Good footing starts here.
Financial literacy education, one-on-one counseling, and direct assistance for the people who kept the Maryland Racing Industry running. Most semi-retired and retired workers from Maryland Race Tracks are eligible.
The backstretch runs on people the industry rarely plans for financially.
Grooms, hot walkers, and most former Race Track employees move from track to track, season to season. The work is steady in effort and unsteady in pay, cash tips, irregular hours, and long stretches without a paycheck that looks the same twice.
Many backstretch workers have little access to traditional banking, let alone financial guidance built around how their income actually works. Stable Footing exists to close that gap, with education, real conversations, and direct help when it's needed.
"Every horse needs solid ground to run on. The people who care for them deserve the same."
Three ways we show up for backstretch workers.
Financial education
Plain-language workshops on budgeting, saving, and banking, built around irregular, seasonal income instead of a standard nine-to-five paycheck.
One-on-one counseling
Confidential, judgment-free sessions to work through a specific situation, a debt, a savings goal, a big decision, with someone who understands the industry.
Direct assistance
Short-term financial help and loans for workers facing an immediate gap, because sometimes the most useful thing is steady ground right now, not just a plan for later.
We're just getting started, and we'd like to hear from you.
Whether you're a retired or semi-retired backstretch worker looking for support, someone who wants to help, or just curious about what we're building, reach out. Stable Footing is run by a small, volunteer board, and every message gets a real reply.