The third annual Thoroughbred Aftercare Summit on Tuesday, October 12 will kick off a week of Thoroughbred-centered activities at the Retired Racehorse Project’s Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America. The Thoroughbred Aftercare Summit is the joint effort of the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP), Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA), The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.), and Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA), and is a conference focused on education and networking among those with a professional interest in the retraining and rehoming of Thoroughbreds after racing.
The Thoroughbred Aftercare Summit will consist of four panel discussion sessions: “Proper Financials and Reporting;” “Best Practices for Rehabbing and Marketing Horses Retired Due to Injury;” “How the Pandemic Has Changed the Face of Fundraising;” and “Navigating Common Challenges Aftercare Organizations Face.” The panels and discussions offer opportunities for individuals and organizations to discuss and idea-share on challenges unique to Thoroughbred aftercare.
“Each year we work to curate session topics pertinent to those with a professional interest in aftercare, whether that be on the nonprofit side or in the private sector,” said RRP executive director Jen Roytz. “This year’s lineup of topics and speakers is a reflection of the current challenges many organizations and individuals are facing and will hopefully offer solutions and opportunities for meaningful dialogue.”
Confirmed panelists include Dr. Stuart Brown, DVM, Vice President of Equine Safety at Keeneland; Anna Ford, program director at New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program; Karen Gustin, executive director of Kentucky Equine Adoption Center; Beverly Strauss, co-founder and executive director of MidAtlantic Horse Rescue; and Matt Thacker, Finance and Data Manager at TAA. Panelists will be updated at TBMakeover.org/aftercare-summit.
The conference is a collaboration of the four presenting organizations in an effort to bring together the Thoroughbred aftercare community in what is already the largest gathering of both individuals and organizations who have a vested interest in Thoroughbreds after their racing days are over.
“The pandemic continues to influence how aftercare operates and constantly presents new challenges to these organizations,” said TCA executive director Erin Crady. “The focus of this year’s Summit is intended to help organizations face not only the normal challenges of aftercare but the unique tests of working and fundraising during a pandemic.”
“The TAA is thrilled to once again participate in the Aftercare Summit,” said TAA operations consultant Stacie Clark. “Our newly acquired Finance and Data Manager Matt Thacker has been invaluable to the TAA and we are eager for him to share his insights during the summit. The advancement of aftercare governance and financing protocols is instrumental to the success of our collective mission to facilitate Thoroughbreds retiring from racing.”
Registration is required, which can be done online at the link on the TBMakeover.org/aftercare-summit. The cost to participate is $10 per person, which will be collected as a donation and awarded as a 50-50 to a randomly selected aftercare organization in attendance. Registration will also include access to the live stream of the conference via Zoom so attendees can participate from anywhere in the world.
The Thoroughbred Aftercare Summit will be held in the TCA Covered Arena Lounge at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky on Tuesday, October 12 from 1:00 to 4:00 PM. It is held in conjunction with the TCA Thoroughbred Makeover, a training competition for horses in their first year of retraining after retirement from racing. This year’s edition also features competition for horses from the postponed 2020 event which have had up to two years of retraining, competing separately. Over 500 horses between both competition years are expected to attend and compete across ten disciplines, including barrel racing, competitive trail, dressage, eventing, field hunter, freestyle, polo, ranch work, show hunter and show jumper. The full schedule of events can be found at TBMakeover.org.
For more information about the Thoroughbred Aftercare Summit, please visit TBMakeover.org/aftercare-summit.
About the Retired Racehorse Project
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 organization also publishes Off-Track Thoroughbred Magazine, hosts off-track Thoroughbred retraining clinics and programming at major horse expos and events around the country, and maintains the online Thoroughbred Sport Tracker (the internet’s only user-driven database tracking second career talents and accomplishments of registered Thoroughbreds). Visit the RRP online at TheRRP.org.
About the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance
Based in Lexington, Ky., the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that accredits, inspects, and awards grants to approved aftercare organizations to retrain, rehome, and retire Thoroughbreds using industry-wide funding. Along with continued funding from its original partners Breeders’ Cup, The Jockey Club, and Keeneland Association, the TAA is supported by owners, trainers, breeders, racetracks, aftercare professionals, and other industry members. Since inception in 2012, the TAA has granted more than $20.7 million to accredited aftercare organizations. Currently 81 aftercare organizations supporting approximately 180 facilities across North America have been granted accreditation. To learn more about the TAA, visit ThoroughbredAftercare.org.
About Thoroughbred Charities of America
TCA funds and facilitates the support of Thoroughbreds and the people who care for them. TCA distributes grants to several categories of Thoroughbred-related nonprofits including rehabilitation, retraining, rehoming and retirement organizations; backstretch and farm employee programs; equine-assisted therapy programs; and research organizations. Since its inception in 1990, TCA has granted over $25 million to more than 200 charities. TCA is the charitable arm of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA).
About The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program
Created and announced in October 2011, The Jockey Club T.I.P. recognizes and rewards the versatility of the Thoroughbred through sponsorship of Thoroughbred classes and high point awards at sanctioned horse shows, year-end performance awards, a recreational riding program, and non-competition awards. Additional information about T.I.P. is available at tjctip.com and on the T.I.P. Facebook page at facebook.com/tjctip.
The Jockey Club, founded in 1894 and dedicated to the improvement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing, is the breed registry for North American Thoroughbreds. In fulfillment of its mission, The Jockey Club, directly or through subsidiaries, provides support and leadership on a wide range of important industry initiatives, and it serves the information and technology needs of owners, breeders, media, fans and farms. It founded America’s Best Racing (americasbestracing.net), the broad-based fan development initiative for Thoroughbred racing, and in partnership with the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, operates OwnerView (ownerview.com), the ownership resource. Additional information is available at jockeyclub.com.
Contact: Kristen Kovatch Bentley
Retired Racehorse Project
kbentley@therrp.org | 410-798-5140