Emily Daignault-Salvaggio
Articles Written 2
Article Views 6,430

Emily Daignault-Salvaggio

Achievements

About Emily Daignault-Salvaggio

Been around so many blocks that I am lost now. Veteran of: Barn manager positions; Thoroughbred Baby Breaking; Thoroughbred Exercise Rider; Thoroughbred Assistant Trainer; Eventer; Hunter/Jumper - Most Current; Working Student to Olympians; Professional Fox Hunting Groom; Instructor/ Trainer; Equine Journalist; COTH Forums; NSA Licensed Trainer/Owner; Professional Lawn Dart; Researcher of all things Equine; specializing in OTTB Research

Latest Articles Written

Your Ultimate Guide to Preparing for Winter with Horses

Are you and your horse prepared for winter? Photo by barnimages.com / Creative Commons Are you and your horse prepared for winter? Photo by barnimages.com / Creative Commons

It’s beginning to be that time of year — you know, where you look to the pile of blankets and groan. When the hair starts piling on your horse’s coat and the sweat will soon become something that you can no longer just blithely hose off after your post-work ride. When mud begets snow which begets more mud. When lost shoes become the scourge of your month and your spouse buys you a top of the line headlamp for Christmas to “help” with all the times you can’t see.

But too often winter brings unexpected things as well. Barn fires, episodes of colic, blown tires and injuries that cannot be explained but often cost us dearly. Over time we horse lovers will experience all the lows the horse world has to offer, and the common words that escape the latest victim are often “If only I’d thought of that.” Hindsight’s steadfast gaze only worsens those moments, and regret is a pain no horseman should have to experience.

With the onset of fall it’s best to embrace the distance still to come before winter hits, and with it we can turn over a new leaf and take the time to get prepared. This is the time to do the homework we’ve been putting off or take new steps as a way to be a bit more ready should the worst moments come knocking.

There are many things that can be done, and it is probably best to do these with fellow horse owners, boarders or equine activity friends. There are ways to make these menial tasks go by quicker. For example, there’s nothing better than watching the faces of the Walmart shoppers when a group of riders swing through those doors, grab a cart and hit the pharmacy aisle all while strutting in their best pair of FITS. (Side note: Be prepared to see yourselves in the next People of Walmart blog post, so own that sassiness!)

Fire drills in a barn can seem tedious and unneeded but if you ever get to the moment that you do need to use those skills, any and all practice will give you a piece of sanity to grab onto in an insane moment. Beyond the worst case scenarios, fall is a great time for barn improvements like getting rid of low spots in pastures that become perpetual mud pits.

Also this is a great time to look at what you don’t have but could use. What things could make dealing with an icy storm easier? And speaking of ice, do you have steps that are always slippery? Go to a home improvement store and buy some traction paint. Get those stairs painted before Thanksgiving and your barn liability company will thank you.

Trailers too require our attention at moments when we can focus and not right as your spare tire rolls by you on the road. Any vehicle transporting a loved one should be maintained with care and consistency. If the budgets are crunching, why not learn to do some work on your trailer yourself? Changing tires, checking floorboards and installing new mats are skills well within the capabilities of the average adult.

Below is a list of things to consider coming into the winter months as a horse owner, barn owner or barn manager.

Cobwebs create fire hazards. Clean them out! Photo by Peter Markham/Creative Commons.

Cobwebs create fire hazards. Clean them out! Photo by Peter Markham/Creative Commons.

Fire Safety Questions to Consider

1. Do you have a place OUTSIDE of the barn that can house a container of extra halters and lead shanks in case of a fire? Ideally they should be stored in a weather-proof container that cannot melt or rust and definitely away from the possible reach of a structure on fire. Halters and shanks should be leather, not nylon, as nylon halters will melt in intense heat.

2. If your barn is larger and the exits may not be so clear, do you have an escape plan in case of fire? Do people know it? Can they see a diagram of it? Create an escape plan, laminate a large copy for public viewing and send an email to all who frequent the farm so that they too know the plan.

3. Are your fire extinguishers up to date, functional and charged? Are they near electrical panels in case of an electrical fire? Have your fire extinguishers inspected or invest in new ones.

4. Have you ever made contact with your local fire department and spoken to them about doing a walk-through of your farm on a typical day? A benefit of this is they can help you know what could be a problem. Additionally, this allows the folks who would be helping you get a lay of the land in a non-crisis moment.

