Amulet rehab center for horses to close after 5 years

Some of the richest racehorses in the world walked through the entrance to Amulet Equine Rehabilitation and Conditioning Center in Belle Vernon in the past five years.

The healing there is about to end, however.

Owners Tom Svrcek and Janet Collins confirmed over the weekend that the business is in the process of shutting down, only waiting for the horses who have been rehabbing there to finish their rehab programs.

“We helped a lot of horses in the last five years,” Svrcek said. “But finding quality employees the last few years has become difficult. We have plenty of customers and patients.

“It’s been hard keeping staff. We had a lot of good employees.”

In addition to standardbred racehorses, Amulet has been an outlet for barrel racing horses – which is a racehorse that runs a cover leaf pattern in an area of a rodeo event versus running straight on a track — and show horses.

The uniqueness of the facility is that there is none other like it in this area, and just a few around the country, including one in New York, and some in Texas, among others, Svrcek said.

Svrcek added there may be a similar type of facility on the eastern part of the state and possibly in Ohio.

Amulet’s services included:

Automated walker

Aqua pacer treadmill

ECB leg spa

Massage therapy

Salt therapy chamber

Shock wave therapy

Solarium therapy

Theraplate vibration therapy

Training track

Turn out

The training track is a half-mile track with a crushed stone surface.

Svrcek and Collins worked alongside highly-regarded veterinarian Dr. Keith Brown at Amulet through the past five years.

Hall-of-Fame trainer Ron Burke and the Burke Racing Stable, Fredericktown, utilized Amulet more than any local horseman.

Its closing forces him to rehab his standardbreds in another state.

“My rehab horses will have to go to New Jersey,” Burke said. “(Amulet) has top of the line equipment and, in my opinion, Dr. Brown is the best veterinarian there is. They did a good job at Amulet and ran it like a great business.

“We’re going to have to change the way we do things.”

Burke added that his costs will rise when he starts moving his horses to New Jersey for rehab or turnout.

“The facility there is compatible to Amulet,” Burke said.

Collins, a part-owner of the operation, said, “they have put their heart and soul into the facility and taking care of horses.

“I will miss dealing with our patients,” she added. “It’s sad. You have to love this. We’ve had fabulous staff members. It’s been our honor. We’ve had some pretty incredible equine athletes come through our doors.”

Svrcek, who has owned horses for more than 40 years, and for more than 35 years, has also bred, trained and raced standardbreds at The Meadows Racetrack in Meadow Lands, said Amulet will continue to operate as his training stable after public closure.

Burke concluded: “They have everything, every gadget and every machine. It’s a great set up, just really a great service. The horses came out of there in great shape.”