I have been to a number of sales already where many nicely bred older mares are. Many I saw were 19, 20 and up. One I bought cost $300 and she is a daughter of Blushing John. She had some loss of vision in her eyes and is not an easy keeper. She is very sweet and kind though.

These older horses need special care and before a person adopts or buys one they need to check their finances thoroughly. Also if they put one in a pasture with other horses they need to be careful it gets enough to eat because often they won't get their share of the feed.

First, it MUST be understood that this cannot be a temporary thing. Breeding less has to be the wave of the future. Or all you will have is this scenario all over again. once the market stabilizes, breeders cannot go back to full capacity, buying more mares and breeding all mares.  Then selling the foals for what ever they bring as long as it is over the cost.

Limit stallion breeding to 50 mares a year.

Tons of ideas, but it means a collective help. One not likely to get.

Ask Darley, Jess Jackson, IEAH and all the bigtime owners to buy a big old piece of land somewhere and create a sanctuary.  

The racetracks, TVG and all the gaming entities can take 10% of their profits every year to feed and care for them all.

Then force all of these owners to donate the horses they can't take care of - no sales to livestock auctions or slaughterhouses!

As hard as it is to accept, Kentucky needs a euthanasia program such as NorCal Rescue in California has. There are so many horses for sale and looking for homes right now and only so many people willing or able to take them on.  If an owner or breeder is no longer willing to keep up the expense of an older or lower quality mare, and that horse does not have a chance for a different career, euthanasia is really the only way to ensure the horse does not end up on a slaughter truck or starving to death over the winter.

This is our business. Quality not quantity. At the recently concluded yearling sale here in LA., a client was lamenting how some of his yearlings did not receive a bid. I tried to explain to him that his yearlings' pedigrees and production were not good in comparison to other yearlings in the sale. I explained to him that his competition for a buyer are the other 441 yearlings and their pedigrees and production. You can't keep breeding an inferior product and expect different results. That is the definition of stupidity.

I agree with Amy, Why can't we go back to the days of breeding only 50 to 60 mares a season. They are way too many babies and broodmares that will end up in those places that they don't need to be. Its very sad, but on the other hand even tho I am a horse owner, lover of racing, it is the breeders, owners fault, overbreeding is a huge problem, its because of the money, they always want more.

We just keep the auctions and slaughterhouses in business! Yes, to be realistic, there are always going to be a certain amount of animals to be culled, but I can't imagine what the impact will be and is now with all these horses that shouldn't have been bred in the first place!

Less breeding(quality over quantity) like other people had said

Scott, this is a very thoughtful and sobering topic.  It is heartbreaking to think what may become of unwanted mares, weanlings and yearlings.  I have a broodmare that I am not breeding next year, but I will continue to keep her and pay for her care.  Unfortunately many people can no longer afford their mares, and rescue seems to be the only humane answer.

J- Since when is it Darley, Jess Jackson, IEAH and "all the big-time owners" responsibility to care for horses that were bred by other irresponsible and/or unlucky breeders?

What makes it the responsibility of the more financially secure owners to build a castle in the sky for all these horses, when a lot of the problem is backyard, small-time breeders breeding cheap horses and other "breeders" who are just trying to make a quick buck?

My response is: If you bred it or if you currently own it, it is YOUR responsibility. If you can't afford to provide for the horse now, it is up to YOU to find it a suitable placement or a humane ending.

Don't shove the responsibility off to people who are fortunate in this business, THEY didn't create the problem (with the exception of the greedy stallion owners who do not limit book size and breed 200 mares per year to one stallion).

I know i am going to get slated over this, but i have quick question for those who are so adamently against the slaughterhouses.  Do you feel the same way about Cows, Pork, or any other livestock that is slaughtered for consumption

I don't have an opinion one way or the other, but if you didn't feel the same way, wouldn't you be giant hypocrites.

Moving toward the future the breeding has to be done less. Others have wisely stated that.

Why not institue a euthanasia fee on breeders and owners. You pay in to it each time you breed or buy a horse. The fund grows over time and covers euthanasia for horses who would otherwise face an uncertain end.

I don't like euthanasia for irresponsible reasons, but it's better than sending a horse to slaughter or neglect that had no say in being born.

Some of that $ could also be given to places like Our Mims and Old Friends who are actively helping the industry on this issue.

This is a huge problem.  I own 4 mares.  All 4 were good runners at the track, allowance winners, earners of over $100,000, by solid stallions.  Some have produced allowance winners, some are too young to have runners.  Three of them are in foal right now.  As of right now, I am planning on breeding NONE.  I breed to race, and even the market for horses at the track that have shown some talent is drying up.  Im not ready to throw in the towel yet, but I am certainly going to pull back and take a break this coming year, from unrealistic stud fees, from high board and vet fees.  So Ill have 4 mares that have been bred every year for the past several, not in production.

I wonder how many others will be doing the same?  At this stage, I don't have to get "rid" of them; I dont mind keeping them in the field and feeding them; they are good mares, and have been good to me.  I know there are many mares that are not in that position, tho.  Tough situation.

Dave:  Horses are NOT human consumption animals; animals that this country and many others were built on the backs of (literally). Anyway, the look of eagles from a horse is not the same coming from a cow or pig, sorry.

Dave, after seeing one too many semi with animals packed like sardines heading to a feed lot, I don't meat most days of the week. The two that really did it - sitting at a red light next to a semi full of cute little pigs that were excited and happy because they were going somewhere and driving on the interstate next to a semi loaded with turkeys that were half naked because the feathers had been blown off of them. The meat I do eat is organic and locally grown.

