It is easy and painless to comment on good things happening to great horses on the tracks while they are winning, and young. No one, or at least most want to tackle the problem of what do ou do with them when their breeding and brooding and racing careers are over? It is a compelling question. It needs the help of all great minds and organizations to come up with a feasible solution not governed by Congress or a Commission. It is not a pleasant subject but it will not go away simply by looking the other way thinking someone else will fix it. The retired horses, all of them, deserve retirement in a gentle and safe place.

I do have a question - dogs and cats are spayed & neutered, male horses are gelded, can anything be done like that, other than hormone shots, to fix female horses so they don't go through heats?

• Scot's reply:  Interesting question.  Our sister site is the place to go for the answer!  Check out Preventing Estrus In Performance Mares or Spaying Mares With Newer, Safer Methods.

the blood horse continues to post blogs without identifying the author of the blog.  

i find this post extraordinarily naive and probably posted by someone that has never owned a horse.

the unfortunate reality is that most OTB is merely a path to abuse and neglect.  I have never given away a horse in 20 years to OTB and seen that horse taken properly taken care of for any length of time, to the point that I have ceased to consider an OTB career a solution for my retired horses.

The reality is there are not 100 potential owners in my huge metro area, and of those 100, 75 would wind up disposing of their horses within a year.

Equestrian sports unfortunately require a means of disposal for unwanted animals. It has nothing to do with owner responsiblity, overbreeding, or any of the reasons commonly given.  There are simply too many unwanted horses and way way too few adequate, animal responsible permanent homes.

• Scot's reply:  The masthead at the upper right identifies the author of this blog -- me -- and in the "about" section you can read about my horse ownership.  ... I'd like to ask, if overbreeding and owner responsibility are not factors, what do you think are the causes of "too many unwanted horses and way way too few adequate... permanent homes"?

The solutions you've presented are clear and simple, both of which should make it easier to implement, and they are both pay-to-play. The Jockey Club is one of the few national organizations, it would be most helpful in providing solutions to problems if there was a national governing body with regional representation. I agree that the industry needs to self-regulate and it has appeared in the last 2 years that there are efforts in that direction. Let's hope inertia doesn't set in until it's too late and the government steps in.

I am a small owner, breeder, buyer and seller.  I agree 100% that the industry needs to take responsibility for the horses being bred for it.  In addition to a small fee for foal registration and for each race, there should also be fees collected from each auction (buyer and seller should both be surcharged).  I would like to see the establishment of retirment farms that would accept my thoroughbreds for whatever is a reasonable cost.  The responsibility for the rest of the lives of these wonderful animals lies with everyone involved in the industry.  It is time to step up.

First of all lets think of the horse as having a vested interest in his or her racing and breeding career. Every dime that is generated from a horse should include a percentage for the future welfare of the horse reguardless who owns it or how many times it changes hands. For instances how many stallions are retired form the breeding shed and end up with a woefull existence or worse, the slaughter house. That's obscene. Look at how many geldings make a decent amount say 500,000 or so and then end up at the small fair tracks running for practical nothing and facing the ultimate insult of being sold into an unknown future, thank goodness the FOBs and others are making an effort to try and save these gallant warriors. So, like it or not revenue sharing is one solution that must be addressed before Congress and an irate public weigh in even farther than the horseman want.  

Hi,

The interesting thing to me about all this worry about retired race horses is the organizations lack of response when called.  I have contacted a couple organization that are helping retired race horses. Not one has had the courtesy to return my email or call.  

If this is how things are handled, some people who call will get discouraged, I know I have.  I have been a horse owner since 1965.  Just wanted a retired TB as a pasture ornament.  

I love to watch racing, have never owned a TB.  I don't believe they fit the type of riding I do, but was willing to try and return the enjoyment they have given me.  

Regards,

Mary

The issue of retirement care for horses is a one guaranteed to create a firestorm of comments from all angles as evidenced by your "5 Easy Ways" article.  ANY unwanted animal is a problem, be it dog, cat, horse or canary.  Horses won't fare any better and the issue is much more complicated than for dogs or cats.  Of course no one hears problems about unwanted cattle, or goats, or sheep....those just get killed for either food or convenience and no one bats an eyelash.  Slaughter of horses for food may make a lot of people mad but it serves a purpose.

From Thoroughbred Charities: "Approximately 17% (almost 1 in 5) of the 70,000 horses slaughtered each year in America are Thoroughbred's – nearly 12,000 horses every

year." More than a just a "fraction".

And THAT'S with all the hard work & rescue being done.

Only Quarter Horses rank higher in throwaways than TB.

It IS a racing industry problem. You have some good solutions. The best is promoting the TB as a horse suitable for many disciplines, but that will be harder since temperament and trainability are not what is looked for when breeding a foal, as in other breeds.

There currently are some top-notch Olympic horses that came off the track. I remember years ago, pre-warmblood, that many dressage, event horses were TB's. They still make lovely youth and pony-club horses but have developed a bad reputation.

Elective euthanasia is far more compassionate than a double-decker truck ride to Mexico or Canada, a kill-pen and a poorly placed cow stun-bolt.

Increasing the Jockey Club fee (which is already $200 per foal if registered on time) would increase the burden on the breeder since there are additional fees for both registering the horse for state bred incentives and breeders incentive program.  

I, myself, have followed and retired 5 horses that I bred that were in the lower claiming ranks at the end of their career.  Others,I tried to follow, we just lost track of them.

We all, as owners, breeders, trainers, etc., have a responsibility to these horses but where do the bettors fall in this scenario.  There should be some way to collect either from winnings or admission to OTB's which should go toward the welfare and care of these retired horses.  A dollar per visit is not too much to ask of someone who may be going to the OTB to throw down $50 a few days a week.

AS owners/breeders...we need the bettors.......the bettors need breeders/owners to participate.....WE ALL NEED THE HORSES!

• Scot's reply:  I like the idea of trying to raise funds through betting -- but I'm afraid it would push the industry entirely into offshore betting (which wouldn't have the fee), further harming the sport.  Bettors are not betting to be helpful to the industry, so any fee -- even $1 per session -- would be vetoed.  Like you said, as owner/breeders, we need the bettors.

