AP PHOTOS: Horses on a Kentucky farm help men build sober lives, gain work and reunite families
Jonathan Tincher tends to a foal during a veterinarian visit on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Nicholasville, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)
NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Thoroughbred horses on a sprawling Kentucky farm are helping men trying to carve out clean and sober lives.
The farm is home to a program that offers addicts who’ve never been around the 1,000-pound (450-kilogram) animals a chance to care for them with the goal of landing a job related to the racing industry and putting themselves on a new path. The Stable Recovery program teaches horsemanship over the course of a year while providing housing, food, clothing, transportation and income to men who’ve tried and failed numerous other times to escape addiction.
Among its success stories are the sons of two prominent veterans of the racing industry.
Jonathan Tincher’s prison tattoos are seen as he holds back the tail of a mare while she undergoes an ultrasound on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Nicholasville, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)
Jonathan Tincher’s prison tattoos are seen as he holds back the tail of a mare while she undergoes an ultrasound on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Nicholasville, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)
Nicholas Valentin walks a foal out of its stall on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Nicholasville, Ky. Stable Recovery offers a chance to care for animals with the goal of landing an equine-related job framed by an addiction recovery and rehabilitation program. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)
Nicholas Valentin walks a foal out of its stall on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Nicholasville, Ky. Stable Recovery offers a chance to care for animals with the goal of landing an equine-related job framed by an addiction recovery and rehabilitation program. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)
Program members share a closing prayer to conclude their “morning meditation” of sharing of their recent experiences as they navigate the 12 step program on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Nicholasville, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)
Program members share a closing prayer to conclude their “morning meditation” of sharing of their recent experiences as they navigate the 12 step program on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Nicholasville, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)
Jonathan Tincher, a member of the Stable Recovery program, walks toward equine veterinarians and another worker during a morning with the mares of the stable he tends in service of Taylor-Made Farm on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Nicholasville, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)
Jonathan Tincher, a member of the Stable Recovery program, walks toward equine veterinarians and another worker during a morning with the mares of the stable he tends in service of Taylor-Made Farm on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Nicholasville, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)
Program members interact following their “morning meditation” of sharing of their recent experiences as they navigate the 12 step program on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Nicholasville, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)
Program members interact following their “morning meditation” of sharing of their recent experiences as they navigate the 12 step program on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Nicholasville, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)
Nicholas Valentin holds a one day old foal outside of its stall on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Nicholasville, Ky. Stable Recovery offers a chance to care for animals with the goal of landing an equine-related job framed by an addiction recovery and rehabilitation program. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)
Nicholas Valentin holds a one day old foal outside of its stall on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Nicholasville, Ky. Stable Recovery offers a chance to care for animals with the goal of landing an equine-related job framed by an addiction recovery and rehabilitation program. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)
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This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.