I don't know that there is one good answer to this question. Maybe the best answer would be to come up with a lot of little good answers (adoption, euthanasia, etc) that will cumulatively help to avoid two bad answers (slaughterhouses, neglect). Old Friends provides a model for mostly males. What they have going for them is name recognition. How many people know the name of the broodmares? They are mostly the unsung part of the business.

Creed, creed, creed. That is always the problem. Simply stated it is overproduction. Why do stallions have to breed over 60 mares per season? The answer: Creed. When the sales for yearlings and two year olds was very good breeders started having deeper pockets that they wanted filled. Everyone wanted to breed that million dollar yearling but in fact how many of those high priced yearlings actually become stakes and graded stakes winners? When will they learn? Answer: Never!

From my perspective, this is the most important issue ever raised on this blog space. It is, perhaps, also the most taxing to ponder and solve. The root, underlying causes for this problem are based on our collective differing senses of morality, and thus our inability to fashion meaningful LAWS to prevent such calamities. We have looked the other way far too long, content at focusing on the interesting or pleasurable side, seeing this as pure business and/or recreation, avoiding the fact that living creatures are, in one manner or another, being constantly placed at risk.      

What about the new rule that mares over 18 who aren't in foal cannot be entered in the breeding stock sale?  While I agree with this, I wonder what people are going to do with the older mares who are at then of their reproductive careers?  I'm glad they can't be dumped at the sale, but you know they're going to get dumped somewhere.    A high profile retirment farm for retired broodmares is a good idea.  Our Mims should be getting funding from the industry so that great old mares have a retirement they DESERVE!  

I'm sorry, but some of the answers to this problem just aren't pretty to look at.  There just isn't enough money to assure that all the mares that are going to be taken out of the broodmare pool get to spend nice lives basking in sunny pastures with thoughtful caregivers to make their lives good.

I agree that where it's possible to re-home a broodmare, that should be done.  However, people who think they relieve themselves of responsibility for a mare by re-homing her have to remember that life is very uncertain and that mare may end up neglected and suffering at some time in the future.

IMO it's incumbent on broodmare owners to belly up to the responsibility bar and euthanize any mares they don't intend to keep and whose future can't be assured.  That's ugly but that's also reality.  We're talking about thousands of mares over the next year or two, and that many mares can't all be re-homed or cared for indefinitely.

We also have to do the responsible thing to keep this kind of boom-leading-to-bust from every happening again, and towards that end I wish The Jockey Club would immediately raise the registration fee for foals to $5,000.  

If a breeder knew that it would cost him $5,000 to register a foal, I believe that would eliminate marginal broodmares from production and keep marginal fillies from being tried as broodmares.  I don't think we need rules restricting the number of mares a stallion can breed to;  personally, I'd rather see 200 foals from a proven quality stallion than 200 foals sired by marginal stallions, bred to mares that the owner doesn't consider worth spending a reasonable stud fee on.  Better for the breed.

If racing's so-called leadership really wants to eliminate overproduction and take the marginal mares out of production (which will in turn drive the marginal stallions out, since no mares would be bred to them), then make the registration fee expensive enough to hurt, really hurt.  Then the market will take care of overproduction.

Owners and breeders need to support sanctuaries for these great ladies who have given so much to the sport.  Our Mims Retirement Haven does a WONDERFUL job supporting and caring for these ladies in their retirement, but has only limited space and funding.  More places like this need to exist to care for the ladies.

Amy and Nic are right! No slaughter houses or euthanasia!

Euthanasia.  I have 4 horses and am coming to terms with putting down a 23 year old mare.  It isn't easy, but I owe it to her.  I have already put one horse down, I know it is very quick, but it is difficult.

Creating the financial means to make this possible is the challenge.  It is not particularly cheap (and the body has to be dealt with also), but wringing the last penny out of an animal is wrong as is not facing up to one's responsibility as a caretaker.

Dave and others: Horses, dogs, cats and other human-socialized animals deserve a more humane ending after their service and companionship to us than the agonizing and frightful trip to the slaughter house! It makes me sick to my stomach to think what a horse must be "thinking" or feeling after being treated so carefully by its humans all its life only to be shoved like cordwood onto a truck and taken to a frightening place where it surely must sense the awful endings in the air. Euthanasia may cost some, but what price your humanity, humane-ness, ethics, and soul? For those that can not find a forever retirement, euthanasia is the only choice I could ever support. And yes, I am a vegetarian and have been for decades.

#1: get these horses listed on a free site like thehorse.com. You would be surprised how many people would like a well bred thoroughbred that was previously "unaffordable". There are many small timers that would like one really well-bred mare to breed to a stud like Alluvial or Flatter and get themselves a real homebred racer. For those who can ride, list that too! For those who can't -be honest and upfront. Even geldings find homes on that site as pasture pets, companions etc. Some of us out there can't ride anymore due to an injury- it doesn't mean we can't care properly for our horses or enjoy them. Pasture companions work well in these situations!

#2: Get the word out on sites on the internet off the beaten path- western sites etc. SOME of these oldie but goodie horses could find new lives as trail horses.

#3: Ask for help, contact a rescue. There are so many now days- pick a REPUTABLE one..ask around. Then ask that rescue to put the word out for assistance placing your "unwanted" horses. Groups like New Vocations, CANTER and AC4H come to mind. (Google them!)

#4: Breed only when you must. You would be shocked to find out that the perfect TB mating has often already been accomplished by someone else and is for sale as a weanling, yearling or racing age horse.

