When the RRTP Board of Directors made a decision to seek 26 trainers for a Thoroughbred Makeover and take applications for only 14 days from the announcement of the event, some wondered whether we would attract enough good applicants. Well, we got our 26, plus another 116, and they are all good.

The portrait painted by these 142 trainers is absolute proof that the bridge to second careers for Thoroughbreds off the track exists. These are not people who are new to this work. They do it over and over with horse after horse, and they are successful. There are thousands of others who did not apply, and thousands more who will be inspired by the Makeover and join the crusade.

The RRTP Board is hard at work reviewing applications, watching videos, surfing applicants' web sites, and sorting. The twenty-six we choose will not necessarily be the best trainers. We hope, however, that they will be the best ambassadors.

The age range of applicants is twelve to sixty. One hundred are professionals, 33 are amateur adults, and 9 are juniors. The disciplines listed as primary are eventing (59), hunter/jumper (40), dressage (18), polo (3), western (4), trail (1), foxhunting (1), and racing (2), but most listed secondary disciplines as well.

Geographically they come from 29 states and Canada, including Canada (3), CA (6), CO (1), CT (2), DE (1), FL (4), GA (5), IL (2), IN (1), KS (1), KY (7), MA (6), MD (30), ME (1), MI (1), MN (3), MO (3), NC (5), NJ (6), NM (1), NY (10), OH (2), OK (1), PA (16), SC (4), SD (1), TN (1), VA (15), VT (1), WV (2).

Today all eyes are on Pimlico Racecourse for the Preakness Stakes. On October 5 and 6 they will be on Pimlico again, for the RRTP Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium. We can't wait.

Retired Racehorse Training Project, an organization dedicated to increasing demand for Thoroughbreds off the track, is celebrating Derby weekend by accepting applications from trainers for its Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium.

The Makeover will feature twenty-six trainers who select and train twenty-six Thoroughbred ex-racehorses throughout the summer in preparation for a public appearance at the RRTP Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium on October 5 and 6 at Pimlico Racecourse. Application forms are to be filled out online at this link, and must be completed no later than Friday May 17 at 5pm Eastern Time on the eve of the Preakness.

Applications

Applicant trainers may enter as professionals, amateur adults, or juniors. They will identify the equestrian disciplines in which they have achieved recognition, list experience working with racehorses and ex-racehorses, list references, describe the facilities where training will take place, share videos of themselves riding on horses they have trained, and identify any organizations, farms, or institutions that will be a part of their team. The RRTP Board of Directors will consider the need for diversity of discipline, diversity of trainer background, experience and reputation of applicants, connections of applicants to respected organizations and institutions, and skill level of applicants. The Board will conduct its own research to supplement the information provided in the applications and will not share or publicize its deliberations.

Sponsors for the 2013 Thoroughbreds for All! Kentucky Event included AmWest Entertainment, Three Chimneys Farm and Gulfstream Park Thoroughbred After Care.Retired Racehorse Training Project and New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program make a great team. Our second annual Thoroughbreds For All Kentucky drew a sellout crowd of 500 for an evening of education, celebration, and horse shopping in Lexington, Kentucky on Friday, April 26. With major sponsorship help from Three Chimneys, Gulfstream Park Thoroughbred Aftercare, and AmWest Entertainment, the event raised over $10,000 to fund the programs of both organizations.

The printed program for the event included photos and descriptions of 44 Thoroughbred ex-racehorses in the Lexington area, some of whom were recent arrivals at New Vocations' Kentucky facility where the event took place. All of the horses are also shown online in the horse listings of the RRTP web site.

The Kentucky Rolex CCI**** competition in 2013 had 59 entries by the end of March.  Of those, twenty-two are listed on the website as Thoroughbreds. Since we're all about how awesome retired racehorses are, I'll go through the list of Thoroughbreds who raced (or at least attempted to). Fourteen horses ridden by riders from four countries raced in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and earned a combined total of just shy of $130,000. I think it is safe to say that they are much more successful as eventers than they were as racehorses! 

Print out a cheat sheet of all the registered Thoroughbreds in order of go by clicking here.

