Aftercare Industry Month

Erin Clemm Ochoa is the Chief Executive Officer of Days End Farm Horse Rescue and has been with the organization since 2005. As a Maryland native, she grew up active in the horse industry and was involved with Pony Club and Potomac Valley Dressage Association. She is a Certified Public Manager through the University of Baltimore. Additionally, she is certified as an equine investigator and animal control officer. Erin has been a court witness for criminal cases in equine neglect and abuse in Equine Husbandry and Rehabilitation for multiple counties in Maryland. Erin serves as a member of Maryland Professional Animal Workers Association, Board Member, representing humane societies for the Maryland Horse Industry Board and the Maryland Horse Council, and is Advisory Council member of The Homes for Horses Coalition and Executive Committee Member of American Horse Councils, Unwanted Horse Coalition.

Erin’s work with DEFHR has given her experience with hundreds of horses in transition each year. She provides executive leadership across the organization, and develops and implements the organization’s culture, values, and vision. She serves as the primary spokesperson for DEFHR and advocates for key issues and strategies to the organization’s senior stakeholders. Erin makes executive-level decisions regarding the organization’s policies and strategy, directs all organizational day-to-day operations, implements the strategic plan, and oversees a $2.2 million annual operating budget. She directs and manages the organization’s staff and reports directly to the Board of Directors, ensuring a strong working relationship with the Board through regular communications on policy issues, continuous evaluation and reporting on the organizations success in meeting goals, and solidifying the organization’s position in the industry to support the Board’s governing responsibilities. She actively works on building new alliances and partnerships with external organizations at the local, national, and international level while strengthening existing industry-related relationships.

An avid equestrian, Sarah Coleman grew up in northeastern Ohio and graduated from the Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University. She moved to Kentucky in 2004 to work with multiple equine- and agriculture-related publications. She shifted to equine-oriented roles at Lexington Catholic High School and Georgetown College before transitioning to the community and public relations director for New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program. In that role, Coleman oversaw the construction of New Vocations' flagship facility in Lexington and established the New Vocations All-Thoroughbred Charity Horse Show at the Kentucky Horse Park, among other endeavors.

She became the Executive Director of the Kentucky Horse Council in 2020. The KHC is a nonprofit based in Lexington that focuses on the protection of equines and the development of the equine community in the Commonwealth.

Coleman also co-owns a boutique marketing firm that specializes in equine and agricultural topics, and she freelance writes and edits for a plethora of horse and farming titles. Coleman is Vice Chair of the Kentucky Agricultural Council; she is an appointee to the Kentucky Horse Breeders Incentive Fund Non-Race Committee; and she is the Executive Secretary for the Kentucky Association of Equine Practitioners, and the Secretary and Treasurer of the Kentucky Hunter Jumper Association.She owns and competes an OTTB named Chisholm (“Chizzy”) in the hunters and adult equitation divisions.

A lifelong horsewoman, Lucinda Lovitt began riding at the age of seven and competed extensively before relocating to Southern California, where she launched her career in the Thoroughbred racing industry. She is a graduate of the University of Arizona’s Racetrack Industry Program and spent 14 years with the Thoroughbred Owners of California, where she led the organization’s continuing education program and served as an on-track liaison for owners.

In 2011, Lovitt was appointed Executive Director of CARMA, an organization she helped establish during her tenure at TOC. CARMA provides critical funding for the retirement, rehabilitation, and placement of California-raced Thoroughbreds, while also serving as an educational resource for both the public and the racing community. Under Lovitt’s leadership, CARMA developed its flagship placement program, a model that has since been adopted and replicated by aftercare organizations across the country. Since beginning operations in 2008, CARMA has distributed more than $6.8 million in grants to accredited aftercare organizations and supported the successful transition of over 4,000 Thoroughbred horses into second careers and permanent homes.

Lovitt lives in Arizona with her son and their dog, Gunner.

Danielle Montgomery serves as Program Administrator for the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association’s Turning For Home, Inc. at Parx Racing, one of the industry’s longest-running racetrack-based Thoroughbred aftercare programs. She manages day-to-day operations including intake and evaluation, documentation, partner-farm placement, and ongoing adopter support for more than 350 retiring racehorses each year. Her work also includes coordinating a multi-state network dedicated to responsible transitions from racing to second careers.

Danielle’s approach emphasizes horse-first outcomes through appropriate placements, thoughtfully planned rehabilitation and retraining pathways, and clear, consistent communication with horsemen, veterinarians, partner farms, and adopters. She also plays a key role in connecting aftercare operations with public education and outreach, helping bridge the gap between the racing industry and the sport horse community, with a personal interest in finding success for them in western disciplines.