I have owned and trained race horses..they are like any othere animal, when someone is done with them they are done..it would be a perfect world if they all had places to live out thier lives...dogs, cats, horses, all animals..it isn't a perfect world..slaughter houses, just like dog pounds take care of that problem..it's not pretty, but if every one who protested these things would take an animal and save it, there wouldn't be a need..the cost of caring for any animal is rising...jobs are down..all animals need help..so they raise money with the jockey club..where are you going to buy the land and will all TB's be welcome, what about quarter apps arabians, what about all the horses..the goverment catch and kill wild horses, they like to do that to tame ones..don't see any help in site.

The people who should be responsible for the welfare of horses are THEIR OWNERS!! If you cannot be a steward for a horse you bought or claimed or cannot place it in an alternative career, then you should Euthanize it to keep it from suffering a horrible existence. Just like small animal humane societies, you can only adopt so many out and the ones not suitable for adoption have to be euthanized. I personally can afford to have a geriatric divisions for my retired broodmares but many cant so euthanization is the humane way to manage horses that would otherwise be neglected and mistreated.

The industry shouldn't have to fund a retirement facility for these fillies.  It's THE BREEDERS who should be doing it.  The very people who crank these animals out in such alarmingly large numbers are the people who should be responsible for these horses when their careers are over. These Thoroughbred breeders produce way too many foals each year, flooding the market with offspring by the same 3 or 4 popular stallions in this country and completely diluting the gene pool. All in the name of turning a quick buck, who cares about where the horse ends up at that point, because the money is what's important. There simply aren't enough buyers to give these animals a chance at living.  When will these breeders start being regulated..?  How many foals is enough..?  When does it end..? These poor animals, might as well send them to the circus afterward, can't be any worse than where most of them will end up eventually anyway...

I think you have some great ideas.  I wish AQHA would listen.  I have written them numerous times about fees added to entry fees, breeding fees, registration fees etc...Or part of their incentive fund being used for retirement, but they are too busy making money instead of helping the horses they are mass-producing.

Thank You.

Whatever; The market dictates production. The law of supply and demand. Breeders dont breed if buyers dont buy. Breeders are not buying them and racing them, owners are.

This is a timely subject, but unfortunately, I don't believe that anything will be done about this issue until the industry is forced to do it. I don't want to make this a political discussion but the market is not self-regulating, and as of now, there is no incentive for breeders to take care of the horses that they produce. These "extra" horses are what we would call a negative externality in economics.

Because negative externalities are produced by individuals following their own self interest, in this case breeding as many horses as they can, we must create a link between breeders and their products. Hence, there must be a cost associated with breeding more horses because if there is not, then breeders will continue to realize profits through quantity rather than quality. As a classic collective action problem, this will probably require government intervention to change the existing incentive structures, which begs the question: what should intervention look like?

I agree with your assessment that breeders should have to pay a fee for every horse registered, but I would argue for a larger fee than you have suggested because it would produce more deterrant value. Also, the idea of requiring money for every entrance fee is also a good one. An additional idea, is to provide some type of financial incentive (subsidy) for open/non-bred mares. I think this subsidy will be good for two reasons. First, it will be effective because it will provide financial value for not breeding a mare every year. This will reduce the number of foals and probably help these businesses in the long run. Additionally, this will solve a horse welfare problem that I am concerned about, overbreeding mares. Mares should not be forced to have a foal every year because it is too taxing on their body. Finally, part of this subsidy, along with the profits (auction or racetrack) of her offspring should go into a fund to take care of her into her retirement.

Another idea, would be to charge a tax on larger breeders because they produce a majority of the horses and possess a majority of the resources. Yes, this is redistributive but it is only fair that those who contribute to the problem the most and profit the most should bear additional cost due to their behavior.

Breeders/owners have a responsibility because they choose to make a living by exploiting living creatures. It is unethical to throw them away or euthanize them when they no longer make money. This should be dealt with NOW! I go to the Friends of Barbaro site and contribute what I can but there are always more needy horses than we can save. It is a black eye to the industry that this is even an issue.

I agree with Whatever, that the breeders should be the main funders. Way to many foals are born with the sole purpose of making money at the point of sale. Then the owners should pick up the slack. If one buys a foal from a breeder, then they have a responsibility to see to the welfare of the horse even when they stop generating money. As for the retirement farm, they too need to be looked at, to make sure they keep their word, and not accept the horse and then turn around and sell to the slaughterhouse to make money, but really find a adoptive person to help the horse find  a second career.

I have given a home to a retired OTTB with a broken right hock. One of the "warriors": a claiming horse, bred in Idaho, that raced 43 times over 5 yrs. So, I feel entitled to comment.

Why not only allow so many Jockey Club registrations per year? Why not nip the problem in the bud, as it were? And get rid of the state-by-state system of management and have a NATIONAL entity that regulates all of horse racing, just like football, or baseball, or basketball. Then, you can start to collect retirement fees from entries, breeders, auctions - basically, anyone making their living off of the animal. Sounds fair to me.

