retrained racehorses

In a corner of a hidden Scottish field, there stands a scruffy, woolly, wintery mare. There has been a frost of minus three, so she has fluffed up her coat like a Teddy bear, to capture the warmth generated by her huge heart. Her chestnut colour is singing russet and scarlet in the sunshine. Her eyelids flicker as she dreams her dreams, and her great muscle-set, handed down to her by twenty-eight generations of athletes, is entirely relaxed. She is at peace. She is possibly the least important Thoroughbred in...

A new class for ex-racehorses, worth £50,000, will be conducted at the Cornbury House Horse Trials in 2025, Jayne McGivern and Cornbury House Horse Trials announced on Friday. The new class is the initiative of McGivern of Dash Grange Stud, who owns top event horses, and David Howden, group CEO and founder of Howden and founder and president of the Cornbury House Horse Trials. Her aim is to also raise the profile of the adaptable nature of Thoroughbreds, especially in terms of their suitability for eventing. She is donating £50,000...

Applications are now open for the 2021 competition year of the Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America. Applications will be accepted through Jan. 15, 2021 and accepted trainers will be announced Feb. 15, 2021. As the 2020 Thoroughbred Makeover was postponed to 2021 due to the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 edition of the Retired Racehorse Project's banner event will include competition groups both for horses that would have competed in 2020, as well as those entering for 2021. The two groups...

The Arc Promise, a new fundraising initiative based on the "Breeders' Cup Pledge, was launched by Au-Dela des Pistes ahead of Arc weeekend. After the results were tabulated, over €60,000 was raised by the connections of every runner that opted to donate a fraction of their earnings in the event of a win or place by their horse(s). The donations will go toward racehorses retired due to injury that need additional support before they can be retrained. Ecurie des Monceaux donated 30% of its breeders' premiums, which resulted in a...

Florida Thoroughbred Retirement and Adoptive Care (FLTRAC) originated as an effort put forth, beginning in 2009, by the Florida Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (FHBPA), Calder Race Course, Gulfstream Park and professional jockeys, to find second careers and homes for horses that raced in South Florida. The non-profit organization itself was founded in 2010. When Thoroughbred trainer Jena Antonucci became the organization's vice president in 2016, there were an unmanageable 297 horses spread out between several locations in Indiantown, FL. One of the first changes she made was to consolidate...

The 2019 General Assembly of Au-Dela des Pistes, the equine charity that works for the promotion and retaining of Thoroughbred horses in France, was held at the Salon Katko at Chantilly's training centre last Friday, Au-Dela des Pistes announced on Tuesday. Fourteen of the 24 retraining establishments  referenced by the charity were in attendance at the assembly, which included a visit to Fabrice Chappet's stable and watching morning training on the Lions training track. The representatives were also able to speak with trainers, breeders, agents, vets and other racing industry...

Heightened awareness of animal welfare causes and the plight of retired racehorses over the past 30 years has dramatically changed the landscape in Thoroughbred aftercare and it continues to evolve as more racing jurisdictions recognize the need for institutional aftercare funding. Organizations forming now to provide safe and meaningful retirement for Thoroughbreds have the benefit of an enlightened racing and breeding industry. In the past, the road to establishing necessary partnerships with racing and breeding organizations was often a dead-end. Now, the path is much more direct. For Au-Delà des...