#5: Be responsible to your horses. When they have problems (navicular, laminitis, founder, slipping stifles, COPD, heaves, etc). it's time to consider quality of life. It's tough and it's awful to put a horse down but it's fair to the horse and it is responsible horsemanship. Your horse deserves it, they gave you their all- you have to do the same.

#6:PLEASE be responsible to the horses you breed. Tag their papers with a sticker to make their odds better of not going to slaughter. Trainers and owners are tagging papers with stickers that say "Call this number, we will take this horse back".

These are just a few ideas..maybe one will work for you.

Kim in KY, you have the most reasonable answers.  There are a lot of folks in the horse lover world who may want a TB mare.  I own two of them .. ages 26 and 22.  They are my dearest friends.  

And please, those of you in the TB racing industry, consider the plight of the animals and stop over-breeding.

I only hope the foals, weanlings and yearlings can find good homes.  These unwanted horses need to be ADVERTISED, not EUTHANIZED.

Kim in Ky, I've been working things to get so I can adopt a horse. While I was checking out boarding places close to my house, one of the managers told me that he didn't think I would have to actually pay for one. He said he's getting calls from people every week just looking for someone to take one because they can't keep it, Indiana's unemployment rate is very high. He said he's taken in a couple, but he has to tell them he can't take any more.

diastu - I feel the same way about it.

I agree with Kim in KY. Tag your thoroughbred's JC certificate with I'll take back number. You'd be suprised as to how well that will work.

I also believe the person doing the tagging should also be the same person who bred this horse. i am a small breeder with 2 mares in production and I feel the obligation I have to my foals. There well being in the future, I will take them back at anytime in the future if and when they are sold and not wanted.

I agree that stallions should have a set number of mares to breed to each year. This way we can assure that there is not an over production of TB's. I keep seeing some write in and say not to breed cheap stallions or mares. But breeding is a game of chance, the fortunate ones breed the best and hope for the best. The small breeder breeds the cheap and hopes for the best. Whats the difference. NONE!! If the small breeder didn't do there thing we would not ever of had a John Henry (Sold for $1700) Seattle Slew (Sold $17500).  

I agree with Kim In KY (but for, in part, her #5), and Marge in NC.

For the immediate, it would be a literal "life-saver" if others could provide the names, etc. of every possible rescue/placement source, and the best places to advertize horses that need a home. Scot-if the Magazine would get involved in this, they have the research resources to best accomplish this-and can publish these results to the proper audience. They can also summon their readership to provide such information. People need more help now in finding suitable locations for these horses. The easier it can be made for them, the less likely they will opt for euthanasia. Each day alive for an elderly horse may be as precious as that for one younger.    

Kim in KY - solid ideas.  Thanks for bringing them up.  I had a mare that was not a good breeding prospect and not rideable but great manners and temperment.  I donated her to a university equine program where she is used for their programs.  I visit her from time to time (she remembers me!) and I can see the quality care and attention she gets from students. The university was grateful to get her, and I know she is in good hands.

I can only do my part.  We were forced out of racing/breeding by economics.  I will probably never pay the debt we incurred, bankruptcy is looming.

But, I have a 22 yr old mare here, along with a retired STDbred mare, now as "pets".  The ex-racers have been adopted, most for free, I made sure of that myself.

If we all behave responsibly, it won't be an issue.

For all those that think placing a horse into an adoptive family is the solution, please be careful!!! Many, many people have ended up finding out later these horses ended up at slaughter houses or suffering from neglect or ignorance.  Impeccable references can be false; sometimes a well meaning person takes on too many but is unwilling to part with a horse he/she can no longer afford. Don't think this won't happen to you!! It happened to me, it happened to others I know. Unless the horse stays within an easy commute distance and you are willing to periodically check in on it, you don't have control over this animal's future.  I still regret the suffering I caused my mare; I was able to save her from starvation, but just barely.

I'll tell you what becomes of broodmares.  Even as I write this, the Fans of Barbaro are frantically trying to save a daughter of Triple Crown winner Affirmed.  She is now at Sugar Creek Auction to be sold for meat and sent to Canada. She will bring $300.00. If we can not find a home for her by Monday morning (October 5) she will go through the horrors of slaughter.   Last year we saved Tendresse a daughter of Secretariat from ending up at a Mexican slaughter house where they do not even kill the horses just cut their spinal cord and let them bleed out.  I hope we can save this mare, you would think the owners would have the decency to euthanize their poor old girls rather than subject them to such a horror.

Brambles

The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, TRFinc.org, Is a treasure trove of information on farms specifically organized to evaluate TBs for new careers as performance horses, trail horses, pasture ornaments and to find new homes for them. The horses are evaluated honestly for new careers, transitioned for their new life, and potential adopters are screened with references required.  They are all over the US.

The word is 'RESPONSIBILITY'.  It is not ACCEPTABLE to dump mares at the end of their breeding careers.  It is the OWNER'S RESPONSIBILITY to look after them, retire them, care for them and bury them.  I know, I have 5 lawn ornaments at home and I will not be retiring anytime soon.  But, they are MY RESPONSIBILITY and I will not dump them on someone else.

Personal responsibility.

At the other end, we have the high dollar producing mares like Lady's Secret, Sea the Stars dam Urban Sea, Bayakoa, Shuvee etc who are bred until "foaling complications" kills them. Will one day we read the same about Rachel?

