The Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) announced Tuesday that applications for the 2024 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America, are now open for submission. The application period closes at 5 PM EST on January 19, 2024.
Accepted trainers will be announced no later than February 15, 2024. The 2024 Thoroughbred Makeover Rulebook outlines all rules and information relevant to the competition, with changes for 2024 marked in red and clarifying information marked in blue. Interested applicants can start the application process now by logging in at theRRP.org.
Entering its tenth year at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, the Thoroughbred Makeover features competition in ten disciplines for recently-retired Thoroughbreds in their first year of retraining for a career after racing. A competition division is also open to recently-retired broodmares exiting the bloodstock industry. Horses and their trainers may compete in one or two disciplines of their choice, including Barrel Racing, Competitive Trail, Dressage, Eventing, Field Hunter, Polo, Ranch Work, Show Hunter, Show Jumper and Freestyle (a freeform discipline showcasing skills of the trainer's choosing).
Horses and trainers will compete for more than $110,000 in total prize money, plus the coveted title of Thoroughbred Makeover Champion, at the Kentucky Horse Park on October 9-12, 2024. The Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium includes not only the competition, but educational seminars, a vendor fair, the Makeover Marketplace horse sale and Right Horse Adoption Barn, and more. The Thoroughbred Makeover Finale will feature the top five horses in each discipline in the Retiring Racehorse division based on preliminary competition, and will be live-streamed for viewers at home.
The Thoroughbred Makeover is open to professionals, amateurs, juniors (ages 12 and over), and teams. Applicants are required to provide information about their riding and competition background as well as references, including one from a veterinarian, and video that showcases their riding ability. Competitors do not need to have acquired their horse at the time of application, though they must register their horse no later than July 31, 2024.
Accepted trainers may acquire eligible Thoroughbreds through whatever source they choose, or can ride under contract from an owner. Eligible horses in the Retiring Racehorse division must have raced or had a published work on or after July 1, 2022 and must not have started retraining for a second career prior to December 1, 2023 other than a maximum of 15 rides, intended to allow for trial rides and assessment purposes. Eligible horses in the Former Broodmare division must have raced or had a published work in their lifetime, and must have produced a foal or have been bred in the 2022 breeding season or after as reported by The Jockey Club; they may not have shown or competed prior to December 1, 2023. Full eligibility requirements can be found in the rulebook at theRRP.org.
The Thoroughbred Makeover has directly impacted over 4,600 horses since the competition began in 2013, and over $40 million has been invested into the future of those participating horses by their Makeover trainers including health care, training and more. The Thoroughbred Makeover has been a transformative event in Thoroughbred aftercare, increasing not only the demand for Thoroughbreds beyond racing but their value as retiring prospects, plus inspiring thousands of equestrians to get involved with the breed.
About the Retired Racehorse Project: The Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) is a 501(c)3 charitable organization working to increase demand for off-track Thoroughbreds beyond racing. In addition to producing the Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, the world's largest and most lucrative retraining competition for recently-retired racehorses, the organization also maintains an educational library of content to empower more equestrians to ride a Thoroughbred, offers the only Thoroughbred-only online horse listings, and conducts clinics and seminars throughout the country.
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