Ira Schulman Thoroughbred Rehoming Award Open For Nominations

The award will be presented at the 2018 Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makeover & Symposium in October to a professional horseman who responsibly rehomes horses off the track. Nominations are open now!

The first recipient of the Ira Schulman Thoroughbred Rehoming Award was Ira Schulman himself at the Retired Racehorse Project’s 2017 Thoroughbred Makeover. Created to recognize an individual who successfully and responsibly repurposes off-track Thoroughbreds as a professional, the award honors the legacy of Schulman, whose career in placing OTTBs spanned over 50 years with thousands of horses going on to second-career homes. Ira Schulman passed away in March 2018 at the age of 80; he’s believed to have placed more Thoroughbreds in his lifetime than any other individual or organization.

Ira Schulman receiving the award that bears his name from Steuart Pittman, RRP founder and board chair, at the 2017 Thoroughbred Makeover. (Photo credit: Anne Litz)

Sponsored by Tiffany Teeter, a longtime friend of Schulman, the Ira Schulman Thoroughbred Rehoming Award will be awarded going forward to an individual who continues that legacy. While the contributions of non-profit organizations are critical to the OTTB industry, this award is specifically focused on individuals who rehome horses professionally for profit — another important cornerstone of the industry.

As described by Retired Racehorse Project’s executive director Jen Roytz, “Professional resellers like Ira Schulman play an important role in rehoming Thoroughbreds retiring from the racetrack. Many of these horses are sound and ready to start learning the skills for new careers right away. These trainers know what qualities to look for in a horse that will make it suitable for a particular rider or discipline, and have the connections within the sport horse world to market them effectively. When done responsibly, this process transitions these horses into new lives quickly and efficiently, and benefits not only the reseller, but also the horse and its new owner.”

The Ira Schulman Thoroughbred Rehoming Award is sponsored by Tiffany Teeter, fourth from left, in his memory. (Photo credit: Anne Litz)

Eligibility:

• Individual, business or listing agent must place a minimum of three OTTBs annually
• Cannot have won the award in a previous year
• Do not need to be a member of RRP or participating in the Thoroughbred Makeover

The nomination process:

• Nominations can be submitted online
• Individuals or business may nominate themselves or be nominated by someone else
• Nominations accepted through July 31
• Selection committee will review nominations and announce up to five finalists by August 15
• Public vote will determine the winner with voting closing on August 31
• Winner announced on September 3 and awarded at the 2018 Makeover finale on October 6

Have a professional in mind? Nominate them today! To learn more about the Retired Racehorse Project, please visit the organization’s website.

Go OTTBs! And go riding.