 |
||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Standardbred Horses Ease Into Pleasure Riding CareersBy Kentucky Equine Research Staff · June 13, 2011
In an effort to encourage owners who want to give their Standardbred horses away, the United States Trotting Association (USTA) has developed a new option for horses that move from racing into a new career of pleasure use. This initiative by the USTA is designed to benefit horses no longer racing or breeding and to encourage the use of Standardbreds in pleasure riding or driving disciplines. A new ruling enacted late in 2010 gives current USTA members the right to convert a horse's registration to "Pleasure Horse" status. There is no fee for pleasure horse conversion.
Converting a horse's registration to pleasure registration will ensure that the horse is no longer eligible to race, and progeny conceived after conversion are not eligible to be registered. That will cover horses transferred with or without papers, and is a permanent and irrevocable decision. The change will be recorded in the USTA's database and clearly printed on the horse's registration certificate, along with the racing and breeding restrictions. The rule will give the original owner confidence that the horse can't be put back into racing or used to produce race-eligible offspring.
For more information, contact the USTA by calling 732-780-3700 or e-mailing ellen.harvey@ustrotting.com.
