eventing

For 60 days straight over the winter at Will Walden's Palm Meadows base in Florida, MGISW Rhetorical (Not This Time) underwent a different kind of training. Instead of being turned out for the off-season like so many horses, his trainer decided that it was time to unveil a new project where skills like dressage would be emphasized. The work that the gelding put in over those months has paid off and now the New York-bred Horse of the Year owned by Gary Barber, Cheyenne Stable and Wachtel Stable will point...

The Jockey Club of America's Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.), which encourages the retraining of Thoroughbreds into other disciplines, awarded prizes based on 2025 performances, the organization said via a press release on Wednesday. The program recognizes Thoroughbreds accumulating the most points at all horse shows and covers a wide variety of disciplines and experience levels. Last year, 615 Thoroughbreds from 44 states and six provinces competed in more than 13,000 classes, divisions, and events. Division awards were calculated in 16 categories as well as 99 discipline divisions and nine junior...

You might have a lifelong passion for horses, and even devote your whole working life to their welfare. But sometimes there is no substitute for sitting on their backs. A few years ago, Dr. Jeff Berk took a vacation from his relentless schedule as an equine veterinarian in order to-well, spend a little time with horses. His next trip to Britain was not to Tattersalls, as usual, but to an eventing course run by two former Olympians. Though Berk was a perfectly accomplished rider, with years of foxhunting behind him,...

A newly created $25,000 Thoroughbred Hunter Derby will make its debut at the Upperville Colt & Horse Show in Virginia in early June and replace the recent Upperville Thoroughbred Hunter Classic, the planners of the event said via a press release on their website Dec. 31. The Derby will take place Tuesday, June 2 and reflects a growing, industry-wide effort to expand opportunities for Thoroughbreds at recognized horse shows. In recent years, trainers, owners and Thoroughbred advocates have worked to elevate the visibility and competitiveness of the breed in hunter...

What will racing look like in 10 years? We asked some of racing's best and brightest to give us their predictions. Want to submit an answer? Email suefinley@thetdn.com CARRIE BROGDEN, MACHMER HALL First of all, I am an eternal optimist by nature. With a game-changing program in the works by 2036, I believe that you will see a complete reversal in the gargantuan problem we currently face with aftercare. I am beyond sick of seeing all the ISO posts on social media wanting to buy riding horses but the last...

Every year, about 17,000 Thoroughbreds are born in North America. Let's assume half of them are colts: 8,500 male horses bred with ambition in their blood. Of those, maybe 50--if we're being generous--will ever make it to stud. The fillies often retain value as broodmares, but even then the industry quietly accumulates thousands of horses every single year whose careers end without a clear path forward. And for far too many of them, that path ends at the slaughterhouse. We talk about racing fatalities in terms of breakdowns on the...

About a year ago, RRP executive director Kirsten Green mused about a future in which we might see a headline such as "Leading sire X has prolific influence on track and beyond, produces record number of 5* starters." A year later, that's almost exactly the headline I just got to write, which is thrilling as a fan of both racing and equestrian sport: the late Malibu Moon, inarguably an influential sire of Thoroughbred racehorses, is also leaving a lasting impact on equestrian sport. Malibu Moon's three starters are contesting the...

Supply, Meet Demand Producing horses with exceptional speed inherently produces many more lacking that singular talent. Everyone in the business knows this by-product is the primary cause of the aftercare problem. The volume of over-supply is enormous. Visibility, awareness and legitimate concern over what happens to these unwanted horses grows constantly. The social license implications of this dilemma are intensifying into a serious threat to an industry already buffeted by other storms and controversies. Everyone understands these facts and many feel this intrinsic challenge may be insurmountable. Yet fundamentally, the...

The Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.) recognized the top Thoroughbreds at the 2024 Dutta Corp United States Eventing Association's (USEA) Young Event Horse (YEH) East Coast Championships, held Oct. 17-18, 2024, in Elkton, Maryland, at Fair Hill, the Jockey Club of America said in a Thursday press release. Emily Bradford won the 5-year-old championship title riding her Thoroughbred mare Rose Traveler (registered as Rossie'slastdance), securing a victory over 41 other 5-year-old horses of all breeds. The pair were also awarded the T.I.P. high point Thoroughbred award. Rossie'slastdance, who was unraced, is...

Thoroughbred Charities of America has extended its support of the Retired Racehorse Project's Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium through 2021. RRP will host a "double Makeover" for both 2020 and 2021 entries at the Kentucky Horse Park Oct. 12-17, 2021. Some aspects of the 2020 TCA Thoroughbred Makeover will be offered virtually this year, including seminars (presented as webinars), the Thoroughbred Aftercare Summit, a virtual 5K, the vendor fair, and the innovative Makeover Master Class training demonstration and discussion. "The work of the Retired Racehorse Project is an integral part...

Sport and Entertainment Corporation of Maryland (The Sport Corp.), has postponed the inaugural Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill until October 14-17, 2021. Originally scheduled for this October, the international three-day eventing competition has been postponed due to health concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. The FHOC made the decision in conjunction with the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill planning committee, its competition management partner, Fair Hill International (FHI), and additional constituents including the State of Maryland and Cecil County. "It was a very difficult decision and we are very...