Photo by Captivation Media

Taking place October 8-11 at the Kentucky Horse Park, the 2025 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America, celebrated its tenth anniversary in its current location and overall format. Debuting a new Championships model that welcomed back the top ten horses in each discipline and both expanded prize money and payout structure, the 2025 edition of the largest and most lucrative retraining competition for recently-retired Thoroughbreds crowned ten champions and welcomed a wide turnout of spectators, including plenty of former racing connections.

“After 10 years, it was a good time to make some updates to freshen the Makeover experience for all involved,” said RRP executive director Kirsten Green. “The quality of riding and horsemanship has improved over the past decade, and it felt appropriate to showcase and reward that in ten independent discipline championships that showcased more horses than the previous Finale format.”

The Thoroughbred Makeover is the banner event of the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP), a 501(c)3 charitable organization dedicated to increasing demand for Thoroughbreds beyond racing, and was created not only to showcase the trainability and athleticism of the horse in its first year post-racing but also to inspire more equestrians to get involved with the breed. The event has also become a gathering place for Thoroughbred enthusiasts both in the racing and breeding industry as well as the equestrian industry.

Before they competed in up to two of ten equestrian disciplines during preliminary competition, the over 240 entered horses completed an Arrival Exam, which set a benchmark for the basic health of the equine competitors at the Makeover. Trainers provided necessary paperwork including vaccination records and veterinary teams recorded vital signs, looked horses over for blemishes or swellings, noted body conditions, and assessed basic soundness at the walk to ensure horses could comfortably move around the Kentucky Horse Park. This year’s arrival exam was led by RRP board member and consulting veterinarian Dr. Shannon Reed, DACVS-LA, of Texas A&M, with support from veterinarians from Hagyard Equine Medical Institute. The Arrival Exam was supported by Health & Wellness sponsors, including Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, Radiology Rules, Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, Merck Animal Health, Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, and Zoetis Equine.

The Makeover Marketplace, sponsored by Churchill Downs, offered a unique horse shopping opportunity. Photo by Captivation Media

Preliminary competition took place on October 8 and 9, featuring barrel racing, competitive trail, dressage, eventing, field hunter, polo, ranch work, show hunter, show jumper, and freestyle (a free-form discipline showcasing skills of the competitor’s choosing). At the conclusion of preliminary competition, the ten top-placed horses were invited back to Saturday’s Championships rounds, competing on blank-slate scores for their piece of $139,000 in prize money. Special awards, sponsored by individuals and organizations to support their own causes and initiatives, were awarded at Saturday evening’s Awards Party, sponsored by University of Louisville Equine Industry Program, the McIntosh Group, and Wasabi Aftercare Fund. Preliminary winners as well as top amateurs, juniors, teams and broodmares were also honored in the evening.

The Thoroughbred Makeover was also a shopping opportunity, with over 70 horses offered for sale or adoption by their trainers and owners or organizations. The Makeover Marketplace, sponsored by Churchill Downs, offering attendees the unique opportunity to watch sale horses perform, take trial rides in a designated arena, and vet prospects on-site. Additionally, a vibrant vendor fair, moved to an outdoor tented row on Jay Trump Drive, gave spectators and competitors alike a great shopping experience.

Education is a key cornerstone of the work of the RRP, and Friday gave spectators and competitor several opportunities to develop their knowledge: seminars, sponsored by Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, covered the topics of pre-purchase exams and racing injuries’ prognosis for second careers. Clinics, sponsored by Achieve Equine, took place on Friday as well in four disciplines, offering Makeover trainers the opportunity to end their weeks on a good note as well as welcome back graduate horses to develop their competitive skills.

Clinics returned to the 2025 Thoroughbred Makeover to allow both the current class and graduate horses to further their development. Photo by Captivation Media

Formal dates and an updated rulebook for the 2026 Thoroughbred Makeover will be available in the coming weeks at theRRP.org.