I am very happy to see this blog. We need all parties involved with racing and interested in racing brainstorming to come up with solutions. To insure retiring TB's do not end up in a killpen, heading to slaughter, it will require multiple sources of protection for the horses. A great start is to collect a nominal fee each time a foal is registered as well as a portion of the racing fee & even the purses. I am involved with the FOB's & we rescue & find good homes for many OTTB (off track thoroughbreds). The OTTB retraining facilities do a great job, but one of the problems I see with the horses coming from these facilities is their "adoption" fee is too high for most people. There are only a limited number of people who can afford to pay $1500 or $2000 for a horse. So that makes it hard to rehome these horses, and leaves out a large number of potential homes for these horses. There are many people who can & will take good care of a horse but do not have that amount of money to pay for a horse, esp. in one lump sum. I, myself, make a good living that is a great deal more than the national average. Yet, I would be very reluctant to spend a thousand or more dollars for a horse. Nowadays, most people are afraid to spend a large sum for a horse or anything else, But, that doesn't mean they cannot take care of the horse on an ongoing basis. I understand that the retraining facilities need money to operate, but if we could figure out ways to rehome some of these horses, directly from the track, more of these horses would have good homes. Many retiring TB's are given away or are sold for a small fee. Then, their fee is a thousand dollars or more  when the horse goes thru a retraining program. There is only a limited number of horse people who "show" their horses. There are many who want to simply go out to their barn, tack up their horse & trail ride. Many of these retiring racehorses turn out to be great trail riding horses, despite what many may think. I have had 4 OTTB's  over the years, 3 mares that turned out to be great trail horses & all three lived well into their late 20's and now currently, my now 5 yr. old  gelding who has been living at my barn for the year since he left the track. He raced his last race & 1 week later he arrived at my barn (May 2008). He spent some time learning to be a horse in the pasture & then learned  new things, like walking thru the woods, crossing brooks, meeting a deer in the woods, etc., WITH a horse he had buddied up with in the pasture. The way horses think, if another one they know does something, and does it calmly, they will, too. We walked my OTTB, Super Hero, thru the woods & crossed brooks, etc. with his buddy. After doing that several times, we rode another horse & ponied Super Hero along the same terrain that we had walked. All the while he was learning & I didn't take him out on the trail by himself for quite a while. The key is that since horses are herd animals, they are more open to learning & happier about it when in a group, even a group of just 2. Now, he goes out on the trail & does so like he has been doing it all his life. Retraining these OTTB's doesn't require a formal trainer, IMO, only patience & a little time. If a person adopting an OTTB accepts that they are not going to get on these horses & go trotting thru the woods right away, any knowledgeable horse person can retrain them. The major key is to use the horse's herd instinct to your advantage. Neither he nor my 3 OTTB mares went thru retraining facilities. Not all TB's coming off the track are high strung. In fact, some of them are so laid back that that is the very reason they do not succeed as a race horse. I believe many horses on the track are stressed & high strung because they don't have much chance to simply be a horse. Horses,being herd animals, are a great deal calmer when they live & interact with horses every day. They learn how to handle situations from other horses in their "herd" (pasture). Many times, these OTTB's calm right down when given a chance to simply be a horse among others.

The reason for my post here is to make others aware that retraining these OTTB's is not as difficult as one may think. In fact, they come with a lot of positives already. They are already very used to people & being handled by people. They love a lot of attention since they come from an environment (the racetrack)where they got a lot of it.

One of the difficulties in finding homes for these horses is lack of public knowledge that they even are in need of a home. Many people, who want a horse, won't go to a retraining facility once they come to the conclusion that they cannot afford those horses. So, they erroneously assume that they cannot afford an OTTB. That is not true. If homes are found, directly from the track, the cost is much less & more people can afford to give these horses a home. My focus is to figure out a way to make more people aware of these horses. I know many horsepeople, people who have had horses for many years, if not all their lives. But, none are involved in any way with racing. They had no idea that re-homing retiring racehorses was even an issue. They all thought that racehorses retire to some big farm somewhere with the people they race for. They were all shocked to hear the real story. These horse people are all from my area, no more than 2 hours from NYC. It is definitely horse country; yet they knew nothing about these horses & what becomes of so many due to lack of homes. The word needs to get out there that these horses are in need of homes & ways to do that needs to be addressed . Exposure & education will alert many & therefore create homes. Money needs to be spent on ads at horse shows, commercials when racing is being televised, general horse magazines to make a few.

These horses are so young. Even when considered too old to race, they are young at only 7 to 10 yrs. of age. Believe me when I tell you, when you own one, you feel like you have a treasure. They are great, great horses.

ColetteMarie

Good idea Goodwin! You would require breeders to buy permits every year and breeders should only be able to breed some percentage of their mares every year. Stallion books should be limited as well so there is more diversity in the gene pool.

There should also be real and actual penalties for sending horses to slaughter. Horses can be traced via their lip tatoo and the last owner of the horse should be hit with a stiff penalty (ie not being able to race at any North American track for a year or something such as that). There should be none of this "I didn't know" crap because you bet they know. Actual penalties that are enforced nationwide. That would cause some change.

Great ideas and something that NEEDS to happen.

Also important is that it would be nice, for those of us who retrain these OTTBs into sporthorses, if they were retired BEFORE they are lame and used up. If trainers/owners would find a new home for their horse before he has to be pulled up in a race...with injuries that might not be repairable. Instead of administrating all those steroid shots & bute, to squeeze one or two more races out of the horse with, say a stifle injury, let the horse rest while finding a retirement/retraining place and give the horse a decent CHANCE of becoming great in a second career.

Thoroughbreds are such a versatile breed of a horse, and they can excel in so many other disciplines...but they need to come off the track sound.

This is a very necessary blogsite.  No racehorse should be without a good home if they are sound enough to enjoy one. But it is problematic as to how. I agree with Whatever.  Also personally feel no stallion should cover more than 70 mares which wont make me very popular but I do not care about that.  I care about the horses!

If I had the money would personally give homes to as many as possible!  They would join my rescue dog, chinchilla, hamster and gerbil.  Also have 2 gerbils who came from a good home! All are wonderful characters and a huge source of joy and comfort to me!  I digress yet again!  I often do!

This blogsite is really important.  Start campaigns.  Do whatever it takes to improve the lot of retired racehorses.  They give us so much pleasure it is the least we can do for them!

God bless you

Abbie

OTTB Stimulas package.. If you give a OTTB a home, you get a check for (something that will go toward the health and well being of that OTTB).

What about the idea of a $50.00 Transfer or Claiming Fee ???

Meaning that every time a horse is Claimed from a race a $50.00 Fee is added to the Claiming price to go towards this Retirement Fund.

How many Claims are there on an average year ???

Then multiply that number by $50.00 and how much more is that for the Fund on top of the aforementioned $15 million ???

EVERYONE, AT EVERY LEVEL IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS CHRISIS.

