After months of preparation, the time had finally arrived for the final week of training with the two horses I’ve been working tirelessly with. It’s been a roller coaster of emotions as I’ve trained them both, but I was ready to take them to the Thoroughbred Makeover!

The weeks leading up to this event were all about preventing injuries, ensuring good health, and packing the trailer. If you own horses, you understand the stress of wanting everything to go perfectly — something that almost never happens.

Temporarily sidetracked by flat tire. (Courtesy of Katie Tarasevich)

I originally planned to take Drafted to the T.I.P. Championships in Aiken, S.C., the week before the Thoroughbred Makeover for some extra practice with trail obstacles. But, of course, the universe had other ideas: a hurricane canceled the T.I.P. Championships, pushing it to later in October. Then, just three days before we were supposed to leave for the makeover, Widget Factory managed to cut his lip right where the bit sits.

Widget had been the more challenging horse to prepare for the Thoroughbred Makeover, and I was heartbroken about this setback. Ultimately, I decided to bring him along to Kentucky, hoping his lip would heal before his dressage test on Thursday.

Next came the journey. Both horses loaded onto the trailer without a hitch, and we hit the road early Monday morning. About an hour in, we had a blowout on the trailer tire. We were ready to change it, but guess what? We packed the wrong lug nut! Luckily, we were close to home, so a friend came to the rescue with the right parts.

I didn’t want to risk driving to Kentucky on a spare tire, so we found a shop an hour away and replaced all the tires on the trailer. The horses handled it like champs while they changed all the tires, and after 13 hours we finally made it to the Kentucky Horse Park!

The winner’s circle with Widget. (Courtesy of Katie Tarasevich)

The horses settled in fine that evening, and on Tuesday morning they passed the vet check with flying colors! I had worked hard on their feeding routine to keep their weight up and prepare for the long trip. Although Widget’s cut wasn’t fully healed, we took him for a walk around the park to acclimate him to the environment. Drafted had been training in a bitless bridle due to mouth sensitivities, and he was performing well. That afternoon, we schooled in the indoor arena, practicing trail obstacles and riding in the outdoor arenas without any issues. That evening, we rehearsed our freestyle routine in the large indoor arena, and everything felt on track.

Wednesday was the day for Drafted’s trail competition. We had been practicing hard, but he sometimes struggles with large crowds — definitely a throwback to his racetrack days. As we approached the course, he got a little jittery with all the people around. I tried to settle him down, but once it was our turn, we had to go in. He wasn’t responding quite like I wanted in his bitless bridle, but we tackled the course with the horse I had at that moment. We made it through seven obstacles before time ran out. While I was disappointed we didn’t get to complete the whole course, I was proud we did our best. We placed 34^th overall in Trail!

Later that day, it was Widget Factory’s turn for his dressage tests. I walked him around to get him used to the environment, but he wasn’t his usual self, and the cut on his lip seemed to be bothering him. I decided to ride him only during the tests and hoped for the best. He looked elegant as we entered the arena, but he was uncomfortable and, ultimately, we left before finishing. I discovered that the rubber bit had reopened his cut, which explained his performance, but I was glad we made it to the makeover. I was able to ride him around the Kentucky Horse Park in a bitless bridle, which he seemed to really enjoy. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to show in it due to restrictions!

First place in the costume contest! (Courtesy of Katie Tarasevich)

Thursday brought Drafted’s freestyle routine. I felt confident after our practice, and our theme was “Get DRAFTED to the Makeover” with a military twist. However, when Drafted spotted a large crowd during warm-up, he became agitated. We managed to get him settled, but during our performance, he got overly excited, resulting in an incident with the sulky. Thankfully, both my husband and Drafted were unharmed, but the incident left me feeling embarrassed and overwhelmed. After a good cry, I reminded myself that this was just the beginning for Drafted, and I was grateful that no one was injured.

Overall, while the Thoroughbred Makeover didn’t go as planned, it was a whirlwind experience filled with new friendships and lessons. Two weeks later, Drafted competed at the T.I.P.  Championships and achieved third place in both the In-Hand and Riding Competitive Trail Obstacles, 10th in Intro Dressage, second in his in-hand class, and even won first place in the costume contest dressed as a dragon!

The Jockey Club supports many aftercare initiatives including the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, the only accrediting body in aftercare, and Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.), which encourages the retraining of Thoroughbreds into other disciplines upon completion of careers. View all of the initiatives supported by The Jockey Club.