Failed Racehorses - Something needs to be done!!!!

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lauraheads

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I was reading the post earlier, about those TBs that were shot. Now while I strongly believe that those poor horses were shot rather than neglected or left in the hands of beginners - its just not right!

How much would a racehorse be worth for meat?

When I was looking for a horse a year and a half ago I wanted to try and get an ex-racer but struggled to find one in the north. I think we should start some start of petition.

Someone mentioned a "waiting list". Riders that are able to work with these horses. Either to sell them on to good homes or to keep. All the horses should have a set price that would be worth keeping them for the race yard owners to "sell " on via this system. This way they horses can be vetted before going onto a "system" too.

I know this wouldnt happen nationally, but maybe just in areas with large amounts of race horses.

Just an idea!!
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I dunno what my view on it is. To be honest.

Its not diffrent than thehorses culle don the continent for meat. And i'd much rather they had there life ended than get left in the care of some pillock with about as much idea as britney spears has in a science lab... the state some of these beautiful creatures end in is horendous.

On the same note, I'd join a scheme for retraining them.. but it can be dodgy business, sale markets are rubbish, livery and forage is expensive.. there bloody expensive to keep and require a lot of TLC when they come out of racing..

And to be honest, as the age of 3 some of there heads have been mashed up with too much work too soon! I know it may seen a harsh fate, but in the long run it is probably better for them.

Lou x
 
I too think it is sad, but there is always going to be situations like this while so many go into racing. Whilst the country is in recession it will be worse, you only have to look at the sales to see all types of foals and lower end horses going for nothing. Unfortunately it has always been the same. Unless you can persuade the world to only breed what is needed I cannot see any real way of stopping this.

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How would you police the "waiting list"? Because I think a list like that would be full of 12yo girls who've read "The Black Stallion" and such like.
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As for the price, training fees at racing yards are in the region of 175-300GBP per week, so, to make it worth the trainers while to keep the horse at the yard, the price would go up by that much each week.
This means, after 6 weeks reschooling at, say, 200GBP per week(quite low really), a horse with a meat value of 300GBP would need to sell for at least 1500GBP. Not such a bargain for a horse that will still need a lot of work, and may have soundness issues to boot.
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The Racehorse rehab centres already provide a similar service to what you're suggesting anyway, but there are only so many horses they can accept and place, as there aren't that many people out there who could cope with a more difficult ex-racer.
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OH COME ON! 'if just one yard did it' look around, this forum is full of people who has rescued exracers.. there not that easy to look after, high maitanece..

Lou x
 
There are a lot of charities who specialize in retraining and rehoming ex racers. If you want to do something why not raise money for them?
I think the sad reality is that there simply is not the demand for them, there just aren't enough people capable of or willing to take them on. If there were there would be a healthy side line in selling them on. To coin a phrase unfortunately I think you are seeing the gap in the market but there is no market in the gap.
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I dont mean to do this for profit, or for as in for dealers. Just people that would like to give a horse a new start.

But there are people that would buy directly from the breeder. I would of but I couldnt/didnt know where to look.

Surely if a private buyer that has an ability to work with the horses would be a better fate for the horses? Even if they just pay £100 more for the horse than its worth in meat!
 
I'm not against horses being shot if necessary - and have no qualms against the unsound, the unsightly, the difficult and the awfully conformed ones being put down...

However there will be plenty that are sound and are sane which will come good with relatively little trouble with competent education.

There is no need for retraining before re-homing - plenty of users on this forum have picked up racers direct from training (myself included) and have re-schooled them quite satisfactorily themselves.

The trouble is, if the racehorse trainers have no means of effectively spreading the message that they have 6 horses requiring re-homing immediately, then they will be shot. If there was a simple way of sending the message out to a big group of COMPETENT and responsible potential adoptees... with an assured history of soundness, and photographs to show conformation... then perhaps one or two of those horses would be picked up immediately, put in a field (with rugs on!) and allowed to mature a bit before being put into useful work.

Looking on the positive side of the credit crunch, perhaps more competent competition riders will be looking into horses that cost a little less to buy initially for their next prospect. Lets not forget plenty of this countries top event horses have come out of racing.

The racehorse retraining centres do do a good job, but they aren't often the kind of place that appeals to the owner wishing to do the retraining themselves, or to potentially sell on the horse in a year or two, as they are generally run on a loan agreement which is off-putting to many.

There must be a more workable way of doing this - and i'm not saying save them all, just that there must be more worth saving, and suitable homes for them.
 
In the original post I believe the yard wasn't looking to make a profit just £600 to cover what they'd get for the meat once the horse had been destroyed - no one wanted to take them, which just goes to prove the point. TBH I think the yard did the most responsible thing, given the options they had.
 
Thank you RachelFerd.

Also I am near the TRC which I think is fantastic and I do support horse charities with monthly direct debits.

However, my local yards do not have all year turnout so I couldnt get a horse from TRC
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I do think that if these horses were a little more accessible then people would buy them.

