thanks to Frederique for your support and patience, your customer service is absolutely outstanding! devoucoux_quebec_ontario

Very excited for what’s ahead this season ✨

03/15/2026

Yes, that would be "Alvin", the one we saved from a terrible fate in October of 2025. Down time has worked wonders on him. Annie has done great work with him, he trusts her more and more everyday. He is incredibly kind and seems to have great brains. Excited to see what the future holds for him!

01/26/2026

✨ New Service Announcement ✨

Over the past 20 years, Second Start Thoroughbreds has focused on helping Thoroughbreds transition into meaningful second careers and responsible homes. Over the years, one thing has become very clear: many owners and race connections want to do the right thing for their horses — they just don’t always know where to start, or have the time to manage the process.
We’re excited to announce a new listing service designed to bridge that gap.

🔹 What we offer:
Second Start will now provide professional listings for:
• Freshly retired Thoroughbreds
• Horses available directly from the track
• Restarted or riding OTTBs
• Let-down, pasture, or broodmare-type Thoroughbreds

Each horse will receive:
✔️ A dedicated listing on our website
✔️ Promotion to our Facebook audience of 14,000+ Thoroughbred-educated followers
✔️ Photos, video (jog or riding), and a description provided by the owner or connections
✔️ Direct contact between buyer and seller (Second Start does not handle sales)
✔️ Access to a standardized “not for racing / not for slaughter” bill of sale

🔹 How this is different:
This is a flat-fee listing service, not a commission-based program. Our role is to help present horses thoughtfully, increase visibility, and attract the right buyers — while keeping the transaction transparent and straightforward between parties.

🔹 Why we’re doing this:
We believe Thoroughbreds deserve to be marketed with care, context, and respect — and that better presentation leads to better outcomes. This service is meant to support responsible transitions, reduce overwhelm for sellers, and help shift the narrative away from undervaluing these horses.

📩 Interested in listing a horse or learning more?
Please send us a message or email [email protected] and we’ll be happy to share details.
Thank you for supporting responsible second starts — we’re excited to take this next step with you!

- Alexis, Annie and Sophie

01/25/2026

We approve this message 💓

❄️ Why Consistent Winter Turnout is So Important for Horses ❄️

When the temperatures drop, it can feel natural to want to tuck our horses into a cozy stall all day. But in reality, horses are built to handle cold weather better than we think—and consistent turnout actually benefits them in many ways:

🌬 Thermoregulation (Staying Warm Naturally)
• Horses stay warmer moving in the fresh air than standing still inside.
• A fluffy winter coat combined with movement keeps them comfortable, often more than a closed-up stall ever could.

🦴 Joint & Muscle Health
• Constant motion helps lubricate joints and prevent stiffness, especially in older horses.
• Standing still too long in stalls increases stiffness and risk of stocking up (leg swelling).

🍽 Digestive Health
• Horses are designed to graze and move throughout the day.
• Turnout encourages steady forage intake and helps prevent colic, ulcers, and boredom-related behaviors like cribbing or weaving.

🫁 Respiratory Benefits
• Cold, crisp air outside is often healthier than dusty, ammonia-filled stall air.
• More fresh air means stronger lungs and less chance of respiratory irritation.

🐴 Mental Well-Being
• Horses are herd animals—they thrive when they can interact and socialize with other horses.
• Turnout reduces stress, anxiety, and bad habits caused by stall confinement.

💧 Hydration & Circulation
• Horses moving around outdoors drink more water than stalled horses, lowering colic risk.
• Movement also keeps blood circulating efficiently, which aids overall health.

We believe winter shouldn’t stop horses from living the way nature intended. With safe footing, proper blanketing (when needed), and plenty of quality hay, our boarders enjoy the benefits of fresh air and movement all winter long.

Because horses don’t just survive in winter—they thrive when given the chance. ❄️🐎💙

01/02/2026

Another year has already flown by, so hard to believe!
We want to thank each & everyone of you for your continued support and your trust in us over the years.
You may have noticed that we haven’t really been rehoming straight from the track for the past few years.

We can explain.

Second Start was originally ran by Alexis & Kim who did an amazing job at finding homes for hundreds of horses in need. Sophie took the reins in 2018, assisted by Annie, but still supported by the founders (and this hasn’t changed).
In 2022, Sophie and Annie reflected on the mission & the vision behind Second Start. We came to a conclusion that horses that were listed for 4-5K…. Weren’t in dire need of help. We tried communicating this to the racing connections we had the pleasure of listing horses for in the past, and most decided to take their listings to other organizations, we can totally understand this.

On our end, the mission shifted to helping horses in need by giving them a safe landing and letting them take a breather before starting their second career ( ). Then, comes the training phase, where we patiently develop our horses into ammy/jr friendly SAFE show horses ( ). Finally, when time comes, they are either leased or offered for consideration ( ).

2026 will be a year full of changes. Sophie is having brain surgery on January 12 and will need at least 6 weeks of recovery. Although apprehensive given the risks of (any) surgery, the potential of regaining a decent quality of life outweighs all the risks.

Once able to get back in the saddle, Rio will be getting back into shape with her and hopefully ready to get back in the show ring in the summer, still doubling as a leadline mount for Nora, who will then be 3. On his end, Alvin is enjoying the R&R he deserves at the Mirabel farm under Annie’s excellent care, following his “only in the movies” crazy auction and meat pen couple months before we saved him from shipping. He will be assessed by a top equine vet in the Spring and we will decide on what’s best for him then. He will either start his lay up at the farm in QC or come meet Sophie, North of Toronto… and maybe get to go to a show or two, just to flat around, as he will only be 4.

All of this said, our mission is also to help guide you towards a happy, positive life with your .
We will be building a small winter challenge, as we used to do a couple years ago. 40 rides from January 5th to March 31st.
We highly suggest that one of your weekly rides be outside!
Obviously, Sophie won’t make it to 40, but she will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have regarding retraining, feeding or caring for your OTTB.

We ask that you direct any questions you may have directly to our inbox, as comments can sometimes be missed and we always strive to reply in a timely fashion.

With our best wishes for 2026,
Sophie & Annie

01/01/2026

Don’t forget to wish your OTTB a very Happy Birthday today!
Rio turns 9 this year and Alvin turns 4!