Sometimes life gets a little brighter

Greg and I rescued almost 20 animals during our life together. For most of this time, we stuck to cats and dogs – but in 2014, we took the leap of adopting Henry and Caroline, two abused horses rescued by PETA. This adoption left me with some of my proudest recollections of the courageous and compassionate person my late husband was – qualities that led PETA to establish a Gregory J. Reiter Animal Rescue Award in his memory.

 

In 2016, one of the key ways I have honored Greg’s legacy is by collaborating with PETA on a set of initiatives to stop the abuse of racehorses.

 

Through my Gregory J. Reiter Memorial Fund, I have made a grant to PETA’s Cruelty in Horseracing project, which has exposed rampant drug abuse in the horseracing industry and prompted fines and new regulations – as reported in “Steve Asmussen Fined for Violating Horse Racing’s Drug Rules” (New York Times, Nov. 23, 2015).

 

I also worked with PETA this year on the rescue of “Charlie’s Quest,” a racehorse previously owned by Mr. Asmussen. On September 21, Charlie became part of my family, joining Henry and Caroline on my little farm. My grant from the Greg Fund to PETA’s Cruelty in Horseracing project helped to cover Charlie’s rescue expenses such as investigative work, transport, veterinary care and temporary boarding. Since Charlie has come to me, I cover all of his care with my personal funds.

 

PETA just released this two-minute video, “Rescued Racehorse Runs Into His New Guardian’s Heart,” about the enduring inspiration from Greg that brought Charlie and me together. It gives me great pride to share this story.