EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW

Mission
The Standardbred Retirement Foundation (SRF) is a non-profit, tax exempt organization created to care for, rehabilitate and secure lifetime adoption of non-competitive racehorses, to ensure their proper care with follow up, and combine the needs of youth at risk with these horses in therapeutic equine programs to benefit both.

History
The SRF was founded and created in 1989 by Mrs. Judith Bokman, wife of a prominent Equine Practitioner in New Jersey, Dr. Stephen Bokman DVM. When she realized what was happening to the Standardbreds that could no longer be competitive as racehorses, she contacted Mrs. Paula Campbell, wife of Hall of Fame Standardbred Driver John Campbell, who joined Mrs. Bokman in the development of the SRF. Later in the development process, the Youth Programs were incorporated into the SRF. It was granted exemption from Federal Income Tax status as a 501 (c) 3 non-profit Foundation in 1991.

Although horseracing is a multi-billion dollar industry, the Standardbred racing industry has made no provisions to support these grand horses when their racing careers came to an end. Some horses end their careers at a young age due to injuries or lack of racing ability, but with the rest and rehabilitation provided by SRF, these lovely animals become wonderful riding, driving, eventing, trail horses, and participate in all disciplines of riding and driving. However, some retire from racing and are not healthy enough to be transitioned to a new career.  As a result, the SRF steps in to provide the rescue services necessary to ensure that these noble horses are retired with the dignity and care they deserve with the intent of finding them permanent homes; many are never adopted due to physical condition or age and remain under the SRF’s care at various boarding facilities.

Standardbred Retirement Foundation (SRF Awards)
The SRF is the proud recipient of the following national awards:
 
• The Harness Tracks of America (HTA) Distinguished Service Award
• The ARCI International Animal Welfare Award
• The USHWA Proximity Award
• The American Association of Equine Practitioner’s Award
• A Finalist for the Lavin Cup.
• The United States Trotting Association (USTA) has endorsed the SRF      

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

Officers

Mrs. Paula Campbell, President
Mrs. Campbell, the wife Hall of Fame Driver, John Campbell was a natural choice to become involved with the creation of the SRF. She has lived in the racing business even before her marriage to John and stays involved in all aspects of it. Her involvement has been a tremendous asset in the development of SRF over the years.

Mr. Peter Gerry, Vice President
A resident of Princeton, N J, Peter Gerry, is an investment manager focusing on private equity and venture capital investments. From 1973 to 1995, he was employed at Citigroup Venture Capital, Ltd. - the private equity investment arm of Citicorp - where he served as President from 1983 to 1995. In 1995, he co-founded Sycamore Ventures - a firm dedicated to US and Asian private equity investing, where he continues as managing partner.

Mr. Gerry has been involved in harness racing for more than 45 years as an amateur driver, owner and breeder of trotters. Together with his older brother, Elbridge T. Gerry, Jr., he owns and operates Arden Homestead Stable, founded by his great grandfather more than 100 years ago.  He also serves as a trustee and Treasurer of the Harness Racing Museum, as a Director and Treasurer of the Hambletonian Society, as a Vice President and Trustee of the SRF and as President of the Delvin Miller Amateur Drivers Association, which annually sponsors the CKG Billings Amateur Driving Series. Mr. Gerry has been an SRF trustee for many years.

Mrs. Judith Bokman, Secretary & Treasurer

In the 1980’s, upon becoming a racehorse owner, she learned that horses were being slaughtered due to injury, age or lack of competitive ability, and just because there is no other opportunities once their racing career came to an end, yet they made excellent riding companions. Thus, the SRF was founded in 1989, in conjunction with Mrs. Paula Campbell, wife of Hall of Fame Driver, John Campbell.
 
From 1989 through 1998 Mrs. Bokman ran the day-to-day operation of the SRF. She is one of the driving forces that has made the SRF the oldest, most awarded and productive horse adoption agency in America. It is the model program. Dr. & Mrs. Bokman are the parents of two boys and the adopter of a Standardbred that is now 33 years old.

Mrs. Bokman has a BS in Education from Wagner College and was an educator from 1987-90 in Clinton Township, NJ. She traveled internationally for five years living abroad much of the time from 1980-1986. During the Whitman Administration Mrs. Bokman was appointed to serve on the NJ Sports and Leisure Activities Liability Study Commission. 

