Barrack Academy grad gives racehorses a second chance

AGE:
17
FAMILY:
Parents Bill and Karen; and
brother Sam (12).
PETS:
"Taylor," a German shorthaired
pointer/beagle mix, and "Mickey,"
a Lhasa apso.
HOBBIES:
Horseback riding, Flyers fan,
drawing & sketching
FAVORITE MOVIE:
"The Italian Job"
FAVORITE FOOD:
Guacamole and "any comfort
food involving cheese."

Danielle Chast jokes that her parents could never get her out of bed to go to school, but she has no problem hopping out of bed at the crack of dawn to feed the horses. "Since Pesach, I've been volunteering at South Jersey Thoroughbred Rescue & Adoption (SJTR&A) in Medford," said Chast, a Cherry Hill resident and recent graduate of Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy.

"I muck stalls, feed the horses, ride them, and show them to potential buyers," said Chast, who has loved horses since she started riding them at age eight.

"Horses are great. They all have such different personalities," said Chast. She deals with many abused horses. "Some come in emaciated, completely worn down, but they are still so sweet to their human handlers. The trust never breaks." She said that she could see the change in the horses as they learn not to fear life.

Chast believes strongly in what she is doing. "We give owners and trainers who want to get rid of racehorses an alternative to sending them to auctions, where most of them end up on someone's plate in Europe," she said. Finding an adoptive home for the horses gives them a second chance at life. "It's so important," said Chast.

Saving abused horses is one of many things Chast has done for animals. At Barrack, she was president of the Animal Rights Club. This past year, the club focused its attention on the issue of puppy mills. Her own two dogs were rescued from abuse, one from a puppy mill. The year before that, the Animal Rights Club informed students about cosmetic testing on animals.

"Judaism has reinforced my beliefs in what I do," said Chast. She said that the Torah is an ethical code that extends to every living creature, whether human or animal.

Chast is keeping busy over the summer, as she gets ready to start Goucher College in the fall. "I am so excited about college."

At Goucher, Chast will be studying elementary education. This past year, she did the Gratz College Teachers' Course offered at Barrack. She did her student teaching at Kellman Brown Academy.

Right now, she is spending five days a week working with the horses at the SJTR&A. On Friday afternoons, she gets ready for Shabbat. Her family belongs to Cong. Sons of Israel in Cherry Hill.

This past year, Chast was her NCSY chapter's president. She was honored as "Chapter President of the Year" in the New Jersey Region. The Cherry Hill chapter received the award as "Chapter of the Year." .