About us

First Responder & Organizer of Hurricane Maria Relief

CTA partnered with countless organizations and individuals in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. In total, nearly $140,000 was raised in goods & funds to provide the horses of Puerto Rico and other islands with life-saving relief.

CTA distributed 98 tons of alfalfa/timothy; 112 tons of feed; 30 tons of shavings; 28 pallets of medical and equine supplies; 10 pallets of relief supplies; and 56 tarps, and counting.

Shelley Blodgett, and Kelley Stobie accepted a Special Eclipse Award for their rescue efforts at Camarero Racetrack in 2018.

Kelley Stobie
Co-Founder/Executive Director

Kelley was born into a horse-centered family in England, where her lifelong path with horses began at an early age. By five, she earned a blue ribbon at the prestigious Royal Windsor Horse Show. When Kelley was 12, her family relocated to Canada, where they operated a boarding barn and polo facility, allowing her to broaden her horsemanship across disciplines. She later moved to St. Maarten in the Caribbean, where she opened and operated a pony club and riding school, establishing a strong foundation in equine education and responsible horsemanship.

Following the devastation of Hurricane Luis in 1995, Kelley relocated to Puerto Rico, where she was offered a position at the island’s largest Thoroughbred training center. There, she galloped and became an integral part of the Thoroughbred training operation. In 2008, she became part of Save The Horses, the first organized Thoroughbred aftercare and rehoming effort connected to Puerto Rico’s racetrack, and has remained deeply involved in rehoming and advocacy ever since. She later founded Equi Blu Therapies, working alongside veterinarians on post-surgical rehabilitation and pre-race sport therapy, while continuing to advance Thoroughbred aftercare initiatives. Today, Kelley is widely recognized as a leading voice for equine welfare and Thoroughbred aftercare in the Caribbean and as the co-founder of Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare, where she works to elevate standards of care and push for meaningful legislative and industry reform. She is married with two children and operates Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare from her family's farm at the base of the El Yunque Rainforest.

Michelle Gagnon-Blodgett PYS. D.
Co-Founder

Shelley came to a desire to help horses in a late and serendipitous manner. She lives in Wellington, Florida and learned
to ride as an adult. Through a variety of people she met, she became interested in thoroughbred racing and set about to learn about the sport.
In 2016, armed with a committed curiosity and family support, Shelley set her aim to help an aging TB racing in Puerto Rico. The 2006 Florida-bred gelding Immortal Wink was entered in his 139th race. Shelley enlisted the help of his co-breeder, Kathy Von Gerhard, and with a team effort that included Kelley Stobie of PR, they were able to raise the necessary funds to transport Immortal Wink to Florida. The fortunate ex-race will spend his remaining years as a retiree with the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation’s “Second Chances” herd. After that success, she and Kelley worked to help a few more horses with the aid of others in the TB industry stateside, and made the decision to form Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare Inc, which took over the fledgling
Save The Horses (which by that time had been all but at a standstill).
Shelley presently lives in Wellington, FL with her husband, William (“Win”) and young daughter, a budding equestrian. She has a doctorate in clinical psychology and is a licensed clinical psychologist with specialized post-doctoral training in geriatric mental health and cognition. She worked at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) from March 2000 to December 2016 in both the College of Psychology and the Health Professions Division Department of Geriatric Medicine. Additionally, Shelley has engaged in community outreach and education, developed intra-professional team programs and
support groups, written and managed many grants, conducted clinical research and published articles in academic journals. She finds that her academic knowledge and skills sets (e.g., team-work & collaboration, developing problem-focused solutions, communication, writing, data management) have helped her immensely in her aftercare work.
She “prematurely retired” to focus on family while pursuing her interest in Thoroughbred rescue and aftercare.

Alessandra Hernandez - President

Sandy Hernandez is a Finance Major from the University of Puerto Rico. She is currently working as a Territory Business Manager for Invacare Corporation which manufactures medical equipment. She has always shared a love for horses. During her early childhood years, she accompanied her father to the Hipodromo to see her race horses run the Sunday races. She then rode Paso Fino horses during the week after school.

She wanted to come back to those days for a long time and through some friends at one of the hospitals she visits came upon CTA. She wants to help CTA keep its mission alive and is collaborating with us in helping keep the funding for the organization fluid so that we can help as many horses as possible. She adopted a CTA Thoroughbred named Arch D’ Amour that is staying at CTA, and both are learning how to ride and enjoy their new life together.