5. Have you and your barn mates ever had a fire drill to practice how to get all the horses safely away from a structure that their instincts would tell them to run back inside of in a moment of danger?

6. Have you cleaned away the cobwebs and swept out the hayloft? These can be major fire hazards.

7. Do you have metal stall doors or closures? If so, think about how you would open them if the metal was as hot as a stove burner. Really try to look at your barn with fresh eyes and envision: “How would I do this task if the barn were on fire?” You’ll find that the challenges could lead to some simple changes that can make the difference between getting one horse out and getting many horses out.

8. It’s worth considering investing in smoke hoods for walking through a burning barn. Let’s face it, you will want to try to save your horse, but you don’t want to risk your own safety. A device that gives you air allows you to enter a burning barn could make the difference. Why not talk to your fire department about this also? Click here for an example.

3164512816_397e715db8_z

Don’t wait until a snow storm hits to prepare for icy steps. Photo by AG/Creative Commons.

Preparing for Winter Barn Safety

1. Prepare for icy troughs now. Figure out how to move water in a winter storm or freezing conditions. Add stone dust and other mud avoidance materials before the pastures become overly saturated. Test your existing outdoor outlets for proper function, and if you don’t have a true outdoor switch, think about asking an electrician to upgrade you.

2. Prepare for how to get hay to fields now as well. Consider adding a large plastic storage container near fence lines that can hold a few bales and load it up for the times when the tractor or gator can’t drive a vehicle near the horses. It’s little changes in advance that can avoid unnecessary risk based injuries from transporting heavy bales of hay in slippery conditions.

3. Prepare for slippery steps and surfaces. Head to the nearest home improvement store and talk to an associate about the options in paint or a traction producing surface alternative. Beyond being a liability issue, have a client, customer or member of the barn crew injured on ice is just no fun.

Having your horse's teeth checked before winter will help ensure he can chew comfortably. Photo by Tania Cataldo/Creative Commons.

Having your horse’s teeth checked before winter will help ensure he can chew comfortably. Photo by Tania Cataldo/Creative Commons.

Consider Your Horse’s Health

1. Have you had a recent visit with your vet so he or she can see your horse before winter comes and use that as a baseline for any problems that arise during the winter? This ideally should include a fecal test and a basic blood work panel of a complete blood count (CBC). Make sure this is an actual visit where your vet can take time to look at your horse. Pairing this with your fall vaccinations could be ideal.

Knowing your horse’s normal temperature, respiration rate and heart rate is important at any time of year. Check it weekly and keep a chart. The Horse Health Tracker App allows for you to track this along with some other cool functions.

2. Know what feed and amounts your horse eats and the frequency of feeding. Write this down somewhere safe, and if you board your horse, make sure that you have an open dialogue with the barn so that if they make changes you are informed.

3. Have your horse’s teeth checked and floated again if needed. Each horse is different, and as they age a horse should be able to be floated once a year, but I own a coming 8-year-old who absolutely needs his teeth done every six months. The spikes and cheek cuts come quickly if he doesn’t get done at the six-month mark.

If it’s true for him, your horse too could need to be checked more often than you think. A mouth free of spikes, cuts, impactions and other dental problems allows for horses to eat without any inhibitions, which helps natural foraging animals to keep foraging. This in turn can help avoid colic, especially in winter.

4. Do the people who spend the most time with your horse have all of his health information, insurance information (if any), your vet’s contact information, your contact information and an emergency contact who can reach you? Do they know your wishes should an emergency arise? Better yet, are those wishes in writing? Be prepared for those panic minutes in the quiet moments; it will add an ounce of sanity to the anxiety.

Are your horse's blankets ready for winter? Now is the time to repair or replace them. Photo by Five Furlongs Photography/Creative Commons.

Are your horse’s blankets ready for winter? Now is the time to repair or replace them. Photo by Five Furlongs Photography/Creative Commons.

Shopping for Winter Essentials

1. Really assess those blankets and what condition they are in, especially the waterproofing, and replace blankets if necessary. Horseware allows you to trade in your old turnout for a $50 voucher toward a new Rambo, plus they will repair and donate the old turnout to a rescue. Click here for details.

A HUGE benefit of this is that the broken blanket you’re giving back will be fixed up and sent to a horse rescue. Additionally, you can always donate any unwanted blankets to a rescue directly, or sell them on Facebook groups or eBay. That old Rambo that no longer fits any horse you own could pay for an entry fee!

