Kiersti Wylie giving Best Pointe a Peppermint © Del Mar Thoroughbred Club

The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club works year round to support numerous charity organizations both within the horse racing and the local community. This past Saturday we were pleased to welcome CARMA at the track to show off two examples of off-track Thoroughbreds - OTTBs for short - in the midst of training for their second careers. 

CARMA (California Retirement Management Account) is a non-profit, charitable organization that provides funding for the retirement of California-raced Thoroughbred horses. CARMA works closely with the racing community and aftercare charities to provide a transition and place these horses into the next phase of their life. They host horse shows, events and awareness campaigns to educate the public and provide funding, accreditation, and support for retired Thoroughbred racehorses and California retirement facilities. 

Kiersti Wylie of Sandia Creek Auxiliary Foundation jumping Twerp © Del Mar Thoroughbred Club

Del Mar hosted a fundraiser for CARMA and was able to share with the crowd some fine examples of off-track Thoroughbreds in their second careers. This included Twerp, who raced twice and earned just $200. The nonprofit Sandia Creek Auxiliary Foundation in Fallbrook, CA, which retrains and rehomes retired racehorses, helped retrain Twerp to be a skilled jumper. She showed off some top moves for the Del Mar crowd, proving her second career is a thriving one.

Kiersti Wylie of Sandia Creek Auxiliary Foundation with Best Pointe © Del Mar Thoroughbred Club

Best Pointe, an 8-year-old gelded son of Best Minister, raced just once and earned $350 before retiring in 2012. He is a great all-around horse who will do anything asked of him including the western discipline of barrel racing and some country line dancing. He scored a perfect 10 from the crowd for his moves.

To learn more about horses like Twerp and Best Pointe, or to make a donation to CARMA, please visit https://www.carma4horses.org/.