For folks like us who grew up in a quarter horse dominated area, where most folks rode western and chased cows… “Never own a thoroughbred, they’re nothing but trouble” was a commonly heard phrase. So…  little did we ever imagine; we’d be sitting here in November 2024. One year into starting Trotty By Nature (Trotty), a nonprofit business whose sole purpose is to offer an alternative to auction, slaughter, neglect, abuse, and other negative situations that often face retiring thoroughbred racehorses.

At Trotty, we provide a safe and healthy place for retiring off the track thoroughbreds (OTTBs) to go, while we work with them and assess what the next step is for that horse! Through everything that we do… we share and promote how we retrain, ride, and enjoy our own OTTB’s and highlight their diversity, athleticism, and normalize them as sport and recreation horses for all ages and disciplines. Ultimately, by doing this, we reduce the stigma associated with retired racehorses and increase the number that are successfully rehomed!

So, if we didn’t grow up with a love of OTTB’s…  what brought us to a spot where we have a string of only OTTBs? I mean besides their great feet, bombproof personalities, and the fact that they are so easy on the feed bill because they are such easy keepers? (Laughing out loud)

A passion for horses, a soft spot for the underdog, seeing the need, realizing that these wonderful athletes are just begging for another chance at sporting life, (or sometimes just life) and once given that chance they are eager to flourish. These beautiful animals are bred and produced as part of an industry and when they’re not cut out to run…  well, sometimes the “Plan B” isn’t that great. So, along comes Trotty to help those horses that we can, and also help change the narrative surrounding OTTBs.

So, whether you just stumbled upon us or have been following a bit…  welcome! We’re happy you’re here and invite you to share a little about yourself in the comments!