Supplying Demand Sarah K. Andrew

Steuart Pittman and While there are many things the industry cannot agree on, the one issue with the Retired Racehorse near universal support is ensuring find new homes after their racing days are Project aim to bring demand for over. But not everyone agrees on how to achieve that goal. Thoroughbreds in For Steuart Pittman, a nationally known , and jumping instructor and other disciplines clinician based in , the answer can be distilled into one word—marketing. That’s why By Shelby O’Neill the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP), the organization he founded in 2010, focuses not on a palliative approach to the problem of ex-racehorses but instead on a curative one—increasing the demand for Thoroughbreds in other disciplines outside of racing. “I’m not sure that the plight of ex-racehorses is my motivation,” Pittman said. “I find it hard to pity a horse; I admire them too much to feel sorry for them. I do, however, pity the people who never get to experience these or who never learn how to get along with them. If Winston Churchill was right that the outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man, then I swear you can triple that ‘good’ when the horse is a Thoroughbred. That’s really what I am after—more people with more Thoroughbreds doing more things. It’s just good all around.” Growing up in Maryland’s horse country, Pittman remembers when Thoroughbreds were in vogue for many different equestrian endeavors. Dodon Farm covers 550 acres in Davidsonville, not far from Annapolis, and as part of the eighth generation of family members to own that farm, Pittman knew from an early age that horses would always be a big part of his life. As a child, he rode in the hunt field, raced ponies, competed in dressage and eventing and soon found himself falling in love with Thoroughbred racehorses. “When I was a small boy, my father would take me around the corner to Larking Hill Farm,

40 AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 Supplying Demand Retired Racehorse Project Retired Steuart Pittman is a nationally known eventing, dressage and jumping instructor and clinician who also has a passion for Thoroughbreds and increasing the demand for racehorses off the track. where Fendall Clagett had a training center and breeding opera- Racehorse Training Symposium, giving him an opportunity to serve tion,” Pittman recalled. “I was obsessed with his two , Bold as an ambassador for the Thoroughbred breed to the broader eques- Ambition and . To me, they were the most trian world of showing and eventing. magnificent creatures on earth. Later, when I was in the hunt “We did the symposium to see whether there was demand for field on my 12- pony, the hounds and foxes were only mildly education and promotion in this area, and the answer from the 350 interesting to me. It was all about Al Smith’s and John Myers’ participants was a resounding yes,” Pittman said. “That’s when we got racehorses for me. And then came the Tuesday-night summer to work.” cookouts at Flee and Charles Stisteds’ next door. Flee was a trainer, The Retired Racehorse Training Project (the word “Training” has groom and exercise rider, and her daughter Jenny was a . Most since been dropped) was founded the very next year with a clear focus of the cookout regulars worked at Bowie or Laurel, and I loved those in mind—it was not to be a rescue organization. people almost as much as I loved the horses they sold me. I never “The phenomenon of horse rescues for ex-racehorses arose in actually worked at the track, but I was jealous of everybody who did.” response to the decline in the market for Thoroughbreds in second Pittman grew up to train and sell horses for jumping, eventing and careers, and they are an important safety net,” Pittman said. “I cringe dressage, and throughout his career, he has seen the prominence of when I hear the word ‘rescue’ applied to the act of acquiring a horse Thoroughbreds in those disciplines wane dramatically. off the track. To me, a rescue is acquiring a horse from neglect or “We started RRP because there had been a decline in the popular- on its way to the killer. I also dislike the word ‘aftercare’ unless it is ity of Thoroughbreds in equestrian sports, and that [made me mad],” applied to lay-up situations. If we want to create demand for these he said. “In 1982, 40 percent of the horses registered for equestrian horses, we should be talking about the fact that they leave the track competition in the U.S. were Thoroughbreds. In 2010, that number professionally trained, fit and proven as athletes. ‘Rescue’ and ‘after- was down to 10 percent. Breed associations market their horses ag- care’ are effective words for fundraising but not for marketing horses. gressively for sports in which they excel, but nobody was marketing “Higher demand for horses off the track means higher prices, and Thoroughbreds outside of racing. Nobody else was approaching the those prices should ultimately be paying for the training and transi- issue from this marketing perspective. To me, it was common sense.” tion from racing,” he continued. “Higher prices should also be re- In 2009, Pittman gathered some friends to put on the Retired warding the racing owners and trainers who retire their horses sound.”

AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 41 generating additional interest and support. Pittman also spoke at this year’s National HBPA Summer Convention in . Another key supporter was Dan Rosenberg, who chairs the Thor- oughbred Charities of America (TCA) board. “Steuart came to see me and explained what they were doing,” Rosenberg said. “I realized immediately that creating a demand for out-of-training Thoroughbreds is the real long-term solution to the problem of unwanted former racehorses. I showed hunters, jumpers and growing up in the ’60s. At that time, if you weren’t riding a Thoroughbred, it was unlikely you were going to be pinned. Somewhere along the line, became fashionable. I know that Thoroughbreds are outstanding athletes in any discipline and believe that bringing this to the attention of the sporthorse world can bring them back to prominence. My hope is that by creating a market for good-looking and sound Thoroughbreds who are not competitive on the track, owners and trainers will be incented to sell those horses before they break down.” Pittman and RRP supporters worked steadily on solidifying op-

