Published by Purdue University Press 2026

ISBN-10: 1626712255, ISBN-13: 978-1626712256, 216 pages

Paperback and Kindle, Publication date: May 15, 2026

Reviewed by Tania Millen, BSc, MJ

In Stable Recovery: How Horses Transform Homeless Men into Horsemen, Ken Snyder shares the stories of down-and-out men learning to care for expensive Thoroughbreds at Taylor Made Farms in Kentucky, to combat their addictions.

“SR [Stable Recovery] connects horses and men who have desperately needed a connection with something or someone. Horses provide possibly the first healthy relationship that many of these men have ever had,” writes Snyder.

Snyder explains that addicts temporarily escape reality with drugs and alcohol — and become homeless in the process. Those who desire rehabilitation need stability, purposeful work, and community-based activities to beat their addictions and develop a new life. Meanwhile, racehorse operations in Kentucky, where some of the world’s most expensive horses reside, perpetually need reliable staff.

So, in 2022, Frank Taylor, who is one of four brothers who own Taylor Made Farms, and recovering addict and former Army veteran Christian Countzler, began using elite racehorses as therapists for men who had struggled to “come clean” up to 20 times.

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Most of the men had never handled a horse before, so the first step in their recovery was to go through Taylor’s custom-made “School of Horsemanship.” Waking up at 4:30am every day to shovel manure is atypical rehabilitation. But it works. Horses are a huge part of the program’s success — they don’t judge an addict’s past; they live in the moment and mirror the feelings of the attending men. 

Snyder writes, “The results [of the program] are remarkable, even incredible: As many as 94 percent of SR residents have achieved sobriety over 90 days, a statistic that dwarfs the national average of 12 percent for other live-in rehabilitation programs.” 

Due to housing and employment opportunities in the racehorse industry that are offered to SR program graduates, sustained recovery is statistically superior to other rehabilitation programs in the United States. One SR graduate now manages the broodmare band at Taylor Made Farms, consisting of 150 to 200 broodmares and their foals spread over five barns. Others have become exercise riders, grooms, assistant trainers, and workers within the SR program.

“Thoroughbreds and homeless men working together pierce the power of drug and alcohol addiction at a rate that is astonishing and never seen before,” says Snyder.

Across North America, the horse industry needs workers. Across North America, there are far too many men and women suffering from addiction and homelessness. Snyder’s story of the unique Stable Recovery live-in program plus the personal stories of 12 SR graduates is recommended for those wishing to understand the crippling effects of addiction and how horses can transform addicts into horsemen.

Stable Recovery is a heart-warming read. But perhaps more importantly, it provides a roadmap for rehabilitation programs everywhere. Hopefully, more programs and horse farms will take note.

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