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Bills Protecting OTTBs Move Forward In NY

Two bills are being discussed in New York that deal with the treatment of racehorses when they retire from the track. One bill in the Democratic-controlled Senate would ban the slaughter of retired racehorses. The other bill, in the Democratic-controlled Assembly, seeks a mechanism to track New York-bred racehorses when they retire, reports Blood-Horse.

Which bill, if either, is approved remains to be seen.

The bill in the Assembly would see the creation of a new, seven-member state commission that would oversee the whereabouts of retired Thoroughbred and Standardbred racehorses in New York. The bill does not ban the slaughter of retired racehorses.

The bill in the Senate explicitly bans the slaughter of racehorses and racehorse-breeding stock. If passed, the bill would make it illegal to kill retired racehorses “for a commercial purpose” in New York. Any money collected from civil penalties would be funneled into retired racehorse aftercare programs. It also allows New York residents to make voluntary donations to aftercare programs through state income tax filings. Additionally, the bill requires the microchipping of all racehorses so they can be more easily tracked.

Aftercare Of Charles Town: Doing Right For More Than Just The Horses

Charles Town Races is home to an aftercare organization all its own: Aftercare of Charles Town (ACT). Founded in 2013, the purpose of the nonprofit organization is to rehome, repurpose and retire Thoroughbreds that have raced or trained at the West Virginia track. ACT operates with a volunteer board and no employees.

Georgiana Pardo is a general practice lawyer and the volunteer president of ACT, which assisted 43 horses in 2019. Georgiana explained to the Daily Racing Form how ACT works. To enter a horse in the ACT program, she says, a horseman must file paperwork showing that the horse has raced at Charles Town. Charles Town assesses a paddock fee per start; as much of the ACT funding comes from that fee and from the Charles Town Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, ACT's focus is on assisting horses that have raced specifically at that track.

The retiring horse must also come with vet records that allow ACT to determine what sort of second career may be most appropriate for the horse. Once accepted into the program, the horse will go to a placement partner where it is rehabilitated, retrained and adopted out. The placement partner receives a stipend and ACT pays for any vet care needed to get the horse comfortable for his second career. Placement partners are experienced nonprofit organizations that provide follow up on the horses that were under their care and will take the horse back should it be returned.

Georgiana notes every racehorse deserves a quality life after racing. She believes that track funding for aftercare is achievable, and that it assists more than just the horse: it helps the owners, trainers and the horse's adopters, as well. It's a situation in which everyone wins.

The Show Must Go On for New Vocations

While most organizations, racing or otherwise, experienced a stagnation in business during the midst of the Coronavirus shut-down, Thoroughbred aftercare programs confronted quite the opposite.

When racing in most states was a giant question mark for months on end, for many horses that would have otherwise stayed in training throughout the spring season, the decision was made to enter them into retirement.

Since the first of the year, New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program has brought in 240 horses to their rehabilitation and rehoming program, a 23% increase from last year’s statistics.

Thankfully, they’ve also seen an influx in their adoptions, which are up 34% this year compared to 2019.

Despite a global pandemic, the show had to go on at New Vocations. And every show requires funding.

For nearly two decades, the respected aftercare organization has held an All-Thoroughbred Charity Horse Show in an effort to raise money for the general operation of their eight facilities which serve over 40 racetracks throughout the country.

“The New Vocations All-Thoroughbred Charity Horse Show is something that we’ve been doing since 2003,” said Andrea Mandella, New Vocations’ Director of Development and Donor Relations. “The first show was at Turfway Park. It has grown into a really big event that we now do every year in September here at the Kentucky Horse Park.”

The show has turned into New Vocations’ largest annual fundraiser, bringing in $117,000 last year.

The five-day event featured 452 Thoroughbreds from over 26 states, some traveling from as far as Oregon, California, and Texas.

Class divisions include hunters, jumpers, equitation, dressage, as well as western and driving. “War Horse” classes are available to any retired racehorse that started over 50 times, or earned over $100,000. The Jockey Club’s Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.) also holds their annual championships in conjunction with the event.

This year, the show is scheduled for September 3-6, dates that have been set on the calendar well before the Coronavirus forced the rescheduling of the Kentucky Derby for September 5.

And while the New Vocations team is said they were looking forward to their annual event, and excited about showcasing the Derby festivities on the big screen of the Rolex arena, they first need to find the capital to make the show possible.

“We’re struggling to find funding in the current climate with COVID,” Mandella said. “Right now our sponsorships are down 50%.”

Mandella said that the money raised during the show goes to the organization’s general operations fund to provide feed, daily upkeep, veterinary care, and any other necessities for the horses in their program. The average cost to rehabilitate, retrain, and rehome each retired horse through the duration of their stay is $3,000.

