The 2nd Annual LongRun Thoroughbred Retirement Society’s Graduate Horse Show is set to run this Saturday, October 19, from 8 am to 4 pm. The event will take place at LongRun’s farm in Hillsburgh, Ontario, where horse lovers and racing fans can see ex-racehorses in their new careers as they strut their stuff with their adoptive owners and riders.
It was Lauren Millet-Simpson, LongRun’s farm manager, and Julie Belanger, LongRun’s social media person, who first got the idea, inspired by the Thoroughbred Makeover event in Kentucky that is hosted by the Retired Racehorse Project and held each October. The Makeover event showcases off-the-track Thoroughbreds in their post-racing careers, something Millet-Simpson and Belanger felt could be done in Canada. They took the idea to LongRun’s board of directors, who felt a show that focused on OTTB’s who had gone through LongRun’s program would be a great way to promote the horses and the program.
A proud show attendee; there are classes over fences, on the flat and in-hand. (Julie Wright photo)
The graduate show includes six classes and two divisions. The hunter division has two 2’3” over-fences classes and one hunter under saddle class. Then for those who adopted horses but don’t jump, the show creators included a flat division consisting of a pleasure hack class, a dressage class which can be done under English or Western tack, and a conformation in-hand class for those who don’t ride their horse.
“We really want to include absolutely everybody, so if you wanted to come to the show, there was at least one class, regardless of what you do with your horse, that you could participate in,” Millet-Simpson explains.
At the inaugural event in 2023, the Graduate Show had 11 horses competing and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. “Everyone that was here talked about just how fun it was,” says Millet-Simpson. “There’s no stress. The competition is very friendly. Everybody is just here to have a really good time and show off their horse.”
So far it looks like the Graduate Show will almost double in size, and it has garnered support from within the racing industry and horse industry in general including prizes from Woodbine, CTHA, HBPA, Jockey Club of Canada, and Ontario Racing, as well as local businesses and stores such as Greenhawk. Ribbons will be awarded 1st-5th ribbons with cash prizes as well as overall division winners.
Millet-Simpson adds the show is also a great opportunity for people from both sides of the equation – racetrack people and adopters – to mix and mingle. “There were a lot of racetrack connections last year that saw their horse in their new discipline, and they were able to chat with the new adopter and tell stories about ‘when this horse was at the track, he loved to do this, and we used to play this game’,” she says. “And it was really cool for the riders to get to meet the former connections and ask questions about what their horse was like before. That was one of the big draws for everyone.”