Tag: Horse Care

The Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) announced Tuesday that it has unveiled a new website at TheRRP.org, combining its previous two sites for the organization and the Thoroughbred Makeover back under one umbrella.

The newly-designed website is intended to make information about Thoroughbred aftercare and a brand-new Education Library more accessible, empowering more equestrians to choose a Thoroughbred.

“We are so pleased to finally launch our new site after many months of hard work put in by our team,” said RRP executive director Kirsten Green. “It's been a decade since the RRP last launched a website and our services have evolved so much since then. A great deal of thought and consideration has gone into who our users are, how we can make our content and services easier to utilize, and laying a foundation for expanded features in the future. We are thrilled to welcome the Thoroughbred community to our new home on the web!”

Future updates are in the works to develop the RRP's online Horse Listings into a continuing database that will link listings with Thoroughbred Sport Tracker entries and future Makeover information.

This first release of the new website includes the Education Library, an OTTB 101 section for both the racing and equestrian industries, the RRP Store, Off-Track Thoroughbred Magazine subscription and advertising information, and information about the Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, plus the Trainer Portal.

Visit the new website at TheRRP.org.

The Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) is a 501(c)3 charitable organization working to increase demand for off-track Thoroughbreds in the equestrian world. 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 publishes Off-Track Thoroughbred Magazine, produces the Master Class retraining clinic series, and presents programming at major horse expos and events around the country. The RRP maintains an educational library of content to empower more equestrians to ride a Thoroughbred.

The post Retired Racehorse Project Unveils New Website appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Broodmare & Bloodstock, a new program at Second Stride Thoroughbred retirement facility in Prospect, Ky., serves broodmares and non-racing bloodstock in need of new careers and new homes.

If a Thoroughbred of any age needs a first, second, or third career, Second Stride can help! Second Stride launched Broodmare & Bloodstock in 2022 to offer a safe, caring option to Thoroughbred owners and breeders who wish to transition their horses to new homes. Second Stride will assess your horses' capabilities and temperament and place them with a carefully vetted adopter in a permanent home.

Seed funding for Broodmare & Bloodstock has been provided by The Right Horse Initiative, a program of the ASPCA whose goal is to massively increase horse adoption in the United States. Second Stride thanks The Right Horse Initiative for investing in this important industry need!

Ten horses have already been served through Broodmare & Bloodstock, including horses from Claiborne Farm, Denali Stud, and Upson Downs Farm.

Second Stride's ambition is to provide any Thoroughbred owner or breeder in Kentucky or beyond with immediate access to the safe, responsible facilities of Second Stride while we work to place your horse in a permanent home. This may take weeks or it may take months, but we're there for your horse for the long haul!

Spaces are currently available! To donate your broodmare, Thoroughbred yearling, or other unable-to-race bloodstock, please review Second Stride's donation process and complete the donation form.

Second Stride is a 501(c)(3) non-profit which provides rehabilitation and retraining for retired Thoroughbred racehorses. For more information, check out secondstride.org.

The post Second Stride Launches ‘Broodmare & Bloodstock’ Program To Serve Thoroughbreds Of All Ages appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Two-time G3 winner Mustanfar was humanely euthanized Monday at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital. He was 21.

A full necropsy is currently pending.

Bred and owned by Shadwell Farm, Mustanfar, along with five other retired stallions, was recently relocated to Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement in Georgetown, KY. as part of an operations downsizing that followed the death of Shadwell owner, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum in 2021.

Old Friends President Michael Blowen made the announcement of Mustanfar's passing on Monday.

The son of Unbridled out of the Lyphard mare Manwah, Mustanfar certainly lived up to his prestigious pedigree on the track. He raced from age two to six, making 27 career starts, and won or placed in nine graded stakes contests on both dirt and turf.

Owned by Sheikh Hamdan's Shadwell and conditioned by trainer Kieran McLaughlin, Mustanfar jump started his career with a win at Aqueduct at two in just his second start.

The following year, he captured the G3 Lexington Stakes at Belmont Park, and went on to earn the G3 Sycamore Breeder's Cup Turf at Keeneland, both on the turf.

Proving his versatility, he finished second in the G3 Tampa Bay Derby on the dirt and ran third in the G3 Ben Ali Stakes on synthetic.

Mustanfar retired to stud in 2007 with five wins from 27 starts and career earnings of $625,010. He stood at both The Indiana Stallion Station and Shadwell's Nashwan Stud.

Mustanfar is the sire of winners on both dirt and turf.

“He was the youngest of the Shadwell stallions and he became an instant favorite,” said Blowen. “We're very sorry that more of his fans weren't able to appreciate him for much, much longer.”

The post Old Friends: Pensioned Shadwell Stallion Mustanfar Passes At Age 21 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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One hallmark of horses affected by pars pituitary intermedia dysfunction (PPID, formerly known as Cushing's disease) is their long, thick haircoats, which often grow year-round (most abundantly in fall) and don't shed well. This overabundance of hair puts horses at risk for discomfort from the heat and at risk of skin infections, reports The Horse. 

Researchers have suggested that exposing horses with PPID to blue light may affect their circadian rhythm, which affects the seasonal hormone regulation that influences hair growth. Blue light is one of the lights found in natural sunlight; it regulates melatonin. 

A mask that aims blue light into one eye of a horse has become popular in recent years to manipulate mares' heat cycles, as well as to help show horses maintain a summer hair coat year-round.

Dr. Amanda Adams, an associate professor and specialist in equine immunology at the University of Kentucky, wanted to test whether the blue light would assist horses affected by PPID. Adams joined forces with Dr. Barbara Murphy, an assistant professor at University College Dublin's School of Agriculture and Food Science, in Ireland, and student, Dr. Ashton Miller. 

The team created a study using 18 PPID-positive horses of various breeds that were not being treated for their condition. 

The blue-light mask was used on eight of the horses from mid-July to late October. The masked horses received 14.5 hours of light per day, including naturally sunlit hours. The unmasked horses received 10.5 hours of blue light from the sun each day.

 The research team tested adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) levels, weight, temperature, heart, and respiratory rates multiple times throughout the study. None of these differed between the two groups. However, the weight of the individual hairs varied. Samples taken from behind the hip seven times were repeatedly lighter and shorter on the horses that were wearing the blue-light mask. This did not affect the mask-wearing horse's ability to grow winter coats. 

Though wearing a blue-light mask is not a cure for horses with PPID, it does alleviate some of the discomfort having a long, thick hair coat causes, the researchers concluded. 

Read more at The Horse. 

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