Thoroughbred Athletes Inc. Selling T-Shirts to Benefit Horses Injured in Oklahoma Tornado

Guthrie, Oklahoma-based Thoroughbred Athletes Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to retraining racehorses in new disciplines after their racing careers are over, is selling T-shirts with a custom design to raise money for horses injured in the May 20 tornado that ripped through portions of Newcastle, southwest Oklahoma City and Moore.

All profits from the sale of the T-shirts will be given to Equi-Center Veterinary Hospital in Norman. As of Wednesday, May 22, Equi-Center, which is owned by Dr. Michael Wiley, was caring for 25 horses injured in the May 20 tornado. Many of their equine patients will require long-term care for deep wounds, which means veterinary bills are quickly adding up.

“The May 20 tornado affected all of us deeply here in Oklahoma, including the horse community,” said Lynn Sullivan, director of Thoroughbred Athletes. “Dr. Wiley and his staff have been working so hard to treat wounds and save the lives of these horses, and we really wanted to find a way to help them. After some thought, some of our volunteers came up with the idea to design a T-shirt to raise funds and show the crew at Equi-Center how grateful we are for all they’re doing to help these tornado victims and their owners.”

The T-shirt design features an outline of the state of Oklahoma and within it the outline of a horse and a heart, along with the date “5.20.13.” Beneath this image are the words, “Oklahoma Strong.”

T-shirts are $20 each and will be available for pickup at Red Earth Feed & Tack, located at 2301 E. I-44 Service Road in Oklahoma City, or they can be shipped for an additional $5 per shirt. Individuals can order T-shirts by sending money via PayPal to lynn@thoroughbred-athletes.com and including a preferred size and, if being shipped, a preferred address.

Thoroughbred Athletes helps transition Thoroughbred horses from off the track and into a new routine. Volunteers and trainers teach the horses to become dependable riding horses and also expose them to experiences they might not have had while racing, such as being turned out with other horses. Once rehabilitated and retrained, the horses are then put up for adoption and sent to new homes to begin new careers.

For more information about Thoroughbred Athletes, Inc., visit Facebook.com/ThoroughbredAthletes.