What happens to racehorses after they can't race anymore?

Question

Are they considered studs then? Like Barbaro was going to be?

Answer 1

Well, some of them, unfortunatley, are killed. Others are retired and are either sold to people to ride or take up a stud career.

Answer 2

They make lots of money for farms by raking in millions as studs.  Unless they are geldings, then they live like retired racehorses should.  Cigar (all time leading money winner, 2 time horse of the year), and John Henry (32 years old, 2 time horse of the year) are retired at the Kentucky Horse Park living the high-life for  horses.  Smarty Jones and Point Given are stud horses availabe to see at Three Chimneys as well.  Last I read, Funny Cide is still racing.

Answer 3

It depends.  Most of the colts are retired to stud, with the exception of ones like Funny Cide (a gelding).  The fillies are used as broodmares to produce more winning colts and fillies with the studs.  If a racer is injured, it depends on how bad the injury is.  They may be sold; a lot of off the track thoroughbreds are on regular farms.  If the injury is too bad, like Barbaro's, they end up having to be euthanized.

Answer 4

A stallion, (Not castrated) can become a stud if it's traits are desirable... the horse must be a winner. If the horse is not a winner generally they go to slaugter or starve. At my local track there is a program that sells ex racers for their patrons to stables to retrain into jumpers etc, this happens alot around the racing world.

There are also retirement farms but mostly good horses go there.

Answer 5

Mostly for breeding purposes or some get good homes where they become riding horses.  For some its to the auction house where many bad things happen.  But my grandfather has 2 right now and we are using them for breeding.  They are very sweet.

Answer 6

They can go on to stud if they are not a gelding.

Answer 7

About  95%   Starve  to death,  5%  get lucky  and  sold  to a kid  to become a Hunter (over  fences  type)

Only  winners  are studs

Answer 8

Usually, if the horse is famous and has traits that are desirable, the animal is retired to stud duty or to the broodmare barn on a farm if it is a filly. Many ex-racers are also sold and retrained for other sports, including showjumping, eventing, and dressage. Still other retired racehorses, such as John Henry, go to live at places like the Kentucky Horse Park, where they are kept as pampered pets and playthings. Barbaro would NOT, in all likelyhood, have been used for stud duty had he lived- even with his hind leg healed, it's extremely doubtful that that leg ever would have been strong enough to allow him to mount a mare for breeding. The odds were that he would have been allowed to live out the rest of his life in as comfortable a place as possible.  As for horses who can't breed, such as geldings, most of them are able to race until they are in their early teens, at which point they are usually retired and sold as riding horses. The great majority of young racehorses who get injured before they win anything, or who never win at all, basically end up in either one of 2 places. They either get sold as riding horses or as breeding stock, or they get sent to slaughter. This is a tragic fact, and it is part of racing's dark, ugly side. Right now, there is a bill working its way through Congress which would outlaw the slaughter of ALL horses for good, and make the construction or operation of a horse slaughterhouse a crime. ( Last I heard, the bill was in the Senate, and hadn't yet been brought to the floor for a final vote- and this was a few weeks ago. )  If this bill becomes a law, then the remaining slaughterhouses ( there are 3 of them) will be forced to close, leaving the thoroughbred breeding industry without an outlet for these unwanted or injured racehorses. I have to wonder what will happen then- I think a lot of these horses are just simply going to be abandoned, or destroyed by other means and then sent to a rendering plant to be turned into glue. We do NOT use horsemeat in commercial pet food in this country- at least not right now, so that will not be an option. We shall see.  Hope this answers your question.

Answer 9

they do have farms that save old tired race-horses

Answer 10

Oh so many things w_c_b.

Some go on to have retirements as studs and mares. Many go on to have a second career as a dressage or jumping horse. Even more become the riding horse to some lucky people.

Things are rarely over for the horse once it's racing life is finished.

Answer 11

I don't know, it's a sticky situation, Elmer.

Answer 12

They get chopped up for horse meat.

Answer 13

www.alpo.com

Answer 14

There's actual organizations that take in retired horses.

http://horseracing.about.com/od/equinech...

http://www.racehorsesgreatwood.org/

I think I saw this one featured on TV yesterday:

http://www.oldfriendsequine.org/

Answer 15

Some of the race horse that can not race any longer sometimes do not have the best life, some go for pet food and some are just left to take care of themselves and end up dying from lack of care and proper food.BUT not all of them I have a former race horse that raced in Ireland and here in the states I purchased him last year from a party which  basiclly was not feeding him as he no longer brought in a pay check, but now he fed,  has a pasture and nice clean stall every day with carrots and apples oats, sweet feed and all the hay and fresh water his heart desires as he has earned,it,  he is a wonderful horse kind and loving and appreciate everything I do for him, plus by me taking him it really make me feel good inside what I have done for him,he warrents for nothing in his life, I wish all horses that put there life on line for our pleasure could in fact receive what my Steamer gets, as you will be rewarded for it  in a different way other than by a pay check.

No Steamer make no more pay check and he made many thousands, but every time I see him he warms my heart and he is my second best friend my first is my precious dog Princeton they are my life, they are my world, I would be lost without them, so its not all for the mighty $$$

Answer 16

some go to stud, some go to rescues , some are humanly destroyed, some are sold off the track, others a dumped at auctions to be "someone elses" problem.

Answer 17

stud if they are a winner, otherwise they turn to glue

Answer 18

depends if they were good they get put out to stud,if not they r put down.sometimes meat is sold and sometimes they r cremated

Answer 19

studs yea but what about the mayors?

Answer 20

when a stallion is retired he goes to stud. when a mare is retired she goes to be a broodmare.

thats just the most common retirement for famous horses or horses with good bloodlines. the horse could have a second career in another sport or be sold as a riding horse. it all depends on what the owner wants to do

Answer 21

i would think they get retired to a farm. or maybe made into glue

Answer 22

Some retired racehorses go to a quiet country farm and some work there taking visitors on trail rides.About studs I'm not quite sure maybe you can check out websites about type of horses.

Answer 23

If they're stallion then they might go to stud. It depends on his winnings. If they're a gelding or a stallion that did not have a very successful racing carrer they are sometimes taken in by the track and used as pony's (the one's that lead the racers to the gate). Some trainer's keep them and use them to help train the horses they are currently training. Some of them go to rescues like Tranquility Farms and trained to do normal pleasure riding or showing. Some famous ones go to Kentukey Horse Park (Cigar and many other legends reside here where they are taken care of). Mare's tend to become broodmare's and if not usually are adopted out.