July Trainer Newsletter: Horses & Disciplines & Stalls, Oh My!

July 10, 2024

I don’t have a witty opening, I just simply cannot stress enough how important it is that you read this newsletter. The horse registration deadline is closing and the Final Entry period is looming. Both are mandatory for all Makeover trainers and failure to meet these deadlines will result in withdrawal from this year’s competition. This newsletter will cover the upcoming deadlines and other important updates.

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

Upcoming Webinars

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.

Upcoming webinars:

Thursday, July 25^th at 7pm EST: Completing Your Final Entry
The final entry form is the last step trainers must complete in order to compete in the Makeover. You will want to make sure it gets done correctly! Makeover co-show secretaries, Rayna Erasmus and Molly Hutchison, will walk you through the final entry process and answer your burning questions as we get closer to the event. Access via Zoom Video Conferencing (passcode: 981296) or live in the RRP TB Trainers Only Facebook group.

Wednesday, July 31^st at 1pm EST: Setting Up Your Marketplace Listing
Selling your horse via the Thoroughbred Makeover Marketplace? Makeover co-secretary Rayna Erasmus and RRP communications manager Kristen Kovatch Bentley will walk you through the process and share some best practices and tips for making your ad stand out and grab horse shoppers’ attention. PLEASE NOTE: This webinar will occur at 1pm. Access via Zoom Video Conferencing (passcode: 872622) or live in the RRP TB Trainers Only Facebook group.

There will be a Q&A session at the end of each webinar. Cannot attend live? Email secretary@therrp.org with your questions ahead of time.

Horse Registrations

All trainers must register their horses for the Makeover through the Trainer Portal by 5pm EST on July 31^st. Access the horse registration form by logging into the portal, scrolling down to the section titled My Entries, and selecting “Register a Thoroughbred” from the dropdown menu in the Actions column.

Please note:

All trainer entries without actively registered horses as of 5pm on July 31^st, 2024 will be withdrawn. Do not wait until the last minute to register your horses.
Individuals and team captains are responsible for registering the horses for their entries. Team members will not have access to the horse registration form for team entries.
Trainers may withdraw horses and register new ones through the portal as many times as needed until the July 31^st. After the deadline, trainers will be unable to swap or register new horses.
Once your registration is submitted, it is manually reviewed by one dedicated staff member before being published to the website. It may take several days, or even longer as we work through the last-minute registrations, for your horse’s status to change. We will contact you if there is a problem with your registration. Please give our staff some time to review and update your horse’s registration status. No news is good news.

What is Final Entry?

Trainers will select their horse’s discipline(s), reserve stabling, record microchip numbers, and register for the ASPCA Makeover Marketplace on their Final Entry form. The Final Entry form is open August 1^st, 2024 through August 15^th, 2024. All entries without a Final Entry form or unpaid fees as of August 15^th will be withdrawn. Individuals and team captains are responsible for submitting this form; team members do not have access to the Final Entry form. Tune into the Completing Your Final Entry webinar on July 25^th for more information.

Discipline Selections

This is your reminder that you have NOT YET entered your horse in a discipline. The Final Entry form is where you will enter your horse in up to two of the ten disciplines we offer. Please enter your horse in the discipline(s) they are adequately prepared for at the time of Final Entry submission. Once the Final Entry form closes, you CANNOT change your discipline.

A common mistake we see trainers make is entering a discipline their horse is not yet ready for in hopes that they will make enough progress in the final 6-8 weeks leading up to the Makeover. There is really not as much time between Final Entry close and the start of preliminary competition as we like to think. Rather than having to scratch because your plans to prepare your horse in the final month of training did not come to fruition, enter your horse in the discipline(s) they are prepared for at this stage. (For example: If you planned to enter in Show Hunter, but they are not yet jumping 2’6″ courses, plan to pivot to Dressage.) You are much more likely to find success in fine-tuning your horse’s current skills in your final weeks of Makeover preparation than you will in attempting to introduce new skills. The Makeover is just the beginning of your horse’s new career and the discipline you compete in at this event does not need to reflect your ultimate goals for the horse’s future.

FIELD HUNTERS: Trainers entering the Field Hunter division at Final Entry are required to submit a letter from a Masters of Foxhounds Association-recognized hunt certifying that the trainer has hunted first or second field at least twice in one formal hunt season within the past two years. The letter is due by August 15^th, 2024, and must be signed, dated, and on letterhead. A new letter must be provided each year for all participating individuals, team captains, and team members.

