June Trainer Newsletter: Midyear Deadlines & Webinar

June 05, 2026

Not to panic y’all, but we are OVER halfway to the Makeover. The month of June comes with a lot of deadlines to consider and some exciting additions to the event! Read this email in its entirety to ensure you are on the right track.

Staying in the loop

Our staff will keep Makeover Trainers aware of any upcoming opportunities or changes primarily through emails like this one. It is very important that you regularly check your email for communications from RRP staff.
If your coach, parent/guardian, horse’s owner, etc. wishes to receive the trainer newsletters, they may sign up for the mailing list here.

As a general reminder, if you have any questions or concerns related to the Makeover, please check the rulebook and email secretary@therrp.org. Social media is not an appropriate way to contact us and may result in inaccurate information from non-staff members.

Next Week’s Webinar

The RRP organizes several webinars on key subjects for Makeover trainers throughout the year. Webinars are accessible via Zoom Video Conferencing and are also posted to YouTube for viewing after the fact.

Graduate Classes & Midyear Trainer Check-In: June 10^th, 2026 6:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada). Join RRP Program Manager, Rayna Erasmus, to discuss upcoming deadlines for 2026 Makeover competitors and the addition of Graduate Classes to this year’s event! There will be a live Q&A session for both topics. This webinar will be recorded and posted to YouTube for those who cannot attend live. Questions can be emailed ahead of time to secretary@therrp.org with the subject line “June 10th Webinar.”
- Join on Zoom here (passcode:747488). Phone one-tap:
  +13017158592,,82627387105#,,,,*228263# US (Washington DC)
  +13052241968,,82627387105#,,,,*228263# US

Graduate Classes

If you managed to miss the exciting announcement, we are adding Graduate Classes to the 2026 Thoroughbred Makeover! These classes are open exclusively to any horse that was registered for the Thoroughbred Makeover in previous years, including those that are under new ownership or were withdrawn prior to the competition. Learn more about eligibility, disciplines, and entry procedures here.

Jump Restrictions: Three Weeks to Lift

If you were accepted with a limited non-jumping restriction and are now considering entering a jumping discipline at the Makeover, you must submit your jumping video by 5pm EST on June 26^th.

A link to a video of you jumping a full course (minimum of 8 fences) that are all 2’6″ or higher must be emailed to secretary@therrp.org by the deadline. Please include the date the video was filmed and a brief description. If you are considering Field Hunters or Eventing, you must also include a link to a video of you jumping various types of cross country fences that are all Beginner Novice (2’7″) height or higher. All videos must be filmed within two years of submission.

If you are unsure of your jumping restriction status, please check the My Entries table in the Trainer Portal. A message stating “*Currently limited to non-jumping disciplines for competition” will be visible for all participants limited to flat only disciplines. If you are still uncertain, please email secretary@therrp.org.

Entry Changes: Three Weeks to Rectify

If you are considering changing your entry from a Team Captain to an Individual, or vice versa, you must request this change by 5pm EST on June 26^th. Entry types cannot be changed after the deadline and are not available through the Portal. You must email secretary@therrp.org to request such changes.

Horse Count: Three Weeks to Add

If you would like to compete more horses at the 2026 Thoroughbred Makeover than you originally applied to bring, you must request to increase your horse count by 5pm EST on June 26^th. Your horse count cannot be increased through the Portal, you must email secretary@therrp.org to request an invoice for an additional horse registration fee. Once paid, your horse count will be increased.
Please note: Adding a non-compete/companion horse to your entry is a separate process that must be done on the Final Entry form in August.

Trainer Applications: Three Weeks to Submit

Remember that friend or student of yours that has been debating competing in the Makeover this year? Well, it is time for you to give them another nudge because late application submissions close at 5pm EST on June 26^th. Late applications cannot be considered after this deadline. This includes team members and captains. If you are supposed to be on a team and are unsure if all of your teammates have applied, email us to verify.

There is nothing better than competing at the Makeover and celebrating retraining victories with friends. Don’t let your pals miss out on the Makeover! Help your buddies get their applications submitted through the Trainer Portal before it is too late.

Horse Registrations Close in July

Trainers must register their horses by 5pm EST on July 28^th. All entries without an active horse registration as of July 28 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.

If you have your horse now, there is no reason to delay. If you end up deciding to bring a different horse instead, you can withdraw your active registration and register a new horse as many times as you would like before the July 28^th deadline without penalty.

Once your Horse Registration is submitted, you will see your horse’s name 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.

Discipline Selections Open in August

It is time to assess your current stage of retraining with your Makeover hopeful and start thinking ahead! Looking at the discipline(s) you had originally intended to compete in at the Makeover, how is your horse progressing towards those goals? Are you on the right trajectory to compete to the level required at the Makeover in October? Do you have shows, lessons, clinics, outings, etc. planned between now and August to help solidify your decision?

Please don’t start panicking and comparing your progress to others. That is not the point here. No horse is the same. However, keeping track of the timeline and having a flexible plan over the next few months is going to be crucial to your success! You may have a few setbacks or life may simply get in the way between now and Final Entry in August. So, come up with a backup plan! There are TEN different disciplines offered at the Thoroughbred Makeover. Take a look at the format of each discipline and start incorporating some training sessions for other disciplines that may be a good fit for your horse. Use the Trainer’s group to ask your fellow competitors for advice on how to prepare for certain disciplines or overcome hurdles in the retraining process. Sometimes setting your horse up for success means moving the goalpost, and that is okay.

