FDC in the News
July 29, 2022
Retired race horses are helping inmates build their resumes at a Marion county C.I
Erica Nicole WCJB TV20
OCALA, Fla. (WCJB) - It’s a second chance they thought they’d never get.
“We come into this situation and it’s unfortunate. We feel as if it’s the end, but it’s not,” said Akaysha Richardson, inmate.
It’s just the beginning of a career for many female inmates at the Lowell Correctional Institution.
The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation’s Second Chance Program is not only offering retired racehorses a second chance, but a second chance for these women as well.
“I wake up in the morning and all I look forward to is seeing these horses every single day,” said Robin Greinke, inmate.
The program has been around for nearly 20 years and inmates learn both life and vocational skills such horse anatomy, equine nutrition, how to care for injuries and other aspects of horse care.
“When I first started the program, I was so afraid of every animal out here, from the horses down to the cats. I was terrified, but I gave it chance and I overcame my fear and now there’s nothing you can’t get me to do,” Richardson said.
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As Florida's largest state agency, and the third largest state prison system in the country, FDC employs 24,000 members, incarcerates 80,000 inmates and supervises nearly 146,000 offenders in the community.
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