POLO: Trainers that enter Polo on their Final Entry form but did not originally indicate polo as their primary discipline on their application will be required to submit video demonstrating polo-specific skills such as short work and stick and ball work.

Marketplace Tips

If you intend to utilize the ASPCA Makeover Marketplace, a listing service exclusive to 2024 registered Makeover horses, start working on your ad now. Marketplace ads are due at 5pm EST on August 15^th. If you do not submit your ad by the deadline, it will not appear in the print catalog. A good sale ad needs good photos! Do not wait until last minute to snap a photo of your horse. Read this article for tips on how to take good sales photos and avoid other horse listing pitfalls. The Selling OTTBs section of our Education Library has a great collection of articles and previous webinars all geared towards successfully marketing your TB for sale.

Signing your horse up for a Marketplace listing is part of the Final Entry process. However, after you have selected your Marketplace listing type on your Final Entry form, you will need to complete the ad separately. Join the Setting Up Your Marketplace Listing webinar on July 31^st for more information on how to access and complete this form.

Microchips

All horses competing in the Thoroughbred Makeover must have a Jockey Club-registered microchip number recorded on their Final Entry which will be validated during their Arrival Exam. Failure to meet this requirement will result in the horse’s dismissal from competition. Trainers need to know their horse’s valid (registered and scannable) microchip number before completing the final entry form August 1^st-15^th as they will not be able to submit the form without the microchip number.

Please follow these steps to ensure your Makeover horse has a valid microchip number:

Scan your horse thoroughly with a microchip reader. This can be done by a veterinarian, or by the trainer themselves, with a microchip reader. Most North American horses will have their microchip inserted in the nuchal ligament on the left side of their crest. Some other countries (including Canada) insert the chip in the horse’s upper lip. Microchips can migrate so it is very important to scan the whole horse for any existing microchips.
If a microchip is found, use the Jockey Club’s microchip lookup tool to confirm whether or not that number is registered to your horse.
1. If it is, you are all set! Be sure to save the microchip number.
2. If it is NOT registered with the Jockey Club, use the Jockey Club’s microchip reporting tool to complete this step. A how-to video can be found here.
If a microchip is NOT found, purchase (and insert) a compliant microchip and register it with the Jockey Club.
1. Trainers needing to purchase a microchip may do so from whatever source they choose, as long as the serial number is 15 digits (ISO 11784/11785 compliant). The RRP shop and The Jockey Club both sell compliant microchips. Note that microchips, from whatever source, are not pre-registered to any databases. It is the responsibility of the owner to register them with the Jockey Club once inserted.
2. Once the microchip is inserted, use the Jockey Club’s microchip reporting tool to register the microchip to your Makeover horse. A how-to video can be found here.

If you encounter any issues with your horse’s microchip number, email secretary@therrp.org and inquiries@jockeyclub.com immediately. Do not wait until August to complete this process.

Clinic Sign-Up Reminder

We are so excited to be offering clinics 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. Clinics will follow a traditional format of a small group working with the clinician, who will be a judge from preliminary competition, while guided schooling will be short individual sessions allowing trainers and horses the opportunity to ride the course with input from the judge.

If you are interested in participating, stay tuned for more information. Sign-ups will be open September 3^rd through 25^th, spots are limited and available on a first come, first serve basis.

Make the Makeover

If you have not started your Make the Makeover fundraising campaign, you are leaving money on the table! Our Make the Makeover trainer-driven fundraiser runs through October 10th, 2024, and if you can raise $1,000 for the RRP through your fundraiser, you can get a $350 refund. So far, eleven 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.

Volunteer Sign-Ups Open

Our volunteer sign-up is live! The Makeover has always run off a small but dedicated army of volunteers; will you be one of them? Shift and positions are available to suit all schedules and experience levels. Please encourage any friends or family members that are coming to cheer you on to pick up a shift. Volunteer shifts can be scheduled around your ride times too!

All volunteers receive a hat, t-shirt, refreshments, lunch for all-day shifts, a discount in the RRP booth, and more!

Silent Auction Donations Needed

Do you have something you would be willing to donate to the silent auction? Our Makeover silent auction has become a meaningful fundraiser for the RRP and each year it has expanded its unique and diverse offerings of gifts, experiences, art, memorabilia, and more. We very much appreciate any donations you can offer or solicit from your community. More details about the silent auction are available here.

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