SRF Trustees

Dr. Stephen Bokman, DVM, MS
Dr. Bokman, a graduate of Rutgers University and Cornell Veterinary School, is a prominent Equine Vet specializing in Standardbred Racehorses. Dr. Bokman was on the Animal Welfare Committee of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP). He initiated the program for short dated drugs from the pharmaceutical companies to be distributed to organizations like SRF. Dr Bokman has worked Pro Bono for the SRF since 1989 and is credited with much of the original humane aspect development of the SRF.

Mr. John Campbell
Mr. Campbell is a Hall of Fame Driver and one of the youngest to ever be voted into the Hall. He has driven horses all over the world and won purses of over $250,000,000. He is one of the most respected people in the harness world and is always willing and able to promote the harness racing industry and the SRF.

Patricia M. Hogan, VMD
Diplomat, American College of Veterinary Surgeons
Dr. Hogan has turned a lifetime love for horses into a successful career as an equine surgeon attending to some of the most valuable Standardbred and Thoroughbred racehorses in the country. Dr. Hogan is originally from New Jersey and obtained her veterinary education at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1992. After an internship at the famed Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital and a 3-year surgical residency at Texas A&M University, Dr Hogan returned home to New Jersey to practice. After 11 years spent specializing in the surgical care of the racehorse at the New Jersey Equine Clinic, Dr. Hogan began her own surgical practice in July of 2007. The construction of the clinic at Fair Winds Farm is the culmination of a lifelong dream.

Dr Hogan has also been instrumental in the design and construction of the new state-of-the-art 17 million dollar Ruffian Medical Center at Belmont Park.

Michael Gulotta
MJG Racing Stable
Mike Gulotta, a noted horseman and philanthropist who is becoming the face of New Jersey racing as the sole “equine” member of new New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s transition team, has been elected the winner of the W.R. Haughton Good Guy Award as voted by active members of the United States Harness Writers Association.  Gulotta is among the partners operating the state-of-the-art Deo Volente Farm in the Garden State, and his sponsored tours of the facility for children have helped expose a number of young faces to the exciting harness racing scene.

William Weaver
Owner of Valley High Stable
After completing a four-year stint in the Navy in 1962, Mr. Weaver decided never to board an aircraft again. Instead, he enjoys watching his horses race in New Jersey, or watching simulcasts of big races elsewhere at Freehold.

For several decades after his Navy service, he concentrated on his career in the banking business and raising a family in New Jersey. Along the way, he became involved in harness racing and developed a close relationship with the late horseman Vernon Dancer. He attributes much of his interest and success to Dancer, and still misses the Hall of Famer, who died four years ago.

Bill Weaver’s amazing success as a breeder of trotters has been accomplished without a farm or field to call his own. He was honored as the Standardbred Breeder and Owner Associations -  Breeder of the Year in 2005. Bill lives in Freehold, N.J., and prefers to maintain a low profile in the sport, but it’s hard to maintain a low profile when you’ve bred horses like Valley Victory, Sugar Trade, Uncle Vernon and others. His impact as a breeder has been far greater than as an owner. Mr. Weaver has an abiding love of harness horses and his many close friends in the sport override his concerns about “things that go on in this business that I’m frankly not proud to talk about.” He values his integrity far more than any trophies or riches his horses could bring him.

Bix DiMeo
GM of Showplace Farms
Mr. DiMeo is the owner and operator of Eagles Nest Farm, a Standardbred racing operation that develops and races horses at the major East Coast race tracks. He also consults on all aspects of equine farm development and management. Mr. DiMeo is also the general manager of Showplace Farms, LLC, a major Standardbred boarding and training facility with over 150 tenants and 450 horses. It is world renowned for its training track and its staff of 25 employees, and is one of the few centers that have had success in its trainers’ ability to develop a majority of the Standardbred industry's champions. Mr. DiMeo is a graduate of Rutgers University with a degree in Agriculture and has served on the NJ State Board of Agriculture.
 

Volunteers
SRF volunteers are many and varied, and always come through. The SRF requests help, usually through the website and volunteers help from many states across the country as adoptions have been made in 40 states. Volunteers assist in many ways from covering events to spread the word, organizing their own fund raiser, helping with training a horse, checking on a horse, working with us on and at a fund raising event and more.  The Foundation could not do it all without them and extends a warm “thank you” for their time and effort.