FIRST...it does start with the breeder.  I agree the registration should be raised with the additional amount going directly to a rescue fund.  If breeders can suck it up and pay $500 to nominate to the Breeders Cup (money which they will never likely recoup) than they can pay more for registration.

SECOND:  It's time for STALLION OWNERS to step up....they generate all the thousands of tbreds and have no responsibility for their welfare....TALK ABOUT DEADBEAT DADS!!

THIRD....the owner's and trainers that also PROFIT off these horses need to be held accountable.  Dumping no longer "useful" animals at the kill pens shouldn't be an option. If no suitable home can be found then euthanasia is the only humane option.

FOURTH  I think the bettor would be willing to contribute if asked.  Why don't all racetracks have donation boxes, so bettors and fans can give money while at the track?  Is that too much of tracks like Keeneland (who is a Not for profit org)?

This is the biggest PR problem facing this industry.

Scot, I read the articles you posted the links on. The second article, which goes into details on the procedures used to 'spay' a mare, is very interesting. The procedure they talk about using laparascopy sounds promising - it is less expensive, less invasive and heals quicker. There is a similar procedure used on women who are having problems that involves injecting small beads into the arteries that supply the ovaries that effectively does the same thing, but I think it would be more difficult to have a horse stand still for a few days.

Thank you for the article.  A plan for all racehorses is desperately needed. A life-long plan.  

Responsible ownership is key and that is all there is to it.  The costs can be shared.  

I just don't get why there are people in the industry and racing fans who think it is okay to just dispose of unwanted horses when they can no longer race or breed. When the horses have done nothing but race their hearts out and get dumped, it makes me feel sick.

Death is not the anwser.  

There is always a win-win solution that can be enacted, just as you have described.

Believe me, horse racing would gain millions of fans if the horses are retired with respect and a chance to at long last live as a horse.  It can be done.

Adding to my earlier idea for a $50.00 Transfer or Claiming Fee.

This idea could also make a good reasoning for a horses (Potential)last Owner to "NOT" be held 100% financially responsible for the remainder of it's life.  

Which could've scared away any new Owners from wanting to enter this Industry "IF" they were Forced to.

The (Potential) last Owner could then say...

I already paid into an account for the Retirement and care of the horse when he was Claimed.

I do agree with LCM.  A terrific blog.  They are all great apart from the one who had a go at Scot Gillies for being anonymous!

Everyone in horse racing, at whatever level, should put the Horses welfare first please.  All true horsemen and women know that the horse must come first!!!!!!

God bless you all

Abbie

Hello,

As an economics major, you make some interesting points in your article. I could not agree more with your trend towards industry intervention as opposed to government intervention.  Also, your fund gathering ideas via foal registration and per race starters is a good idea.  To add to yours, my suggestion concerns the supply side of the horse racing business.  Under your first question, you mention the foal birth rate is an unsustainable 35,000foals/year.  The number of unwanted horses after their racing career ends supports that this number is indeed unsustainable.  So, why not eliminate breeder's funds?  Breeder's funds and initiatives only encourage a larger supply of foals.  Cut out this incentive, and reduce the number of foals, and reduce the number of unwanted horses a few years in the future.  Perhaps the money going into these breeder incentive funds should go instead towards rehabilitaing racehorses, and to stay in business, the breeding farms could adopt the function of retraining these horses.

Thanks again.

It could be argued that before decisions such as these (how best to solve the unwanted horse problem)are made, it may be productive to reach an understanding on what are the root issues. Not unlike many dilemmas, this would seem a difficult task, but absent correct answers the problems would likely resurface again, and again. Here, however, we are dealing with present lives and, perhaps, an "intermediate" albeit imperfect solution might save many as we continue the search for that best ethical solution. It is important that we emphasize this dynamic when offering our proposals, as they may be more readily accepted/implemented if received in that vein...What is likely very close to the "root issue" concerns the matter of animal rights, and one that our society has far from resolved. As one can infer, a logical approach might be to tackle this root issue head-on, but pragmatics (or situation ethics) would suggest that it be left for another day. Another larger, near-root issue concerns the perception (not yet a "given") of "over production"- whether or not those numbers should be reduced, and how best to go about this. I feel that this too should be discussed and argued, but that we should not wait its solution before going forward with (temporary) life-saving measures... The more immediate questions relate to the identification of those who should "foot the bill", their relative responsibilities, and the wisest use of funds collected. Its answers are difficult and time-consumming in themselves, ex.- who are the stakeholders, and to what degree? (owners. breeders, tracks, governments/citizenry, etc.); which agency/agencies should be responsible for its oversight? Such answers are needed now! Lets not use the larger, more fundamental questions, as a means to rationalize our failure to save today's lives.          

Thank you, thank you, thank you for writing this timely article. Finally, someone has addressed the problem of too many thoroughbred foals born each year. I have long said there are just too many horses bred, all for the search for that one super champion. (The rest are tossed out like garbage.) And you don't want to get me going on the subject of the nurse mare industry. I think it is ridiculous and irresponsible to breed a mare every year. But this is what most thoroughbred breeders do. In order to do that, probably a third of these so-called horsemen remove their existing foals at birth so the mares can be sent off to the breeding shed. Those foals are then nursed by a surrogate mom, whose own foal has also been ripped from her...and usually killed. There are farms in Kentucky, and elsewhere, that keep mares of various breeds in constant foal, so they can be available for the cream of the thoroughbred crop. Why can't a thoroughbred mare be allowed to raise her baby as nature intended? I would think it would make for a sounder horse. What is wrong with an idustry that slaughters 70% of its product?

Yes, I agree that owners should be held responsible for the wellfare of their horses. But with so many horses changing hands at alarming speed, it's difficult to keep track of them. Besides, there are many owners who have never even laid eyes on their horses in the flesh. To just discard them is no problem. Perhaps, if they were more financially accountable, they would think twice.

I agree with the person who posted a concern with the high fees charged to adopt the lucky horses who have escaped the slaughter house. As a horse owner myself, I am able to comfortably maintain the upkeep, but I would be hard-pressed to come up with $2,000 in a lump sum.