One gelding that has recently gone through the New Vocations program is now working towards making an appearance at their annual show.

Gozer the Gozerian, a 4-year-old son of Astrology, was adopted last year by Leandra Cooper, the facility manager and trainer at New Vocations’ home base in Lexington.

“He just had a personality that was like a magnet to me,” Cooper said while giving ‘Gozer’ a pat. “He was super sweet and right from the beginning, I knew that he was a horse that I was drawn to immediately.”

Unplaced in two starts as a juvenile in 2018, Gozer was given time off last year before starting full-time training for his second career in December.

“It became apparent pretty quickly that he liked to jump,” Cooper said. “He really likes to work. That’s one of the things that’s great about Thoroughbreds- they have this work ethic. They generally really are true athletes where they like to be in a program. They like to have challenges and he certainly is no exception to that.”

As Gozer continues to progress in his training, Cooper has her eyes set on looking to taking her gelding to the show in September.

“Our big target this year will be the New Vocations All-Thoroughbred Charity Horse Show,” she said. “We’re really looking forward to competing at this show because it’s so unique to have something where you’re competing against all Thoroughbreds. Especially in an atmosphere of such grandiosity where you’re able to be in the Rolex Ring, something you dream of competing in since you’re a kid, and here we are able to have the opportunity to compete with all these other Thoroughbreds.”

Both Cooper and Mandella spoke of the unique atmosphere the show has developed.

“It’s really amazing to be able to take horses that come off the track with several different career paths,” Mandella said. “Some of them were competitive and winners, some were unraced, and some just weren’t interested in racing and have gone into second careers and all of a sudden they’re excelling. So everyone has a different, unique story, which makes it amazing to watch 400 of them out there doing their thing. And that’s what we strive to provide for them.”

Cooper agreed. “It feels fun and inclusive, and it’s amazing to see all the different levels that these horses are able to compete at and all the different varieties. The people are really committed to the breed and it’s just a celebration, in so many different ways, of their accomplishments. It’s a neat show, and it’s the only one like it.”

The team behind the popular event is pushing now more than ever to find sponsors. While donations can be accepted at any time, the deadline to have a sponsorship recognized in the program is Friday, July 17.

“Typically our donors come from all over the country,” Mandella said. “They’re Thoroughbred owners and breeders, people who have adopted through our program and are showing their horses at the event, and people within the industry that support us, like veterinarians and feed suppliers.”

The majority of sponsorships range anywhere from $100 to become a class sponsor, to $50,000 to be the title show sponsor. A number of different sponsorship opportunities are available at a variety of differing donations.

Mandella said that the average cost to rehabilitate, retrain, and rehome a retired horse through the duration of their stay in the New Vocations program is $3,000.

“We’re hoping that our previous sponsors and maybe some new ones will decide to get involved and help us continue to put on this show that we find so important,” Mandella said. “It gives us the ability to illustrate how these horses go from the racetrack to a second career. To put them all together and let them compete against each other is a really awesome event.”

For more information on the event and how to participate, click here.

For those interested in becoming a sponsor for the New Vocations All-Thoroughbred Charity Horse Show, contact Andrea Mandella at andrea@horseadoption.com.

The post The Show Must Go On for New Vocations appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Thoroughbred Makeover And National Symposium Postponed Until 2021

After extensive information gathering, research and consideration, the board of the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) has made the difficult but unanimous decision to postpone the 2020 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA), until 2021. The RRP plans to host an expanded Thoroughbred Makeover on October 12-17, 2021 that will offer separate classes in all ten disciplines for both 2020 and 2021 entries.

Put on each year by the RRP, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, the Thoroughbred Makeover typically draws hundreds of competitors from 40+ states and multiple Canadian provinces, each of whom has taken on the challenge of bringing along a Thoroughbred in his or her first year of retraining post-racing. In a normal year, the event also includes the ASPCA Makeover Marketplace (a large-scale horse shopping experience), a vendor fair with more than 70 on-site retailers and other equine businesses, seminars, the Thoroughbred Aftercare Summit and various social and networking events.

To comply with COVID-19 pandemic event guidelines as recommended by US Equestrian and the Kentucky Horse Park, many of these aspects, which monetize a significant portion of the event, would have to be eliminated or heavily modified.

“This was a decision that was not entered into lightly,” said the RRP's executive director Jen Roytz. “We went to great lengths to look at the feasibility of putting on the event from various perspectives, including preparedness of our competitors, current sponsorship commitments, the cost and steps necessary to implement COVID-19 risk management protocols for an event like ours, and what changes we would need to make to the event to comply with state and venue regulations. We also explored various 'what if' scenarios with our legal counsel, insurance company, and board, and what their impacts could be on not only the event, but our organization as a whole.”