Thank you, Scot. Sometimes we all need a kick in the butt. The rescue organization I had contacted earlier in the year never replied back and when I just did a search for them, it appears they are no longer around. So I went to Petfinder.com and did a search for horses in Indiana to see what rescue organizations are active here and found 4 in the state, but 3 are too far. But the other one is close enough to donate a Saturday a month to and that's what I've done. You're right - if enough people do enough small things, they will add up to big things.

I am shocked an disgusted by the number of people who point to euthanasia as the answer.  I have a 25 year old retired mare who I have had almost 15 years now and intend to take care of for the rest of her life- natural life that is, not when I arbitrarily decide it would be easier to kill her than take care of her.  Death panels, indeed!

I also volunteer with a nonprofit that rehomes thoroughbreds, both from racing and breeding.

A huge responsibility lies at the doorstep of the stallion owners.They will breed any mare as long as they get a signed contract to enforce, know darn well a mare with no black type production in 2 generations will have a foal that will not sell for the stud fee.. And I truly believe 75% of the owners who breed thoroughbreds cannot afford the cost to race them.. It costs at minimum $2400 per month to have a race horse at the track.. yet how many small breeders have 2 or 3 mares producing foals? How many of those breeders can afford $7500 to $15,000 per month to have the last 2 foal crops in training? JUST STOP BREEDING YOUR MARES! If you love your horses it does not mean you need to breed more! Enjoy the ones you have, ride them, get involved in riding clubs.. stop breeding more! Maybe the powers that be should have a spay program like dogs!

I first became involved with Thoroughbreds in 1972 by working for Harbor View Farm(breeder and owner of Affirmed and numerous other top notch horses)and have maintained involvement in the industry ever since. Things have really changed over the years and I don't believe it's all for the better. A whole industry has been built around the commercial aspect of raising racehorses. Money, money, money. Greed, greed, greed. Expensive stud fees, huge books of mares, agent fees, sales company's commissions, etc. etc. Think about what is involved when an individual is sold as a weanling and again as a yearling and possibly again as a two year old in training. How many expenses are involved and what is the probability that a profit can be made at each step along the way. Furthermore, what is the probability that the individual will race and earn back its purchase price. Periodically someone hits a homerun but usually there are a lot of losses. Not a very sound business. In the past more farms bred horses to race and focused more on breeding a sound fast horse. They weren't obsessed with a fancy pedigree or cosmetically alterred conformation. Changes I'd like to see take place are the following. 1) Some reduction in stud fees. 2) Limit the book of mares. 3)Possibly shorten the breeding season so there won't be that many May and June babies. 4)Consider breeding mares every other year until the market recovers and the demand is there. 5) Breed soundness, not just speed. Reduce inbreeding especially to unsound horses. 6)Look for alternate careers for horses which showed little or no ability on the racetrack and lack productive pedigrees. I could go on and on about this subject but I just wanted to put a few thoughts out there.

Scott,

What wonderful ideas you have come up with!  I am sure that farms would be willing to care for a mare in exchange for volunteer work from a crew of sponsoring people.

Basically, the volunteers will have to come up with $500 to $1000 worth of donated work EVERY MONTH year in and year out to cover the cost of one mare.

That, however, will effectively put one farm employee out of work or severely reduce their income.

Sadly, I think the solution is a pretty draconian one.  Cheap euthansia and disposal of the body is what is needed.  Or slaughter.

Although I am on the fence about slaughter (and personally horrified by it), I can see its benefits.  I am very much against the way slaughter animals are handled currently, whether they are horses, cows, pigs or chickens.  Why can't it be more humane?

In Europe old horses, even beloved pets, are sent to slaughter at a small local abattoir.  A Danish friend of mine was shocked that we didn't slaughter in the US.  When she sent her much loved show pony to slaughter (at the same time we in North America would have euthanized it), she booked the appointment and sent a groom with the pony.  The pony was not subjected to the horrors that North American slaughter animals are.  Why can't we make the process kinder?

I think this issue has finally come to a head. Breeders in the industry have taken too many chances in hopes of getting lucky and ultimately, the horse pays the price.  Suddenly, when things get bad, it is our problem to solve. There are simply too many horses in all sectors. It is not only the professionals but the "backyard" breeders , as well. I hate the way stallions are shuttled all over the world to squeeze the last dollar out of them. I think the industry needs to be reined in or things will get worse. The breeders need to show financial viability before they can take chances with an animal's life. Breeding expensive animals like thoroughbreds should carry responsibility AND liability. They breed in the hopes of getting lucky and if not, the horse has to be euthanized? What kind of solution is that?

What can be done? Plenty. Starting with changing the idea that old horses are as disposable as yesterday's trash.

First, all horses should have a 401k plan. For mares, a small percentage of each dollar they earn on the track and through their foals should be put into a retirement fund in her name. If they do not survive until retirement, their bank roll could go to established horse charities to help those who didn't earn as much. If the mares at Our Mims Retirement Haven had just SOME of the $$$ they earned, they'd be sitting pretty. Instead, many arrive in a neglected state without even a decent halter on their heads. Responsible people just don't treat living creatures like this.

More santuaries need to be created. If a horse has a retirement fund, that money will help fund the sanctuary. Experienced horse people who may not want to work with young horses anymore will have employment oppurtunities. Tourists can visit the sanctuaries providing communities with income and the horses are cared for. Everybody wins.

I have seen and heard lots of comments on the idea that only the person who bred the horse should be responisble for the horse in her retirement. In truth, every person who has ever owned the horse is jointly responsible. Anyone who has received money through the horse's labor should contribute to her later life.

