After recognizing that warmbloods were gaining in popularity and that no one was marketing ex-racehorses as sport horse prospects, Steuart Pittman organized and moderated the Retired Racehorse Training Symposium. The Symposium featured Thoroughbreds in various stages of retraining, from fresh off the track to finished competitive sport horses, and demonstrated their abilities before a crowd of over 300.

The Retired Racehorse Project was formed as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, with the goal of furthering Pittman’s vision to increase demand for Thoroughbreds after racing and restoring their prominence in the equestrian world.

The RRP launched its website. Pittman met with racing and aftercare industry stakeholders in Lexington, Kentucky to share his vision of marketing Thoroughbred ex-racehorses and sport horses. Pittman’s market-based approach was unique for the time as the focus on aftercare began to rise.

The RRP hosted the 100-Day Trainer Challenge, which featured four trainers each preparing a horse for its second career. This event was the precursor to the Thoroughbred Makeover.

The RRP created the inaugural Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, which took place at Pimlico Race Course and featured 26 trainers and horses before hundreds of spectators. Thoroughbred Charities of America became the title sponsor of the Thoroughbred Makeover, and has maintained the sponsorship ever since.

The RRP hired its first full-time staff member, Kirsten Green, who helped produce the second Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium at Pimlico. The organization also received the Thoroughbred Charities of America Industry Service Award that year.

The RRP moved the Thoroughbred Makeover to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, and saw a massive uptick in applications and participation as a result of becoming a national retraining event rather than regional. The event ran as a competition, offering $100,000 in prize money (which has been offered annually since). Off-Track Thoroughbred Magazine was also launched in 2015, created to herald Thoroughbreds in sport careers and promote the RRP’s mission.

The 2017 Thoroughbred Makeover, including 580 accepted trainers, marked the fifth year of the event.

The RRP launched the Master Class clinic series, which was inspired by colt-starting challenges but without the competitive aspect. Featuring multiple trainers working with prospects simultaneously, the Master Class clinic demonstrates that there are many ways to approach early training sessions and first rides with off-track prospects.

Off-Track Thoroughbred Magazine won the American Horse Publications Equine Media General Excellence Association Publication Award.

The RRP celebrated its 10-year anniversary during the global pandemic, which forced the postponement of the Thoroughbred Makeover to the following year. The RRP pivoted its programming to offer more virtual educational content as part of its mission.

Combining the postponed class of 2020 with the traditional class of 2021, the Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium became the largest Makeover in history, successfully running two separate competition years simultaneously with two Finale championships.