Lastly, I know we're discussing thoroughbreds. But what about the standardbred industry? Many years ago I adopted an ex-pacer. He was one of the most delightful horses I've ever known. Gentle, affectionate, a true gentleman. However, because he had been trained as a pacer, he wasn't the best riding horse. His trot (if you could get him to trot) was short and choppy. His canter was the same. I didn't give up on him, though. He loved going out on the trails, so we perservered. I finally got a little cart and retrained him as a driving horse. He eventually just became a companion for the other horses. My point is, these horses aren't as desirable for people just wanting a trail horse. I would imagine their lot is even grimmer.  

Dear Dixie & Amo;Co

I am a breeder....I also and am owner.  I race them......and I have followed them and retired them AT MY FARM.  I wish all owners/breeders would take and care for a few of these "unwanted" horses.  My children ride the OTTB's that we have.  They helped foal them...now they ride and care for them.  Of course, with the sales results today, my only guess that there will be less offered next year.

How about a percentage of every stud fee going into a rescue fund? It could even be graduated, so the percentage increased depending on how high the fee is. Eg. 5 per cent at $5,000, 20 per cent at $50,000, and so on (I just used these numbers as examples, not as actual rates).

Limiting stallions' books and not shuttling would help too. Remember when a top stallion only bred 35-50 mares a year? Shuttling means a small number of stallions produce twice the offspring they normally would, which can't be good for the gene pool.

Mares should be regulated too. Perhaps every mare has to be given a year off every 3rd year so they aren't being bred every year for two decades? Also, mares should not be allowed to be bred until they are at least in their third year. No more yearlings being bred to produce foals when they are still only 2 years old themselves! With the glut of TBs being produced, there is no need for that at all.

Too bad TB stallions didn't need to pass physical inspections and basic soundness and temperament tests before being used at stud, the way registered warmbloods do. That might reduce the stallion numbers quite a bit and weed out the ons with chronic soundness problems. Then maybe OTTBs would be more attractive to recreational and competitive riders.

Talking of Pacers and Trotters (and I love watching them)  isn't two, too young to make them pace and trot!  Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me!  They need to MATURE! Racehorses too!  All horses.

If it was up to me no horse would even be ridden until it was four let alone raced!  Go back to the old way of doing things!  That is merely my opinion!!!!!

God Bless

Best wishes

Abbie

Registration fees and entry fees are excellent ideas.  They bring some of the "burden" to rest squarely on the shoulders of those who stand to benefit the most from the horse, and who are most responsible for bringing them into existense.  I would hope to hear more about these ideas from breeders, owners and racing enthusiasts.  And I, for one, wouldn't mind one bit paying something extra at the track.  Heck, I'm giving directly to horse rescuers now.  We all need to go the extra mile.  How on Earth can the horse business forget about HORSES?

I agree with reducing the amount of mares that a stallion can cover per season. Sure it would mean less money to the stallion syndicate, but remember back in the day a little thing called selective breeding? Horsemen of old times only bred horses of good prdigee and excelent conformation, which meant less amount of animals-but better quality. It is a win win situation. I also agree that should be permits for breeding horse of all breeds. Kind of like the one law for dogs, if you have more than 5 dogs you have to apply for a kennel license!!

I do not see lack of funding as the major problem. When you get right down to it, there is just not enough land or people to take care of a population of unwanted horses whose numbers increase exponentially every year. Sure, money is needed, but we need to go after the source of these horses. There are too many people out there running equine "puppy mills." Now in these people's minds, they actually think their horses are worth reproducing and do it just to make a buck. I pass one such farm every morning. The person pasture breeds a bunch of "no name" horses and sells them for cheap. The future of most of these horses is not very bright. I don't know of how you can stop this. People are going to do what they want. As long as they can sell the product they will produce it.

Lets penalize the restarants because people over eat and are obese. Same logic for holding breeders soley responsible for funding a new bureacratic layer that cannot possibly take care of every un wanted horse. If you cant be a steward of the horse you buy then you should not own horses.

THERE ARE SIMPLY NOT ENOUGH HOMES TO TAKE CARE OF ALL THE HORSES THROWN AWAY.  TB,QH, ARABS, STANDARDBREDS,APPS, TENNESEE WALKERS, FOR EVERY BREED THERE IS A RESCUE AND ALL OF THE GRADES  OR "EXPERIMENTS" IN BETWEEN.

 PEOPLE WHO BUY SOLELY FOR COLOR OR BREED FOR COLOR WILL SOON GET RID OF THOSE WHEN THE NEW FAD COMES ALONG, OR THE NEW HIT STALLION WHOSE BABIES EVERYBODY WANTS.

 NOW CLONING, BETTER COME TO GRIPS NOW, THEY WILL SOON BE JOINING THE RANKS OF UNWANTED, AN ARTICLE IN THE BARREL RACING BUZZ, HAS A CUTTING TRAINER WHO CLONED THREE GREAT CUTTING HORSES, NONE OF THESE THREE ARE GOOD ENOUGH TO SHOW NOW.

BUT I'LL BET HE WILL BREED THEM.

THERE MUST BE A THREE PRONG ATTACK, FIRST, I KNOW OWNERS AND BREEDERS HATE IT, BUT I BELIEVE A STALLION SHOULD BE LIMITED TO THE NUMBER OF FOALS HE PRODUCES.  LOOK AT THE FOAL CROPS FOR 1954, NOT THAT MANY FOALED, BUT WHAT A CROP!  MAYBE JUST MAYBE, THAT MIGHT BE ANOTHER CONTRIBUTOR TO BETTER QUALITY HORSES.

I THINK MOST COLTS SHOULD BE GELDED. I REALIZE IT DOES BRING UP THE PROBLEM OF GELDING A HORSE WHO MIGHT HAVE MADE A GREAT SIRE, BUT AGAINST THOSE WHO SHOULD NOT BE A SIRE. MAYBE HAVE AN INSPECTION, I BELEIVE THERE ARE SEVERAL BREEDS WHO INSPECT STALLIONS BEFORE EVEN LETTING THEM REGISTER AS THAT BREED, THEN GIVEN A BREEDING CERTIFICATE.

