Login
Feb 02, 2016
Thoroughbred Makeover Receives Applications from 488 Trainers for 741 Horses
Retired Racehorse Project announced today the results of a four-week effort to recruit experienced horse trainers for the 2016 Thoroughbred Makeover. The event requires each trainer to acquire a Thoroughbred that raced or had a published work after October 1, 2014 and had no second career training before this year. Trainers will ship to the Kentucky Horse Park on the last weekend of October to compete in ten equestrian disciplines for $100,000 in prize money and the title of America’s Most Wanted Thoroughbred.
What follows are some statistics about who entered.
1. 488 trainers applied. 253 of those hope to bring two horses, for a total applicant pool of 741 horses.
2. They come from 45 states, four Canadian provinces, and England.
3. Their primary disciplines of expertise are eventing (132), show hunters (98), show jumpers (64), dressage (61), barrel racing (34), working ranch (22), freestyle (21), field hunter (20), competitive trails (18), and polo (17).
4. There are 271 professionals, 162 amateurs, and 55 juniors, and they range in age from 10 years old to 71 years young.
5. 350 have already acquired an eligible Thoroughbred to train for the event. 138 have not.
6. The ten states or provinces with the largest numbers of entries are Pennsylvania (44), Kentucky (37), Maryland (30), Ohio (28), Virginia (27), Michigan (24), New York (22), Ontario (20), California (19), and Florida (18).
RRP established a maximum capacity of 500 horses for the event. The list of accepted entries will be announced at RetiredRacehorseProject.org on February 15.
“We were thrilled by the number of entries, but ecstatic about the quality,” said RRP President Steuart Pittman. “We complain that Americans buy horses in Europe because we lack good trainers here. Reading the stories of these 488 applicants convinced me otherwise. These are very experienced trainers, some of whom have trained horses to the pinnacles of their respective sports. Watching their progress through the year and then seeing them at the Kentucky Horse Park in the fall will make better horsemen of all of us.”
“These trainers are my new heroes,” said Dan Rosenberg, president of Thoroughbred Charities of America. “Each will invest hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars into showcasing on a national stage just how special these horses can be. This event is the formula we need to effectively transition large numbers of racehorses to new careers while promoting them as a breed to the huge marketplace of American horse owners."
The Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium takes place October 27-30 at the Kentucky Horse Park. It includes the Thoroughbred Makeover competition as well as educational seminars and demonstrations, a trade fair, and the Makeover Horse Sale, an opportunity for buyers to evaluate horses from the Makeover that are available for sale.
Rules and Information about the Thoroughbred Makeover are online at Thoroughbred Makeover Rules and Information.
Jul 02, 2024
Educational Activities
USEA Educational Activity Highlight: Sherwood Forest Hunter Pace | Sherwood Oregon | July 13, 2024
What’s a Hunter Pace? The Sherwood Forest Equestrian Center's Hunter Pace is a cross-country-style course around Sherwood Forest over various natural obstacles/terrain. The course ends with a final treat for riders to take in stunning views of Mt. Hood with a loop through the old Far Hill Farms field. The beginning of the course will first start with a warm-up loop around show jumping obstacles in the outdoor ring at Sherwood Forest and then riders will continue directly onto the course. Sign up as a solo rider, pair, or team.
Jul 02, 2024
Profile
No Longer Dreaming: Claire Allen's Goal of Qualifying for USEF Eventing Young Rider Championship is Now Reality
Claire Allen remembers when she was 11 years old, having just made the switch from the hunter/jumper ring to three-day eventing. She told her new eventing trainer that her goal was to one day compete in the United States Equestrian Federation’s Eventing Young Rider Championships.
Jul 01, 2024
Competitions
Alliston’s Busy Weekend, Braitling’s Reuniting with Five-Star Mount, & Kalkman’s Advanced Victory Highlight Twin Rivers Summer H.T.
As he was finishing tacking up his horse in preparation to navigate the cross-country course at the 2024 Twin Rivers Summer Horse Trials, James Alliston expressed concern about navigating the 101 Freeway. That’s because as soon as he crossed the finish line aboard Intermediate level winner Addyson (Ampere x Nickerbocker) at 10:38 a.m. on Saturday—his fifth cross-country round of the morning with three at Preliminary and two at Intermediate—the West Coast-based five-star rider had to drive 185 miles on the 101 Freeway from Twin Rivers Ranch in Paso Robles, California, to San Francisco International Airport to catch a 4:35 p.m. flight to Frankfurt, Germany.
Jul 01, 2024
Education
USEA Podcast #364: All Your Grooming Questions Answered
There is so much more to proper grooming than keeping your horse picture-perfect for the horse inspection. Good grooming practices are critical to proper horse management, no matter if you are planning for your next FEI appearance or your Starter level debut. To help you maximize your knowledge of grooming practices, we opened up the opportunity for USEA members to submit any questions they might have on our Instagram and Facebook stories. In this week's episode, Host Nicole Brown sits down with three of the highest-regarded grooms in this industry, Max Corcoran, Emma Ford, and Stephanie Simpson, and asks them all of your questions and more to help you perfect the art of grooming.
