Work ethic, intelligence and willingness. Any Thoroughbred fan will tell you these are the characteristics that mean Thoroughbreds thrive in their sport horse careers after racing.

They’re also the traits that make them the ideal partners for AnnaRehab’s Equine Assisted Learning programme (EAL).

Established around six years ago by mother-daughter duo Maria and Anna Baigent, AnnaRehab is currently home to seven Thoroughbreds who reside on the rolling hills of Miranda, overlooking the Firth of Thames.

Since finishing their racing careers these horses have settled into a more sedate routine swapping racetracks for an arena and jockeys for children who have often never laid a hand on a horse before.

Their job now, you could argue, is far more important as they go about their day helping those who are sometimes hurting the most.

EAL teaches life skills through interactions with horses with many of AnnaRehab’s clients coming through referrals from social agencies such as Oranga Tamariki and Strengthening Families. The 12-week course involves a series of exercises that have been designed to develop social-emotional skills and meet therapeutic goals.

New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR), recognising the role AnnaRehab plays not only giving Thoroughbreds a purposeful second career but also in the community and as advocates for the Thoroughbred industry, gives financial support via the 1% Fund.

“NZTR’s relationship with AnnaRehab is one we look forward to growing and developing further,” Head of Welfare and Sustainability Justine Sclater said. “They offer a unique opportunity to negate that urban/rural divide while showcasing the amazing things Thoroughbreds can do in a non-athletic capacity.”

AnnaRehab wasn’t a grand plan or mapped out business venture, it came about as a natural progression after Anna suffered a traumatic brain injury and moved back to the family home.

“Anna is a large animal vet technician and moved into the Thoroughbred industry when dairy wasn’t doing so well,” Maria Baigent explained.

“She has always had a passion for rehabilitation and when she worked for Stephen Marsh as their vet tech she found she really loved that part of her job.

“Because of how unwell she was after her traumatic brain injury I did what a mother does. When you see something that brings the light in their eyes, like the horses, you get involved.

“We had a little block of land at the time which was filling up with horses and I remember thinking what are we going to do with them all?”

Maria, a teacher by trade, began offering holiday programmes but felt she needed something more, a qualification to validate the work she was doing, so became a qualified EAL facilitator.

AnnaRehab is now a two-fold entity, with Anna’s rehabilitation service working alongside Maria’s EAL and holiday programmes.

“There have been horses therapeutically in my life since I can remember and I thought if it could work for me, it could work for others,” Maria said. “I never thought we couldn’t do it with Thoroughbreds, so we just did.

“The most criticism we have got is from the equestrian community who carry all those stereotypes about Thoroughbreds.

“Anna and I work very collaboratively. I let her know what programmes are coming up and she makes sure the right horses are ready. She is herd master and I do the people stuff.

“There are those moments when I’ve stood in the arena and thought ‘wow, look at that’. You can tell the stories of the magic moments, but you have to witness it to understand the work we do.”

The stars of the show are undoubtedly the horses. There are familiar names in the herd with the first of the ‘collection’ Seize the Moment, Passing Shot, Rocanto and Glorious Lad all having a list of black-type achievements to their names.

“They are so giving, easy to train, patient, loving, clever and quick,” Maria said. “They are so responsive and will give you everything.”

“We have a Zabeel here and everyone in the industry knows their reputation. But he is so willing to connect and we love that they have their quirks and they teach the kids how to respond because they aren’t just on autopilot.

The process of transitioning from racehorse to therapy horse isn’t complicated and is mostly, Maria said, common sense for well-rounded horse people.

“Their diet has a complete change, there are no sugars and it is non-heating,” she said. “We don’t need them to have high energy, so they have a low-energy diet with unlimited hay.

“The majority of what we do is groundwork with some riding involved.

“Equine Connections provides us with a checklist and we run each horse through it. They are basic things like will they tie up, can they have more than one person approach them from both sides?

“If you look at a Thoroughbred in the tie ups, they have a trainer doing a girth up, maybe someone doing the bridle and another putting on hoof oil at the same time so often these horses are used to the things on the checklist anyway.”

What is unique about AnnaRehab is that alongside the obvious services it provides, there is a strong focus on developing a passion for the Thoroughbred industry in each student who passes through the gates.

Each student researches the whakapapa of their horse which includes their pedigree, trainer, jockey and any notable achievements. Seniors have gone on outings to visit stables, tracks and studs, and in a new venture AnnaRehab is taking the horses to the children - visiting schools in the local area.

“I believe one of the things we need to do as an industry is reconnect young people with horses,” Maria said. “I have children that come to me that have never touched a horse before. Our plan, supported by NZTR, is to get these horses out into the community so kids can interact with them and we can dispel some of these negative rumours about Thoroughbreds and the racing industry.

“At a recent Ag Day, we took along some buckets of treats and a barrel with a race saddle on. We paraded the horses and they were brilliant. I know it is a small step, but people go to the races for the horses. They can bet at home or at the pub but if they’re connected to the horses they go to the races.”

Operating AnnaRehab is not without its challenges and unsurprisingly most come down to cold hard cash.

“Our biggest bill is feed, followed by hay,” Maria explained. “What we also have trouble with is getting funding for the children.

“The government will give funding for six weeks of counselling for a child but our programme is 12 weeks long. You can’t change a behaviour in six weeks.

“I’ve never put our prices up. I would rather have the kids in the door than not and when I have this gift I can’t hold it to myself.

“The sustainability worries me, we can’t afford to hire help which means Anna and I never get time off together and I worry I will burn out.

“I’d also love to upskill but that is expensive. I wouldn’t have it any other way though. When I see a child have those ‘ah ha’ moments it is all worth it.

“We’re so appreciative of the support from people like Stephen Marsh and Go Racing and the validation from NZTR has opened up a lot of opportunities and meant we can take on kids who would otherwise miss out.”

In an unexpected twist the rehabilitation aspect of the business has been so successful one of the horses is returning to racing.

Global Currency had arrived at AnnaRehab from Marsh Racing after a tendon injury had closed out his racing career.

“We have surprisingly and unexpectedly rehabbed Global Currency,” Maria said. “It wasn’t our brief, Stephen knows we don’t rehome so he came here after a tendon issue to be retrained as a therapy horse, be useful and have a happy life.

“We sent some photos to Stephen of how well he was doing and long story short he is back racing. How many horses do you know that have been rehabbed by teenagers? Once he is racing AnnaRehab will be there in force, we will be a real presence at the track.”

NZTR Thoroughbred Welfare Co-ordinator Alice Riggins said AnnaRehab played an important role for a select group of Thoroughbreds looking for their niche in a second career, as well as contributing to the industry by connecting with the next generation of industry participants.

“It’s fantastic to see Thoroughbreds’ versatility demonstrated by their role in Equine Assisted Learning,” she said. “It is a great demonstration that a purposeful second career doesn’t necessarily have to be an athletic second career and we share Maria and Anna’s desire to see more operations like AnnaRehab using Thoroughbreds throughout the country.

“We also can’t underestimate the role they are playing in connecting the children and their families with the horses and the racing industry. It is no secret the urban-rural divide is increasing so to hear that after their time spent with Anna and Maria some of these students are considering a career in with Thoroughbreds or a developing a love for racing is very encouraging.”

AnnaRehab will be hosting a show on 17 December at their Miranda property, showcasing their horses and students and have extended an open invitation to anyone who would like to attend. The property is located on 77 Baigent Road, Miranda, North Island.

To learn more about AnnaRehab, view the website here.