With the Thoroughbred Makeover being a competition for horses in their first year of training after racing, the organization sent out two surveys to its competitors, one in April and one in June, to better understand how the pandemic was affecting its competitors' ability to prepare their horses. Questions in the survey also aimed to gauge how their competitors would feel about the changes to the event that would have to be made in 2020 in order to put it on.

Trainers expressed concern through these surveys about having their horses adequately prepared for the show environment, as well as financial concerns due to lost income during shutdowns. In some cases, horses could not receive necessary maintenance care or undergo elective veterinary or therapy procedures. Furthermore, every state's pandemic guidelines were different which had, and continues to have, an impact on competitors.

“We worked hard to identify what the best course of action would be, not only for our constituents and horses, but for the long-term viability and stability of our organization,” continued Roytz. “Our competitor survey responses showed us not only that a significant percentage of our competitors were behind on their training due to a variety of factors, but also that if we were to implement the changes that the pandemic would force us to make, it would not only put our organization in a precarious position financially but would negatively impact our competitors' enjoyment of the event.”

A critical aspect of the Thoroughbred Makeover on the part of participating trainers is having recently retired racehorses, all of which are relatively green in terms of their show career, adequately prepared for a big show environment at the Kentucky Horse Park. Typically, this is achieved by trainers exposing their horses to various competitive environments in the ten-month training period prior to the Makeover.

“The Thoroughbred Makeover at its core is designed to serve the mission of the RRP as a showcase of the versatility and trainability of the breed,” said Managing Director and Event Organizer, Kirsten Green. “Much of the feedback we've received, as well as the results of our surveys, tell us that the majority of our competitors are not feeling as confident as they typically would about their ability to showcase their horses as well as they otherwise would have. Furthermore, the Makeover typically draws entries from more than 40 states, as well as a significant Canadian contingent, and we're still contending with a continually changing landscape over the coming months. We don't yet know when the Canadian border will reopen, we're seeing states re-implementing quarantine mandates for travelers, trainers having their income impacted, and more. That is only compounded by the financial challenges we and other nonprofits have faced in recent months and changes we would have to make in order to move forward with the event. By postponing the competition until next year and expanding the Marketplace virtually for this year, we felt it was the best way to create the most opportunities for all involved, while also doing what is in the best interest of the horses and our organization.”

Western Competitors at Makeover
Several aspects of the 2020 TCA Thoroughbred Makeover will be run virtually this year in October, including a virtual vendor fair, webinars in place of seminars, and the ASPCA Makeover Marketplace. The Marketplace will transition into an expanded online showcase of transitioned Thoroughbreds who were intended to compete in October and be offered for sale or adoption at the Makeover.

“I know I speak on behalf of the entire RRP board and staff when I say this was an incredibly difficult decision, but we feel it's the right one,” said RRP board president Carolyn Karlson. “The challenges presented by the pandemic are unprecedented. The RRP expanded its online educational offerings this year to better support those retraining horses amid all of the travel and shelter-in-place restrictions, like our Five-Minute Clinic series and webinars, and we have several more exciting initiatives to roll out as the year goes on. We are steadfast to our commitment to our competitors, sponsors, vendors, volunteers, supporters and, most importantly, the horses we and they serve.”

Trainers who entered this year's Thoroughbred Makeover will have the opportunity to retain their registered 2020 horses to compete in a special 2020 division at the 2021 Thoroughbred Makeover. They also have the option to withdraw their 2020 horses and roll their entry fee to the 2021 competition with a new 2021-eligible horse. In some cases, some 2020-entered horses will be able to retain their eligibility for the 2021 division as long as they do not exceed the maximum of 15 retraining rides before December 1, 2020.

“It's been a priority for us to make sure that we found a solution that was flexible for our trainers and their horses and give them options to suit whatever their goals might be,” said Green. “We look forward to working with everyone to offer content and activities to honor the Makeover this October, and to welcome everyone back to the Bluegrass for a knockout event in 2021.”

Added Roytz, “We are incredibly grateful to the TCA, ASPCA and our other major sponsors and donors for being exceedingly understanding and supportive of this decision. Many of them have also been affected by this pandemic and anticipate feeling the effects well into the coming year, but were eager to help us find ways to support both this year's and next year's classes of Makeover competitors in meaningful ways.”

For more information and updates about the Thoroughbred Makeover, please visit tbmakeover.org. More announcements about virtual activities and events will be released throughout the summer and early fall. Sign up to receive the ASPCA Makeover Marketplace catalog at tbmakeover.org/catalogsignup.

The post Thoroughbred Makeover And National Symposium Postponed Until 2021 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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