Retired Racehorse Project

Claiborne Farm and Lane's End Farm have committed to a co-sponsorship of the Former Broodmare division at the 2024 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America, the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) announced Tuesday. First run as a pilot program in 2023, the Former Broodmare division is now an official competition avenue at the Thoroughbred Makeover, welcoming recently-retired broodmares to compete alongside the traditional retiring racehorse division in all 10 offered disciplines. Broodmares will be pinned and recognized separately, and compete for a separate pot of $10,000...

Mareworthy Charities and the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) will host a Thoroughbred Broodmare Transition Symposium July 10 at Spy Coast Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, the non-profits said in a release on Thursday. Designed to provide education for trainers and riders about the unique needs of former broodmares, the symposium sessions will begin at 11:30 a.m. ET, with an optional add-on tour of Spy Coast Farm starting at 9:30 a.m. ET. Click here for more information, including the full agenda and livestream option. The event is free for students. To learn...

An anonymous donor has pledged a matching $4,500 contribution to the Retired Racehorse Project's summer Fund-a-Need campaign. "We're exceedingly grateful for the donation match that has been pledged to our Fund-a-Need campaign this year," said RRP development manager Megan Garlich. "The Makeover is much more than a horse show. It's a movement of people committed to showcasing the versatility, athleticism and trainability of Thoroughbred ex-racehorses and securing their place in non-racing careers. Fund-a-Need allows us to continue to provide the necessary resources to produce the event and foster meaningful community...

Nominations for the reimagined Thoroughbred Makeover Ambassador Award for 2024 are now open, the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) said Monday. Any Thoroughbred Makeover graduate, regardless of whether the registered horse actually competed, is eligible for the award, regardless of its current owner. Nominations will be submitted via an online form at TheRRP.org, which includes fields to describe the horse's post-Makeover competitive career, achievements and general updates. "The RRP has identified tracking and recognizing the accomplishments of Thoroughbred sport horses in a comprehensive way as being crucial to furthering our mission...

A pair of winners, After the Races and the Retired Racehorse Project, opted to split the winnings of the Resolute Racing's Poker For Ponies Tournament held in the lead up to the GI Kentucky Derby earlier this month. Hosted by the Louisville Thoroughbred Society May 1, the tournament invited players to pledge winnings to one of 20 pre-selected Thoroughbred aftercare organizations. Jimmy Gladwell and Gavin O'Connor each tied for the win and earned $32,500 apiece for their two respective organizations. "Support from the racing industry has played a vital role...

As we revel in the afterglow of a 150th Kentucky Derby that was everything racing needed it to be, those of us with a foot in the sport horse world still have the previous weekend on repeat in our heads. The last weekend in April, horses can be found thundering around a different venue of international competition at the Kentucky Three-Day Event, which features the Olympic sport of eventing at the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) 4* and 5* levels at the Kentucky Horse Park. The 5* level is a more...

The 2024 dates for two competition legs of the Real Rider Cup, a charity show jumping event featuring members of the racing industry competing on off-track Thoroughbreds, were announced Tuesday. The Kentucky leg will take place July 13 at New Vocations at Mereworth Farm in Lexington, and the Maryland leg will once again kick off the Fair Hill Thoroughbred Show in Elkton Sept. 13. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Fair Hill Thoroughbred Show, New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program, and the Retired Racehorse Project. Riders will compete both individually...

396 trainers have been accepted to the 2024 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America. Announced in a release from the Retired Racehorse Project, the event, a retraining competition for recently-retired racehorses and broodmares, will be held Oct. 9-12 in Lexington, KY with over $100,000 in available prize money across 10 disciplines. "We sincerely appreciate the time and dedication it takes to transition Thoroughbreds into their next careers," said Executive Director of TCA Erin Halliwell. "We're looking forward to October where we'll see hundreds of Thoroughbreds...

Registration for February's Aftercare Industry Month (AIM) virtual conference is open and all with a professional interest in Thoroughbred aftercare are invited to partake, announced officials at the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) via press release Friday. Presented by the Thoroughbred Education and Research Foundation (TERF), the teleconference will offer four webinars providing an interactive experience for participants to explore a variety of topics pertaining to non-profits and business entities. Options to register for the entire conference or individual sessions a la carte will be offered on the sign-up page. An...

Applications are now being accepted for the 2024 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America, according to a Tuesday release from the Retired Racehorse Project. The application can be accessed at theRRP.org and must be completed by 5 p.m. EST Jan. 19. Accepted trainers will be announced no later than Feb. 15. Entering its 10th year at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, the Thoroughbred Makeover features competition in 10 disciplines for recently retired Thoroughbreds in their first year of retraining for a career after racing....

The rulebook for the 2024 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America, is now available for review on the organization's website, the Retired Racehorse Project said in a release early Friday morning. Revisions to the rules are indicated in red, while clarifications are in blue. A free webinar presentation about the application process will take place for any interested individuals via the Retired Racehorse Project's Facebook page on Tuesday, Dec. 19 at 7:00 p.m. ET.

After eight years in print, the Retired Racehorse Project will no longer produce its award-winning quarterly publication, Off-Track Thoroughbred Magazine. The forthcoming winter issue will be the last. "It has been a true honor and pleasure to work with the RRP team to give shape to the concept of a magazine featuring these exceptional horses, and it's been a delightful experience working on all 33 editions," said Stephanie Church, Editorial Director at The Horse. "We look forward to continuing to work with the RRP to publish the annual Thoroughbred Makeover...