Part 8: Life After Racing
By Emily Schulz
Now we know that everyone who gets into racehorse ownership isn’t necessarily a horsey person who has access to a big lush paddock for their horse to live out their days. So, before you get into owning a racehorse, remember to consider their future retirement plan. It’s important to take the initiative for your horse, that gave you so much joy on the track, to source them a suitable forever home off the track. If you don’t know where to start and would like to practice responsible ownership, we’ll help you out with some suggestions below.
Thoroughbreds are not only fast and athletic, they are intelligent, willing and most of all, versatile! Yes, they are initially bred for the race track but if you’ve been watching the races for a while now, you’ll know that not all of them are as competitive as their owners’ dreams and desires. Racehorses adapt very well to new environments and with the correct retraining, they can become anything from a fancy lawn mower to an Olympic show jumper and many jobs in between.
It’s compulsory when your horse retires that the managing owner notifies Racing Australia. Depending on which state you live in, they may have an online community which allows you to keep up to date with how your ex-racehorses are going in retirement and become an emergency contact for your horse if something were to go wrong in their new home. There are also communities that promote any horses that are available to start their new careers as well as education for both current racehorse and off the track owners. The typical life expectancy of a horse is around 30 years of age, with racehorses generally retiring as young as three or four - that’s a lot of life left to live! The horse racing industry is working very hard behind the scenes to contribute more to the welfare of retired racehorses as well as keep track of their lives after racing.
Breeding
If you’re lucky enough to own a male horse (colt or stallion) who is a winning machine and is still intact, then he may go off to stud to become a Dad (sire) and pass on his super genes to his offspring. He will be taken care of by a stud with daily exercise, feeding and therapies until he retires from stud duties. If you have a well-bred or winning female horse (filly or mare) they are most likely going to go off to the breeding barn as well to become a broodmare. Broodmares live out their days at horse studs with other mares in big lush paddocks, get round the clock vet management and are treated like the absolute queens they are. If you own a gelding, he won’t have much luck with the broodmares so they are better off being retrained for another purpose.
Retraining
Thoroughbreds are generally broken in by the time they turn two. During their racing career they become accustomed to being handled daily, loud noises, large crowds, travelling far distances, waiting around and so much more which makes an ex-racehorse the perfect horse to take on. These horses can be retrained and perform in many disciplines competitively including showing, dressage, eventing, polo, western and show jumping just to name a few. There are now Thoroughbred-only sponsored events where the prizes are more than just a ribbon which drives demand for these competitive animals. If you own a larger horse with a strong mind, they may be more suited to a working role such as a clerk of the course or a police horse. For smaller, gentler horses, they could be suited to a therapy role. You may not know that ex-racehorses are used to assist people with many different disabilities as well as with rehabilitation and training for young indigenous persons, the vulnerable and minimum-security inmates. The aim is to teach these people new skills related to training horses so they can learn skills, build their confidence to find work or smoothly return to society.
“It’s a fantastic feeling having an Off The Track horse come into your care and working with them to find their niche in life after racing. Some of my retrained horses have been sold on to careers in dressage, show jumping & eventing, with all their sale price (less 10%) going back to the owners. They are all individual and it amazes me what an aptitude for learning they have.” - Jodee Young, pictured riding ‘Sundays Off’ who found life after racing as a dressage horse.
Silhouette Farm - OTT & HRV Qualified Retrainer, Victoria.
There are programs in place around the country that are funded by the percentage of prizemoney taken out for equine welfare. These programs aim to allow traceability of the horses that are exiting the industry as well as improve integrity through to end of life. There are acknowledged retrainers that can be contacted on your behalf who take on sound horses to give them a new purpose in life and participate in responsible rehoming. Some horses may take longer than others to transition into their new life and may be eligible for one of the re-education programs which allows them more time to learn the skills required before they are rehomed.
Golden Oldies
Some horses get bored without a job to do but some are happy to live out their days as a paddock mate or a nanny for the young horses. If your horse loves attention and was a Group 1 winner on the racetrack, they may be eligible to live out at one of the many properties around Australia such as Living Legends that are dedicated to the longevity and care of retired champions. Some horses can race on until they are older than ten and that’s a true testament to good training and attention to detail keeping a horse sound throughout it’s career. If your horse does race on to their middle ages, the mandatory retirement age is 12 years old.
"Being based in Darwin a lot of horses careers finish for good in the Top End so it’s extremely important that after their racing career is over that a suitable home is found for them. We have had great success with rehoming all our ex race horses. Some have made the change to equestrian but most live the rest of their days out as a pony for one of the Territories many horse lovers. Darwin is also home to “TRNT Off The Track” an official non for profit organization committed to assisting in the rehoming of thoroughbreds into new careers as pleasure and performance horses." - On Fire Racing
End Of Life
Not all horses are suited to new careers due to possible soundness issues, injury or undesirable temperament. These horses are given every opportunity to progress in their lives but sometimes humane euthanasia will be the best welfare outcome so they are not a danger to themselves or anyone that comes in contact. The people in the industry try their very best with these horses and unfortunately we can’t all live forever and this outcome is used as an absolute last resort.
Racehorses have been bred to be champions. So much research, time and money goes into every foal born that when you take on, retrain or rehome an ex-racehorse, the new owner is reaping the rewards. Their speed, stamina and general nature make them perfect to pursue other disciplines post racing. There is support if you’re an owner and want to plan your horse’s future retirement, feel free to get in touch with your trainer or syndicator as a first port of call as they may already have contacts and processes to rehome your racehorse. If you have the skills, knowledge and space to take on a racehorse in its post racing career, why not, you’ll be rewarded with a best friend for life!