LAST, I DO THINK EVEN INTERMITTENT OWNERS NEED TO HELP WITH THE HORSE THEY CLAIM, OR PINHOOK FOR RESALE.

I WOULD ALSO BE GLAD TO GIVE MONEY FOR A HORSE FOR RETIREMENT.

WHY CANNOT THE BLOOD HORSE DEDICATE A SECTION OF EVERY MAGAZINE TO A RETIRED OR REHABILITATED RACE HORSE?

THE BREEDERS CUP, TVG AND HRTV CAN STEP UP BY PROFILING A RETIRED OR REHABILITATED RACEHORSE.

THE SOLUTIONS SOUND EASY, BUT ARE HARD, I KNOW.

BUT IN THE HORSE OF COURSE ( A NOW DEFUNCT MAGAZINE) THEY HAD AN ARTICLE ABOUT UNWANTED HORSES IN 1980 AFTER A FEW SLAUGHTER PLANTS CLOSED.  THE HARD PART ABOUT PRO SLAUGHTER IS, IT DOES NOT FIX THE UNWANTED PROBLEM. IF YOU OPENED 10 SLAUGHTER HOUSES, YOU WOULD HAVE ENOUGH HORSES TO FILL THEM.

SLAUGHER IS A BAND AID, NOT A SOLUTION TO THE UNWANTED HORSE POPULATION.

If people want former racehorses, but cannot pay the fee to own one, there needs to be a way that they can take possession of these horses without alerting killer buyers--because killer buyers will jump in and take a horse that is advertised for a small fee or free.  The public needs a way to learn about the availability of these animals, and they need to be given some basic instruction on horse behavior.  I own a quarterhorse, but will soon be looking for a thoroughbred or standardbred to adopt.  I am not a rider, and I get told about it all the time from friends who do ride.  They don't understand that  YOU DON'T HAVE TO RIDE TO GET ENJOYMENT FROM OWNING A HORSE!  I love caring for my horse, and want people to know that it can be a wonderful experience whether they are just loyal companions or "pasture ornaments".  Don't be afraid to take the plunge and rescue a racehorse.  These horses are deserving of special people who are willing to make a few sacrifices to get a great reward in the form of love and loyalty in the end.  Just be sure that you are able to commit to keeping them safe from killer buyers, which means that you will have to be responsible for their care for their lifetime.  God created horses--man created unwanted horses.

• Scot's reply: The Horse magazine runs an online listing service for free Thoroughbreds.  (and one for Standardbreds as well).  It truly is the responsibility of the owner to check references to ensure that he's turning over his horse to a good home.

I have been thinking about this since I first read this article.  I agree that this problem is in the hands of ALL involved.  As an owner, I would not be opposed to give $5 for every entry that runs.  This small but important fee should also be imposed for each trainer and jockey that enters and/or has a mount in each race.  Also, the track should pay this fee for every horse that runs.  So, with these four entities, that make $20 for every running entry every day.  

Also, there should be a fee for each stallion per mare covered per year.  This gets donations from the stud farms.

Another thing that really bothers me is that there should be a donation box at every track exit and, possibly, at every other betting window.  The signage could read "Did you have fun today?  Did you win today?".  I have been to MANY tracks all over the country and have NEVER seen any signage to promote awareness to the general public and/or to the bettors.  They at least could be given an option.  Most would probably drop a few bucks in a box if given the opportunity.  Like at the clubs when they say "if you had a great time tonight, please show your support to the bartenders and servers...."  maybe the race trcaks should show support and awareness by reminding or asking the general public to donate to horse retirement.  they cant give if they aren't aware or given the opportunity.

Abbie, I love the pacers & trotters, too. 2 is not too young for them because what they do doesn't put the stress on them that flat racing does. They do so well that there is a mandatory retirement age of 11 for them. They race more often, break down quite a bit less often and are cared for more personally because trainers don't have as many horses and owners are more often the breeders, trainers, and/or drivers. There are quite a few Standardbred farms around where I live and they look pretty well cared for.

In addition to the fees proposed in the article I think a portion of every purse should be set aside for retirement.  I hate to hear about horses who have won tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, or more, going to slaughter.  These horses have literally earned their retirment.  I think there should also be licenses for breeders - just like for owners and trainers only limiting the number of foals that can be bred.  Breeders should be responsible for the horses they bring into this world.  This problem has to be eliminated at the source.  There are way too many mediocre horses being bred because everyone who has a mare thinks it should be a broodmare.

All of these comments are good!  I own two ex-racers and I would take in more if the PA General Assembly & Governor would pass the budget so I can get paid.....but that's 'nother issue. It's going to take a little bit from of each source of the financial entities to ensure the future of each thoroughbred. Now that we have slots in PA why doesn't a portion of that money go towards TB retirement care?  Everybody else (except the taxpayers, my property tax on my farm didn't go down) certainly benefited from it.  A percentage of the sale of a TB should go into a fund for its care in retirement.  A percentage of winnings should go into the fund.  A portion of the admission fee to tracks should go into the fund. A little bit from each entitiy that enjoys it's amusement from racing thoroughbreds, quarter horses, standardbreds, Arabians can contribute A LOT for the care of these wonderful athletes who, by the way, didn't volunteer for the job.  But they've given everything they have to perform.  ANOTHER thing I would like to see, is racetracks have horseshows AT THE TRACK featuring thoroughbreds, or quarterhorses, or standardbreds, or Arabians showing off what they are capable of and that they realy do make GREAT riding partners.  Many people in my area have tbs because of Penn National, but they do get a bad rap.  But they also get a lot of praise by people who understand them and are willing to work with their exuberance.  My own have been dressaged trained.  My younger one LOVES to perform before a crowd.  He's a show off!!  There are lots of tbs out there just like him.  WE HAVE TO PROMOTE THEM!!  IT TAKES ALL OF US!!

GREAT BLOG!!!!

