by Natalie Voss

Depending on the day, working in Thoroughbred aftercare can feel especially impactful or incredibly futile. On one hand, horse racing has accomplished so much in a short amount of time in its quest to take care of Thoroughbreds leaving the track. On the other, there's still a long way to go.

In the face of funding shortages, the complex legal, logistical, and ethical issues of the horse slaughter pipeline, and a mass influx of horses in need, what can the industry do better?

The intangible efforts

John Phillips, president of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA), said the first step is to define the problem. For one thing, we need better data to understand how many Thoroughbreds find themselves in need, including the number in the slaughter pipeline.

“I think historically this is one of the areas that has provided reluctance,” he said. “In a sense you almost wanted to bury your head in the sand and say 'Gee, maybe we really don't want to ask that question.' However, the Australians, who really faced this as an issue of great public sensitivity before we did, approached it very intelligently. It became known as the 'first exit from racing.'”

Read more: Aftercare Should Not Be An Afterthought: Solutions For The Future

by Natalie Voss

It's easy to scroll through the Horse Care or Aftercare news sections on trade publication websites and feel pretty good about the state of Thoroughbred retirement and rehoming. It seems groups like the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, Thoroughbred Incentive Program, Retired Racehorse Project, and a host of adoption and rehoming organizations are everywhere. With so many horses happily prancing around show rings and lazily nibbling grass in the paddocks of pensioners, the aftercare problem in racing must be nearly solved by now, right?

Those on the front lines of rescue and rehoming efforts say we're not even close—and we probably never will be.

For one thing, the scale of the problem is big. Bigger than most people probably realize.

Research on Australian racing populations indicates that roughly 40 percent of the racing population leaves the track each year. According to a study published in 2014 in the Australian Veterinary Journal, poor performance was the reason given for 36.5 percent of those retirements. Illness or injury accounted for another 30 percent. Ten percent of horses left because they were headed to the breeding shed.

Study authors said 6.3 percent of retiring Thoroughbreds entered the slaughter pipeline at the end of their career, while 16.4 percent continued on to second careers.

The Jockey Club does not keep figures on the number or percentage of horses retiring each season. Last year alone, there were 46,144 starters in the United States; if Australia's average is similar to America's, 40 percent of 46,144 would have 18,458 horses leaving the track by the end of 2018.

Read more: Emptying The Ocean With A Teaspoon: The Challenges Of Aftercare

by Natalie Voss

A decade ago, the word “aftercare” was not part of the industry vernacular when talking about Thoroughbreds leaving the racetrack. There were a handful of nonprofits which had battled the tide of horses retiring from racing for years. The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation launched in 1983, New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program in 1992, Thoroughbred Charities of America in 1990 – but those organizations' elevator pitches often started with an explanation of why they were necessary to begin with.

The conversation about off-track Thoroughbreds (fondly known as OTTBs) seems to have broadened in 2008 or 2009, in the wake of Eight Belles' high-profile breakdown after the finish of the 2008 Kentucky Derby. If she hadn't suffered a fatal injury, Eight Belles would likely never have found herself in need of retraining or sanctuary at the end of her racing days, but her death on national television prompted industry-wide self-examination. One of the aspects of racing that worried the general public seemed to be the fate of the horses who raced on the Derby undercard – the less accomplished, less successful mares and the many geldings for whom the breeding shed was not a possibility.

So, roughly ten years into the sport's most concentrated efforts to address the problem of aftercare, we at the Paulick Report wanted to know – how are we doing? What is working about the current industry approach to Thoroughbred aftercare, and what isn't? Which populations of Thoroughbreds are being best served by our current aftercare infrastructure, and which are still in need of help?

Read more: A Decade In, How Are We Doing With Thoroughbred Aftercare?

by Doug Jordan

It seems there is no end to the number of scenarios where off-track Thoroughbreds can adapt and expand the scope of their abilities in second careers. With the number of horses coming off the track that need transitioning, and the ever-increasing pressure on the racing industry to be effective in placement, it’s important that the industry explore every avenue of effective transitioning and education of future owners/riders. Earlier this month, National Cutting Horse Hall of Fame trainer Doug Jordan put on a clinic at Long Shadows Farm in Cambridge, NY in training horses and riders on the basics of ‘cutting’ using a flag. Cutting is an activity in which a horse and rider work together to maneuver a cow to a separate pen or place. Cutting competitions demonstrate the horse’s athleticism and mental agility.

The flag is actually the face of a fan attached to a line along a wall or fence, and a pulley system that is operated by Jordan during the training to simulate the movements of a cow. The goal in having the clinic at Long Shadows was to include Thoroughbreds to show how well they took to the activity and what a great tool it could become for improving the rate of success in transition from racing to any second career. Working a horse on a flag trains the rider to allow a better connection with his or her horse, and gives the horse more responsibility and freedom in the relationship.

“The flag is an excellent way to present something to the horse to develop that lighter level of communication that comes with connection between horse and rider,” said Jordan. “I trained cutting horses my whole life and we use the flag to teach the horse to rate and measure something moving. The horse is interested in it and wants to engage in the activity. Because the horse is a willing participant, it’s just a nice way to get the horse to operate with less pressure and operate from a light feel. The change happens quickly.”

Read more: On Aftercare: Jordan Uses Hall of Fame Cutting Horse Technique to Better Transition Thoroughbreds

by Donna Brothers

(I owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. Larry Bramlage and Euki Binns for their help in validating research and statistical information for this article, and to @JennyPhoto for the supporting pictures.)

I can no longer remain silent about my love for horses and for horse racing for fear of backlash from PETA and other extremist organizations that claim to be looking out for our horses’ welfare. PETA’s modus operandi is to scream louder than the people and industries they attack, but unfortunately, while they promote themselves as a savior of horses, a closer look into their practices suggests otherwise. I have read through numerous lawsuits against them, I’ve looked up their kill-rates, and I’ve read about their revenue allocations. PETA is pro-PETA, not pro-animals, and they are behaving like a bully.

PETA vs the horse-lover

In PETA’s Statement on Companion Animals, they state their belief that even dogs and cats (domesticated for thousands of years alongside our horses) should be free of all human interaction. In other words, PETA is on a mission whose end-game is to eventually halt the natural bond between man and animal that has led them to co-exist since before written record! Organized horse racing has been a part of our United States family culture since at least 1667. Long before the invention of baseball, basketball, football—pretty much any current sport you can think of— people were enjoying a variety of equestrian sports with their beloved horses. Horses have also seen man into civilization; helped them win battles at war; carried man across continents; plowed their fields (including the grain, hay and bedding these horses needed to survive through hard winters), led hunts and so much more for thousands of years. Yes, horses have taken care of man—but man has taken care of them too.

Read more: PETA is a Bully

by Melissa Bauer-Herzog

When I arrived at the Retired Racehorse Project’s (RRP) Thoroughbred Makeover Presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America on Tuesday, Oct. 1, the Kentucky Horse Park was already buzzing that evening.

Though the event didn’t officially start until Wednesday morning, more than 450 recently retired Thoroughbreds had made their way to Lexington, Ky. After passing a mandatory wellness exam upon arrival, show-week preparations began as their riders took them to check out the grounds and prepare for the week ahead.

THE ARRIVAL EXAM

While many horses had been on the grounds for hours before I arrived, it was still a busy evening as competitors took advantage by getting their mounts and themselves used to sights around the areas in which they’d be showing. While watching all the activity, I realized just how different – and more relaxed – this show is compared with others.

Here are ten lessons I learned from this year’s Thoroughbred Makeover while observing the action.

Read more: Ten Lessons Learned From 2019 Thoroughbred Makeover