Retired Racehorse Project Brings Racing and Riding Worlds Together

The following is a post from Thoroughbred Racing Commentary.

Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) President, Steuart Pittman, discusses bridging the gap between the racing world and the riding world to benefit the Thoroughbred breed. Here he describes Thoroughbred aftercare as a three-legged stool. The first leg involves the nonprofit organizations that take in unwanted horses who are not marketable because of soundness problems, temperament problems, or low demand for riding horses in a given area. The second leg is the work of preventing horses from becoming unwanted. This includes the work of the RRP and The Jockey Club’s Thoroughbred Incentive Program. The third leg of the aftercare stool is helping racing owners connect with the riding market when they have a sound horse that is ready to retire. For this the Communication Alliance to Network Thoroughbred Ex-Racehorses (CANTER) provides a listing service for racing trainers and owners who are looking to rehome their horses. The RRP also offers an extensive “Horse Listing” page on its website featuring more than 200 horses for sale or adoption.

“So what is generally termed the ‘aftercare industry’ is really more than the literal meaning of the word ‘aftercare.’ In fact, when people hear words like ‘rescue’ and ‘aftercare,’ they assume that racing left horses in poor condition. That sentiment is not good for racing and it’s not good for efforts to market these athletes in other sports,” says Pittman.