Second-Career Survey Shows Ex-Racehorses Rarely Head to Auctions

Retired Thoroughbred racehorses are not routinely auctioned or abandoned when they leave the track, but instead are most often acquired by individuals for second careers, according to information released by the Retired Racehorse Training Project (RRTP).

In a recent study, the RRTP gathered information on 4,200 former racehorses living in 47 states and several Canadian provinces. Figures showed that two-thirds of the horses were acquired either directly from the person who owned the horses while they were in race training, or else from a previous owner who had not raced the horse.

Of the horses for which information was gathered, 13.5% had been in the care of some type of nonprofit rescue or placement organization before being acquired by their present owners. Another 9% were gotten from professional sales or training businesses, indicating the horses had been trained or prepared for non-racing careers after leaving the track. Horses that were sent to auction at the end of their racing days made up just over 2% of the total.

Many ex-racehorses considered in this study were given to their new owners free of charge. Rescue or placement organizations typically charged an adoption fee that averaged around $1,000, though these groups also gave away more than 20% of the horses they rehomed. Few horses were given free to new owners by professional sales or training businesses, and the average selling price of horses acquired from these businesses—$4,646—reflected the increased value of the time and effort made to prepare the horse for a second career. Ex-racehorses brought an average of only $839 at auction.

With their athletic ability and somewhat excitable temperament, Thoroughbreds are not the breed of choice when a prospective owner is looking for a beginner horse, a child’s mount, or a quiet animal that will take parade appearances in stride. Not surprisingly, owners of second-career Thoroughbreds have used these ex-racehorses for eventing, hunter/jumper disciplines, and dressage. Fewer than 10% of off-the-track Thoroughbreds were purchased for low-key trail riding or other recreational uses.

Goals of the RRTP include building networks among sellers, trainers, and buyers of ex-racehorses, and compiling and publishing a resource directory to facilitate placement of retired Thoroughbreds.