Remember: The discipline formats for the Thoroughbred Makeover often differ from the discipline’s traditional competition format. Review all of the discipline formats in the rulebook. If you are thinking of trying a new discipline, that is fantastic! Just take the process seriously. Know the rules, prepare your horse, and be a positive ambassador for the Thoroughbred breed in all disciplines of sport. If you are considering Polo, you must email videos of you demonstrating skills specific to Polo to secretary@therrp.org by June 26^th. If you are considering Field Hunting, you must have experience in the hunt field and be able to provide a recommendation letter that meets the requirements detailed on page 15 of the rulebook by Final Entry submission in August.

Scholarships and Incentives

Scholarships and incentive programs are some of the many excellent ways to offset the costs of Makeover registration and entry fees.

If you acquired your 2026 Makeover horse from a Right Horse Partner, you are eligible for the 2026 ASPCA Right Horse Scholarship. Thanks to generous funding from the ASPCA’s 2025 Reimagining Racers grant, up to 50 eligible horses will receive a scholarship with a minimum value of $405. There is no scholarship application; all you have to do is submit your horse’s registration form and correctly identify the qualifying organization that you acquired your horse from. Spots are limited and the sooner you submit your horse’s registration, the more likely you are to receive the scholarship funding. If you believe your horse is eligible for the scholarship or if you would like to acquire a scholarship eligible horse, please visit the scholarship page for more information.

There are several other programs that offer our trainers incentives for taking a horse to the Makeover. Check the Makeover Incentive Offers page to see if your horse qualifies!

Earn back your Makeover fees!

Make the Makeover is back! This is an opportunity for YOU to earn back your Makeover fees and help produce this year’s Thoroughbred Makeover.

Accepted 2026 Individual and Team Captain trainers are eligible to participate and raise money for the RRP through peer-to-peer fundraising on Give Lively. Makeover fee refunds are earned at the following benchmarks:

Raise $1,000+ and earn a $350 refund of your Registration Fees
Raise $3,000+ and earn an additional refund of $405 (equivalent to Final Entry Fee’s first discipline fee + one stall)

Additional prizes for top fundraiser(s) to be announced soon!

Raising $1,000+ may seem daunting, but the previous two years have shown us that it is absolutely achievable. Time is still on your side, but don’t delay getting started! It’s the perfect time to make some progress before the busyness of spring and summer really set in. Just like in training your Makeover hopefuls, setting small weekly or monthly goals is an effective way to make steady progress and hold yourself accountable over time.

So what are you waiting for?! Start your fundraiser here. Any accepted individual trainer or team captain is eligible to participate and create a fundraising page; team members are not eligible but are encouraged to share the pages created by their team captain. Individual fundraisers cannot be combined. Check out last year’s campaign guide for fundraising tips! Please reach out if you have any questions – we’re happy to help!

Horse BCS and EHV-1

The Makeover serves as a showcase for the Thoroughbred breed, making it especially important that the horses competing are a healthy representation of the breed. For this reason, we have strict requirements regarding health documentation and body condition.

Upon arrival, every horse will be assessed by a veterinary team and must pass the exam in order to compete. This includes the assessment of temperature, pulse, respiration, body condition score, soundness at the walk, examination of any swelling or blemishes, verification of horse’s identity via microchip scan, and verification of health records on file. Please see pages 38-42 of the rulebook for more information on arrival exam procedures.

Now is the time to discuss your horse’s body condition with your veterinarian to ensure you are on the right track. All horses must be scored a body condition score of 4 or higher during the arrival exam in order to compete. Body condition will be determined using the Henneke Body Condition Score Chart, which can be found on page 96 of the rulebook.

Remember that the Thoroughbred Makeover has very strict health documentation and vaccination requirements. Proof of vaccination for equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1 or “Rhino”) is required and records must reflect vaccine administration no more than six months (April 5, 2026) and no less than 14 days (September 21, 2026) prior to arrival at the Kentucky Horse Park. Every horse at the Kentucky Horse Park during the Makeover must have been vaccinated for EHV-1 between April 5^th and September 21^st, 2026.

Do not take this lightly. Horses whose most recent EHV-1 vaccination falls before April 5 or after September 21 will NOT be permitted to compete under any circumstance. This timeline also applies to any graduate, non-compete, or companion horses at the event. See more information on health documentation requirements starting on page 39 of the rulebook.

There are only three acceptable forms of vaccination documentation:

Bill/receipt with vet practice name, contact info, date, and horse’s name, indicating EHV-1 administration.
A letter on practice letterhead, signed and dated, certifying administration
Name and vaccine type noted by veterinarian on signed health certificate/import documents

If you have any concerns regarding your horse’s ability to pass the arrival exam, do not hesitate to email secretary@therrp.org to discuss these concerns ahead of time.

Educational Library

The RRP has an extensive and FREE educational library available online full of information about transitioning Thoroughbreds, from care and nutrition to track life to training tips. You’ll find our past educational webinars recorded here too! (Trainer webinars are linked in your portal.) Check out the free RRP Educational Library at TheRRP.org/library.

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 by emailing secretary@therrp.org.

All the best,

Rayna