What happens when a racehorse stops racing?
It is one of the most important questions facing the modern racing industry — and National Racehorse Week provides an opportunity to show the public some of the answers.
A Thoroughbred’s final race does not have to represent the end of its working life. For many, it represents the beginning of something entirely different.
A second career
Thoroughbreds are remarkably versatile animals. With appropriate assessment and retraining, former racehorses can progress into disciplines including dressage, eventing, showing, showjumping, polo, hacking and recreational riding.
Successful aftercare involves more than simply finding another owner. The horse’s temperament, physical condition, previous racing career and suitability for its potential new environment all need consideration.
The objective should be straightforward: finding the right future for the individual horse.
Retraining in action
National Racehorse Week includes retraining and rehoming centres alongside racing yards and studs. That matters because it allows the public to see the entire Thoroughbred story rather than viewing racing in isolation.
Godolphin Lifetime Care provides one example of an organisation assessing horses and preparing them for suitable new roles after racing.
Racing’s responsibility
Aftercare is increasingly important to the public’s perception of racing. The industry therefore has both a responsibility and an opportunity.
The responsibility is to provide appropriate care for horses leaving racing. The opportunity is to demonstrate just how adaptable and capable the Thoroughbred can be beyond the racecourse.
The Thoroughbred.Global view
Racing should celebrate its champions. But the measure of a responsible Thoroughbred industry should also include what happens to its horses when the cheering stops.
Training. Racing. Breeding. Retraining. Rehoming. Retirement.
They are not separate stories. Together they form the lifetime story of the Thoroughbred.
Sources / further reading:
National Racehorse Week
Godolphin Lifetime Care