I agree with PGW about the nurse mare industry. Simply horrible, disgusting and IMO not necessary. We kept a small herd of goats and when a mare could, or would not nurse, we used goats' milk. The foals turned out just fine. In fact, I always thought they had a healthier immune system. More labor was involved in doing this of course but we never had a problem finding someone to collect the milk and hold the bottle.

I know they are well cared for.  I watch them on Sky's Attheraces (ATR) and they look great.  I worked for Susan Piggott (Lester's wife) and her two year old's looked great too but the fact remains several of them broke down before they even raced!

Horses are not mature at two but at four!!!!!!   In my opinion anyway!

God Bless

Best wishes

Abbie

The Standardbred Retirement Foundation does a wonderful job taking care of and finding homes for retired trotters and pacers. On the list of donors in their newsletters are the names of many of the drivers and trainers, as well as a certain broadcaster for TVG who hosts "Drive Time". One thing STF does is to accentuate the positive, not wring their hands and dwell on the negative. They are very proactive. Another great charity is Saddlebred Rescue. They concentrate on Saddlebreds, Arabians, Hackneys and an occasional Standardbred. Most of their horses were sent to slaughter by the Amish (who also operate a lot of puppy mills). They put the word out to the Amish to contact them before the horse goes to auction and they'll try to take him. They are then retrained and placed, frequently with Saddlebred trainers as school horses or beginner horses. Standardbreds are also pretty popular as police horses due to their sturdiness and temperament. Trotters also can be shown in Road Horse classes at Saddlebred shows. I have a friend who has taken several off-track TB's from Canter. She only paid $300 for a 4-yr-old colt from Suffolk Downs, who was suffering from a fractured sesamoid, plus she had to pay to get him to Alabama. He's now serviceably sound for low-level dressage. My point is that there are horses out there to adopt at a reasonable price. But the adoption agencies want to make sure that these horses go to people who can afford to take proper care of them. Otherwise, they will wind up in the same shape all over again. Somehow Americans don't seem to value something they don't pay for.

I hope more people will find a worthy foundation and contribute the money to help. I have one in my local area, Horses of Tir Na Nog. Fantastic organization. They will take all abandoned horses. Last week the BLM found a beautiful grey 2yr old filly, who was left to die in the desert by some evil heartless individuals. Not only did they leave her in the desert when we are suffering through a heat wave with unbearably high humidity, ( we're talking San Diego here) and desert temps are through the roof, but they also cut off a huge chunk of her hide to remove her brand. I can well imagine her pain. When I had surgery once, someone put tape over a piece of my skin that had formed a scab. When I went to remove it, it had adhered so well that I actually removed the two top layers of skin, blood everywhere, and the PAIN was well beyond the 10 they usually use. I could hardly move with all the surface nerve endings in shock, jittering left and right. When I saw this pretty filly mutilated so horribly, well, let's just say that if I ever came across these evil people, I would have no problem seeing how they would like the same treatment.

We, as caring individuals, can make a difference. Even if it is in a small way, as it all adds up, it will make a huge difference.  

To PGW: I had no idea such foul practices were going on with broodmares.  This is another twisted part of the industry.  Are there certain broodmare farms that participate in this atrocity or is it a common practice?

There are a lot of great comments on this blog and I am grateful for that.  However, more and more, it seems to me there should be mandated regulations for the entire industry.  

How shady are these operations?  What other horrors are the racing fan base not aware of?

Ceil, I used to raise dogs and ended up having to rescue the only dog I gave away. My experience, with my dogs and as a mother, is that people value something according to what they have invested in it. I'm working at being able to adopt an OTTB. Part of that work is being able to afford giving the kind of care of the horse that it's going to need. It's all a matter of priority and so what will it take for the welfare of the horse to reach a high enough priority for practical, sustainable action?

First, Thanks for writing this.  We need to solve this problem, and it shouldn't be impossible.

If you make your living off these horses, you are basically stealing from the horses if you are not willing to provide something for them if they need to be retired due to injury or put in some effort to find the sound ones a job in a safe home.  

I'm not talking out my ear.  My perspective is that I've retrained a number of race horses into Grand Prix show jumpers, and that I still own three that I've retired. At the end of their carreers they didn't owe me anything and now they eat grass and drink water.  I also have a rescued abused horse I've been retraining.  

Retiring horses is very cheap in the grand scheme of what's spent in the industry, and there are lots of places in the US where land is still quite cheap.  I realize that people in all parts of the industry often don't want to think too hard about the horse that has to 'go away' (GRRRR! I hate that expression but that's what it comes down to) but if there were big retirement farms they wouldn't have to.  Decisions would have to be made like who's too lame to be comfortable, or can't get along with others, or shouldn't realistically have a colic surgery, but that's a lot better than having such a large proportion of every years foal crop ultimately go to slaughter.

Also, as someone with a lot of expeience retraining these horses, it's amazing how the trainers/owners often don't want to put out any effort to get the horse a job.  If I'm looking for a prospect to be a Grand Prix horse, a walk up and down the shed row gives me very little information.  There should be some way for people to get to assess these horses either at the tracks or at training centers.  

Frankly, I don't think it's optional.  Sooner or later this 'issue' will catch up with the industry in one way or another.  If nothing else, it's really bad 'Karma'.  

Thanks again for the blog, sorry for the longish response.

Thanks Grand Prix Show Jumper for such a sensitive and sensible blog!  I can waffle on but will refrain from doing so!

You do a great job with your horses by the sound of things!  Keep up the good work!

God Bless

Best wishes

Abbie

I've been thinking about alternative methods of raising capital for the unwanted horses' project. Here's one idea that may be worth further analysis:

There are a few stakes races run in this country where the prestige, and later monetary reward in winning (and placing) is of far greater "value" than the purse. Events such as The Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup races fall into this category. Consider if we redirect 50% of their total purse monies as a mandated charitable contribution to the unwanted horse cause. In so doing, the total/original purse will still be "credited" to the respective winners, their owners, sires, dams, etc. as far as standings, catalogue pages, etc. are concerned-but instead of going into the owners' pockets, 50% will be donated. Remember also that these are widely publicized spectacles and such "contributions" would reflect positively on the racing industry...For similar reasons (initial rationale), but of far less degree (%), a portion of all stakes purses can be "redistributed" as well. I acknowledge that such a scheme may not be "fair" since it focuses on only one segment of the game. It does not, however, single out any defined (human) group, and those affected may arguably incur the least relative harm.        

