Stable Recovery Graduates Are Thriving at WinStar

[Wandering Eyes]

On the surface, hiring people who have battled substance abuse issues, some of whom have criminal records, might not seem like a good idea. But Elliott Walden, the president and CEO of racing operations for WinStar Farm, felt otherwise. His family had dealt with these issues for years. His son, Will, now a successful trainer who is sober, had dealt with addiction for years before turning his life around thanks to the Stable Recovery program, which was co-founded by Taylor Made's Frank Taylor and Christian Countzler.

Stable Recovery helps addicts overcome their substance abuse issues and then helps find them jobs in the horse racing industry. The success of the program has been nothing short of remarkable.

“I had seen things firsthand how well this worked through my son, Will, and his working through addiction and into sobriety and seeing his friendship with Christian Countzler, who started Stable Recovery with Frank Taylor,” Walden said. “He was very close to them. We knew they were going about it the right way. If Christian said these guys were solid, that's all I needed to hear.”

So Walden got involved. WinStar is now one of a group of about 20 farms and racetracks that have signed on with Stable Recovery as Strategic Partners. What that means is that they are willing to hire, train and look after graduates of the program. Walden said WinStar currently employs eight individuals who have graduated from the program.

“There are probably about 20 of what we call Strategic Partners,” Taylor said. “To be a Strategic Partner, all you need to do is to hire people that graduate from Stable Recovery and support them and pay them well. It's been miraculous. When we started Stable Recovery, the first two years, Taylor Made hired everybody and that's because we were that short of help. After that, we were fully staffed or overstaffed. Out of the blue people started calling me and said, 'Can I get some help?' We started sending people to different farms to work. That's when we coined the name Strategic Partners. That list has really grown and the quality of people and farms that we work with is just unbelievable. They are benefitting from our people and our people are benefitting a lot from them.”

Walden admits that when he first approached WinStar owners Kenny and Lisa Troutt about hiring recovering addicts, it took some convincing for them to agree to do so.

“We have had a great experience,” Walden said. “We started a little bit over a year and a half ago. I wouldn't call it a leap of faith, but it took some encouragement on my part with the Troutts to have them gain a comfort level when it came to employing these guys. Some of them have records. Many of them have checkered pasts. I am grateful to them for their Christian beliefs and their willingness to take a chance on these men.”

Not only do the graduates work at WinStar, they live in a house on the farm. It is Ann Hayes who oversees the Stable Recovery program for the WinStar employees.

“We dedicated a house that they live in and they support each other,” Walden said. “Ann Hayes has helped us look after the Stable Recovery guys and give them support. She's the one that just saw the good in each one of them and the men they were becoming. It's been really exciting to see their growth and development.”

Walden says that he has had one person who didn't make it once hired by WinStar, but said that was an unusual situation.

“Sometimes things happen, but it happens very rarely,” he said. “The great thing about it is that most of these guys have stayed sober from the time they have been there. We might have lost one that didn't work out. But those are great statistics when it comes to people in recovery.”

Most have been exemplary.

“That's part of the beauty of this program,” Walden said. “They are still accountable to Stable Recovery, even though they are working at WinStar and are living at WinStar. They still go over there for meetings once a week. They have touch points with other guys in the program. They are helping the younger guys in the program continue to develop. It's truly what recovery is all about. It's not about yourself; it's about helping the next man.”

Several of the Stable Recovery grads work directly with the horses at WinStar. Walden said that it's no coincidence that the men have thrived once connected with the horses.

“There is a connection point where the horses love these guys right from the start,” he said. “Quite honestly, they probably haven't felt that in a long time. They've burned a lot of bridges, not only with their families, but in the workplace as well. The horses come in and they are able to love them exactly where they are and they love the horse back. It's a beautiful thing to see. Recovery, if done well, it's done through a spiritual lens. The connection they develop with the horses brings about something outside of themselves and can help them in that spiritual plane. They are caring for something besides themselves. It's not about themselves. It's helping others and it's about helping a horse, and that gives them a responsibility. I think it is part of the secret sauce.”

The Strategic Partners program now includes some of the biggest names in the industry, giants like Coolmore, Denali, Godolphin, Juddmonte and Keeneland. Spy Coast Farm has started a program that specializes in taking in female graduates of the Stable Recovery

Taylor said his experiences with Keeneland have been typical of the type of cooperation he has gotten from within the industry.

“The Keeneland team has been fantastic,” he said. “We've got guys working out there and thriving. I see that continuing to grow and they have been a great partner. Some of the guys work at sales time with the horses, but their main jobs have been doing maintenance. Keeneland has been a big supporter and they believe in what we are doing, they built a house out there for some of our guys to live in. We have something like eight people living on the Keeneland property that are Stable Recovery graduates. They were willing to give them a chance.”

Taylor added that the Strategic Partners program has done more than just help recovering addicts. It has helped to fill what has become a huge need for an industry that has struggled to maintain a suitable workforce.

“You're helping in two ways,” he said. “You're not only saving a life and the extended families of these men and women who have battled addiction. You're also helping to create a workforce. How many people in this country are addicted? This is a way to just start helping and to be part of the solution instead of the problem.”

With the Strategic Partner initiative having taken off, Taylor is justifiably proud of the program, what he and Countzler have helped accomplish and the progress the graduates have made.

“It doesn't work perfectly every time, but, overall we are having great success,” he said. “I get more out of this than anybody. It's so much fun to see these guys change their lives and enjoy success.”

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