Bethany P Photography

Whether you were the breeder, racing owner, or track trainer of a Thoroughbred who has retired from racing and gone on to a second career, chances are good that the new owner of that horse would love to stay in touch and give you regular updates!

Many owners and riders of off-track Thoroughbreds (OTTBs) find it a point of pride that their horse had first career in the racing industry, and appreciate the fact that many aspects of a racehorse’s life are well-documented during its racing years. More and more OTTB owners are honoring their horse’s “first life” by keeping their Jockey Club-registered name as the horse’s formal competition name, making it easier than ever for racing connections to keep track of their horses in equestrian sport databases or on social media. If you’ve lost track of a retired racehorse, searching his Jockey Club name on social media or online is a good place to start to track him down.

You can also look for your horse on the Thoroughbred Makeover entry list on this website. The entry list includes the Makeover trainer’s name and hometown, as well as any web or social links the trainer opted to include, allowing you to reach out to say hello. A full archive of past Makeover participants and their trainers at the time will be available in a future update of this site.

Connections who choose to stay in touch with their former horses are often rewarded with regular updates including photos or videos from recent competition or training. Sharing these updates as a racing entity can be a ready-made feel-good story for your website or social media — racing fans in turn love to know where the former stars of the track ended up in retirement.

Your willingness to share contact information with listing agents, resellers, or non-profit adoption organizations helps to bridge the gap between the racing and equestrian industries, and normalizes the transition from the track to the show ring for our equine athletes.