Renowned American artist Jamie Wyeth has transformed the Pennsylvania farm he shared with his late wife and accomplished horsewoman, Phyllis Mills Wyeth, into a Thoroughbred sanctuary that is now home to 10 retired racehorses from the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation's Second Chances herd.
The new retirement home near Chadds Ford, Pa., called Pastures of Point Lookout, is supported by a 501c3 nonprofit organization of the same name. Jamie Wyeth turned to longtime friends Graham and Anita Motion of Herringswell Stables to help bring this legacy to life in honor of Phyllis Wyeth, who died Jan. 14, 2019.
"I view Pastures of Point Lookout as a lasting reminder of the contributions to the world of horse racing by Phyllis and her champion Union Rags ," said Wyeth, referring to the Phyllis Wyeth's homebred who won the 2012 Belmont Stakes (G1).
Pastures of Point Lookout's inaugural herd are all retired racehorses and previous residents of the TRF's Wallkill Correctional Facility, where they participated for decades in a program that teaches incarcerated inmates life skills and equine care.
Anita Motion is the executive director of Pastures of Point Lookout. She will implement the organization's guidelines and policies for equine care for the aging herd as well as providing oversight and hands-on management for the full-time farm staff who will care for the horses and maintain the 250-acre farm where they reside.
The farm has been modified to support the "pasture lifestyle" to which the TRF horses have become accustomed while at Wallkill. Run-in sheds will provide shelter from the sun and inclement weather, water is available from a nearby stream flowing through the farm, and the two full-time farm managers will manage the hay and grain to supplement the grass in a 20-acre pasture. All expenses for the operation of the farm along with the feed, farrier, and veterinary care required by these horses will be covered by Pastures of Point Lookout, according to the TRF's Adoption Policies.
"It has been a remarkable experience to participate in the creation of Pastures of Point Lookout and to enable Mr. Wyeth to realize his dream for a legacy in his wife's honor," said Motion. "Watching the horses step off the van on Tuesday and soak in the beauty of their new home was genuinely like experiencing a dream come true."
"When I first received Anita's call to share this idea in late January of this year, I could scarcely believe what I was hearing. It simply seemed too good to be true," said Kim Weir, director of major gifts and planned giving at the TRF. "In less than six months, and despite all the challenges we have faced around the world in 2020 due to COVID-19, the dream has become a reality. With this bold and generous gesture, Mr. Wyeth has given 10 horses the happiest possible final chapter of their lives while saving 20 total—the 10 adopted by PPL, and the next 10 retired racehorses that the TRF can accept into our herd to take their places over the months ahead."
Consistent with the TRF's intake policies, all of these horses are registered Thoroughbreds and all have raced at least once. Six of the horses retired to the TRF when they were no longer able to continue their racing career and were unable to pursue second athletic careers, and four of the horses spent a number of years in adoptive homes and returned to the TRF when they had aged out of their second careers.
