OTTB on Tap

In this special Halloween-themed episode of OTTB on Tap , hosts Niamh and Emily mix things up with a fun and spooky game of "Myth or Fact?" Joining them are returning guest Madeline Conley and her business partner, Cat Boiler, from Bridge the Gap Equine. Together, they tackle popular OTTB myths, from whether Secretariat’s heart made him a champion to the legend of the "chestnut mare curse." It's a...

In this episode of OTTB on Tap , we welcome back Jessica Redman of Benchmark Sporthorses, one of the leading OTTB resellers in the U.S. Jessica shares her expert take on Thoroughbred bloodline trends for sport horses in 2024, offering insights into sires she’s seen produce top eventing and sport horse prospects. From popular sires to those she steers clear of, Jessica breaks down what buyers shoul...

In this episode of OTTB on Tap , we’re rounding up all the action from the OTTB world this month! We’re revisiting the feedback from our first OTTB On Tap Evaluates episode, where we evaluated listener-submitted horses based on their conformation and pedigree. Hear how Baybuilt, Floo Powder, and Dragon Moon's owners felt about our assessments, and enjoy shout-outs from our listeners, including sto...

In this debut episode of our new series, OTTB on Tap Evaluates , Niamh and Emily dive into the conformation and pedigree of listener-submitted Thoroughbreds. In Volume 1 , we take a closer look at three Off-Track Thoroughbreds (OTTBs): Baybuilt, Floo Powder, and Dragon Moon. Using only conformation photos and their Jockey Club pedigrees, we analyze their physical structure, racing lineage, and dis...

In this episode of OTTB on Tap , co-hosts Niamh and Emily dive into Emily’s first experience at the 2013 Retired Racehorse Project Makeover. Back when it was known as the Retired Racehorse Training Project (RRTP), Emily reflects on the unique challenges of transitioning from city life in Philadelphia to preparing her OTTB, Victory Money (aka "Prima"), for the Pimlico Showcase. Emily also shares ho...

Join us for the latest episode of the RRP Trainer Chronicles , where hosts Niamh and Emily sit down with Julianne Pangal and Ashley Olin to check in on their OTTB, Brooklawn (aka Rye), fresh off a successful run at the American Eventing Championships (AEC). Get an inside look at their journey as they share Rye’s training progress, key moments from the AEC, and how they’re preparing him for the Ret...

In this episode of OTTB on Tap , we catch up with RRP Trainer Chelsey O’Brien as she prepares off-track Thoroughbred, Unbeknownst To Me (UBie), for the 2024 Retired Racehorse Project Makeover. UBie is owned by Pastured Place, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving the needs of Thoroughbreds. Chelsey shares insights into UBie’s training for Western disciplines, including barrel racing and ranch work, emphas...

In Part 2 of Madeline's Camp Windurra experience, we follow Madeline and her OTTB, Pepe and Heywood or "Pete" as they wrap up their final days at Boyd Martin’s Camp Windurra. On Day 4, Madeline worked closely with Olympic-level trainers, including another cross country school with Boyd and dressage with Silva Martin, honing her dressage skills and focusing on precision, rhythm, and connection with...

In this episode of OTTB on Tap, we sit down with Madeline Conley, an active duty member of the US Air Force and co-owner of Bridge the Gap Equine, an OTTB resale and equine wellness business in Southern New Jersey. Madeline shares her recent experience at the inaugural Camp Windurra - an eventing training camp hosted by Olympic Eventer Boyd Martin. Throughout the episode, she discusses the trainin...

In this episode of OTTB on Tap, we talk with event rider Caitlin Reamy as part of our OTTB Underdog Series. Caitlin shares the journey of her young Thoroughbred, El Patrone, who she restarted in the fall of 2021. Though he had a previous injury from racing - a surgically repaired condylar fracture - Caitlin and El Patrone have quickly progressed through the eventing levels, recently completing a 2...

In this episode of OTTB on Tap, we reconnect with Lauren Garrett-Bond to see how her giant, chestnut off-track Thoroughbred mare, Tizbit, is progressing on the road to the 2024 Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) Makeover. Joining Lauren is her trainer, Sabrina Morris, an expert in OTTB training with years of experience turning retired racehorses into versatile sport horses. Sabrina shares her unique...

In this episode of OTTB on Tap, Niamh and Emily catch up with Annika Greaney, one of the trainers we’ve been following as she prepares her two OTTB ex-broodmares for the Retired Racehorse Project’s Makeover in October. Annika shares how she’s been adapting her training approach to fit the unique needs of Tizso Majestic (Tessa) and Egoli, and why she’s focusing on slow, steady progress. We’ll hear...

Join Niamh and Emily on this episode of OTTB On Tap as we chat about Thoroughbreds in the Olympics. We spotlight Bold Venture, an Australian OTTB who made a dramatic entrance at the 2024 Olympics, and Regal Realm, Lucinda Green's remarkable partner with a wild backstory from the Australian outback to Olympic silver. Hear William Fox-Pitt and Lucinda Green discuss their favorite TBs from their past...