Another idea: Mares can be ridden during pregnancy. They should be kept under saddle so if they do not produce well, at least they will have a career somewhere else. They would not have to be ridden every day, just once or twice a month. Just enough to keep them gentled.

The race industry, the hunter jumper people, the pleasure horse, show horse and all the others need to unite. A mare who doesn't produce runners may very well produce dressage or jump champions. Too many TBs are forced into the wrong career. The humans involved in a horse's young life need to learn to recognize what career disapline a horse belongs in and PUT him/her there. The narrow mindedness of some breeders needs to stop. TBs are extremely talented, they are not just race horses. If a horse is placed into the proper career, their dams are more valuable.

So many good ideas are generated every day. Many are not acted upon because the industry is grounded in tradition and refuses to change. This stubborness may end up being the death of racing as we know it.

The Jockey Club should raise the registration fee, to include future homes for all T-Breds. If we go the way of the Grayhounds, horse racing in this country is over.

Brambles - My comments about Sugar Creek are not printable. . . . .

And ditto the comment about keeping track of that horse you adopt out - every horse is only one owner away from auction.  Donating to universities have the same risk - they take the horses to auction when they are done with them.  That has happened in Oregon and Colorado State Vet School was going to "dump" mares they used for vet students to learn on (rectal exams/shots/etc) several years ago, I don't know how that all ended.

I am looking for a couple of mares for next breeding season and will pay all of their expenses until returning the mares after the foals from the 2010 breeding season are weaned. I can be reached at 213-700-9799  If anyone has mares that are either black type or black type producing and are interested  please give me a call.  

I realize I got caught up in the frenzy of breeding for race and commercial, it was just way too easy to make money. and now it is the opposite, now I have to be responsible for my mares who are not going to be bred in 2009 or 2010 and for my RNA yearling and two year old. They may have to shift to different careers, such as show and trail, but they are dependent on me. To think my TB business all started with a phone call about starving mares and rescuing 4.

Real solutions for this year? Right now? I can't say it strongly enough. Support your local horse charity. Big farms could send hay. Every donated bale of hay is one that a rescue operation does not have to buy.

Regular horse lovers could send donations. The rescue community is, indeed, overwhelmed and every dollar counts. The average person can make a world of difference just by spreading the word about a local rescue. Visit one and then tell everyone you know about them.

Go to the local feed store and ask about rescues. They know who and where the rescue operations are. If they have a regular shopper from a rescue, buy a bag of feed to be put on that rescue's account.

Voluteers to help in horse care is important. Clean some stalls, scrub and fill some water troughs.

Farm equipment is expensive. Any piece of equipment donated is an answer to a prayer.

Even if you only have a few flower bulbs to add to the landscaping...

little things make a big difference in the rescue business.

A great starting place to advertise "unwanted" horses is on Thehorse.com. This is the sister site of bloodhorse.com and lists the TBs and Standardbreds for free. The listing is free but you have to give the horse away- you can't sell it. Many many horses have been placed this way, the site keeps a running total of horses placed to date daily. Please be sure to read thehorse.com's advice on giving your horse away before you place your ad. GOOD LUCK!

For the immediate and not too distant future, humane euthanasia is the only realistic option for most - not every single one, but most.  It has been accepted for hundreds of thousands of dogs to be euthanized every year - it is heartbreaking, but what is the alternative? Too many animals, too few homes. Period.  And, by the way, when was the last time you read or heard about a horse guiding a blind person or saving a family from a fire? Do the right thing and save these horses from further suffering, then worry about how to fix it long term. You want to help them? Spare the suffering.

Have to agree with previous posters that owner/breeders have a responsibility to see their old mares out of this life in an humane way.

Also feel it is wrong for stallions to be bred to more than 50 mares a year! That limit on books alone could keep stud fees up for the better horses and discourage acceptance of inferior mares. Has anyone who advocates 200 mares to "top" stallions considered what this does to the gene pool for TBs?

I do find it amazing and odd that no one has suggested redirecting these less than stellar race producing mares to a career as sport horses or as sport horse producers! Some of the rescue organizations require that  adoptees not be bred for racing!

Prehaps all stallions managers should require mares, regardless of race record to be assessed for conformational correctness; and, of course all stallions should meet the same assessment.

One final thought - we could surely improve the breed by imposing a NO Medication rule. Has lasix/salix really been beneficial to horses? How many popular stallions were true bleeders and have passed this on to their get?

Time to get back to basics and make horse racing a true sport that we who love horses can truly enjoy!

            I totally agree with Liz ! This is a heartbreaking subject that must be addressed!

Scot, you want solutions for the girls now? Personal responsibility. It is up to their owners to take care of them.

For the future? When I was younger Thoroughbreds were the most common Hunter-Jumper horse and dressage horse. This weekend I went to a huge Fair that draws large classes. The HJ class was so big it was split into 3 classes...out of app 40 horses in that class only ONE was a TB. There were Friesians, Morgans, a Draft Horse, many QH's, Paints and Arabians and only ONE original classic HJ type TB.

The QH world manages to mix racing, reining/cutting, showing and home ownership very well (though overbred, too)...4 very different and very large entities...even the Arabian world manages to have homeowners, sport horse, show horse, RACING, endurance, reining and 1/2 Arabian very well...

Time for the Jockey Club to step up to the plate and recreate the TB as a desireable horse to own and/or show.

PS I am in a place where I just lost my 32 year old, and have 2 mid-twenty year-olds...I cannot afford to own more than these guys and until they are gone (sadly fairly soon as neither will make it through another winter) they are MY responsibility...it's not THEIR fault I can't afford another younger horse while they are still alive.

