Ep 25: Uncovering those 'Diamond in the Rough' OTTBs with Chelsey O'Brien

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) providing retirement, rehabilitation, retraining, and rehoming to Thoroughbreds.

In this episode, Chelsey reveals that they often look to place OTTBs that may be otherwise overlooked for adoption with trainers for the Makeover. Learn about how she connected with UBie, his strengths and weaknesses, and her philosophy on retraining OTTBs. She is pointing UBie towards barrels and western dressage for the Makeover.

Learn more about Chelsey’s journey to the 2024 RRP Makeover and follow along our OTTB on Tap – Retired Racehorse Project collaboration series at https://ottbontap.com/24-rrp-makeover

Past episodes of the OTTB on Tap & Retired Racehorse Project Collaboration – RRP Trainer Chronicles Series:

Ep 14: RRP Trainer Chronicles: Where the Journey to Greatness Begins

Ep 20: First Steps with Annika: Restarting Former OTTB Broodmares

Ep 21: Lauren Garrett-Bond's Holistic Approach to Restarting Her OTTB Mare, Tizbit

Ep 24: OTTB Training as a Team: Julianne & Ashley Work Together Toward the RRP Makeover

Notes:

Learn more and donate to Pastured Place https://pasturedplace.org/

Jockey Club Thoroughbred Connect (must log in/sign up for an account): https://www.registry.jockeyclub.com/registry.cfm?page=thoroughbredConnect

Learn more about the Retired Racehorse Project