‘A hero with a heart’
Former racehorse that served Chicago police earns award in third career of therapy riding
A chestnut thoroughbred is still finding success in his senior years, offering equine assisted activities in his third career with the New Beginnings Therapeutic Riding Foundation in Palos Hills.
Fahey, a former racehorse who had a second career with the Chicago Police Department, will be honored Oct. 30 after he was named The Jockey Club’s 2021 Thoroughbred of the Year.
“It’s such a thrill and he’s so deserving,” said Mary Hensley, founder of New Beginnings. “I think that’s really what made me so happy, not the fact that he won the award but the fact that he was recognized, that other people recognized his contribution to society.”
Thoroughbred of the Year is a noncompetition award given to an outstanding horse with a racing history, according to New Beginnings. Kristin Werner, senior counsel for The Jockey Club and administrator of The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program, said the award denotes excellence among those horses.
“Fahey stood out to our judging committee because he thrived as a police horse for many years before transitioning to yet another career as a therapy horse,” Werner said. “He epitomizes the versatility of thoroughbreds and the spirit of the Thoroughbred of the Year Award.”
Fahey participated in 35 races in that career, winning two of them for a total of $23,077. He also had a “blink and you’ll miss it” stint as a movie star, Hensley said, appearing in “The Dark Knight,” which was filmed in Chicago.
“I call him a Renaissance man,” New Beginnings volunteer Sandra Farnik said. “I just like the fact that he’s been able to adapt like a lot of us second and third career changers. And he does it calmly.”
That calmness is key to Fahey’s work. New Beginnings offers activities that encourage physical, cognitive and emotional advancement. It also aids in the development of social skills for those of all abilities, with no pushing or expectations, just a desire to see people reach their full potential, Hensley said.
When working with those on the autism spectrum, or riders who struggle with anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder, horses must be “calm, cool and collected,” Farnik said.
Hensley said when it comes to the work New Beginnings does, breed does not make a major difference. What they need is a “well-trained horse with a good temperament.” And Fahey is a standout in that department.
“He just has a super personality,” Hensley said. “Everybody loves him because he’s so safe. He would never do anything to hurt anybody.”
New Beginnings uses different horses for different situations. Some riders require a horse with a stronger gait. Some need one that is incredibly calm. New Beginnings also has ponies for
younger riders. But part of what makes Fahey exceptional is that he will actually fix his gait or alter speeds to support his riders, Hensley said.
“He truly takes his job seriously and does it well,” Farnik added. “I’m not sure us, as human beings, sometimes recognize the positive impact our four-legged friends or two-legged friends actually have in our lives.”
People see benefits just by spending time with Fahey, Hensley said. Working with an animal that is over 1,000 pounds takes trust and builds confidence in the people around him. Fahey, known for being patient and providing both encouragement and compassion to participants, is used for New Beginnings’ One Good Day clinics offered to veterans and first responders.
“Grooming him is such a calming experience, because he’s such a sweet animal,” Hensley said. “People with anxiety and PTSD really gravitate toward him. He just has that kind of demeanor where he pulls them in.”
People have emotional attachments to animals, and the bonds participants form with horses go a long way toward New Beginnings’ therapeutic goals, Hensley said.
“There is a science behind it,” she said. “All I really know is I see miracles on a regular basis. They just reflect your emotions back to you. They’re so good at picking up what you’re feeling and mirroring it back to you. Emotionally, that’s so empowering.”
Fahey is one of two police horses donated by the Chicago Police Department. The organization got him two years ago, followed by Bosak. The retired police horses are ideal because they are already trained to deal with situations that might spook or stress other animals, Hensley said.
“We are just so grateful,” Hensley said. “They’re pretty much push-button horses. They are exactly what you need for a therapeutic program”
Farnik said Fahey is not a young horse at 26 years old, which puts him comparatively in his upper 70s when translated to a human life span.
“If he could write his own story, it has to be absolutely amazing,” Farnik said. “He truly is that one in a million. He’s a hero with a heart.”
Hensley got into riding horses in her 50s. Driven to give back to the community, she started volunteering at a center but realized it had a two-year wait list for services. So she decided to open another, and New Beginnings launched roughly four years ago.
The Oct. 30 honor for Fahey is to include representatives from the Chicago police mounted patrol unit, including a former officer who rode him, as well as people from New Beginnings. Chicago police horses are named after fallen officers, and William Fahey was a Chicago officer killed in the line of duty in the early 1980s. His family also has been invited, Hensley said.
The organization is always in need of volunteers, sponsorships and donations. For more information, email Thepowerofthehorse@ outlook.com.