A Future Beyond the Finish Line Starts With You
At River Run Racehorse Retirement, we believe every racehorse deserves safety, dignity, and compassionate care long after their racing days are over.
Your support helps provide retired racehorses with the essentials they need to thrive beyond the track including daily care, rehabilitation, veterinary support, nutrition, turnout, and peaceful retirement.
Every donation directly impacts the horses in our care and helps us continue creating safe, individualized transitions for horses beginning their next chapter.
River Run Racehorse Retirement is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in the state of Florida.
EIN: 39-3246134
All donations are tax-deductible as permitted by law.
Every retired racehorse deserves safety, dignity, and peace after the track. Your donation helps provide lifelong care, rehabilitation, feed, medical support, and safe retirement for horses who gave everything in racing.
Provides a day of feed and supplements
Helps cover hoof care and stable supplies
Supports veterinary and wellness care
Helps provide rehabilitation and long-term retirement support
Every contribution directly impacts the horses in our care.
Monthly giving provides consistent care the horses can rely on year-round. Even small recurring donations help create stability for feed, medical care, farrier visits, and emergency needs. Because retirement care is not temporary. It is lifelong.
Racehorses are athletes, partners, and companions. They give their strength, heart, and trust to the sport for years.
But when racing ends, many are left facing uncertain futures.
River Run Racehorse Retirement exists to ensure these horses are never forgotten once the spotlight fades.
Here, they are given time to heal, space to breathe, and the chance to simply be horses again.
Your support makes that possible.
Some horses leave footprints far beyond the racetrack.
38 Special was one of them.
A beloved racehorse, trusted companion, and inspiration behind the founding of River Run Racehorse Retirement, 38 Special’s journey helped shape the mission that exists today. After his racing career ended, he was discovered in a kill pen and given the second chance he deserved. What followed were years filled with peace, partnership, trail rides, and the quiet dignity every retired racehorse should experience.
His kindness, heart, and spirit continue to inspire the work we do every day.
In honor of his life and the horses still waiting for their own safe landing, River Run created the Celebrate 38 a special Legacy Fund to help support future retired racehorses in need of rehabilitation, transition, and lifelong care.
Your tribute gift helps continue that mission and ensures more horses receive the second chance they deserve beyond the finish line.
Supporters are encouraged to give in increments of:
$38, $380 Or any amount inspired by 38’s legacy.
By sponsoring Dr. J Hanover, you become part of the growing community helping retired racehorses safely transition beyond racing and into their next chapter.
Because of the support generated through the Celebrate 38 Legacy Fund launched in January, River Run Racehorse Retirement was able to welcome its first official retiree to the barn, Dr. J Hanover.
A standout Standardbred and million-dollar earner, Dr. J Hanover gave everything to the sport throughout his racing career. Today, he is enjoying the slower, peaceful life every horse deserves beyond the track.
His arrival represents more than one horse’s retirement. It represents what becomes possible when a community comes together to believe in second chances.
What began as a tribute honoring the life and legacy of 38 Special has already helped create a safe landing for another horse in need. River Run hopes to continue building that momentum by helping more retired racehorses transition into lives filled with dignity, care, and compassion.
Dr. J Hanover’s arrival is more than a milestone for River Run. It is proof of what becomes possible when a community comes together.
Because of early support through the Celebrate 38 Legacy Fund, we were able to begin bringing horses like Dr. J Hanover into safe retirement at River Run. Now we are building on that momentum to help the next horse waiting for their chance.
But there are still more horses who need a place to land, time to heal, and the chance to simply be a horse again.
Your support makes that possible. Every gift helps provide: Safe retirement and daily care, Veterinary and farrier support, Rehabilitation and recovery time, Feed, turnout, and lifelong dignity.