February Trainer Newsletter: Trainer Fundraiser, Marketing Opportunities, & Educational Resources

February 26, 2024

Earn a refund on your 2024 entry fees by participating in the new “Make the Makeover” fundraiser, find your audience in sharing your horse’s retraining journey, and start the process off right by utilizing RRP’s educational resources! Read the entirety of this month’s Trainer Newsletter for more details.

Make the Makeover

Last week, we accepted an incredible group of trainers to the Makeover class of 2024. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or a first time participant, you’ll see that it truly takes a village to prepare for and create the Makeover each year. We want to encourage each of you to invite others to be a part of your journey by fundraising amongst your community, helping you cross the finish line to Kentucky and allowing the Makeover and the vital mission of the RRP to continue for years to come!

Even the smallest donations can have massive impacts; by giving to one, you give to all! Each contribution to an individual trainer fundraiser through the 2024 Make the Makeover campaign can help you earn refunded entry fees, AND help produce the biggest movement in Thoroughbred aftercare, the Thoroughbred Makeover.

So how do you participate?

All eligible trainers who raise $1,000 or more through peer-to-peer fundraising for the RRP will earn the $350 refund. An additional top prize will be available for the trainer who raises the most funds. Only Makeover trainers entered as individuals or team captains are eligible to create a fundraising page (please set up your page here); team members are encouraged to share the pages created by their team captain. 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.

Stay tuned for fundraising tips, encouragement, and other trainer specific updates over the next few months in your trainer newsletters. We are excited to see the impact of your unique stories on the continuation of the Makeover and are here to support you every step of the way.

Marketing Opportunities: Share Your Journey on the Public Stage

As we mentioned in last week’s webinar, several publications and podcasts have opened up opportunities for Makeover trainers to tell their stories. See details on specific opportunities below:

America’s Best Racing is once again hosting its Makeover Diaries series for trainers to share a monthly written update on their retraining process. The ideal applicant has an angle that will relate them to a racing-focused audience. Bloggers should be prepared to furnish 2-3 photos with each monthly entry. To apply, please email kbentley@therrp.org with your name, your Makeover hopeful’s Jockey Club name, and a max of 400 words about what makes your story appealing to ABR’s audience. Applications due by 2/29.

Eventing Nation is seeking four bloggers with an eventing background who intend to produce their Makeover hopefuls for the Eventing discipline. Contact sally@eventingnation.com with your name, your horse’s Jockey Club name, and a max of 400 words on why your story will appeal to Eventing Nation’s audience. Applications due by 3/1.

Horse Nation is seeking four bloggers from varied discipline backgrounds whose stories will appeal to a wide variety of readers. Contact deann@horsenation.com with your name, your horse’s Jockey Club name, and a max of 400 words on why your story will appeal to Horse Nation’s wide readership. Applications due by 3/1.

The Retired Racehorse Radio podcast is seeking four recurring guests to rotate through episodes this spring, summer and fall. The ideal applicant should be comfortable with speaking candidly about their journey, and must be available for a minimum of Wednesday evening recording each month at 7 PM EST. Apply here. Applications due 2/29.

The OTTB On Tap podcast is seeking four recurring guests from diverse backgrounds to chronicle their Makeover journeys across three episodes pre-Makeover and one episode post-Makeover. Apply here. Applications due 2/29.

Educational Resources

We know all of you are at varying stages with your Makeover hopefuls, or may still be searching for them, and we want to do our part to provide you with the tools needed to make every step of your retraining journey a successful one. As accepted Makeover trainers, you have unique access to educational resources that we encourage you all to utilize! What follows is a breakdown of some of the many opportunities available to you.

The RRP has once again partnered with Ride iQ, the innovative app that gives its members access to hundreds of on-demand audio lessons taught by world-class equestrians. Now through March 1, new subscribers can code RRP25 to save 25% off their first payment for Ride iQ, and will receive a FREE “OTTBs: 60 Days to Build the Foundation” training plan that includes a daily schedule of lessons and unmounted listening to help riders introduce the basics. (Click here for more information on how to create a Ride iQ account and log in.)

We offer a robust collection of educational articles and webinars centered around the OTTB on topics such as buying and selling, care and nutrition, soundness, Thoroughbred careers, track life, and training. The entirety of the educational library is now accessible to everyone — no subscription needed!

If you are currently unable to ride your Makeover hopeful for any reason, watch the recording of our webinar: How to Train When You Can’t Ride. There is still plenty of progress you can make without being under saddle!

Some other articles to consider as you prepare your horses for a successful second career and positive Thoroughbred Makeover experience are Re-Educating the OTTB, Maximum Exposure, and The Show Ring Debut.

The RRP organizes several webinars on key subjects for Makeover trainers throughout the year. Webinars are accessible via Zoom Video Conferencing and Facebook Live and are also posted to YouTube for viewing after the fact. We’ll have upcoming webinars finalized in the next few weeks and will keep you updated.

Access previous webinars:
Did you miss our first webinar, Welcome to the #TBMakeover Class of 2024? The recording is now available here. This webinar went over all of the important information that was provided in your acceptance letter and then some in order to get you started successfully on the road to Kentucky, so you will definitely want to make sure you are caught up!

There’s a wealth of information available in past webinar recordings relating to nutrition, hoof care, scoping for ulcers, and more. See our YouTube channel or the Education Library to find these recordings.

Future webinar recordings related to the Makeover will be available in the 2024 Thoroughbred Makeover playlist on our YouTube channel.

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