Esp, if the horse hasnt raced due to it not being fast enough.
 
Yes I can see waht people are saying. But Im just saying if more people could find out about these horses then maybe they would have found new homes thats all
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There is no need for retraining before re-homing - plenty of users on this forum have picked up racers direct from training (myself included) and have re-schooled them quite satisfactorily themselves.

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The thing is, even if no retraining was done, the horse would still be costing the owner and/or trainer money, as the horse would take up a stable that would otherwise be filled with a new horse, so the weekly price increase still applies.
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Yes, someone in the thoroughbred industry DOES need to start taking responsibility for the horses welfare.

It seems like whenever a racecourse death occurs, horses are dumped at the slaughter house or end up in unfortunate situations the racing people just shrug their shoulders and carry on regardless.

Perhaps given the current economic climate there should be some kind of restrictions on the number of TB's bred each year.

Could a grading system similar to the Warmbloods be introduced? So basically, as well as racing performane and pedigree, factors like conformation, soundness, temperament etc could be graded and only the best allowed to breed.

Within 10 years we could end up with a higher quality racehorse, higher prices and perhaps less wasteage, while the horses leaving racing might be more "rehomeable".

Another idea might be to examine the way the horses are trained and housed to allow the horses some time to socialise and also to introduce a basic standard of training that gives each horse a chance to cope with life outside of racing.

Surely with the huge amouts of money cirulating in the racing world, something can be done?
 
Would some-one like to rescue the milk cows at the farm near me? They are no longer ecconomical to milk (yield has decreased) they could be retrained and given a useful life, otherwise they will go for meat.
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Racehorses are just the toys of the rich. When they break, they throw them away and replace them. It is prestige that matters here. Not economics. The prestige of standing in the winners enclosure. The prestige of telling fellow property developers that your horse has won £.....s. The horse is a disposable pawn in the game. Very sad.
 
Not all of us are like that. Admittedly, my horses don't run under rules, I train them myself for point-to-pointing on a shoestring budget, but I have also met plenty of rich owners who care about their horses, and try to do right by them.
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Racehorses are just the toys of the rich. When they break, they throw them away and replace them. It is prestige that matters here. Not economics. The prestige of standing in the winners enclosure. The prestige of telling fellow property developers that your horse has won £.....s. The horse is a disposable pawn in the game. Very sad.

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What a stupid generalisation.
 
we bought one straight off the track in ireland at the beginning of last year- his owners wanted rid of him because he was useless! He spent the summer eventing at novice after winning all his pre novice classes and will start next season at intermediate level- he is a superstar and to think i only bought him to stop him going for meat! If anyone had told me previously that I would be the proud owner of an ex racehorse i would have laughed at them but now i believe that people underestimate the TB- they are ridiculously clever and quick learning not to mention athletic- i wish everybody would see them in the same light as i do!! if anyone knows any yards close to london that would be looking to get rid of ex racers please let me know- i miss mine because he is in ireland and i wouldnt mind a new project over here!
 
I think the difference is that the cows are a farmers livelihood rather than an owners exuberant play thing. I think that is what bothers me!

I have no problem with culling for the sake of the survival or the improvement of a breed. I have no problem with PTS if the horse has no other future, has poor conformation, has injuries etc. I do have a problem with "the horse is too slow to win a race so pts".

Having said that, I am sure there are a lot of trainers out there who do rehome if they feel a horse has a chance in another sphere.
 
just posted this on the other post
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, it still stands if anyone hears of anything you can give me a ring and let me know.

**If that ever happens again (which it will as it offen does) please let me know as i can train them and give them a home for reselling.

done it before and would do it again!!

im in Devon.

Just PM and i would/will take what i can and if they are to kill them then they could of accepted less, there value for meat wshould have been around 350!

