The Retired Racehorse Project’s Thoroughbred Makeover draws amateur and professional riders from across the country to compete their off-the-track Thoroughbreds (OTTB) who are learning new career paths. Therefore, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that a U.S. Jumping Team member has become a frequent competitor at the event.

Twenty-year-old Mia Bagnato had a standout year in 2025, helping the U.S. team win the $75,000 FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Traverse City CSIO3*, earning the young rider team silver medal at the FEI North American Youth Championships, and serving as the team alternate at FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Youth Final in Belgium. In addition to her aspirations as an international show jumper, Bagnato enjoys retraining OTTBs and showcasing their progress each year at the Thoroughbred Makeover. This year marked Bagnato’s fourth appearance at the OTTB-focused competition, and she earned her best result yet.

Growing up as a Trainer’s Kid

As the daughter of trainer Susie Bagnato, Mia seemed destined to have a career with horses. From sitting on a horse for the first time at a couple months old to turning professional at the age of 18 in 2024, Mia knew she wanted to stay involved with horses.

“It was just something that kind of was always there and definitely not pressed upon or forced onto me, but I always really loved it,” Mia said of riding. “It was just there naturally, and I decided to keep doing it.”

Mia grew up riding with her mom and older sister Emma, and Thoroughbreds were a staple for the family.

“We’ve always had Thoroughbreds in our barn for as long as I can remember,” Mia said.

Mia’s mom and sister mostly rode the Thoroughbreds while Mia stuck with ponies until she was older. When Mia first heard about the Thoroughbred Makeover in 2022, she knew she wanted to give it a try that year.

“It was just such a positive experience,” Mia said. “It was the most peaceful week, and everyone was just the friendliest humans ever. They really care about the people and the horses, that you have a good experience, and being able to re-home that many Thoroughbreds and let them have this chance to go to this big show.”

After enjoying the Thoroughbred Makeover so much in 2022, Mia returned in 2023, 2025 and 2026 with one or two OTTB project horses each year. While she regularly competes in the show hunter and show jumper divisions at the event, she has also competed in the ranch work and trail divisions.

Mia said she is never in a hurry to sell any of her horses, so her Thoroughbred Makeover graduates often end up staying with her or finding a good lease situation.

“The only ones that I have owned are the one that I did last year [Markitoff] and this year [Abject], and they’re both with me,” Mia said.

Training Thoroughbreds

In addition to training OTTBs, Mia also trains and competes warmbloods in the international jumper ring. While every horse is an individual, she has noticed some common traits working with Thoroughbreds and warmbloods. She finds young Thoroughbreds to be more predictable than young warmbloods.

“It’s either a buck or a rear, and that’s it. And sometimes you’ll have some who go a little bit too fast,” Mia said of Thoroughbreds’ antics. “Then with the warmbloods, I think a lot of the times with the young ones, I’ve had some who are quite silly, acrobatic and they’re a little bit all over the place. Some days you have a good day, and then some days it’s not so good, even though you’re doing the same thing.”

She also finds Thoroughbreds to be fast learners, especially since they are switching from a racing background to becoming sporthorses.  

“I feel like once you get something down [with Thoroughbreds], it’s good,” Mia said.

In terms of selecting an OTTB to retrain, Mia looks for a horse with clean legs and good feet. However, she pointed out that it can be tough to get a clear idea about a horse’s feet when he is fresh off the track. She also wants a horse with a good brain, which makes for a smoother transition from the track to the show ring.

“If you can start with somewhat of a level head, then I feel like it’s easier for them to come around,” Mia said.

When retraining OTTBs, Mia finds that they often have a stiffer side, making bending and turning a challenge early on.

“We have a round pen and, some of the time, I’ll ride them with a Western saddle and split reins,” she said. “It helps when you have that boundary so that you are on the edge while being like, ‘Hey, your head turns this way too.’”

When choosing a discipline to focus on with an OTTB, Mia leaves that up to the horses.

