Partners with Robyn’s Nest Farm

BEYOND the Backstretch — Competition With Purpose

BEYOND the Backstretch turns equestrian competition into meaningful, sustainable support for Thoroughbred aftercare and rescue.

BEYOND the Backstretch grew from a lifelong love of Thoroughbreds and a simple belief: celebrating these horses after racing matters, but celebration alone is not enough. If we want to help create better futures for Thoroughbreds, we also have to support the organizations doing the difficult, expensive work of giving them those futures.

So we set out to build a different kind of model—one that brings the equestrian community together and gives everyone a role in creating that support.

Each year, BEYOND the Backstretch selects Thoroughbred aftercare and rescue organizations to support. We tell their stories, highlight their work, and help people understand what happens long after a horse leaves the racetrack—the rehabilitation, retraining, veterinary care, time, and resources often required to prepare that horse for a safe and successful next chapter.

But our work doesn't stop with awareness.

We take the mission into the show ring.

Turning Horse Shows Into Opportunities to Give Back

BEYOND the Backstretch partners with hunter/jumper, dressage, eventing, combined-training, and other equestrian event managers to place Thoroughbred divisions within their existing competitions.

What began as a small pilot has become an important part of our program. In 2026, BEYOND the Backstretch expanded to 26 partner events across multiple equestrian disciplines.

These show managers do much more than add our name to a prize list. When riders enter a BEYOND the Backstretch division, the host show gives back a portion of the entry fees generated by that division—and many of our partners generously give back 100% of those entry fees.

That is where the model begins to come to life.

The show provides the opportunity. Riders enter and compete. Their participation generates revenue. That revenue comes back to BEYOND the Backstretch, where it can begin working for Thoroughbreds all over again.

Alongside these outside partnerships is our annual BEYOND the Backstretch Flagship Horse Show. Our flagship is an all-breed show because we believe every horse deserves to be celebrated and every rider can be part of the cause. At the same time, the event intentionally shines a spotlight on the Thoroughbred—showing what these remarkable horses can accomplish beyond racing while bringing riders, trainers, sponsors, businesses, and supporters together for a greater purpose.

Putting Sponsorship—and Participation—to Work

None of this happens without partnership.

Financial sponsors help us offset the cost of creating and supporting our divisions and events. Product partners provide prizes, awards, gift certificates, and services. Even when a full product donation isn't possible, companies can help tremendously by offering BEYOND the Backstretch preferred or discounted pricing.

Every donated product and every dollar saved matters because it allows our resources to stretch farther.

We invest in ribbons, prizes, awards, promotion, and the other essentials that make our divisions something riders are excited to enter.

Then the riders take it from there.

They enter. They compete. And simply by participating in the sport they love, they help create money for Thoroughbred aftercare.

That is one of the most important things to understand about BEYOND the Backstretch: we aren't relying on one source of fundraising. We are connecting sponsorship, horse shows, products, and rider participation so that each piece helps the next one work.

We Don't Just Give Money Back. We Put It Back to Work.

When revenue comes into BEYOND the Backstretch, our goal isn't simply to make a donation and start from zero again.

We want those dollars to have the opportunity to work more than once.

Under our current model, 55% of division-generated revenue is directed to the Thoroughbred aftercare and rescue organizations we support. Another 35% helps cover current program and division expenses, while 10% is intentionally reinvested into future BEYOND the Backstretch divisions.

That reinvestment is a small percentage, but it is an important part of what makes the model sustainable.

Money generated by one division can help purchase ribbons or prizes for the next. That allows us to partner with another show, reach another group of riders, collect another round of entry fees—and create another opportunity to give back.

We don't just give the money back. We put a portion of it back to work so it can help generate the next donation.

That is the cycle we are building:

Sponsors & Product Partners → Horse Shows → Riders → Entry Fees → Revenue → Aftercare + Reinvestment → More Opportunities to Give

And as the cycle grows, so does the potential impact.

One Partnership at a Time

The results are beginning to show what is possible.

In 2024 BEYOND the backstretch gave back $850., in 2025, BEYOND the Backstretch gave back $2,900. In 2026, that grew to $4,200, while our outside program expanded to 26 partner events.

For a grassroots organization, those numbers mean a great deal. But what they represent means even more.

Behind every dollar is a sponsor who believed in what we were trying to build. A company that donated a prize or gave us a discount. A show manager who made room for our division and shared the entry fees. A rider who entered a class. And an aftercare or rescue organization that can put those dollars toward helping another horse.

That is the real strength of BEYOND the Backstretch: no one has to do it alone.

We aren't trying to replace the aftercare and rescue organizations already doing this essential work. We are trying to help fuel their work by creating another source of revenue for them.

And we are doing it the way we know best—through horses, horse shows, and the equestrian community.

BEYOND the Backstretch remains grassroots, and we are proud of that. We are building something sustainable one sponsor, one product partner, one show manager, one division, and one rider at a time.

Because when all of those pieces come together, a day in the show ring can become something much bigger.

It can help create the next division.

The next donation.

And, most importantly, the next chance for a Thoroughbred.

More opportunities. More participation. More revenue. More second chances.

BEYOND the Backstretch

New Chapters. Lasting Impact.