RRTP and New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program are collaborating again this year on Thoroughbreds for All! Kentucky on the Friday evening before cross country. Phillip Dutton and Chris McCarron are the headline attractions for the event, but equally exciting will be the presence of many of the riders of the Rolex 20. The Jockey Club is sending invitation to all of the riders to attend Thoroughbreds For All and will honor them with a special gift and recognition for their accomplishment with their Thoroughbred. You can still buy your tickets for the event at the Thoroughbreds for All link above.  Without further ado, here are the OTTBs and their riders:

New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program and Retired Racehorse Training Project Present

Thoroughbreds For All Kentucky

An Evening of Education and Fellowship for Fans of Thoroughbred Ex-Racehorses on Rolex Weekend in Lexington, Kentucky

The event takes place at 5:30pm on Friday, April 26, fifteen miles from the Kentucky Horse Park in the covered arena at West Wind Farm, 4787 Haley Rd., Lexington KY 40516. Demonstrations include:

• Bred to Run: What Racehorses Know
• Selecting Your Next Horse for Rolex... or Just Your Next Horse
• How Racehorses are Ridden
• Getting Started with Your Thoroughbred Off The Track
• Online & Printed Catalog of Local Thoroughbreds for Sale or Adoption

Highlights of the evening include

Hall of Fame Jockey, Chris McCarron, demonstrated superb horsemanship at the 2012 Thoroughbreds for All! Kentucky event. We're pleased to have him back again for 2013.Phillip Dutton, America's leading three day event rider, will share what he looks for in Thoroughbreds off the track and how his program at True Prospect Farm builds on what racehorses already know to produce internationally successful three day event horses.

Chris McCarron, hall of fame jockey and founder of the North American Riding Academy, will demonstrate the skills used by jockeys and exercise riders to settle a horse and allow it to fulfill its athletic potential

A panel of top three day event riders will evaluate and work with a group of recent New Vocations arrivals, demonstrating what they look for in a horse and how they begin their work with horses off the racetrack

Three Chimneys Farm will offer a behind-the scenes tour for all ticket-holders to this event on Sunday morning before Rolex show jumping.

All sessions will be moderated by Steuart Pittman of RRTP and Anna Ford of New Vocations.

The event will run from 5:30pm to 9pm and includes a southern style dinner and cash bar. Tickets are available for purchase online for $35 each with space limited initially to 300 people.

In addition to the Friday evening event, Thoroughbreds For All! includes a printed and online catalogue of Thoroughbred ex-racehorses available for purchase or adoption in central Kentucky. The print catalogue will list the horses with their organizations and farms and be distributed through sponsoring vendors and organizations at the Kentucky Horse Park.  

Print out a flyer here! 

Interested in becoming a sponsor?  Learn more about sponsorship here.

We have gotten many questions about the feeding program we used for the 100-Day Challenge horses and I have kept promising to write something up and am chagrined to admit that, now that the challenge is over and most of the horses are leaving Dodon, I'm just now getting to it.  Better late than never, right?  Before I get into the gory details, I think it's only fair to share with you some things:  I have Master's degree from Colorado State University in Equine Nutrition (ok, actually Animal Science, but my research focused on equine nutrition - specifically that of how nutrition affects bone development in growing horses).  I have served as a volunteer at a horse rescue where I earned a deep appreciation for the power of good nutrition.  Since my time at CSU, I was privileged to work on a research project at University of Maryland while I was on the faculty there that looked at certain blood parameters of Thoroughbred geldings as they gained weight. Believe it or not, we were able to get OTTB geldings FAT.  I LOVE a project and tend to get quite attached to horses that I work closely with in terms of their nutrition.  Enough of that....on to these horses!

March 13, 2013 by Steaurt Pittman

The Retired Racehorse Training Project's 100 Day Thoroughbred Challenge concluded on Saturday, March 9 with a final performance and reception for owners, sponsors, and fans at Caves Farm in Owings Mills, MD.

The Caves Farm team, led by owner Howie Wolfe, his wife Megan, and farm manager Katie Cooper went all out with a barn reception that nobody wanted to leave. The presence of so many big names in Mid-Atlantic racing was a thrill for those of us who read about the game but aren't real players.

Declan's Moon, Gunport, Suave Jazz and Alluring Punch liked the place from the moment they walked into the barn. After the atmosphere at the Maryland and Pennsylvania Horse World Expos this was a horse-friendly place that welcomed them.

