"I am still under the impression that there is nothing alive quite so beautiful as a Thoroughbred horse." -John Galsworthy
"The blood runs hot in the Thoroughbred and the courage runs deep.
In the best of them, pride is limitless. This is their heritage and
they carry it like a banner. What they have, they use." -C.W. Anderson
In the best of them, pride is limitless. This is their heritage and
they carry it like a banner. What they have, they use." -C.W. Anderson
Horses and Hope 2014 calendar preview: JULY!
The Retired Racehorse Training Project shows us that you don't have to be a rescue to make a big and positive difference in the horse world. The RRTP is working to connect the racing and riding horse worlds, and celebrate the Thoroughbred together, both by helping racing owners market their retired horses to suitable homes, and to riders, by helping them understand their versatile and athletic OTTBs. Shown above as "Mr. July" is Alluring Punch (Two Punch - Alluring Elixir, by Cute the Blues). The 4-year-old gelding was star of RRTP’s 100-Day Thoroughbred Challenge, and is well on his way to a second career in eventing. Online followers of the challenge voted him as the horse they would most want to own.
The RRTP's mission statement is "... to increase demand for retired Thoroughbred race horses as pleasure and sport horses through public events, clinics, training publications, videos and internet tools. Our mission is to facilitate the placement of retired Thoroughbred racehorses in second careers by educating the public about the history, distinctive characteristics, versatility of use, and appropriate care and training of the iconic American Thoroughbred."
If you have not yet read RRTP President Steuart Pittman's most excellent "Expanding the Market for Ex-Racehorses," I highly recommend it. And when you visit the RRTP's website, be sure to add your own Thoroughbred's pedigree to the Bloodline Brag database, where people can learn more about relatives of their own horses who are succeeding as pleasure and show horses.
If you've followed my RRTP coverage in the TDN and on this blog, you've learned about the hugely-successful Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, held earlier this month at Pimlico, the 2012 Trainer Challenge, and 2013's 100-Day Thoroughbred Challenge, held earlier in the year.
What's next for the RRTP? Today, they posted the following update on their Facebook page:
• Complete multi-media reports on 2013 TB Makeover and National Symposium
• Establish goals and format for 2014 TB Makeover and National Symposium
• Update Online Databases of Resources for owners, buyers, and sellers (go to retiredracehorsetraining.org to enter your business or group)
• Book Thoroughbred Makeover presence at major US horse expos (see us Nov. 1-3 at Virginia Equine Extravaganza)
• Review outside proposals for print and television production
• Review outside proposals for comprehensive marketing strategy to re-establish the Thoroughbred as America’s horse of choice
• Meet with Jockey Club, TOBA, and US Equestrian Federation to coordinate strategy
• Secure investments from individual and corporate partners to launch 2014 initiatives (go to our web site if you would like to support this work and click on How You Can Help under About Us)
Keep your eye out at the track, at horse expos, and at your local shows for more events from this exciting organization.
The RRTP is one of the many organizations featured in my 2014 Horses and Hope calendar. With the help of
Gina Keesling of HoofPrints, the 2012 and 2013 Horses and Hope calendars featured stories and photos of hundreds of horses. Thanks to the support of horse lovers everywhere, it raised thousands of dollars for One Horse At A
Time, helping hundreds of horses in need directly, and untold others
indirectly through increased public awareness. Now that we have two calendars'
worth of experience to draw upon, the 2014 version promises to be even more
exciting, even more creative, and as always, inspirational and positive.
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