2. Buckets do wear out, and that bend or slight crack can and will likely be exacerbated when it freezes and breaks. Be prepared. Recycle the barn buckets to a rescue before they start to wear out and take your show buckets into the barn. Buy new show buckets and it will help everyone along the way.

3. Re-stock your first aid kit. There are pre-made kits and basic lists online of what is best to have on hand. Anyway you cut it, the moment you aren’t prepared, you will undoubtedly need something. Don’t be the “borrowing boarder.” Go to a Dollar Store, Walmart, grocery store, or pharmacy and stock up on ALL the possibilities. Many of these items won’t go bad, and having two of everything is never a bad idea. 

Here are my first aid kit must-haves:

  • Epsom salts
  • Vet wrap
  • Cotton sheeting
  • Cotton roll
  • Plastic wrap
  • 4×4 gauze squares, non-sterile
  • 4×4 gauze squares, sterile
  • Gauze rolls
  • Betadine Scrub
  • Hydrogen peroxide (at least 1 quart)
  • Digital thermometer (I prefer a 10-30 second thermometer, as they tend to last longer and are more accurate.)
  • Mineral oil (You can use it to sweat a leg without the cancer risk of other alternatives)
  • Big tube of triple antibiotic ointment (Note that the triple antibiotic pain-reliving formula actually has an ingredient on the banned medication list, so make sure that you don’t use that before a show.)
  • Rolled and ready standing wraps (At least five: two fronts, two hinds, and one middle of the road size in 12 to 14 inches)
  • Hoof medication boot
  • Poultice (I love Ice Tight)
  • Wonder Dust
  • Aerosal bandage spray (like AluShield)
  • Blu-Kote
  • Icthamol
  • Bute paste
  • Banamine paste
  • Triple antibiotic eye ointment
  • SMZ antibiotic tablets
  • Dosing syringe (At least two in case of different meds)
Is your horse trailer ready for winter? Now is the time to make repairs and take care of any necessary maintenance. Photo by Tom Sayles/Creative Commons.

Is your horse trailer ready for winter? Now is the time to make repairs and take care of any necessary maintenance. Photo by Tom Sayles/Creative Commons.

Trailering Tips in Winter

1. Tire pressure is like your horse’s TPR (temperature, pulse, respiration). You should know your truck and trailer’s tire pressure and check regularly. To check the tires, be sure to have a reliable pressure gauge. Digitals gauges are great but they can fail in colder weather or when the totally irregular sized battery inside of them dies. Gold old fashioned mechanical tire gauges only work off the air pressure and as such will never fail you when compared to the electronic and air pressure digital combinations.

The best of both worlds would be to have a digital gauge and a mechanical gauge as a backup. Winter is an especially important time of year to check the pressure, as lowering temperatures can cause the pressure in the tires to fall. With the reduced amount of trailering as the snow hits, checking the correct pressure becomes more important. Be sure to have a baseline of correct tire pressure taken when the tires are cold and the trailer is parked on a level surface.

Bonus tip for those going south: When first exploring your winter location, find the easiest air pump to access with your trailer by scouting different gas stations.

2. There are a ton of great gadgets and gizmos that are fabulous tools to help make life on the road much easier, especially with horses. Among them is a battery jumping box with an air compressor. Do make sure that you get one rated for the size truck you have. If it can jump start a small compact, it may not have enough power to jump a 1 ton dually. This is what I use and it’s been a life saver.

3. What many many horse people fail to realize is that the sun and UV rays can affect more than just your skin. And while those awesome helmet sun visors are a great way to protect your skin, we often forget to protect our trailer tires. Dry rot can drastically shorten the life of a tire and the winter is a great time to take advantage of RV and camper sales and grab some tire covers. Here’s one great current deal.

4. The floor of your trailer is a vital surface to check for the health of your horse. Learning to inspect the floor of your own rig is another step towards protecting not only your horse but your financial investment in the trailer as well. At your annual inspection visit to your trailer mechanic, or when you have your bearings repacked, talk to your mechanic and ask about what to look for. A mechanic’s knowledge and your attention can avoid a costly overlook.

5. Have a burnt-out bulb? Risking a ticket while trailering home? Don’t! Changing a trailer light bulb is as easy as changing a bulb on your Christmas tree lights. Grab a friend, a ladder and some bulbs, and hop up and fix any burn-out bulbs.

