May Trainer Newsletter: Upcoming Deadlines, Makeover Updates, and other Events

May 24, 2024

The 2024 Thoroughbred Makeover is fast approaching! Now is the time to make sure you are prepared for the upcoming deadlines such as horse registrations, entry type changes, jumping video submissions, and more. The Real Rider Cup and the Thoroughbred Broodmare Transition Symposium are also going to be here before we know it. Additionally, please read this email in its entirety to learn about changes to Makeover competition venues and the exciting addition of post-preliminary competition clinics.

If your coach, parent/guardian, horse’s owner, etc. wishes to receive the trainer newsletters, they may sign up for the mailing list here.

Horse Registrations

Trainers are to register their horses as soon as they are acquired and must have a horse registered no later than July 31^st, 2024. If you do not register a horse by July 31^st, you will be assumed a scratch, and your entry will be withdrawn.

You may access the Makeover Horse Registration Form by selecting “Register a Thoroughbred” from the actions column dropdown menu next to the appropriate entry in the Trainer Portal. When completing any form in this section you must be logged in to the website using the account that you used when you submitted your trainer application. Once your registration is submitted it is reviewed and formatted to create a public profile on the website. It may take several days before your horse is published on the website. We will contact you if there is a problem with your registration.

Once your Horse Registration is submitted it will show up in the My Entries grid. From here you can check on the status of your registration, report your horse as sold or withdrawn, and add photos to your horse’s profile.

Team Captains are responsible for registering their team’s horse, uploading health documents, and completing the final entry form. These actions cannot be done through a team member’s Trainer Portal.

Late Applications, Additional Horses and Entry Type Changes

Do you know someone that wanted to compete in the 2024 TB Makeover who thinks they missed their chance to apply? Well, run and tell them they still have time to apply! Late applications are accepted through the Trainer Portal until 5pm EST on June 28^th, 2024. This deadline also applies to team captain and team member applications- consider this your reminder that EVERYONE competing on a team at the Makeover must submit their own application. There is a $100 fee collected on late applications.

If you are an already accepted trainer wishing to compete more horses than you originally applied to take, you are also in luck! The deadline to add more horses to your Makeover entry is 5pm EST on June 28^th, 2024. In order to increase your horse count, email secretary@therrp.org and request an invoice for the additional horse registration fee. Once the invoice is paid, our staff will change your horse count and you will be able to register the new horse. The invoice must be paid by the June 28^th deadline.

Trainers may elect to swap an entry status (from individual to team or vice versa) and/or add or remove team members up until June 28^th, 2024. If you would like to change your entry type, email secretary@therrp.org before June 28^th.

Jumping Restrictions

Anyone who intends to enter a jumping discipline on their final entry form in August must not have a limited non-jumping restriction. If you did not supply sufficient jumping video on your original application, you automatically received this restriction. If you would like to lift this restriction, you must email secretary@therrp.org by 5pm on June 28^th with the link to sufficient jumping video.

Video files are not accepted; please upload your video in the highest quality to a platform such as YouTube or Vimeo and send the direct link. The video must be less than 2 years old and show the rider jumping a full course (at least 8 jumps) of fences that are all 2’6″ or higher. Those that wish to compete in Eventing or Field Hunters must include an additional video of them jumping cross country fences that are 2’6″ or higher. This video may jump be a culmination of schooling clips as a video of a full cross-country course is not expected. Email secretary@therrp.org now with any questions.

Competition Venue Changes

We will not be using the Head of the Lake or Rolex Arena venues for the 2024 Thoroughbred Makeover. As some of you may know, we had to move Competitive Trail and Dressage out of these venues last year due to a concert that was happening in the Rolex Arena. This move proved to be in the best interest of the green horses that compete in the Thoroughbred Makeover and the decision has been made to not return to these venues in 2024. Dressage will take place in the Walnut Ring, Eventing Dressage in the Annex Ring, and Competitive Trail in the Three Day X-Country Field. The location of Field Hunters is still being determined. We understand this news may be disappointing to some. However, our goal is to provide a safe and positive experience for all participants and we believe this change is necessary.

