RRP Announced Meeting Schedule for Bridges to Second Careers During Thoroughbred Makeover

The meeting schedule for the Bridges to Second Careers Roundtables, scheduled for Oct. 27-28 at the Kentucky Horse Park during the Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium Presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America, was released by the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) Tuesday. The RRP published results of a 2014 survey, Exploring the Bridges to Second Careers for Thoroughbred Ex-Racehorses, in which 2,700 owners identified the means by which they acquired 4,200 off-track Thoroughbreds as riding partners. A 2016 analysis of how the first 400 Thoroughbred Makeover trainers acquired their horses eligible to compete in this year's makeover, reaffirmed the diverse means ex-racehorses go on to their second careers.

Bridges to Second Career Roundtables will provide a voice to the people who do the work in retraining and rehoming of Thoroughbreds, with each roundtable identifying the strengths of its models, challenges to growth, and recommendations for future collaboration and expansion. Recommendations for each roundtable will be presented during the Thoroughbred Makeover Finale that Saturday in the TCA Covered Arena. RRP board member Sue Smith, who is also Executive Director of CANTER Pennsylvania, on the board of Thoroughbred Alliance Show Series, as well as the board of CANTER USA, will convene the roundtables and author reports on the findings. For a complete roundtable description and schedule, go to www.retiredracehorseproject.org.