The four horses loaded in our slant load, step-up trailer like seasoned campaigners and shipped to Owings Mills as quiet as mice. Declan's mother had flown in from California and arrived right behind us to watch her boy settle in and do his practice ride in the big arena. I was a little nervous about actually meeting Samantha Siegel, but within about ten seconds I felt like I had known her for years.

Press Release

February 27, 2013

The Retired Racehorse Training Project's 100 Day Thoroughbred Challenge is nearing an end and each of the four horses has emerged victorious as best suited for at least one of five equestrian disciplines.

Declan's Moon at the Pennsylvania Horse World Expo. The horses began their training on December 1 at Dodon Farm Training Center and will continue for an additional two weeks in preparation for a final appearance and graduation ceremony at Caves Farm in Owings Mills, Maryland. Online polls closed Saturday, February 23 while the horses performed before three judges and a crowd of 2500 at the Pennsylvania Horse World Expo where the Challenge was the top billed act of the weekend. It was an American Idol for ex-racehorses and each one emerged a winner.

Declan's Moon, the 2004 Eclipse Award-winning, undefeated two year old by Malibu Moon, was voted in a landslide the horse best suited for dressage. He represents Country Life Farm and is owned by Samantha Siegel of Jay Em Ess Racing. "Declan's Moon's incredible movement shatters the myth that the racing industry no longer produces horses suited for sport at the top levels," said RRTP founder and president Steuart Pittman. "He was not only the fastest horse of his crop, but is also exactly what sport horse breeders are trying to produce for the show ring."

February 3, 2013

I have so much respect now for Eric Dierks, Tiffany Cattledge, and Kerry Blackmer. Training horses for an audience on a timeline is a hell of a challenge. We made them ride those horses in front of the MD Expo audience on Day 1 and at the PA Expo after five weeks. We rode ours at the MD Expo in the sixth week and will take them to the PA Expo in the 11th week, and we are still feeling the pressure of the timeline.

The Maryland Expo was a huge success from a public visibility standpoint. Our crowds were larger than for any other clinician or demonstration there. People love Thoroughbreds and they love watching them being trained. We got great coverage in the Chronicle of the Horse, Thoroughbred Daily News, Eventing Nation, and a great article came out that weekend in Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred. For PA Expo we'll be going for mainstream media.

Video footage of Saturday's session at the Maryland Horse World Expo, taken by Leslie Diamond.

January 12, 2013

The Maryland Horse World Expo begins this coming Friday. Michelle Warro and I plan to ride the horses in front of a crowd that is seated in tall bleachers set two feet from the railng of the 60' by 120' arena. Two weeks ago we were worried. Now we are more confident. Steady progress with all four horses, but a bump in the road for Gunport.

The expo takes place at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium. Tickets are purchased at the door for $10. Parking is free. Our booth is near the southwest corner of the Cow Palace. We will have our magnificent black Equicizer, Idle Dice, and 100 Day Thoroughbred Challenge t-shirts designed by our funky cool designer Julie Magruder, along with RRTP hats, saddle pads, and fleeces. Here is the schedule:

Friday at 4pm in the Exhibition Hall Arena (building uphill from outdoor show ring) - We will present each horse in hand, moving free, and jumping through a chute. This will be an educational forum in evaluating Thoroughbred horses for various sport disciplines and be the only opportunity to watch these superstars free jumping.

Saturday at 11 am in the Cow Palace Seminar Hall - I will lead a discussion about Selecting and Starting Your Ex-Racehorse. We will cover as much as we can get to in an hour and take questions from the audience.

Saturday at 1pm in the Cow Palace Main Arena - Michelle Warro and I will each ride two of the horses. We will discuss where they are in their training after six weeks and where we expect them to be at 100 days. This is the horses' first public appearance under saddle since their last races. We will do basic flat work and a bit of jumping.

Sunday at 1pm Exhibition Hall Arena – This has been titled Jockey Dressage but is actually a presentation about how sport horse riders can integrate the methods of exercise riders and jockeys into the basic flat work that we do with our horses off the track during that critical time when they are learning to rebalance themselves as riding horses. In years past we have had retired Lady Legend jockey Andrea Seefeldt Knight, but this year will have a guest appearance from another star jock who can do dressage in a racing saddle. We will use the two of our Challenge horses who have seemed to enjoy the crowds most.

Now for the actual report on the horses...