Lexington, KY – The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) and Protequus, the company behind the NIGHTWATCH smart halter, today announced a holiday promotion benefitting the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP). Now through December 31, 2020, members of NTRA and approved affiliates will receive a 25% discount on their purchase of a NIGHTWATCH smart halter with a portion of the proceeds going benefitting the RRP. 

The NIGHTWATCH smart halter is an equine distress and wellness monitor that promotes early referral and intervention among horse owners while fostering more informed decision making by veterinarians and trainers through noninvasive remote monitoring of biometrics and behavior, automated alerts, and objective insight. Equestrian Jeffrey R. Schab started the NIGHTWATCH program in 2013. Since then, the company has invested millions of dollars in research and development, spoken to thousands of horse owners, trainers, breeders, and veterinarians, and partnered with leading research centers to refine and optimize the product’s benefit. Today, the smart halter is available to horses in the US and Canada. 

“We believe the NIGHTWATCH smart halter not only has the potential to save the lives of many horses through early referral and intervention, but also transform the broader animal health industry through data science and predictive analytics,” says Schab. “We are excited to partner with NTRA as their wide reach will allow the equine industry to come together for the benefit of these horses that we all love and value.”

The RRP, a national nonprofit dedicated to increasing demand for Thoroughbreds after racing in the equestrian world, will receive a portion of each sale of a NIGHTWATCH smart halter through the NTRA Advantage program between now and the end of the year. These proceeds will go toward putting on next year’s Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, which is expected to be the largest Thoroughbred retraining competition in history.

“We are so thankful to the NTRA and Mr. Schab for their generosity in including us in this effort, and to those who purchase smart halters in December. This technology has helped countless horses to have a safe and successful entry into the world and will surely help many more to do so in the upcoming foaling season,” said Jen Roytz, executive director of the RRP. “COVID-19 forced the postponement of this year’s Thoroughbred Makeover, but since horses are only eligible for the competition in their first year after racing, it was important to us to retain the opportunity to compete for our 2020 class. Next year we will host a double Makeover, with divisions and prize money for both 2020 and 2021-eligible horses.”

About Protequus

Protequus LLC is a biomedical engineering firm based in Austin, TX looking to transform the animal health industry through data science and predictive analytics for health, performance, and productivity outcomes. Founded in 2013 after the sudden loss of one of his horses to colic, Jeffrey R. Schab, an accomplished equestrian, biomedical engineer, and successful entrepreneur assembled a team of passionate science & technology professionals to create an early-warning solution to combat the devastating impact of colic, the leading natural cause of death in horses. Today, that solution is an AI-driven, IoT-enabled, predictive-health wearable known as the NIGHTWATCH smart halter that Forbes reports is “one of the most sophisticated IoT devices they’ve ever seen.” Learn more at protequus.com.

About NIGHTWATCH

The NIGHTWATCH smart halter is an all-natural leather breakaway halter with ~2.1 ounces of patented technology embedded in the crown that monitors data on a horse’s biometrics (heart rate and respiration) and behavior (activity level) in real time; issues automated alerts via text, call, and email; works across cellular and WiFi networks; offers GPS/geolocation; and adapts to each horse over time for maximum precision and benefit. Access to actionable insight, including a horse’s distress level (ie, EDI score), is available on demand 24/7 via a mobile App for iOS and Android devices. Learn more at smarthalter.com.

About NTRA

The NTRA, based in Lexington, Ky., is a broad-based coalition of more than 100 horse racing interests and thousands of individual stakeholders consisting of horseplayers, racetrack operators, owners, breeders, trainers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with increasing the popularity, welfare and integrity of Thoroughbred racing through consensus-based leadership, legislative advocacy, safety and integrity initiatives, fan engagement and corporate partner development. The NTRA owns and manages the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance; NTRA.com; the Eclipse Awards; the National Horseplayers Championship; NTRA Advantage Equine Discounts Program, a corporate partner sales and sponsorship program; and Horse PAC®, a federal political action committee. NTRA press releases appear on NTRA.com, Twitter (@ntra) and Facebook (facebook.com/1NTRA). 

About the RRP

The RRP, a national nonprofit dedicated to increasing demand for Thoroughbreds after racing in the equestrian world, will receive a portion of each sale of a NIGHTWATCH smart halter through the NTRA Advantage program between now and the end of the year. These proceeds will go toward putting on next year’s Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, which is expected to be the largest Thoroughbred retraining competition in history.

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 retired racehorse retraining clinics and programming at major horse expos and  events around the country, and maintains the Thoroughbred Sport Tracker (the internet’s only user-driven database tracking second career talent and accomplishments of registered Thoroughbreds and their bloodlines. Visit the RRP online at TheRRP.org.