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New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program Awarded 2020 Lavin Cup By AAEP

New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program, the largest racehorse adoption charity in the United States, received the 2020 Lavin Cup from the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP).

Known as the AAEP's equine welfare award, the Lavin Cup recognizes a non-veterinary organization or individual that has distinguished itself through service to improve the welfare of horses. New Vocations was recognized Dec. 9 during the AAEP's 2020 Annual Convention & Trade Show, held virtually.

Founded in 1992, New Vocations' mission to rehabilitate, retrain and rehome retired racehorses has led to the placement of over 7,000 individuals, with nearly 500 retirees served by the program each year. With facilities in five states—Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Louisiana—New Vocations serves over 40 racetracks, working directly with owners and trainers in need of equine aftercare options.

“New Vocations has a longstanding commitment to the health and welfare of the equine athletes that deserve help in transitioning to a healthy and productive second career,” said co-nominators Dr. Jeff Berk and Dr. Wesley Sutter. “In every sense, they have partnered with us, the equine veterinarians who seek the same goals for our patients.”

Despite COVID-19-related shutdowns in the spring that prevented potential adopters from visiting New Vocations' farms in person, the charity found suitable homes for a record number of horses in April and May through social media. Potential adopters undergo a thorough application process, and as adopters' circumstances may change, New Vocations remains committed to each horse with a lifetime open-door policy for returns.

For more information about New Vocations, visit https://www.newvocations.org.

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Trainer Applications Now Open For 2021 Thoroughbred Makeover

Applications are now open for the 2021 competition year of the Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America. Applications will be accepted through Jan. 15, 2021. Accepted trainers will be announced on Feb. 15, 2021.

As the 2020 Thoroughbred Makeover was postponed to 2021 due to the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 edition of the Retired Racehorse Project's banner event will include competition groups both for horses that would have competed in 2020, as well as those entering for 2021. The two groups will compete separately, including two separate Finales to crown each year's Thoroughbred Makeover Champion. Applications for the 2020 competition year closed earlier this year, though new owners of horses already entered for 2020 may apply to compete.

Entering its seventh year at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky., the Thoroughbred Makeover features competition in ten disciplines for recently-retired Thoroughbreds in their first year of retraining for a career after racing. 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 $100,000 in total prize money per competition year, plus the coveted title of Thoroughbred Makeover Champion at the Kentucky Horse Park on Oct. 12-17, 2021. The Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium includes not just the competition, but educational seminars, a vendor fair, the Makeover Marketplace horse sale, and the Makeover Master Class, featuring demonstrations and insight from leading trainers. The Finale features the top five horses in each discipline 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. Applicants are encouraged to provide links to riding video, which is a requirement for first-time competitors. 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, 2021.

Approved trainers may acquire eligible Thoroughbreds through whatever source they choose, or can ride under contract from an owner. Eligible horses must have raced or had a published work on or after July 1, 2019 and must not have started retraining for a second career prior to Dec. 1, 2020 other than a maximum of 15 allowable rides, intended to allow for trial rides. The 2021 Thoroughbred Makeover Rulebook outlines all rules and information relevant to the competition, with changes for 2021 marked in red and clarifying information marked in blue.

2020 Thoroughbred Makeover Fast Facts:

▪ 660 entries originally registered for the 2020 Thoroughbred Makeover have remained active for the “mega-Makeover,” whether they intend to compete in the 2020 competition group or roll their entry to the 2021 competition group
▪ Applications for the 2020 Thoroughbred Makeover are closed; however, new owners of a horse already registered for the 2020 Thoroughbred Makeover can apply to compete in the 2020 competition group
▪ 581 horses were registered for the 2020 competition group, leveraging approximately $4.6 million invested into their future in health care, training, etc. * An estimated $25.5 million has been invested in Makeover-bound horses by their Makeover trainers since 2013
▪ A total of 3,479 trainers have been accepted since 2013, hailing from 41 states and five Canadian provinces. 3,191 horses have been directly impacted by being registered to compete at the Makeover
▪ High-profile contenders in the 2020 competition group include five Breeders' Cup participants: Term of Art, Expedited Vision, Sheer Talent, Normandy Crossing, and Imperative; and two MGSWs: Imperative and Page McKenney

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OTTB United App Will Bring Together Retired Racehorse Buyers, Sellers

The Retired Racehorse Project and OTTB United jointly announce today the release of OTTB United, a mobile app that unites sellers, buyers, and shippers of Thoroughbred ex-racehorses and gives back to the Thoroughbred placement community. The app is designed to make the entire process, from listing a horse, to communicating between buyer and seller, to organizing shipping to a horse's new home, as easy as a few taps of a button.

The app is also designed to give back to the Thoroughbred placement community: a portion of the premium subscription fee is donated to the Retired Racehorse Project, which takes a market-based approach to Thoroughbred aftercare to drive demand for ex-racehorses; subscribers can select from a list of aftercare organizations and for-profit resellers to receive an additional contribution.

“We are so fortunate to partner with the Retired Racehorse Project,” says OTTB United founder Amy Rubin. “The organization's mission is at the center of everything we want to achieve, and helping off-the-track Thoroughbreds is our number-one goal. The Retired Racehorse Project has strengthened the Thoroughbred community, and it's our hope that the OTTB United app produced in partnership will unite that community on one platform.”

OTTB United was designed to meet the specific needs of the Thoroughbred industry and creates a network to help more ex-racehorses find good homes. Uniting sellers, buyers, and shippers on a mobile platform greatly simplifies the entire process from start to finish, and helps both buyers and sellers navigate changing rules on social media that prohibit animal sales.

“The RRP works to increase the market for Thoroughbreds after racing in the equestrian world and we are always seeking out new ways to make that process easier and more successful,” says RRP executive director Jen Roytz. “We understand and respect the reasons for social media sites to place animal sales posts under increased scrutiny and it has surely gone a long way to prevent unwanted animals to end up in the wrong hands. It has also, however, compromised the efforts of many upstanding and responsible Thoroughbred placement organizations who depend on the platforms to market their available horses to reputable homes. Through our partnership with OTTB United, we are able to offer a potential solution.”

OTTB United is free to download from Google Play and the App Store. A premium subscription is $4.99 monthly. The app is available in the US and Canada.

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Thoroughbred Makeover Diary: Roul The Ice and Mr. Park Making Progress

It has been a bit since I’ve updated everyone on the journey of Roul The Ice and Mr. Park and their journey to the Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makeover. Both boys are doing absolutely wonderfully, and both progressing nicely in their programs.