6. Be prepared for flat tires. I’ve found that the best jack to use for trailering has to be the Trailer-Aid. It’s ease of use and allows for the horses to stay on the trailer and you to work quickly. But before we go further, you have to know how to change a tire! This is simply too easy of a task for someone to say that they cannot do. If you can put studs into the shoe of a 1000-pound animal while battling nerves for how the water, ditch or whatever will ride, I think you can manage a tire change.

But let’s make the learning process fun. Make it a barn challenge. Have individuals or teams compete with how fast they can change an empty trailer on a barn fun night. The winner gets something good, like no mucking for a week or a free group lesson.

Winter with horses is much easier if you are prepared in advance. Photo by Marilylle Soveran/Creative Commons.

This is just the start of the basic rundown of things that you can work on and improve before winter hits and consider as the seasons change. The more prepared you are, the quicker the solution and the calmer you can remain, which in turn will help keep your horse from panicking in an emergency.

There’s always a way to make learning fun, and by all means please give us some comments on other things you do before winter or some funny stories about how you got more prepared for life in the frozen tundra. Good luck as the season winds down, and please do share this with your friends to spread the word about winter safety with our horses.

Thoroughbred Makeover Sneak Peek Wows Crowds at Rolex

Emily Daignault-Salvaggio rode her new OTTB Gin Joint in the Retired Racehorse Project's Thoroughbred Makeover Preview at Rolex, where riders like Lynn Symansky and Dorothy Crowell offered commentary on the five demo horses. Read on for her full recap. Many thanks to Emily for writing and to John Salvaggio of JAS Photography for the great photos. Go OTTBs!

Nuno Santos and RapsandTaps. Photo by JAS Photography.

Nuno Santos and RapsandTaps. Photo by JAS Photography.

From the “Sport of Kings to the Kings of Sport.” It’s a catchy slogan to go along with a challenging concept of a competition. Steuart Pittman’s brainchild, The Retired Racehorse Project, has gone from a special localized event for the past few years to an explosive wide open marquee event in 2015.

Gone are the days of 10 to 20 hand-picked trainers with OTTB experience in a variety of disciplines and skills. In 2015 the RRP’s Thoroughbred Makeover is open to an expected maximum of over 330 horses competing in a show setting to be held at the Kentucky Horse Park on October 23-25, the concurrent weekend with the Mid South Combined Training Association’s Team Challenge.

Many disciplines will be featured, including hunters, jumpers, eventing, dressage, fox hunting, polo, trail class, ranch work, and the catch all for the others, “freestyle.” So as a preview event for the 2015 edition, five of the entered Thoroughbred Makeover horses came to Lexington during Rolex to be shown off to the eventing fans.

It seems simple to just load up a horse and take it to a new place, ask it to do its job in front of crowds and new settings, have a nice time and go home. But when you factor in that a mainstay of this competition is that NONE of the entered horses had more than 15 post track life retraining rides as of mid-January, well, things get more interesting. So your best case scenario for this demonstration was a horse that could have been approved as a competitor in mid-January and now has a whopping three months of training rides.

That’s not a lot of time under a Thoroughbrd’s belt. In this field of five there were horses that had had every bit of that three month time frame, then there were others who had not had that much time. The horses in this demonstration ranged in age from 3 to 6 years old. Some were very successful on the track and others were not.

The format was simple: ride around individually and show off the flat work you had as Steuart spoke to the crowd about you, your horse and your goals. If your horse jumped, it did so with the other two jumpers so that all the jumping was at once. If it did trail stuff, you worked and showed its talents with the crowd solely focused on you. And if it did only dressage, you’re on your own to show it off as well.

Nuno Santos and RapsandTaps. Photo by JAS Photography.

Nuno Santos and RapsandTaps. Photo by JAS Photography.

Nuno Santos and RapsandTaps

Nuno Santos, a former exercise rider and assistant trainer for the great Bobby Frankel who has now reverted back to his dressage roots from Portugal, is a trainer based in Maryland who was up first. He has the 5-year-old stallion by Tapit (current stud fee: $300,000) named RapsandTaps entered in the makeover.

Interestingly the horse is still owned by his race owners, Merriefield Stables. He’s a dressage horse now with a lovely natural frame and self-carriage that will likely take his rider into good stead in October. The young grey showed his flashy movements and seemed to embrace the crowd’s attentions on him as he flaunted his wares for all to see. Steuart made mention as he commentated that Nuno is a natural settling a horse and true to this the horse and rider looked fabulous in all moments of their time in front of the crowd.

