Thoroughbred Horses, Life After The Race Track
In the world of Thoroughbred horse racing there is sometimes only one escape from running. Death.
Not all horses who race have the speed, talent, drive, conformation, and luck, to give them long racing careers. A few lucky horses have alternatives.
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Most of the lucky ones will finish a racing career by retiring to the breeding barn. Mares can have 1 foal a year, and stallions may service many mares. The stallions stud fee (price for breeding) is determined based on his own success on the track and proven foals.
Mares who show moderate to excellent potential can retire to the breeding barn, a few stallions who showed excellence on the track will be able to enter careers as studs. The poor geldings seem to have few options.
Geldings, for those who are not familiar with the term, are male horses who had their testicles removed, often well before their 2nd birthday. They are often raced until they can race no longer. As they do not serve a breeding purpose when they are no longer unable to race, many people assume they are automatically destroyed when their racing career is over or if they are just not good at racing. While this may be true in some cases, it is not always so.
Quick Overview of Horse Racing
Flat horse racing (where jockeys ride the horses and there are no jumps) is known in most parts of the world. Horses are not simply raced against each other randomly. They are divided up honestly based on quality. The best horses compete against the best horses, and try to win the most money. Trainers and owners are kept honest because the lower class horses race in races called “Claiming” races, where by any other owner and trainer can buy the horse out of a race for a price set by the racing committee, equal for all horses in that race. As such somebody with a million dollar horse is not going to enter it in a race that it is sure to win, but it could be purchased for $5000 by somebody else.
It is these claiming races where the lower quality horses spend their time.
Life After the Race Track
Just because a horse cannot race, does not mean it of no value.
Riding and Competition
http://www.flickr.com/photos/genewolf/74107221/
Many hunter, jumper, and dressage, riders find that buying young horses off the track works well for them. A person has to find connections at the track, get to know an owner or trainer, since at most race tracks the public are not allowed into the stabling area. Horses are selected as 2, 3 or 4 years old. Much older and they may have permanent damage as the result of racing.
Carriage Horses
http://flickr.com/photos/mshades/3153896669/
In some cities horses are used to give carriage tours to tourists and for weddings. Some of these horses are older horses formerly used in the race industry. In pulling carriages horses are usually kept at a walk although may be asked to trot.
Chuck Wagons
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eschipul/2360797655/
Chuck wagon Racers love to get former race horses. They are not so fussy on the age of the horse as long as it is sound. This is a rodeo event. Chuck wagon owners need horses for pulling the wagons and more for outriders (horses with riders that follow behind the wagons). They usually like to have a few extra horses as well. They need fast and determined horses, and in many parts of North America where Chuck wagon racing is common, horses are often bought off the race track. While this is still racing it is also an extension of a life for a horse that is not competitive on the regular race track. Some of these horses also are Quarter Horses from the QH circuit.
Retired Pasture Mates
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brittanylynae/2251073625/ The Thoroughbred is the one on the left.
There are several horse rescue groups that work to rescue former race horses, ones that would be put down, or sent to slaughter, only because they cannot race. Some of these horses are still usable as light riding mounts but others would be better suited to a live of leisure, company for another horse.
Problems with Some Ex-Race Horses
Typically you cannot just bring home a former race horse, pop on its back and go for a trail ride. These horses may have issues, particularly in North American (when compared to the UK) as the way the race tracks operate differently. Not all these will be problems in every horse, and of course the problems are more common in older horses. Being aware of potential problems is key to overcoming them.
- Soundness concerns as the result from being stabled many hours in a day (loss of bone density).
- Soundness concerns as the result of being ridden too young.
- Soundness concerns as the result of being raced too hard, or too often or before they were ready.
- Mental issues due to being stabled for so many hours a day.
- Vices such as weaving, cribbing, etc.
- One sided due to the race direction (again more common in North American horses).
- Hard mouthed.
- Nervous. Many of these horses may not have experienced a lot of sights and sounds outside the race track.
Related Reading
The Difference Between Hunters and Jumpers
Horse Rescue Reclaim – a Race Horse rescue in Arkansas
There are many other Race Horse Rescues and Placements. Also some for other breeds, such as Standardbreds, Quarter Horses, and Arabians.
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A really enjoyable article. Thank Brenda. I’m glad there is hope for many of the horses once their racing days are over.
I learned a lo reading this article. I love horses. Hate to think that races could abuse them.
I meant learned a lot
Poor horses. Thank you for sharing that.
Nice & intresting share
How I wish just to be a retired pasture mate and spend the rest of my days grazing. An interesting read, Brenda.
Good read. Near where I live there is an old horse who has been retired to pasture. She is much loved by her family. I would wish such a retirement for all old horses.
Great article. I must say that on the Belgian tracks horses are less fortunate. Here in Belgium we eat a lot of horse meat and horses that are not good enough to race end up at the slaughter house and are just worth the price of their meat.
Also great race horses do not always have great foals. I know somebody that ones bought a horse that was meant for the slaughter, since it was not good enough to race. Its father was a race champion, but all his foals were useless.
Here horses seldom retire, but I heard that Americans seem to have problems with eating horse meat.
(Don’t look at me: I am a vegetarian, since I have problems digesting meat)
Great article. I must say that on the Belgian tracks horses are less fortunate. Here in Belgium we eat a lot of horse meat and horses that are not good enough to race end up at the slaughter house and are just worth the price of their meat.
Also great race horses do not always have great foals. I know somebody that ones bought a horse that was meant for the slaughter, since it was not good enough to race. Its father was a race champion, but all his foals were useless.
Here horses seldom retire, but I heard that Americans seem to have problems with eating horse meat.
(Don\\\’t look at me: I am a vegetarian, since I have problems digesting meat)
Very interesting article.
I liked the info here and the pics too.
Good article, It shows your love of Equines.
Very good read. Thanks for the share
It seems shameful that these animals used for profit end up badly but I suppose they have it better than those raised to be slaughtered for meat.
It’s great to read that not all of the thoroughbreds get putdown after their career. I’ve worked for many farm owners who own thoroughbreds past their prime and still ride them like the wind. Really well written article on one of your passions. Thumbs up!
Excellent well done article. I can see your love of horses throughtout this piece. I have never thought too much about life after horse racing but I worry about the lives of the greyhounds as we have a dog racing track local. We have a good greyhound program here and think my next dog will be a retired greyhound.
beautiful article, it is so great that many get to lead better lives!