Where Do the Horses Come From?
With many of the Board Members associated with racing it is well known in Harness racing that SRF is available to help. SRF asks every owner to help with expenses associated with finding their horses a good home but does NOT turn away a horse in need if funds are within the budget to provide for the horse. A horse is not considered a donation as it is a great expense not a gift.

When a horse comes into the program the race horse veterinarian is asked to inform us of the horse’s history of any lameness issues, re-hab or rest needed, and current health info.  We want to be sure a horse is placed in a home properly meaning a horse with no injuries can go to a home where an adopter may choose to do endurance riding, whereas a horse with a slight limitation will need a home where he will not be asked to perform beyond his physical comfort. We do ask for the horse to be gelded if still a stallion only because it is difficult to find a stallion a home; they must be turned out separately, and it is a much greater expense for SRF to care for a stallion.

Adoption
The SRF is celebrating its 22nd year of operation with over 2,300 adoptions to-date.  SRF has the longest history of adoption services. It was the first organization to develop and implement a strict follow-up program to ensure every horse adopted remains in good care. Our adoption goal is to find the right horse for the adopter and the right adopter for the horse; we want the adoption to work.

Why Adopt a Standardbred?
Imagine a horse that every family member can enjoy- a horse that is kind, gentle, versatile and much more. Imagine a horse whose disciplined track life has gifted him/her with many desirable qualities in the world of pleasure horses. The horse is a Standardbred, a cross between the Thoroughbred and the Morgan. These gentle, beautiful horses are available through the SRF’s award winning adoption program.
Standardbreds are making the successful transition to lives and careers that are far removed from the track. The Standardbred horse has a great deal of versatility and has so much to offer.  In addition, these beautiful horses are known to be able to face nearly every task put before them with gentleness, patience and a heart that knows no limit. This is why they are so popular among the mounted police. The Newark NJ Police Mounted Police unit in 2008 had fourteen horses, all were Standardbreds. Coming from the track the Standardbred has already been trained in a bit and knows how to walk, trot, back up and stand patiently in crossties.

Standardbreds also enjoy being groomed, bathed and fussed with. They know how to load in/out of a horse trailer, travel and work in unfamiliar surroundings. Many Standardbreds have experience around noisy, active places like race paddocks and /or racetracks where there are water trucks, tractors, cars, and crowds.  Additionally, these horses clip well, have their legs wrapped and have been taught to wear blankets and coolers.

Adoption Requirements
All adopters of SRF horses are pre-screened in great detail to ensure that they are knowledgeable in both care and maintenance of horses, have the necessary facilities to meet SRF standards, and are looking for a long-term relationship with the horse.

Adoption Follow-up
Why follow up? The number one cause of abuse is neglect through the loss of interest, according to the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) is loss of interest.     

SRF employees and volunteers follow up on all horses after they are adopted to ensure that the minimum standards of care are continually being met (i.e. - fencing, pasture, water, feed when pasture is inadequate, shelter from inclement weather, farrier care as needed) Semi-annually adopters are required to provide SRF with a satisfactorily completed form by their veterinarian which indicates the care and treatment the horse is receiving.

Adopted horses cannot be raced, bred, sold,  used for embryo transfer, given away or used for any commercial purpose. While SRF encourages lifetime adoptions, if an adopter cannot provide proper care for any reason the horse must be returned to the SRF.

Boarding and Rehab Farms
SRF uses pre-qualified boarding and rehabilitation farms when its leased facility is full as an interim stop for the horses when they first enter the program. The horses are examined and classified via the Henneke Scale as to shape and condition upon arrival at the farms. These facilities are monitored by way of the SRF Vet Follow-up Form used for adopted horses. The SRF currently uses several boarding and rehab farms to care for horses of all ages and physical condition. Many are classified as “pasture pals,” as age or injuries prevent them from being ridden. Some may never be adopted but will remain under the care and expense of the SRF.

SRF Web Site
The SRF web site, www.adoptahorse.org has received outstanding recognition for its clarity, completeness and effectiveness in providing prospective adopters with information needed to complete the adoption process. The web site averages over 150,000 hits a year and is the main factor in the success of the adoption program. It tells the complete story of the SRF and is updated weekly or as required. Additional information such as award information, special thanks, current events, etc. is posted as well.

