Retired Racehorses

27
ALTERING TRAINING REGIMENS SO THAT HORSES CAN
BE MORE READILY RETRAINED FOR OTHER USES
The healthier a horse is when retired from racing,
the easier it will be to transition it to a new career.
Alternative employment options for former
racehorses hinge on successful rehabilitation,
retraining and placement programs, which are most
successful when horses are retired physically and
behaviorally sound.
At schools or with private trainers, horses must
have a job or prospect of being sold for a price that
pays for their upkeep and training. A horse needing
training does not necessarily have the ability to be
used in lessons. A horse in training at a riding school
or college may take the place of a lesson horse able
to “earn their keep” in a riding program.
The Task Force recommends the following actions
to allow for horses to be more efficiently retrained
for second careers:
• Information on the benefits to owners of
responsibly giving, selling or donating a
retirement-ready horse to a registered 501c-
3 charitable or other organization should be
incorporated in licensing materials and training.
• Develop a track-side triage program for
placement of retiring horses unable to find a
viable next home. Records should be kept to
identify trainers who consistently retire horses
that fall into a euthanasia category or those
who consistently retire horses that have good
chances of successful retraining and placement.
This would spur owners/trainers to retire horses
when they are physically and behaviorally able
to have a new career. The triage should employ
the initial retirement classifications described
in the “What is a Retired Racehorse?” section of
this report in order to track data on the status of
horses as their racing careers conclude.
• Through the aforementioned funding
recommended, fund 6-month transition,
retraining/placement programs (minimum $400
per month per horse) for retired racehorses
that are unable to be sold to viable owners
directly from the track. Horses should be
eligible for funded retraining and eventual
permanent placement through the track-side
triage system. Riding schools, New York Higher-
Ed institutions, BOCES, 4-H programs, the U.S.
Pony Club, Young Riders, Dressage4Kids and
other equestrian resources could assist the
charitable organizations with the transition and
retraining programs, as space and resources are
available. In many instances horses would need
to transition before an initial period of retraining
for a period of time (typically under six months)
and then return to a facility for placement.
• Encourage the publication of discloseable
disciplinary enforcement actions.
• The NYSRWB should monitor each track’s “start
per stall” internal policy for potential abuse of
lower-level runners.
• The NYSRWB currently maintains a database
of information relating to all equine injuries on
race tracks and training tracks. The Task Force
encourages increased transparency of this data.
• The New York State Racing and Wagering Board
should review all rules relating to claiming to
ensure that they are humane and less likely to
encourage a compromised horse in the claiming
box. Ideas to be considered (as proposed by the
AAEP) include:
• Any horse that tests positive for a prohibited
substance should have the claim rescinded at
the discretion of the buyer.
• No claiming race should have a purse that
exceeds the claiming price by more than 50
percent.
• If a horse is claimed, it should not start in a
claiming race for at least 30 days from the
date of claim for less than 25 percent more
than the amount for which it was claimed.
• When appropriate, horses must demonstrate
a workout between races that displays fitness
and soundness.
• Voidable claims: Claimed horses that do
not finish a race or those that sustain a
catastrophic injury during the race remain
the property of the original owner at the
option of the prospective new owner.