CANTER Minnesota is dedicated to rehabilitaion, placement and promotion of retired racehorses!
In 2009 our Founders realized the need for a Thoroughbred Program to help the retiring racehorses from Canterbury Park find new homes and second careers. We started out under the name Minnesota Retired Racehorse Project. Then in 2014, we had grown exponentially and decided we needed to expand our program further, so we approached CANTER National about becoming the Minnesota affiliate chapter. This has given us grant funding and nationwide exposure to not only our program, but to our horses, helping expand what we can do for these amazing animals. Since our start we have re homed over 150 ex-racehorses and one retired racetrack goat! We currently operate with two phases of our program.
Phase 1 is our Trainer Listing Program - The listing program is a free service
offered to the horse men/women at the track who want to sell their
retiring race horse. Volunteers work closely with trainers/owners on the
backside of Canterbury Park
taking pictures, videos, and biographies of any horses for sale. The
information is posted on our website and promoted to a national pool of
equestrian buyers. CANTER is not involved in the sale.
Phase 2 is our CANTER Owned Program - As an additional service, we offer owners/trainers the opportunity to
donate their horse to  our aftercare program. CANTER assumes all
ownership and financial responsibility of the donated horse. Working
with a dedicated team of veterinarians, farriers, professional trainers,
and volunteers, each horse is provided with a customized plan of action
that includes: relaxation, rehabilitation, and retraining
services. When ready, CANTER finds new homes and careers suitable for
each horse based on their potential, needs, or limitations. Horses are
sold with a CANTER adoption contract after thoroughly screening
potential buyers. Our program ensures each horse obtains the marketable
skills they need to find a new home and career.