What happens when an army officer who has never ridden a horse (but has jumped out of planes) marries an event rider? He starts eventing, of course! In the first installment of our newest series, “OTTB Underdog Stories,” we explore how Brian Roberts began riding just over three years ago, taking on an OTTB with a tricky reputation. Now a successful training level eventing pair, Brian and his OTTB,...

Join us for a bit of a mashup episode! We bring back Taylor Cusack, who was a guest on Ep 17: OTTB on Tap Clinic Recap: Riding OTTBs with Olympian William Fox-Pitt with her charismatic OTTB, CV’s Eventing Rebellion, or “Darcy” as he is known to his friends. Taylor has been hitting all the clinic high notes this year, by adding Lucinda Green to her resume. We get her take on Lucinda’s famous ‘Ready...

Buckle up for a positively fun episode with special guest Kathy Goodman! In Horse Before the Course, OTTB on Tap speaks with Kathy about 4 seemingly separate, yet intertwined topics: Pressure Proof Clinics that challenge your “mental RAM” and teach ways to tap into your inner super power and perform under pressure USDF “L” Judging Program - how learning to judge dressage has transformed Kathy as a...

OTTB on Tap had the good fortune of attending a Pressure Proof clinic at the After the Races facility in Elkton, MD on June 15. Taught by Kathy Goodman, Niamh jumped at the opportunity to catch ride one of the adoptable ATR horses, Some is Nine. “Nine” is a 6 year old Thoroughbred mare by Super Ninety Nine out of an Awesome Again mare. She came to After The Races in partnership with Beyond The Wir...

It only takes a moment of meeting Merrilyn Ratliff and listening to her sing the praises of her OTTB, Koda Bear, to realize how strong their partnership is. We had the great fortune of watching Merrilyn and Koda Bear while auditing the Lucinda Green clinic at Loch Moy Farm, home of the Maryland Horse Trials on April 29-30, 2024. In this episode, which is Part 1 of 2 of our clinic coverage, we’ll r...

*** The full episode starts at the 3:55 mark, we were having such a great recap of Devon Arena Eventing before we started and wanted to share it with everyone!*** In 2017, Kirsten Schuitema accompanied a friend who wanted to try a couple of OTTBs that our hosts, Emily and Niamh, had sourced from the track and had been bringing along. Little did Kirsten know that she would meet her future upper lev...

Join us for another installment of our OTTB on Tap - Retired Racehorse collaboration! In this episode, we chat with Virginia-based trainer, Chelsey O’Brien, about her 2024 RRP Makeover horse, Unbeknownst to Me, or “UBie” as he is known in the barn. UBie raced 15 times and earned a little over $71,000 as a racehorse. He’s owned and sponsored for the RRP Makeover by Pastured Place, a 501(c)(3) provi...

Can an amateur rider with a full time job still have time to train a fresh off the track OTTB? Julianne Pangal certainly can, and does, as her own website, OTTB Makeover, demonstrates. For the 2024 RRP Makeover, Julianne has teamed up with longtime friend, Ashley Olin, to train and compete her horse, Brooklawn. Both Julianne and Ashley have versatile backgrounds in foxhunting, hunter/jumpers, and...

Take a trip down memory lane with Niamh and Emily as we discuss 4 memorable OTTBs from our past. We discuss Thoroughbred pedigrees, conformation, temperament, and more, along with the horses’ back stories, why we chose them, and what made them special to us. Maybe even a couple were “the one that got away” to us! Included in this episode are: Kiwi Gal, a 2009 chestnut TB mare by Stormello out of M...

Join us to catch up with Niamh and Emily about OTTBs in the big events this spring: Kentucky and Badminton. They also chat about the Kentucky Derby, William Fox-Pitt's retirement, and a sneak peek into our upcoming episode about riding OTTBs in a Lucinda Green clinic. Finally, they recap about the OTTB on Tap - Retired Racehorse Project trainers: Annika, Lauren, Julianne, and Chelsey. Supporting l...

Join us for another installment of our OTTB on Tap - Retired Racehorse collaboration! In this episode, we chat with Lauren Garrett-Bond about her OTTB mare, Tizbit. Lauren grew up down the street from Pimlico Racetrack in Maryland and would watch the horses work on the track daily. Her love of Thoroughbreds never diminished, and now she is retraining her mare for the ‘24 RRP Makeover this October....

Welcome to the first installment of our OTTB on Tap - Retired Racehorse Project collaboration! On today’s show, we have Annika Greaney-Stanger who has two OTTBs that she is retraining for the 2024 RRP Makeover in some varied disciplines including Ranch Work, Barrels, Trail and maybe some Western Dressage. Both horses are former broodmares and racehorses. Tizso Majestic, “Tessa” a 2013 mare (Majest...