it make me SOOO very mad.**
 
Are the prices you are referring to a reflection of the cost that the trainer would impose if the horse was to kept at the racing yard for a while before being rehomed?
If so then your prices don't add up.
The cost of a horse not in race training is no where near as much as that so far as figures I have been told by friends who own racehorses both in and out of training.
Of course it depends as to which trainers we are referring to and the facilities that the yard has to offer as well as any additional expenses.
However if a horse is not being trained to race then the fees will still be different to what it would be if they were.
Taking up a stable means nothing so far as I am aware.
Fact is that most trainers reduce the costs for horses not in full time work.
I have a friend who has one in training and the other has yet to race. He has been paying significantly less for the one not that has not raced yet compared to the filly which has.
I agree with what most people on here are saying in that something more should be done.
I agree that tb's and any horse for that matter should not be allowed to end up in the hands of numpties.
But I do find the news that 6 3yo tb's were destroyed like that terrible. They may have had problems, we just don't know. Whether physical or psychological.
However just maybe they may have been able to go onto better things.
But that was taken away from them the moment they were shot.
Fair dos I am glad that they didn't go for the meat trade either as I find that abhorrent and will never condone that trade at all.
As someone who is a racing follower and used to work within the industry it does bother me that the racing industry produces so much waste.
Whether that be from overbreeding, over racing or simply producing animals not cut out for the job, the fact is there are too many tb's worldwide slaughtered for completely the wrong reasons.
The horses themselves didn't ask to be put in this situation but yet again another animal becomes the target of human greed and a need for self gratification no matter what the outcome for the horses involved.
Places like Greatwood and Moorcroft do tremendous jobs and it is good to see both the racing industry and racing press acknowledging what these people do.
But in my opinion it is not enough.
Like a few people have said there is not enough publicity.
Racehorses who don't excel on the track, never make it or are past winning can have wonderful and very useful lives.
It gives me great pleasure to read about horses from racing going on to better things.
I used to enjoy reading the Horse and Hound magazine for instance and recognising names in the ptps sections that were from the national hunt scene and it gave me pleasure to see them having a life after jump racing, albeit in another sense of the word.
It also gave me pleasure to read about horses doing well in showjumping, eventing, dressage and even showing whose names I often recognised.
It is also nice to read about the one's that just become happy hacks, lead horses, or get to receive a well earned retirement.
I don't think that the racing industry is totally to blame for the situation.
I think people on the whole have a lot to answer to. A few individuals have sat up and taken notice and have either rehomed ex racers or else have gone on to set up rescue centres.
But the vast majority have just stuck their head in the sands and completely ignored it. A vast majority who I can bet most have probably had a bet or two on the grand national over the years. Ok so I don't speak for everyone and I don't intend doing. We are all individuals. I just see things as they are and to me very little is being done to remedy the situation on the grand scale of things.
I cannot for one minute begin to put forward an idea to help. One that would improve the situation overnight, because I think this is one that is going to take much thought and time to sort out.
I do think though that having a database with potential owners/loanees would be useful as well as trainers being able to advertise their horses for suitable homes.
Like someone on here said, maybe if this trainer had advertised that there were horses needing homes, homes and good ones at that may have been found.
I have found from experience through friends and contacts in the sport that most homes have been found via word of mouth. Either someone working at a yard or else knowing or being related to someone who works in one.
It is too in house at the moment and that needs to stop if more homes need to be found. How can people offer homes if they don't hear about horses being available until they have been shot or worse gone for meat.
There may be a huge amount of horses needing our help at the moment due to the credit crunch but why should racehorses be overlooked just because tb's are considered to be difficult to train/own. They may have a reputation. But I tell you now I have seen some fab tb's whose temperaments and abilities have far exceeded that of more favourable cobs and hardy types.
Magnificent horses, that warrant more respect than most people give them in my opinion.
 
But if they are bred to race, which they are, and are not capable of the job, then culling is realistic. It is a business, they are bred for racing and then bought as 'toys for rich people'. If money is lost, which it is, when they are culled, then this will reduce the number produced, thus improving the wtock, surely?
 
Yes, fair enough. It was a generalisation because of those owners I have met and have no desire to meet again. It was was unfair and I apologise if i offended you or anyone else who has a racehorse and a geuine love of horses.

I just feel in racing it is not always about the love of horses. I am not talking trainers here either! It is about other things and the horse is the disposable pawn. It just goes so much deeper than this.
 
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But if they are bred to race, which they are, and are not capable of the job, then culling is realistic. It is a business, they are bred for racing and then bought as 'toys for rich people'. If money is lost, which it is, when they are culled, then this will reduce the number produced, thus improving the wtock, surely?

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well one would think that logic but the truth of the matter is far darker im affraid.

it doesnt seem to work out like that.

just like with all mares and stallion mixes some work others dont and they will still breed again - lets face it will the breeder be notified - i doubt it- and if he were would he say "l i best not breed that many again" i doubt it.

its all very sad.

PLUS TB make good show horses (hence the Xrace horse clases) aqnd lets not forget EVENTERS!!

just because they are bred to race doesnt mean that all they can do!

Its outrageous!!
 
I think your friend is lucky that he is not paying full price for the horse that hasn't raced yet, the yards I worked at would be charging the same regardless of whether the horse is ready to run now, or just starting roadwork after a break.
My prices were based on the horse being stabled, and having some work done, not being chucked out in a field at the yard.
The trainers I've worked for have waiting lists or horses in pre-training at satellite yards, so as soon as one horse goes, another comes in, paying full price. I can't imagine any of them keeping horses that are "useless" to them on the yard for anything less than full price.
 
I agree to a point. But if there conformation/temperament is good and they are sound but just not fast enough then why not castrate them and find them another job if possible? I am guessing that many are pts because they will not fulfil another role. If there is reason to believe the horse cannot do another job then fine, pts.

I guess as someone said, it will cost to keep the horse until sold. Pure economics. The racehorse, for some, is a disposable asset.
 
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Shame we cant do that to unwanted lazy bum humans isnt it!!
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we may all save some money on our tax bill
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We could can them and send them to starving people in the third world!
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what a good idea
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wouldnt want all that meat to go to waste- we could always do a Sweeney todd and put them in pies
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they would taste better then
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