Brant Gamma portunities to advocate for Thoroughbreds to the sporting commu- Pittman, an accomplished equestrian, nity, and the message they chose to market was clear and simple. speaks from experience in saying “Compared to other breeds, Thoroughbred ex-racehorses are that Thoroughbreds can succeed in braver, more trainable, more athletic, more eager to work and more eventing and other non-racing likely to stay sound if they retired sound from racing,” Pittman said. events. “I teach a lot of riders to do basic dressage and jumping and find that With its distinct mission, RRP was soon drawing attention and teaching balance and tact is much easier on a horse with an engine support from the racing industry. Early sponsors of RRP activities and sensitivity. The European warmbloods in particular are impres- included the Maryland Horse Breeders Association and the Mary- sive movers with a lot of power over a jump but take a stronger rider land Jockey , and in 2011, the National with a better seat to bring out their potential. Some riders do better Association invited Pittman to speak at Race Course, with a quiet colder-blooded horse, but most can learn to ride the

Retired Racehorse Project Teams with Thoroughbred Charities of America for Thoroughbred Marketplace Event In keeping with its mission of increasing demand for Last year, the Thoroughbred Marketplace drew more Thoroughbreds in the equestrian marketplace, the Retired than 800 people out to Pimlico, prompting an expansion Racehorse Project (RRP) is joining forces with the Thor- of the event for 2014. Some of the weekend seminars lined oughbred Charities of America (TCA) to present the TCA up include The First 100 Days, Racehorse Reality Check, Thoroughbred Marketplace at in Balti- The Trainers Forum and Maryland Racing: Where Horses more, Maryland, on October 3-5. Come First. Hands-on sessions covering Selecting Pros- “Ex-racehorses at all levels of training will be present for pects, Soundness Issues, Holistic Health and Fit will the weekend, catalogued online, inspected by veterinar- take place in the barns. ians and offered an opportunity to perform,” RRP founder In addition to educational seminars and Thoroughbred and President Steuart Pittman said. “Approved exhibitors demonstrations, the event also will include the second will be nonprofit placement organizations, professionals, annual Thoroughbred Makeover and America’s Most amateurs and racing owners. It’s a model we are putting Wanted Thoroughbred Contest, a multi- together with help from some smart people that we hope challenge. can be replicated easily at racetracks everywhere. We For more information, visit retiredracehorseproject. expect a good showing of buyers and adopters.” org/2014-thoroughbred-makeover.

42 AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 average Thoroughbred, and when they do, they tend to get hooked and it’s all free to use,” Pittman said. “The users of our Bloodline Brag on the feeling. Many of us in eventing suspect that rotational falls swear by it as a way to research second-career accomplishments of on cross-country courses happen less often to Thoroughbreds than racing bloodlines. What really matters, however, is how many people other breeds.” are choosing Thoroughbreds off the track as a result of our work. We To get this message to sporting and recreational horsemen, RRP get enough people telling us that it happened to them and thanking has developed a significant online presence through a website that us that we know we are on the right track.” includes a Resource Directory (also available in a print version) that Events form another crucial component of the RRP marketing lists racetracks, retirement programs, placement organizations and mission. More than 11,000 people attended RRP events in 2013. In trainers who work with ex-racehorses; an active YouTube channel addition to educational seminars, RRP has hosted three training chal- packed with educational videos; advice from experts on transitioning lenges with a fourth edition—America’s Most Wanted Thoroughbred Thoroughbreds to new disciplines; a library of published reports and Contest—on tap for this October as part of the TCA Thoroughbred surveys on second-career Thoroughbreds; a user-sourced Bloodline Marketplace at Pimlico Race Course in , Maryland (see Brag that demonstrates how well racing bloodlines adapt to other sidebar). activities; and, perhaps most important, listings of ex-racehorses “America’s Most Wanted Thoroughbred Contest takes the best who are ready for their second careers. The website receives aspects of the first three challenges and presents 10 horses train- 75,000 hits each month, while the monthly RRP e-newsletter reaches ing for 10 different disciplines with 10 good trainers for a prize of 12,500 subscribers. The educational videos have been viewed more $10,000,” Pittman explained. “Online followers can read training than 300,000 times, and more than 55,000 people follow RRP on reports, watch video updates, comment on progress and eventually Facebook. vote ‘American Idol’-style. The horses will perform at Pimlico dur- “Organizations and farms who use our online horse listings, which ing our Thoroughbred Makeover before a panel of judges. After last include more than 100 active horses currently, and our online direc- year’s Thoroughbred Makeover at Pimlico, Thoroughbred Charities tories report better traffic than any other marketing tools they have, of America awarded us its Industry Service Award and has funded our

Polo was one of the many disciplines showcased at the Thoroughbred Makeover, which this year will be held October 3-5 at Pimlico.

Sarah K. Andrew

AMERICAN Racehorse • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 43 bh_ad_conference_Layout 1 7/7/2014 10:34 AM Page 1

More than 800 people attended last year’s Thoroughbred Makeover, along with 60 horses and 40 vendors. work generously. That recognition was a huge honor for us, given the composition of TCA’s Board.” Because much of the racing industry’s charitable funding is restricted to nonprofit retirement organizations, the TCA award and its funding have proved critical for RRP. For now, the organization relies largely on the support of its donors to take Join us and our sponsors for a great event devoted to on new projects. While the goal of RRP is to reach those in the sporting and recreational disciplines, its success would be Thoroughbred owners and the lifestyle impossible without the support of the racing industry. For those interested in supporting RRP, donations are welcome, of Thoroughbred ownership! but support can also be as simple as spreading the word and using the tools the organization provides, such as the Resource Directory, which includes articles offering guidance to sellers, buyers, adopters and donors of horses, such as sample contracts and what to watch out for. “The organization is growing fast, and demand for its services is huge,” Pittman said. “We started as all-volunteer but have learned that the effectiveness of what we put out depends on its quality, and that Internet-based services and major public events need professional staff. That will allow us to build on our success and undertake the projects that our board of directors envisions.” For more information on the Retired Racehorse Project, visit H Sarah K. Andrew Sarah K. retiredracehorseproject.org.

TM O C D OPTIMAL CARTILAGE DEVELOPMENT PELLETS

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