Glorymary Carillo-Diaz - Treasurer

Glory was born in Ponce, PR., and has lived on the East Coast of the Island since. She graduated in 2001 with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration with a Major in Management from Interamericana University, and currently works as a Federal Employee in a Medical Center as part of the Finance Department Staff.

Glory is a huge animal lover, always demonstrating a deep respect for horses; with the help of her daughter, she started learning more about horses and gaining more confidence while trying to pet them, feed them and groom them. In February 2018 the Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare (CTA) adventure began when her daughter Ariana started working as a Volunteer. Ariana's passion and love for the horses inspired Glory to become a volunteer. The family adopted their first Thoroughbred that same year, a mare named By My Side, and then in 2021, we adopted “Primer Portento” the most humble and loving horse I saw.

Every time I visit the farm I enjoy my time helping and always feel grateful that they are giving them another opportunity in life to a well-deserved retirement from the racetrack. It’s been hard for us to find funds and support for the facility to maintain operations, treatments, feeds, transport, and find them new homes.

Ana Diaz - Secretary

Ana Díaz is an Army veteran who brings a strong background in leadership, tactical planning, and personnel management to Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare. Her military experience is matched by a deep respect for structure, teamwork, and mission-driven service qualities that translate seamlessly into the work we do every day for our horses.

In addition to her leadership skills, Ana has hands-on horsemanship experience from her time at Hacienda Carabalí, where she assists with grooming, preparing horses for trail rides and equine welfare coordinator. Over the past three months, she has been a dedicated CTA volunteer, consistently supporting daily farm operations through grooming, horse care, and barn chores. We are thrilled to welcome Ana in an expanded role, where her discipline, creativity, and fresh perspective are already strengthening our organization. Ana is now spearheading CTA’s Wellness Program alongside educator Lise Escobar, and we are incredibly excited to see the meaningful, horse-centered events and initiatives they will bring to life for our community.

Dra. Randi Armand, DVM - Medical Director

Hailing from Louisiana, Dr. Randi obtained her veterinary degree from Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2015. She embarked on a one-year internship with EQUUS in July of the same year and instantly fell in love with both the job and the enchanting island of Puerto Rico, leading her to decide to stay.

Currently, Dr. Randi's expertise is put to use at both Hipodromo Camarero's Confederacion Clinic and EQUUS Pet Clinic, where she excels in administering anesthesia and providing ambulatory services. For the past five years, she has actively served as the Veterinary Director for CTA, diligently evaluating all horses for their intake exams at the track or farm, as well as overseeing any necessary veterinary services.

In her personal life, Dr. Randi cherishes the companionship of her two dogs, two cats, and a Guinea pig.

Gabi Kuenzli - Mainland Liaison

Gabi is a professor of Latin American History at the University of South Carolina. She also teaches and researches Latino History and the connections between US and the Latino and Latina American history specializing in sports and Thoroughbred racing. She is a racing journalist and has published articles in publications as the Blood Horse. She has worked with Camarero racetrack and the Escuelita Hipica writing about the students' experience entering the racing industry.

She also co-curated the first exhibition “Raíces: Making Latino Legacies in
Racing,” the first exhibit on Latinos in horse racing which is on display at
Keeneland Library. She was able to feature CTA and Kelley had the opportunity to attend and talk about the work we do. She is a long admirer of Don Carlos R and Tito Discount.

Lauren Guerrera - Program Manager

Lauren grew up taking riding lessons at a young age, competing in Hunters/Equitation and Eventing. Many of the lesson horses she rode were off the track Thoroughbreds. In college, she competed on the school's Interscholastic Dressage Team and earned her Bachelors of Professional Studies in Equine Business Management. Her first own horse was an OTTB named Vijencio, who was her best friend.

She has been involved in horse rescue and Thoroughbred aftercare for 10 years and became aware of CTA when she was working with another rescue helping transfer several horses from Puerto Rico to the mainland into good homes. Thoroughbred's are Lauren's passion, and helping them when their racing careers are over is now her mission. Lauren lives in NY on a small farm with her husband, daughter, and array of horses, dogs, cats, and chickens.

