It's a Small World – Wasabi Aftercare Fund

It’s a Small World

In July 2022, in partnership with Wasabi Ventures Stables, we privately purchased Lap of Luxury for retirement. (Read the full story here.) Little did I know at that time, but this transaction would make an impact on a club member’s life, as well as on the future retirement of a WVS horse.

The club member

In April 2023, I received an email from Brendan, a WVS club member. In his email, he explained that he had owned a share in Lap of Luxury. Our purchasing of Lap for retirement opened his eyes to the world of thoroughbred aftercare. However, it didn’t stop there. Not only did he learn about this part of the thoroughbred industry, it also inspired him to find a local aftercare organization.

Living in Massachusetts, he found NEER North and began volunteering there last summer. Brendan told me a little a bit about NEER and its program. Always wanting to garner support for aftercare organizations like this, I reached out via the NEER website. I received a reply from Mary Martin, the president and founder.

The next impact

In our email conversation, I discussed the possibility of a video or audio interview to be shared with The Horse Fund audience. Mary was very much interested! We recorded the interview, which then became the first podcast I recorded for The Aftercare Ally. Like so many of the people in aftercare I have met, she was passionate and excited about her work. (You can listen to the podcast here.)

Two weeks after her podcast aired, our trainer, Jesse, let me know that he thought we should retire our two year old filly, Rockport Queen. She had an underlying health condition, which could make training and racing more difficult for her. As a team, WVS decided retirement was the best option. At that point I reached out to Mary to see if she would have an opening. The immediate answer was, “Yes!”

Queen is now settling in at her new home in West Newbury, Massachusetts. We look forward to seeing a new and exciting future for her. And who knows? Maybe her presence at NEER will make an impact on someone else!