It seems to me that retiring mares is part of the solution to the general problem of unwanted Thoroughbreds... because not every breeder is actually smart enough to respond appropriately when it seems clear to the rest of us that there is no market for their foals.

 Better a mare retire from the breeding shed now than do it four years from now, with four more foals on the ground who will face all of the uncertain fates we're talking about.  

SO... how to incentivize this process of retirement, and how to make it safe for the mares? One way would be publicity -- I've always wished that The Blood Horse would devote a column or regular blog space to spotlighting retired Thoroughbreds - show people what they do now, in so many other disciplines in the horse world.  This would go double for broodmares who find third careers after the track and the breeding shed.  Show the world what they've learned to do to secure their own futures.

Actually, owners of retired Thoroughbreds tend to be so proud of their horses and so eager to get the word out about the off-track usefulness of the Thoroughbred, that I suspect all you'd have to do would be to find someone to read submissions from owners... much like how The Daily Puppy works (www.dailypuppy.com/dogs)

da3horse, I am sure you mean well but it is so so so easy to SAY something like 'personal responsability' without any effort at all. Are you going to feel happy when some breeder goes bankrupt and their horses are starving in a field because they can't afford hay? Are you saying that there is no way out ever if you have horses? Yes your right it would be best if every owner took responsability, but sometimes that does'nt happen in the real world and it would be great if those horses had some options other than 'too bad you have a sucky owner'.

Not my problem?  Isn't that one of the issues with health care today?  Why should I have to pay for someone else's issues?  The truth is, we are all in this together.  Any one who is involved in the sport of racing is responsible for that sport.  I definitely agree with less breeding, and with having sponsored retirement homes.  If we do not do something, this will create a backlash that PETA and other groups will use to further their contention that racing is cruel.  We need to clean our own house, before the government is forced to do it for us.

i am or was a small breeder.i kept trying to improve my stock. when we got slots there was an influx of mares and mare owners from out of state. my mares could not compete anymore. i did not breed a mare the last two years even though i now have better mares. the studs i can afford are not quite good enough. i raise to race and have no interest in the commercial market at all. but with the better studs that are really failed horses from elsewhere at a high price i simply cannot see breeding just so i can have a foal.

i do not think overbreeding is that big a problem as is the long life of the product. i am caring for 6 head only two of which have any value other than that they are mine.

the slaughter houses and their attitudes have caused a serious problem for horses. the first time they would have turned away a cattle pot or run off a hualer that acted like an ass they would have changed the meathods of the haulers. then if they would have used humane procedures in putting the horses down it would have helped also. from what i have seen of some rescues sometimes the Well meaning rescuers turn into hoarders and compound the problem.

blaming it all on the breeders is wrong.it is an intire idustry problem. while i respect the views of most people i find it quite enlightening how animal rights groups raise millions and put few real dollars into caring for them!

that people think only certain mare shoud be bred is also disingenous(sp) as even the very best matings can go wrong. sure we may breed to the hot horse that often throws a crooked legged colt but to walk away might mean missing a seattle slew or comparable horse.the santuaries some talk of are pipedreams.i could buy vast tracts of land here in the west far cheaper than in other places but even with years of good grass one bad storm would be a disaster .just having land is not the only solution. should some of the bigger operations still need homes for good mares that can send a mare to me in foal to a nice horse and let me raise two foals of my own out of her she would have a home for life. that i would have a good chance at one or two colts that could carry my other retired horses would make it worth while.i would sign a contract to follow that and follow it thru.

Here is a link to which you can put your farm name on to as a responsible breeder who will take back horses that came from a stallion or mare of yours.

www.horsereunions.com/.../list.html

Also I have personally taken in a number of horses and one arrangement that has worked for me is I take them in with certain agreements. You see I have plenty of land and grass and a certain amount of my own personal money I can use for each horse but when coggins time and shoeing, extra vet care rolls around I send a request to the owner to send money earmarked for that particular horse.

I then give them a copy of the bill from the vet etc so they know where the funds went. I cannot afford to become non-profit but I can afford break-even with the former or current owners help.

What this does is it cuts out the $10 to $20/day board that some owners can't afford as their mares/geldings age.

So all it takes is someone willing to provide land and shelter and not charge the owner of aged horses for room and board and most owners I found can pay some of the feed and expenses.

Also thank you for starting this discussion. I want to address a few points that have come up in this needed discussion.

Early on someone mentioned having some of the altruistic owners/breeders donate land set aside for aged horses. If we could do this in each state that would be great and have a learning center associated with each one. Many times I have been by the paddock and people new to the game have asked me many questions. I believe that if we could hav vistor centers and charge admission to see the retired horses and have people learn about them we could make these ventures self funding.

Also I do not think raising the jockey club registration to a high figure is the answer. It would knock out a lot of smaller owner breeders. That extra money is what I feed my horses on and money I use to care for aging horses.

Not sending registration papers with the aged adopted horse is an answer to some of the overbreeding problem. I know of people who you donate the horse too saying I will never breed it and poof you learn they have.