What was interesting to see was Nuno’s rock solid vertical position. MANY exercise riders can lose their upper body position due to countless hours in two point over the backs of racehorses. It is a challenge to remember where to keep your body when changing between two very different disciplines. Nuno’s dressage roots serve him so very well. He is such a nice rider to watch and for a few moments I found myself really appreciating dressage done well on a lovely naturally talented horse.

 

Hillary Irwin and Nutello. Photo by JAS Photography.

Hillary Irwin and Nutello. Photo by JAS Photography.

Hillary Irwin and Nutello

Hillary Irwin is already well established in her eventing career. She is the owner of Hillary Irwin Eventing based in Elkin, North Carolina, and has a decent sized stable of active eventers. Add to that, she has made a connection with top tier trainer Graham Motion’s Herringswell Stables and was able to acquire Nutello when the gelding was retired with a minor tendon injury. It helps to have good connections to source horses from, and Graham’s barn is among the best.

This came at the end of “Mo’s” career that notched $416,364 in earnings over four seasons of turf racing.  The Lemon Drop Kid gelding was born in Kentucky but started his race career in France; only later did he return to the U.S. and land in Motion’s barn. Irwin picked him up and brought him south to her base and rehabbed the leg.

But as luck would have it, she broke her foot when the time had come to start Mo back. So a little bit longer of a delay kicked the beginning of their full work to mid-February. Well to be fair he did get worked by Hillary a bit while her foot was broken. She didn’t know it and so did three weeks of work with him before her doctor finally benched her.

Now months later her work and the geldings class are showing him off to be a fine prospect for her future. He is a bay with some very nice movement, and his “been there, done that” mentality is quick to appreciate. When the rain poured down on us Saturday morning, Hillary and Mo showed that steady eddies are vastly under-appreciated in favor of the big and flashy horses that surround them.

Over fences Mo is game and Hillary’s long career of training with the who’s who of almost every discipline made her equitation something I longed to recapture in my own riding. They’re entered in the eventing discipline for October, and I imagine they’ll be right in the thick of things.

 

Amy Lent and Face of Glory. Photo by JAS Photography.

Amy Lent and Face of Glory. Photo by JAS Photography.

Amy Lent and Face of Glory

Amy Lent is a Kentucky resident and she may have had the shortest trip to travel, but given the trail class amenities she needed to bring to show off her horse, Face of Glory, she definitely hauled the most stuff to the horse park. Among her tricks and paraphernalia were a mock cow on wheels, a series of boxes that “Glory” had to step up and down like stairs, a Spanish pole that she held and circled the horse around, and a PVC pipe frame of a “curtain” of pool noodles that they rode through. (Side note, I tried and Gin would go absolutely nowhere near those noodle things!)

Amy is an experienced trainer in a variety of disciplines and retrains many horses out of her Nicholasville home base. She has three horses entered in the makeover, all of whom she adopted from Second Stride based in Crestwood, Kentucky. She will be competing Glory in the trail class, the working ranch class and if he’s ready by then, she will drive him in the freestyle.

Glory and Amy clearly have a working partnership, and this will serve them well as they polish the skills that already have great foundations. More impressive was that Amy was unable to do much before March given the difficult winter that Kentuckians faced.

To see a young horse like him twirl around a long pole dragging on the ground and to literally pull a rolling fake cow with fake (but real enough!) horns right at him, was truly impressive. It’s easy to get lost in an English-centric world, but when you watch a young western horse learning to work and perform with so many different challenges, it’s awesome to see that kind of versatility.

 

Jordan Pruiksma and Fullback. Photo by JAS Photography.

Jordan Pruiksma and Fullback. Photo by JAS Photography.

Jordan Pruiksma and Fullback

Jordan Pruiksma had the challenge of the youngest horse in Fullback, a 3-year-old regally bred son of Bernardini who was owned by her employer, Darley. She broke “Stellar” at the Aiken branch of the famed racing stables. He was always the one to her that she adored. He would hug her as she put his bridle on and she put her name in for consideration if he was he ever to need a home.

Darley is well known in Europe for having one of, if not the best, re-homing programs for their horses. It’s not hard to acquire a failed runner from Darley abroad. But here in the States, the Darley rehoming venture still exists primarily among those who work for the company and those who are friends of Darley and its people.