All the responses are so good! As an industry publication, I also feel as if the Blood Horse should at least let people know what organizations like alexbrownracing.com are doing. In the discussion section, charities such as Another Chance 4 Horses generate funds in order to acquire horses that are going to slaughter. Just last week, we realize enough money to save an off track thoroughbred gelding. We are currently working on a Quarter Horse and several thoroughbreds. I think that if the industry is not willing to help fiscally, they should at least promote those who deal with this issue.

I think the BloodHorse is doing a good job publicizing the issues relating to slaughter and retirement. The magazine publishes frequent articles and commentary on the problems. Plus the web site gives interested parties like us a chance to exchange ideas. One problem that was already mentioned related to state breeders associations. I think that is a major part of the problem of overproduction. The idea is a sound one - to improve the bloodlines and quality of the local horses - but it is sometimes terribly abused. The case of Ernie Paragallo in New York is one terrible example. Also, in California, Tranquility Farm had to rescue 60 horses that had been "given away" by a breeder named Ben Warren. The horses were so close to being shipped to Mexico before they were saved. This man still has 20 stallions and hundreds of mares! We are not talking about Lane's End or Darley here. There needs to be some kind of control by state breeders associations on indiscriminate breeders like these two. The fundamental problem in racehorse breeds is still oversupply of a certain level of horse. All any of us can do is either try to adopt a horse ourselves or contribute as much as we can to the retirement facilities. And keep the issue alive!

Hi - I have never seen a comment on chuck wagon horses on here. They are a small number but what great lives they lead when they leave the regular racetrack. I personally know of several who are still running at the age of 18.

In between races - which is a fairly short season - they are generally well-loved family pets. I know of several families in the business whose children ride these horses in the off-season.

There is a certain amount of injury but I think not as bad as the racetrack - it seems sensational because 4 horses are involved at once in an accident.

This is a small percentage of the new career figures but they are treated like royalty.

The only thoroughbreds I have owned have never been on the track but were great working horses - pleasure, trail riding, cattle work and pets. They are so intelligent.

Thank you for the space

Ceil

I don't agree that in order to appreciate something, anything, we have to spend a lot of money for it. I felt I couldn't afford a large 60 inch TV & bought a much smaller one instead. I appreciate that smaller TV just as much as I would the larger one, probably more so since I can enjoy it without feeling guilty about the amount of money I spent on a new TV. Of course, a horse is not a TV, but the same premise applies when it comes to the amount of money a person can & will spend. As I mentioned before, my income exceeds that of most Americans. Not to broadcast how much I make, it is a fairly known fact that nurses make a decent living. It is the norm, at least in the part of the country where I live, for a nurse's salary to average about $100,000 a year. However, most people have kids, mortgages, college tuitions, etc. The list of unavoidable expenses goes on & on. Even for those of us who do live within our means, there is hardly ever thousands of dollars sitting around looking to be spent. But, that does not mean that we can't take very good care of a horse on an ongoing basis. I know so many horse people, very, very good horse people, who do not make anywhere near the salary I do. They take excellent care of their horses & if needed pay a vet bill before paying for something for themselves. They don't do that to protect their initial investment of the cost of what they paid for their pet, be it a horse a dog a cat or anything else. They do it because they love the animal. I could give you endless examples of people caring for their animals, animals they paid little or nothing for. What about those dogs & cats people pay a $50 adoption fee for from an animal shelter vs. those bought for as much as $1500 from a specific breed breeder? You can't think that those pets coming from a shelter get less care than those costing a lot of money. I have never heard a person say that they are paying large vet bills for their pet because that pet cost them a lot of money to buy. Never!! Just yesterday, I brought my car in  for service. There is a woman who works there who drives customers home & picks them up again went the work on their car is complete & they need a ride to come back for their car. Her husband works nights stocking shelves at a local supermarket. How much money do you think  they earn?? She has a horse that was given to her 3 yrs. ago. She loves that horse as if it were one of her children. Due to an injury, he is not rideable. I have seen her hand walking this horse along a back road. She hand walks him every day. She told me yesterday that she, her husband & her kids are not going camping for vacation, this year, because of a new therapy they are doing for their horse.  Whenever I bring my car for service, she drives me home. Her face lights right up when talking about her horse. Now, you take it as absolutely 100% true that this woman would not have this horse if she had to pay one or two thousand dollars for it. This horse once was a racehorse & only 8 yrs. old. He has all the love & attention & care he could ever need. Where would this horse be if not in the home he lives in? I think we all know the answer to that. I can think of so many examples of animals who receive all the care they need who initially cost nothing or very little to adopt. My own sister has a 6 year old dog who has developed a heart condition in the past few years. He was healthy when she got him as a puppy from the animal shelter for an adoption fee of $50. Now, his medications cost her about $300 a month. She didn't go to the shelter for a cheap dog. She went to the shelter to help a dog & to give a homeless animal a home. This woman with the horse, my sister & I are not exemptions to the rule. I believe we are more the norm than the heartless people who exploit rescued horses. So, do not assume that a horse must cost one or more thousand dollars to find a good home. That is so not true & is is also unfair to the many horses out there desperate for a home. My main frustration is finding ways to make more people aware that so many TB's retiring from the track even are in need of homes. I would say 9 out of 10 knowledgeable horse people do not even know about the problem of what happens to retiring OTTB's, unless they are, in some way, involved with racing. Even with those involved with racing, how often do we hear one of them say THEY had no idea what happens to these horses once their racing days are over. I will post again, a little later, with one idea I have to bring more exposure of these horses to horse people. But, since I have to run out for an appt., I'll post about it when I come back.

ColetteMarie

We have an OTTB Ecton Park mare that we feel lucky to have picked up! She will have a wonderful forever home with us (although she is not going to live near us for now).