Lets face it..right now, the Stallion owners and the vets are the only ones making money.  A mare owner pays to feed, vet and transport the mare to get her bred. So lets say she is in foal.  The stud fee was 40 thousand dollars.  The mare goes to the sale ring and sells for 50k.   Now the mare owner lost money because they paid for consigner, fees plus the 40k stud fee is automatically deducted from the proceeds and goes right to the stallion farm.  So the breeder is at a loss.  Now lets move to the new owner of the mare.  They just thought they got a bargin on this mare by only having to pay just above the stud fee..and they got a good mare..everyhing looks great until that mare aborts....oops...now that new owner is out a foal, and they are out 50k.( 40 of that was stud fee ) The stallion farm is not a bit concerned, and why should they? The stallion farm got their stud fee long ago when the mare was sold.  No live foal guarentee with that purchase!  Try getting that 40 k back and they will laugh at you...if they don't hang up first.  Just a suggestion..how about if you buy a mare in foal at the auction..the breeding contract has to be signed by the buyer and the live foal guarentee transfers with the mare.  When that mare foals,  the new mare owner pays the stud fee.  Everyone would be happy.  The original mare owner got the real value of their mare at the sale ( based on pedigree ) this should keep people from breeding poor mares...The new mare owner is happy because they got a mare in foal to a stallion they want without having to go through the breeding process etc...and the stallion barns should be happy when the live foal report comes in and they get paid.  Why is that so hard to do?  This way Stallion owners can keep the stud fees where they want,approve the mares they breed and keep it to reasonable number.  Only good mares will get bred thus improving the sales of weanlings and yearlings.  All for the better.  Stallion owners DO NOT need to be paid for foals that are never born.  The sales company can hold the breeding contracts to keep things honest and pay for that foal WHEN IT IS BORN. Or leave it an option.. the sales company can announce if fees are paid and if the contract is transferable.

I think that first, we need to find a way to follow these mares and see just what these breeders are actually doing with their excess and unaffordable mares.  My guess is most are finding their way, via a convoluted route, to the slaughter houses.  That is just unacceptable!  With the massive amount of breeding going on just to be able to filter out one potentially great horse, I do believe breeders should have to register their foals and mares so that they can be tracked...something like a driver's license or car license is traceable.  If they bring them into this world, or buy them for breeding, then the responsibility must become theirs… the responsibility to make certain they have decent living accommodations for life!!  This over buying, over breeding mania has gotten so out of hand, as has the perception that what ever becomes unaffordable or excess is simply disposable.  It does nothing to clean up a dismal reputation for the sport, and it simply is not right for the horse.  Perhaps the industry as a whole should be the ones to develop land and accommodations for retired and injured race horses, as well as those yearlings that get thrown away, along with the broodmare.  Perhaps this funding could come through percentages from horse registration fees, perhaps it could come from a percentage of entry fees.  More industry driven accountability to a moral obligation to these horses will stop much of the over breeding and over buying/selling.  Really, if some industrious and well-connected person dug down and got the hard cold facts and numbers on what happens to all the horses in the racing industry once they have proven to be undesirable, and if that information got widely spread around in the public media, this industry would be toast.  Especially if some of the abuse and slaughter videos available were widely exposed.  Why not as an industry, address it now and clean it up.

Philosophy 101 aside, what will happen to these mares?  We’re dealing with an issue that mankind has debated forever, so we can skip the euthanasia argument.  Everyone is entitled to their opinions.  Now what?

Can’t the jockey club or someone keep track of the horses somehow, so that we can quantify the problem?  After reading this article I went about my daily activities, and I had to write this.

A few years ago I called the closest local horse rescue to volunteer.  They told me that they didn’t need any more volunteers on weekends.  What?  What?  What?  I was floored.  I arranged a monthly payroll contribution, and this year I increased that contribution.  

My annual contribution is within my meager budget.  I certainly hope that the rescue is receiving the money, and that they are putting it to good use.  I have never received so much as a thank you.  The rescue was featured in a news story earlier this year, and they explained that they are at capacity, and are turning horses away.

A few years back I supported closing the U.S. slaughter houses.  I live in such an ivory tower that I never imagined that the kill buyers would truck the horses to Canada and Mexico, which is even worse.

Maybe the situation JAJ describes regarding the show pony is the best we can do.  At this point it would certainly be an improvement.  I could barely stand to read a veterinary article regarding the methods of euthanizing of horses but I read it to gain a better understanding of the specific methods.  It can and should be done in a humane manner that does not involve being shipped to an auction or feedlot in fear and pain, and then shipped to a slaughter house of any significant distance.  

Every single person who knows about horse slaughter should contribute to saving horses.  If every track in the U.S., every fan, owner, breeder, trainer, jockey, contributed as little as I do, or if they contributed an equivalent percentage from their own budgets I believe it would help a lot.  If everyone contributed a fair share it still would not solve the problem.  

I understand the position of those opposed to euthanasia, I too love horses and would like every single one to live a good life.  However, I am not a vegetarian.  Nevertheless in my opinion, all meat animals should be treated humanely.  When I reach the end of my life I would not like to linger in pain and suffering, but I will move to one of the states that allows people to die with dignity.  I extend the same sentiment to my fellow mammal the horse.    

What will become of these borderline mares; figure it out.. Somehow they will make there way over the U.S. border into a country that will put them on the dinner plate.  What do people really think is going to happen to them?--that they will all find good, loving homes. No, unfortunately, most of them will end up somewhere people really don't want to know about,  its the sad truth.

I once had an agreement with the owner of 2 rescued TB broodmares.  I agreed to give the owner free board in exchange for some farm chores.  The owner was supposed to pay the horses other expenses such as farrier, vet and worming.  

It didn't work out.  First, she kept bringing her two poorly trained dogs onto my property after being asked to stop.  She let them run loose, they killed my poultry and injured my dog when he tried to rescue the poultry.