“You can get one with this whole plan; ‘I’m going to this discipline’ or whatever,” Mia said. “And then you start riding them, and you’re like, ‘Maybe they’re better at this instead.’”

Finding Abject

In the fall of 2025, Mia was searching for her next OTTB project to aim toward the 2026 Thoroughbred Makeover. She went to the New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program location in Gansevoort, New York, to check out the horses available for adoption. A small chestnut gelding was brought out for Mia to see, but he couldn’t be shown under saddle because he had sprung a shoe in turnout. That didn’t deter Mia.

“I was like ‘Sold! That’s the one.’ Because he was so cute and he was so tiny and I really loved that,” Mia said. “At first when I got him at his age, I was like, ‘I don’t know if this was like the smartest thing I could have done with him,’ but he has a great brain.” 

Mia brought Abject, or “Abe,” home to her family farm in Montgomery, New York. The 3-year-old Thoroughbred gelding (Vino Rosso x Disclude, by Overanalyze) was bred and owned by Repole Stable. He had three starts between August and September 2025, earning just $2,445. When being a racehorse didn’t seem to be his calling, Abe went to New Vocations to find a new career path.

As Mia got to know Abe, she enjoyed discovering his playful personality. He liked to play with a large inflatable ball in his field and would sometimes nibble on the cross-ties or his blankets as they were being changed. But under saddle, Abe was all business.

“I forget that he’s only 3 because he’s such a good boy when you’re riding him,” Mia said.

Mia’s first ride on Abe was pleasantly uneventful. After the horse had about three months of turnout, Mia pulled him out around Christmas while she was home visiting from Florida. It was a cold day, but that didn’t seem to bother Abe.

“I put the tack on, and I walked him into the ring, and he didn’t do a single thing wrong,” Mia said. “And then he had off until like almost May after that. He’s just never put a foot wrong; he tries very hard.”

As Mia continued Abe’s retraining, they went to three hunter/jumper shows in the lead-up to the Thoroughbred Makeover with respectable results. When it came time to enter the Thoroughbred Makeover, Mia opted for the show jumper and show hunter divisions.

Showtime at the 2026 Thoroughbred Makeover

After making the trip to the Kentucky Horse Park, Abe had some young horse moments in the Preliminary Competition for the Retiring Racehorse Show Jumper division, finishing 28th out of 71 combinations. Although Mia had felt more prepared for the show jumper division, it turned out to be a less-than-ideal day.

“I was a little bit disappointed because we worked very hard,” Mia said. “I was very happy with him though.”

Redemption came in their second discipline of the Thoroughbred Makeover—the show hunter division. Mia and Abe had solid performances in the over fences and flat portions of the Preliminary Competition for the Retiring Racehorse Show Hunter division to finish sixth out of 58 combinations, earning them a spot in the Championship Competition. A stellar performance on the final day of competition earned them the Reserve Champion title—Mia’s highest placing thus far at a Thoroughbred Makeover.

“I went into the hunters, and then I was walking out and laughing with my mom,” Mia said. “I was like, “I think that’s the best hunter course I ever did in my life.’”

In terms of Abe’s future, Mia thinks he has found his calling as a hunter. Since Abe is only 3, she isn’t in a hurry to push his training as he matures over the next year or so. But the future seems bright.

“I think that he would be a super cute derby horse maybe,” Mia said. “They have so many of those Thoroughbred derbies and hunter classes now.”

Another special moment at the Thoroughbred Makeover was meeting some of Abe’s past connections. Two staff members from Repole Stable came to the Kentucky Horse Park to see Abe in action and find out how he was doing after his racing career.

“I see a lot of people who really don’t care that much what the horses are doing when they’re done racing,” Mia said. “But they cared, and they wanted to come see him, which I thought was really nice.”

Mia and the Repole Stable team talked about staying in touch about any future Thoroughbreds retiring from racing and looking for a second career. If Abe is any indication of other horses in their stable, Mia is ready to take on an OTTB for next year’s Thoroughbred Makeover.

“I was like, ‘I like him! I’ll take like 12 more,’” Mia joked.