LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville kids healing from trauma got the opportunity of a lifetime while learning about horses.
There will be 1,500 horses that end up living at Churchill Downs the rest of the year. Kids with 2X Game Changers Future Healers Got Zoo Buddies got to tour where the horses go when they need to see the doctor.
"They're our pets here on the backside," Dr. Will Farmer, Churchill Downs equine medical director, said. "These horses are well loved and taken care of."
It's due to a partnership with Churchill Downs for the new 502'sDay, a brand new day on Derby Week to celebrate the locals.
"We're all so spoiled here at Churchill because we get to see these horses all the time and you forget what it's like to actually see a kid touch the horse for the first time," Cathy Shircliff, Churchill Downs director of equine industry relations, said.
Children with Christopher 2X Game Changers visited Churchill Downs on March 31, 2023.
They also went to Second Stride in Prospect, a place that provides former racehorses like General A Rod, who ran in the Triple Crown races, a home after their racing days are over.
"That's really what they do here, is give everybody a second chance," Shircliff said. "They give these horses their second career."
The kids learned how to properly brush the horses and pick out their hoofs. This kicks off the new leg of the program that heals kids dealing with secondary trauma from gun violence.
These kids are part of Planet Savers, a nature-based therapy that encourages youth and family development through animal and land conservation activities and waste and recycling advocacy efforts.
"You're always ripping and running, so to take time out during the weekend to do something like this and just have quiet time and get to know the animals is a really good experience," Amari Thomas, a parent, said.
Churchill Downs is also funding the opportunity for children in program to visit some of Lexington's historic horse farms on April 10.
During the new 502'sDay, Churchill Downs will honor 2X Game Changers throughout the day.
"2X Game Changers and Churchill Downs Incorporated have had a longstanding relationship, and as we look for potential partners to highlight on 502’sDay, we felt 2X Game Changers was a natural fit,” Mike Anderson, Churchill Downs Racetrack President, said in a news release. “With Planet Savers’ mission of spreading the healing power of animals, the addition of the equine industry to this platform is a great opportunity to further increase the relationship between the horse racing industry and the youth community of Louisville.”
To learn more about Future Healers Got Zoo Buddies, click here.
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