In addition, she abandoned the horses within the first year (stopped paying their bills and stopped visiting them).  And she only did a fraction of the chores she'd agreed to do.  Fortunately, I found good permanent homes for the mares but it wasn't an easy task.

Anyway, I'd still be willing to free board a couple of rescued broodmares in exchange for farm chores, provided the owner pays the horses other expenses and doesn't abandon them.

But my question - how does a farm owner like me avoid a bad situation like the one I got into before?  I'm serious - I'm sincerely interested in providing free board but only if somebody can tell me how to steer clear of the deadbeats.  Is there some way to recognize a potentially bad owner?  Are there certain questions to ask?  Any info would be greatly appreciated - post it here please.        

Steve, I think writing up a contract that would spell out what you will do, what the owner's responsibilities will be and what the consequences of not following the contract will be would do a lot to weed out the 'impulse' rescuers who aren't going to stay committed to the horses. At least everything will be clearly spelled out and on the table ahead of time.

I hope you don't let a bad egg stop you from doing a wonderful thing.

For Dave and others,

Have you seen the video of the holstein cows that were pushed along the halways by forklifts? Did you see when they tried to run over the cows head with it? This is a slaughter plant in california. Worst part, this is the plant that supplies the meat to YOUR schools!!!

I am  not against slaughter, the reality is too many to love,care for, and vet maintanence. The expense is very hard to deal with on an ex racer.  But making it so pregnant mares and weanlings, do not go thru are my main concern. Plus horses that are viable and simply dumped by people who actually DO have the means to take care of them.

KUDOS to the farm that kept and took care of Princess Rooney. When it was apparent she would not be a producer, they kept her anyway. Now she babysits the newly weaned.

Thanks Karen - I had a contract the first time but it was just the standard contract I'd always used for pasture rental.  Probably wasn't specific enough for rescue horse boarding.  

the folks that keep saying these mares will end up across the borders slaughtered are using a bit of scare tactics. most small breeders end up keeping their mares until they die.less than 10% of horses killed at slaughter are registered.

Several of the auctions I have been to had killer buyers show up. i was told that $400 was the break even poit for them to ship to Mexico. I decided to bid on a mare that had earned $74,000 racing and is a granddaughter of Hoist the Flag and Buckpasser and a daughter of State Dinner. She was 18 years old.

I am not against quick and humane as possible local slaughter but I am against shoving an almost 17 hand tb mare into a truck designed for a shorter animal and hauling it down to Mexico. That is why I bid on her...not that I needed another well bred horse.

I do not think her papers would have made it with her to Mexico. They would probably have been discarded before this and no one would ever know who she was.

Re JAJ coments about sending a pony to slaughter in Europe, I noticed the owner sent a groom with the pony rather than attend themselves.  Perhaps that groom may have been slightly traumatized but the owner escaped.

Having kept several mares into their 30s, I am reconsidering euthanasia, hard as it is. These older mares generally don't just fall asleep in the night but actually have quite severe problems and end up being euthanised in distress. Obviously there are exceptions though.  I think the worst action you can take is to put any horse on a truck to a slaughter house.  What that horse goes through mentally is a terrible end

I find most of the responses a bunch of pooie, pie in the sky unrealistic and other worldly. In the 90s when "meat price's pushed 70 cents  a pound I sold several horses at auction and yet today communicate with several "buyers" surprisingly from Canada, who gave unwanted  horses homes and careers after racing. There was a bottom to the market and a demand for horses beyond the processors for anything that was sound and well cared for.  A seller could get a realistic price and recapture some value from a horse they were un able or unwilling to care for. Such responses as raising rgistration fees would probably elimante just as many owners as horses and such a suggestion hints of a deeper meaning and an anti racing agenda.  I haven't the numbers in front of me but you will see the decline of racing the closing of tracks and the loss of thousands of jobs by such demands. Owners  and breeders have to be willing to make the hard call, the ridiculousness of todays culture to spend thousands of dollars on a sick dog and cat is becoming pervasive and unrealistic while we have millions of people with out health-care, a few correspondents have the cojones to call for the hard choices, suck it up if you can't feed'em and you cant sell'em dig the hole and put them in it.  The elimination of access to the meat market when a demand for such exist is the real basis of the glut of unwanted horses and because you may not have the stomach for it millions of folks all around the world do and they are hungry.

Richard's sentiments may be similar to what many out there feel, but haven't the guts to express. So, one wonders why a Richard did so. Is it, perhaps, because he is even more ignorant than those others? His utter lack of clarity, not to mention logic, lends support to the notion that he speaks from a profound ignorance. There's no changing one like that, but others may be more maleable.    

As I see it part of the problem is that the racing industry has focused on breeding lines that are of little interest to the sport horse people, and sport horse people are where a lot of TBs end up.  Another part of the problem is that many broodmares have not been ridden, so finding homes outside the industry is three times as hard as it would be otherwise.

If broodmare owners would take the time and pay the money to ensure that the sound ones can be ridden, that would go a long way towards overcoming the anti mare prejudice.  There is a book that was published twenty years ago by Christian Goeldner called The Thoroughbred Field Hunter, and he recommends using TB broodmares as field hunters.  

I believe that there are mares with wonderful pedigrees for sport that never get themselves noticed by sport horse people.  I just found a mare in the OBS sale this year that I'm drooling over, but she was bred to a sire that doesn't interest me in the slightest.  

Maybe there should be a place where people who want mares can specify the (currently unfashionable) pedigrees they are interested in and owners with mares with those lines could make contact.  A clearing house for unwanted broodmares.  Would that work?