Maryland’s Thoroughbred Placement and Rescue, Inc. (TPR) is a 501(c)(3) charity that was created by Thoroughbred horsemen for Thoroughbred horsemen as a way to retire former racehorses. Last year TPR placed over 150 horses. This year, they are well on their way to meeting and possibly exceeding that number as they are quickly approaching 100 and it is only September. What makes TPR different from any other horse charity in the mid-Atlantic region is founder Kim Clark.

Clark fell into the business in November of 2007 when she offered to sell 5 Thoroughbreds for a client, and after posting them on her Web site got over 200 calls in one week. Since then there has been no turning back. A race trainer and exercise rider for more than 25 years, Clark brings her depth of knowledge of the racing industry and combines it with her knowledge and skill in the show and eventing disciplines to place Thoroughbreds in the right homes. TPR bridges the gap between the owners and trainers at the racetracks and the potential new owners eager for a horse.

Some of her most striking successes over the past year are with horses named Little Guy and Tippy. What makes these special is the horses’ journey from a certain untimely death to a loving home and the intense dedication and love that makes it happen.

Little Guy was at the farm of a race trainer who stopped feeding him. After watching this horse (and others) become slowly thinner by the day, the trainer’s mother-in-law called Clark and told her about the horse. When Kim came to get the horse and found him emaciated, she asked the trainer why he had not called her to come get him earlier. Fully aware that she placed Thoroughbreds off the track into good homes, he just did not call her