Thoroughbred Makeover Clinics

We are very excited to announce that we will be adding a day of clinics and guided schooling opportunities to Makeover participants on Friday, October 11^th. Clinics and guided schooling will be offered at the conclusion of preliminary competition for horses and their trainers that did not qualify for the Finale Championships, and will be offered in the disciplines of dressage, show hunter, show jumper, and ranch work. We will still offer ticketed schooling in competition spaces prior to the start of preliminary competition; the new clinic and guided schooling options provide the opportunity for additional education from judges as well as a route to end the week on a good note for horses whose preliminary rounds may not have gone to plan.

Registration for clinics and guided schooling for Makeover participants will open in September, and a detailed schedule will be available by the end of September at TheRRP.org.

Real Rider Cup

Join the fun! The Real Rider Cup is a charity show jumping event featuring members of the racing industry competing on off-track Thoroughbreds. The 2024 dates for two competition legs in the heart of the Thoroughbred industries in Kentucky and Maryland. The Kentucky leg will take place on July 13^th at New Vocations at Mereworth Farm in Lexington, and the Maryland leg will once again kick off the Fair Hill Thoroughbred Show in Elkton on September 13^th. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Fair Hill Thoroughbred Show, New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program, and the Retired Racehorse Project.

Rider entry for both legs will open on June 3^rd at TheRealRiderCup.com. Sponsorships are available for the Real Rider Cup for both the Kentucky and Maryland events.

Thoroughbred Broodmare Transition Symposium

Save the date: Wednesday, July 10^th at Spy Coast Farm in Lexington, KY! Join the RRP for an afternoon of demonstrations and panel discussions geared towards educating trainers and riders about the unique needs of former broodmares. More information to come in early summer.

Make the Makeover

It’s not too late to earn back your entry fee, but the window is closing fast: our Make the Makeover trainer-driven fundraiser runs through October 10^th, 2024, and if you can raise $1,000 for the RRP through your fundraiser, you can get a $350 refund. So far, six trainers have reached that benchmark and many more are on their way!

PLUS, there are sweet prizes for our top fundraiser: an extra $500 bonus from the RRP, and a HERO PICO PEMF unit from sponsor Magnus Magnetica!

Makeover trainers entered as individuals or team captains must follow this link to set up their fundraising pages. Once created and approved, each trainer’s fundraising pages will be linked to their horse’s profile(s) on the entries list to help their efforts. Individual fundraisers cannot be combined. Fundraising closes October 10^th.

A targeted, specific ask (“I’m looking for ten friends to donate $10 this week”) – don’t forget to update your post or add a comment thanking public donors as you progress!
A status update on your fundraising total when you post a status update about your Makeover horse (“This week, we headed to our first horse show, etc etc. Our Make the Makeover fund is at $350! Only $650 to go to reach our goal!”)
Public acknowledgement of your public donors (“Thank you to my friend @Rayna Erasmus for supporting my journey to the Makeover!”)
Specific details about why the work of the RRP is important to support, or why you’re participating in the Thoroughbred Makeover this year
Don’t forget your horse’s connections: if you’re in touch with the breeder or former owner or trainer of your horse, they may be willing to support your journey as well, especially because a donation to Make the Makeover also shows their support of the biggest movement in aftercare through the RRP.

The RRP has more demands on its services and energy than ever, and we can’t keep serving an ever-expanding community of equestrians and the racing industry without support. The Makeover is the single biggest draw on our resources, both financial and human, and we’re asking you humbly for help. Let’s do this together. Thank you for your support!

The Retired Racehorse Project staff is here to help you have a successful and positive experience preparing your horse for the Thoroughbred Makeover and beyond. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out. Contact RRP Program Assistant, Molly Hutchison, by email at mhutchison@therrp.org or secretary@therrp.org.

All the best,

Molly