Ariana Rodriguez - Trainer

Ariana was born in a no-horse family. Since she was little she always loved horses. By the age of 12 (2013) she started taking lessons with Pasó Fino horses. She learned how to ride and work with Pasó Finos, but wanted to know more about different disciplines and horse breeds. In 2018 Ariana's father Jose Rodriguez saw an article in the local newspaper about CTA. In search for volunteers, Ariana was in it to help and learn about the Thoroughbreds. After a few months in, her family adopted there first OTTB "By My Side" She got fascinated with the breed, especially on how versatile and how smart they were. Over the months she was learning and practicing with the OTTB, while also being a part of there training. Little by little she has learned to train horses on different disciplines. It’s been 6 years since Ariana joined CTA, and had help multiple horses find there new homes with their training. Thoroughbreds made a special place in Ariana's heart.

Christian Santiago - Farm Manager

Christian Santiago Vargas was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, but spent his life in Canóvanas, Puerto Rico. Growing up, he never considered himself an animal person, nor did he anticipate working with horses. That all changed when he discovered CTA. At CTA, he brought his managerial skills from previous jobs, but the responsibility of caring for these magnificent creatures took his role to a new level. Knowing that their well-being depends on people is a profound responsibility that he embraces daily. H arrive at work each day with a determination to enhance the facilities, and improve the lives of these amazing horses, all while hoping to find them loving forever homes. As a lighthearted observation, he often jokes that he spends more time with the horses than with his own family. Over time, these horses have become more than just a job—they are like family to him. Working at CTA has fostered tremendous personal growth. One aspect he cherishes most is how it has taught him not only to instruct but also to be open to learning. CTA is more than a workplace; it's a special place filled with extraordinary hearts dedicated to making a difference. It has profoundly impacted him, shaping who he is today and fueling his passion for helping these remarkable animals.

Pablo Frese - Farm Hand & Groom

Pablo is from Río Grande, Puerto Rico and 18 years old. He is presently studying to be a veterinarian assistant, and is also attending the farrier school at the Hipodromo Camarero. He grew up with horses since he was 7 years old, and it has become a passion working with them and helping them in any way he can. Pablo has been working with CTA for 3 years and it has helped him learn so much on equine care & welfare, and what an amazing breed the Thoroughbred is. He lives at home with his parents and his little 5 year old brother, as well as his 40+ animals (5 horses, 17 goats, 15 dogs, 10 ducks, 6 chickens, 1 pig, 4 cats, 3 rabbits and 2 parrot). He has a small business called Granja del sol V.F You can find him on Facebook where he raises and cares for miniature goats(everyday the family grows a little bit more)!

Professor Lise Escobar Gelinek MA, FAE, EFL - Equine Assisted Learning Educator

Professor Lise Escobar Gelinek, MA, FAE, EFL , an award-winning Puerto Rican artist, educator, and founder of Sanaarte, has over 20 years of experience in expressive arts and now equine-assisted learning. She graduated cum laude from Wellesley College with a degree in Political Science, holds a Master of Education from PACE University, and is certified in multiple expressive arts modalities, as well as Equine-Assisted Learning instruction. We are excited to welcome Lise to the CTA team!

Keenan Lorenzana - Volunteer

Keenan is from Bayamón, Puerto Rico, currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Animal Science combined with Pre-veterinary studies at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. From a young age, he was inspired by the stories of his great-grandfather, "Papá Félix", who led a joyful life surrounded by animals, especially his beloved horse, Noble. His parents nurtured this passion by enrolling him in a horseback riding camp when he was a child.

During his studies at the university, he was required to complete a summer internship. It was through this opportunity that he discovered Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare (CTA), an organization dedicated to helping retired racehorses. He reached out to his professor, contacted Kelley, and has been fortunate enough to be involved with CTA ever since, cherishing every moment of the experience.

"I chose CTA because of the direct connection with the horses, who truly deserve all the love and care for their service. The experience has been an incredible source of practical learning for me, and I feel I benefit the most from it. It’s a privilege to work alongside a professional team whom I now consider family. Above all, the horses show their gratitude for the care they receive by rewarding us with their affection, and it’s this bond that makes the experience so meaningful."

2024 Our Impact

10+ Years of Aftercare Service to Thoroughbreds

200+ Thoroughbreds Retired from Racing in Puerto Rico and USVI!

First Responder & Organizer of Hurricane Maria Relief

Kelley Stobie
Co-Founder/Executive Director

Michelle Gagnon-Blodgett PYS. D.
Co-Founder