2013年高中英语教学辅助素材：Old-Racehorses-Give-Prisoners-Second-Chance（文本）.docVIP

Sahar Sarshar July 31, 2012 GOOCHLAND COUNTY, Virginia ?At the James River Work Center, a prison in the central part of the state of Virginia, inmates are taught to care for retired racehorses. It抯 a second chance for all involved. The non-profit Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation saves former race horses from possible neglect, abuse and slaughter. At the same time, the horses prepare prison inmates for life after incarceration. 揥hen they asked me if I was interested in this program, I jumped on the opportunity, says one inmate, because how could you not love these creatures?? In the course of the six-month program, the men learn about horse behavior, grooming, anatomy, health and horse care. They also become very fond of their charges. 揟his is my horse Covert Action, says an inmate named Elliot. This is the grandson of Secretariat. Hes a good horse. If you remember Secretariat, thats the horse that won the race in the Belmont.? Inmate Ryan says there are signs the animal he cares for was a racehorse. 揑 think he had a typical race track life. He showed signs of steroid injections, side effects of that is biting, nipping, you can feel scar tissue from the injections.? The horses are fed twice a day, groomed and checked for injuries or health concerns. Some are ridden to prepare them for adoption as riding and companion horses. While the inmates?training program also includes classroom work, instructor Reid McLellan says the hands-on experience is the important thing. 揑ts that spending every day in the stall with those horses?and horses dont put up with the kind of false bravado, McLellan says. They recognize false bravado right away. And theyll teach them a lesson that thats not the way to be in harmony with this big 1,000-pound [453.5 kilograms] animal in that stall.? Will, an inmate and graduate of the program, is now a teaching assistant. Hell finish serving his prison term in September and already has a job lined up. His horse, Happy, is also starting