What Happens to Thoroughbred Race Horses When They Cannot Race

What Happens to Former Thoroughbred Race Horses

If the horse has broken a leg, which may occur during a race, or while in training, the horse is immediately destroyed. Such horses cannot be sent to slaughter as shipping such a suffering horse would be cruel and inhumane.  The cost of repairing a broken leg on a horse is high and the horse would not be able to race.  Only in very rare cases do people pay to mend the leg of a race horse.

If the horse is not sound, perhaps it has a problem with its feet, or legs, it is often sent to slaughter.  While such a horse might be recoverable, the time and expense is often not worth it, especially for geldings.  Some areas no longer allow slaughter of horses for human consumption but they are still slaughtered to be fed to zoo animals or are shipped to countries where horse slaughter is still common.  It is rare that an owner will pay for euthanasia on a horse when he could recover money by sending it to slaughter.  Most race horse owners treat ownership as a business, and their goal is profit.

Hunter/Jumper and Dressage riders often consider taking former racehorses and retraining them provided they are sound.

Chuckwagon racers are happy to buy former racehorses, not only from the Thoroughbred circuit but from the Quarter horse circuit as well. * 

Barrel race riders might select a smaller former race horse.

National Hunt racers (formerly know as Steeplechasing) will usually take geldings and mares who are not desired for breeding. *

Pleasure Horse buyers often buy former racehorses, typically through groups that rescue racehorses and resell them.

The PMU industry, an industry that keeps mares pregnant for the purpose of collecting urine, will sometimes buy mares.

Some former racehorses, are donated to Colleges. I personally attended Olds College in Alberta where the majority of the mares had been donated from the race track.

Retired for breeding – stallions, and mares, who are seen as being worthy for breeding are kept and retired to the breeding barn.

Sold at Auction - In the case of many thoroubred race horses, they may be taken and sold at an auction.  Meat buyers (from slaughter houses) often attend these auctions and buy the lower priced animals.  Horse rescue groups also often try to buy up former race horses from the auctions and rehabilitate them and put them up for adoption.  You can research thoroughbred race horse rescue groups in your area if you are interested in saving a former race horse.

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*Note: Both chuckwagon racing, and national hunt racing, are often considered cruel and dangerous by animal welfare groups. As these are other forms of racing, it is really a continued racing career as opposed to being an ex-race horse. Many of these horses will finish their lives on the track or are sent to slaughter.

There are no accurate statistics for how many horses die on race tracks, many “break down” while in training or are taken off the track as they are not earning their keep (most race horses in fact do not earn what it costs to keep them).

The author studied Racetrack Operations and Procedures while attending College, and worked briefly at a tracetrack and later worked at a stable for an owner of Standardbred race horses.