US Trotting Urges Registration Conversion for Pleasure Horses

USTA Urges Important Final Step Before Giving Away A Horse – Pleasure Registration

Launches New Life After Racing Page with Standardbred Retirement Options on ustrotting.com

 by Dan Leary, USTA Director of Communications

US Trotting Association (USTA) members who plan to give away or sell a horse with the provision they not be raced or bred are urged to take one important last step.  Members now have the option, at no cost, to convert their horse’s registration to Pleasure Horse. 

“This is the only way to ensure that a verbal agreement between two parties to not race or breed a horse is honored,” said USTA Registrar T.C. Lane.   “Once the conversion to Pleasure Registration is complete, there is a record of the transaction in our database and no entry to race can be made, no progeny registered.”

Lane urges careful consideration, as conversion is permanent and cannot be reversed by a future owner.  “This is a process we hope will be undertaken by owners who want to ensure their intentions are honored throughout the horse’s life, when no longer in their care,” explained Lane. 

In its effort to promote pleasure registration and off-the-track options for Standardbreds, the USTA has completely revamped the Life After Racing section of ustrotting.com, which was launched today and can be seen by clicking on the Life After Racing tab on the homepage.

“The timing of the announcement of the USTA’s Pleasure Horse registration and Life After Racing initiatives coincides very well with my participation in the Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit in Lexington over the last two days,” said USTA Executive Vice President/CEO Mike Tanner.  “The welfare of our race horses when their racing days are over is an issue of great importance and one that demands and deserves our attention.”

Pleasure Registration conversion is open to members with care, custody or control of a horse for which they are the listed owner in the USTA database.   New registration papers can be prepared to reflect the horse’s converted status, if that is required for pleasure discipline competition.  Members should complete a pleasure registration conversion form, which can be obtained here or by calling 877-800-8782 x 1.  The form should be returned with the horse’s registration papers, unless they have electronic registration. 

Conversion cannot be done on a horse no longer in the care, custody or control of the owner listed in the USTA database and cannot be done over the phone.    The Pleasure Registration logo (attached) will appear next to the horse’s name in the Pathway system for all horses whose registration has been converted.  For more information on Pleasure Registration, read the FAQs here or email memberservices@ustrotting.com.

Pleasure Registration is one of three USTA initiatives to address Standardbred welfare.  The Full Circle program click here uses the USTA database to allow anyone to record their name in a horse’s file if they wish to be contacted if that horse needs help in the future.  Support Our Standardbreds (SOS) click here provides financial assistance to horses whose care has fallen to a level requiring legal intervention.  For information about those programs, contact ellen.harvey@ustrotting.com or 732-780-3700. 

Editor's Note: Press release has been provided by the United States Trotting Association.  Since this is an important issue, I felt it important to make sure this press release is seen by the maximum number of people possible.