Brochures &  Newsletter
The SRF Newsletter goes out twice a year to donors, supporters, adopters, volunteers and friends of the Foundation. It covers activities, adoptions and special events surrounding the SRF.  (Usually, a friend or associate of the SRF steps forward to cover the cost of the newsletter at approximately $2,000.)

Funding
Our greatest help comes from the tax deductible gifts from kind people who care about the welfare of these beautiful animals and agree that something needs to be done to avoid slaughter, abuse and neglect. There is no regular fund stream for SRF and the endowment only produces about $150 annually.

Other contributors to the SRF are the breeding farms and individual owners gifting yearly and lifetime donations of stallion breedings. SRF sells them to raise funds and receives approx. 100 breeding donations annually. The SRF is the only agency that sponsors races for offspring of stallions whose breedings have been donated. If a breeding is donated to the SRF in 2012, whether sold or not, the stallions progeny that are two or three in 2012 are eligible for SRF Dignity Races. These races have generated over one million dollars in purses and have been hosted at the Meadowlands and Freehold Racetracks.

Events and Fundraising
SRF runs various fundraisers each year such as a golf outing, open house, raffles, etc. to help raise much need funds. Please visit our "Upcoming Events" page to see a list of any upcoming fundraisers.

The SRF has no long-term liabilities. 

                
Boarding and Rehab Farms
SRF leases a farm which houses only 25-30 horses and must board about 150 others. These expenses, as well as farrier, veterinary care out of state, transportation, worming, and vaccinations for about 175 horses under the care of SRF accounts for the greatest expense for SRF, about 74% of its funds.

Administration

The SRF functions with two full-time personnel, four part-time personnel, many volunteers and some young adults serving community service. All employees are experienced horse lovers and treat each in their care as their own. They ensure that the new adopter is pre-qualified and looking for a long-term adoption, match adopters and horses, collect veterinary information on each horse entering the program or any horse needing a new home, and performs all the administrative and hands on needed to complete semi-annual follow-up on every horse.

The SRF’s custom database contains all relative information on all horses, adoptions, activities, past and present, associated with the SRF programs. The administration writes the semi-annual newsletter, and handles the donor management and development, fundraising, website maintenance, volunteer coordination, events, accounting, publicity, grant writing, mailings, marketing, youth programs and other responsibilities.

Youth Programs
The SRF has ongoing youth programs require a great deal of management as SRF does not have a permanent facility of their own. These programs include:

The Therapeutic Riding and Driving Program
This program benefits children challenged by Muscular Dystrophy, Multiple Sclerosis, Cerebral Palsy, Attention Deficit Disorder and developmental disorders. These children enjoy the physical and emotional experience of riding, driving, and bonding with a new friend  and just giving these horses what they so easily give to everyone else - unconditional love. If you come on a day that they are here you will hear laughter and the squeals of happiness everywhere.

Youth in Focus
This program helps youngsters in need of direction to focus and channel their energy in a positive way. SRF works with schools to target students who will benefit most in after school and summer programs. With guidance, two students take on the responsibility of caring for a horse, they learn to work together, building self-esteem and setting and accomplishing goals.

Juvenile Justice Program
The SRF has initiated a program with the New Jersey Department of Juvenile Justice System, the New Jersey Department of Education and Rutgers University. This program will use horses provided by the SRF to teach social skills required by the youth for re-entering society.  Trust, teamwork, responsibility, kindness, love, dedication, etc. are a few of the traits that can be developed from dealing with horses, as they are non-judgmental.

The state has built a compound with stalls for horses and training facilities at the Jamesburg Home for Boys to be used for this particular program. The state has also hired a United States Trotting Association (USTA) Licensed Trainer to head up the program. The overall goal is to develop a program to serve as a model for the State and possibly the country, working with juvenile justice systems. The USTA has approved the program and will issue certificates of completion to those that qualify.

  
At a time when we are overwhelmed with requests for our many services, as there are far too many horses needing help than can be provided for our adoption, sponsorship and/or donation, or contribution toward our Wishlist  will make a big difference in the lives of these horses, and the children we help. We cannot continue our mission without your support.

Our mission is to continue to work tirelessly to find these horses appropriate homes, and continue to care for the ones that are unattractive to adopters but we cannot do this without your help. Please find it in your heart to help by adopting or sponsoring one of our many horses, or simply donation. The SRF depends on the help of generous individuals like you.

We thank you from the bottom of our hooves.