An Open Letter to Those that Wish to Help the Off the Track Thoroughbred
An Open Letter to Those that Wish to Help the Off the Track Thoroughbred
I am writing this letter to you because just like you I want to help race horses that retire sound from racing. I want to ensure they end up living a life where they are well cared for. Unfortunately, many of these horses end up experiencing neglect and worse. While there are many factors that contribute to these welfare issues, I want to tell you what I know about these beautiful horses that will help you set them up for a life where they are loved, respected and enjoyed for their big hearts, enormous try and their incredible athletic abilities.
The first thing you must be aware of is that these horses have been taught to do a very specific job – to race. That is what they have been trained to do. This is what they anticipate and expect to do. So, this very specific job will drive their behaviour. Therefore, you need to TEACH them their new job of being a pleasure horse and UN-TRAIN their racing job. This takes time, patience and skill.
The second thing you must be aware of is that their entire body has been impacted by their racing career. Diet changes must be managed and changes in metabolism respected. General health issues addressed such as treating gastric ulcers if they are present and supporting their hooves to ensure they are sound and comfortable. Regarding their physical health a great source of information about the impact of racing on the thoroughbred’s body is equine biomechanics and musculo-skeletal system expert, Sharon May Davis. Her research has revealed things such as the differences of city verses country tracks on the development of the skeleton of race horses. The camber or slope of tracks can lead to uneven development in the horse’s skeleton. This along with the way the horses’ race, either clockwise or anti-clockwise around the track can create asymmetry and imbalance in their bodies that needs to be respected and address. Therefore, along with teaching and un-training the retired race horse, they also need a lot of training that also acts as physiotherapy. Body work or chiropractic treatment may also be necessary to further help them develop the strength and gymnastic ability they will need to comfortably perform their new roles away from racing.
The third thing you must be aware of is their conformation has been influenced by generations of selecting horses that can race. Therefore, although some thoroughbreds have a conformation that is consistent with a riding conformation type, many have a racing conformation. This means that they are anatomically structured to excel at racing but may struggle with expectations placed on them in some disciplines, for example learning to collect. It doesn’t mean they cannot learn and develop but it will require patience, knowledge and skill to overcome their conformation limitation. Therefore, it is advisable when you are selecting a horse to look at things such as the horse’s conformation so that you select a horse that will not struggle in the new job you are hoping to involve them in.
No horse is more misunderstood than the retired race horse. They get labelled difficult, anxious, unpredictable and dangerous. These labels are not entirely fair. They get anxious and dangerous when they are confused, worried, uncomfortable and overwhelmed because we don’t appreciate that we must do a lot of work to help them mentally and physically to understand and get confident and comfortable to perform their new occupation away from the track. When you strip away the confusion and give them time to understand their new job and address their health and physical issues to ensure they are comfort, the thoroughbred is a beautiful sweet horse.
Re-training an off the track thoroughbred is more complex training than starting a young horse. Taking a horse off the track and giving it a new life and purpose will take you on a journey. The key is to start simple and allow them to learn and navigate simple tasks and situations before progressing when they are mentally and physically ready. Unfortunately, many people are naïve to all these points I have raised. Hence, ill prepared, confused, uncomfortable, worried horses are thrown in the deep end and incidents happen and the horse gets labelled a problem or unsuitable. When this happens the horse’s welfare and future can become at risk. This is because a horse labelled difficult or a liability has little value, if any. The chance of these horses finding home where their welfare is secure plummets.
The thoroughbred horse can start its life being sold for many tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. Their value is in their potential to be a winner. When their racing career is over their value will be in their education and how successful they can perform their new job as a pony club mount, dressage, show jumping, eventing, trail riding horse etc. When I re-train an off the track thoroughbred I know that what I am doing is playing a very important role in securing a life of care for that horse. The training I am giving that horse will be its new value in its life away from racing and I find this incredibly important and rewarding.
I ask everyone who reads this letter to PLEASE SHARE it so that off the track thoroughbreds and their transition off the track can be better understood. If these horses and their transition is better understood less accidents will occur, and more people can help give these horses the value they need in their life away from racing. The welfare of off the track thoroughbreds requires all of us involved with horses to support them in their transition to new lives away from the track. Whilst the racing industry has a role, government has a role, all of us need to understand and support them.
Dr. Shelley Appleton
Horse Training Coach