As such right around Christmas time Jordan got the best gift of all: a late 2-year-old gelding with whom she already had formed a bond. Fullback had proven to be slower than his exceptional breeding so he was given to Jordan. Now in the mere five months since she has had him, they have already gone out and won a small combined test in Aiken, demolishing the Amoeba CT division with Stellar living up to his name in dressage.

She works with Kristin Schmolze at home and was lucky to have her at Rolex to warm her up for the first demo ride as well. There are a lot of really big name riders who we were lucky enough to have come and commentate with Steuart during our demos. All of them walked away trying to talk Jordan into parting with Stellar, and all of them failed.

It can’t hurt to have Lynn Symansky, Laine Ashker and Dorothy Crowell trying to convince you to sell something you’ve only had five months. But it’s even better still to be able to smile and say, “No thanks.” He really is a special horse. We all watched as in the first demo he did his first in and out. Jordan thinks he’ll be headed to the hunter class and maybe the eventing in October, but as young as he is, she’s playing it by ear.

 

Emily Daignault-Salvaggio and Gin Joint. Photo by JAS Photography.

Emily Daignault-Salvaggio and Gin Joint. Photo by JAS Photography.

Emily Daignault-Salvaggio and Gin Joint

Last of the group was me on my gelding Gin Joint. He’s a 6-year-old by Macho Uno out of a Cozzene mare and he was bred by Adena Springs. Right before we shipped to Kentucky, two of his former exercise riders from Canada found me online and confirmed for me that “Gin” has always been foot perfect and extremely calm and quiet, even as far back as when he was a 2-year-old running at Woodbine in stakes races.

He’s a cool horse to be sure and the best thing about him is that he is ready and willing to do it all. He is a talented horse but a few notches behind the others. All of them had their last races in 2014. He had his eight weeks before Rolex. He’s done a lot of great work in that time, and I was extremely proud of the calm and cool work he did in Kentucky. He’s a nice mover but he’s a fantastic jumper. He never did a thing wrong, and he was green once at a jump and the next time through he was way over it. How can you not love a horse like that?

The demos drew a great crowd on Friday afternoon and Lynn Symansky joined Steuart to add commentary on our five horses. She was impressed with all of them and the horses seemed to step up a bit in the presence of the rider who would finish as the top placed rider on an OTTB on Sunday. Lynn had great things to say about training OTTBs, about the experience of living through numerous people who told her to give up on Donner, and about how Thoroughbreds really can do it all.

On Saturday we were demoing to a smaller crowd. The moved-up start time for cross country and the torrential downpours greatly affected our attendance. The horses didn’t care and they performed brilliantly given the awfully cold rain. The riders were all bundled inside of rain coats, and the crowds were populated with ponchos and umbrellas.

Dorothy Crowell was our commentator du jour and she too was taken with all five of the horses. Dorothy and Molokai are still icons of the sport of eventing, and Dorothy knows well what a Thoroughbred can do and how to develop one. She gave us great comments about progressing through the basic training and what she does in her own training system.

Side note: Dorothy is now going to be competing in the Makeover herself with a Thoroughbred she chose on Sunday from the Secretariat Center. So it’ll be interesting to see how she and her chosen horse bond by October as well.

The Makeover competition is still six months away. That’s a lot of time in a horse’s training life. The RRP website has blogs for all of the competitors entered and you can read them and follow their progress at this link.

Some well-known riders like Colleen Rutledge will be competing, and many horses will be highlighted and then some will be sold after this competition. We hope all of these demo horses show up again and progress to succeed in their chosen disciplines. I can’t imagine how it will be with 330 horses with nine months or less of training all in one place. But I am inspired when I think of the scope of this return in popularity of Thoroughbreds as dominant horses in sports.

Thoroughbreds are an all-around capable breed, and more folks need to see it in action. It could be a star like Donner, an icon like Molokai or a future barrel racing superstar; nothing is limiting their abilities. Thoroughbreds really do deserve a consideration for any task. This event will be just the place to see what they can do.

RRP Thoroughbred Makeover Links: Website, Competitor Blogs, Volunteer Info, Sponsor Info

Four of the Thoroughbred Makeover horses mentioned above have Facebook pages! Be sure to link them to follow along with their progress as they prepare for the competition: NutelloFullbackFace of Glory and Gin Joint.