Frank Taylor and a program he founded that assists ex-addicts with recovery and employment have been selected to receive a Special Eclipse Award, the administrators of the awards announced Thursday.
The program, Stable Recovery, was founded several years ago by Taylor, who modeled it on a similar program used by a Lexington restaurant, DV8. Ex-addicts are able to enroll in the program free of charge, and they are then admitted to the Taylor Made School of Horsemanship. Both programs are located at Taylor Made Farm outside Lexington, a commercial breeding operation co-owned by Taylor and family members.
“This program has changed so many people’s lives,” said Tom Rooney, president and chief executive officer of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, one of the administrators of the Eclipse Awards. “Not only does Stable Recovery give recovering addicts a second chance, but the racing industry is fortunate to find very capable and talented horsemen as a result. Dependency is an issue that affects everyone, one way or another.”
The School of Horsemanship is a 90-day course. Taylor said that enrollees in the Stable Recovery program are required to maintain a “military” level of discipline in the course and “they’re held very accountable.” After completing the course, Stable Recovery works with partners throughout the racing industry to give the graduates jobs.
“We have high expectations, and we require maximum effort from our participants each and every day,” Taylor said.
The program has had 100 graduates since launching. Taylor said that the success rate is “three times better than the national average” for recovery-to-employment programs.
“This program is solving a lot of problems – the addiction problem, the imprisonment problem, the homelessness problem, the labor problem in the sport, and on top of everything, it’s reuniting families,” Taylor said. “It's just so good on so many levels, and I’m very proud of that.”
The award will be presented to Taylor at the Eclipse Award ceremonies on Jan. 23 in Florida.
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