I feel so fortunate to live just 12 miles from the world-renowned Kentucky Horse Park. It means I can attend amazing events like the Thoroughbred Makeover, which is the largest retraining competition in the world for recent off the track thoroughbreds (OTTBSs). This competition showcases how well this magnificent breed can be retrained for other disciplines in a relatively short period of time.
I went for the first time last year and was delighted and inspired by all the horses and competitors. People bring horses from all over the country for this event. I was especially gratified to see so many trainers using liberty techniques.
This year there are 482 trainers and 505 horses competing in 10 disciplines – Barrel Racing, Competitive Trail, Dressage, Eventing, Field Hunter, Polo, Ranch Work, Show Hunter, Show Jumper and Freestyle. Prelimary rounds are held Wednesday and Thursday, and the top 5 from each category move on to the finale competition on Saturday.
I’m excited that several horse people I know will be competing:
- Charlotte Cannon – I met Charlotte through our mutual friend and horse girl Jen Rohlen Barker and attend a clinic she did at Sharon Ward’s Ward Family Farm in Missouri in late March. I can’t wait to see how her horse responds to The Cannon Method!
- Kelsey Preston with Ms. Angelica – Kelsey is the barn manager at Chasing the Sun in Wallingford, KY, where we board our thoroughbred yearling Daisy.
- Courtney Trares with Kee She – I met Courtney at Equine Affaire in March when we were both waiting for a Warwick Schiller clinic to begin. She puts on some amazing events at her Full Circle Farm in Michigan. If she lived closer, I’d go to every single one!
Are you going?? I’d love to know!
Learn more about the Thoroughbred Makeover
