23/08/2025
Rethinking Retired Racehorse Rehoming 🏇
For years, the equestrian world has clung to the same bedtime story about retired racehorses (and honestly, this applies to horses in general):
➡️ Send them to a re-trainer.
➡️ Give them a polish.
➡️ Hand them over to a new home where they’ll live happily ever after.
It’s not just the racing industry that sells this fairytale - it’s the whole horse world. The industry, horse owners, feed-store philosophers, Facebook experts, and your well-meaning neighbour who once “had a Thoroughbred” all nod along like it’s totally how it works.🫣
And yes, it sounds reassuring. But let’s be honest - it’s a fairy tale. And not even a good one. Because in reality? A retired racehorse isn’t a robot you install a program into and send off, never needing an update. 🤖🚫
The Reality of Change 🔄
Horses aren’t wired for constant change. They don’t wake up thinking, “New home, new me!” They crave consistency, routine, and proof they’re safe.
Even moving to the kindest home can throw them into physiological and psychological chaos. Change triggers stress: guts flare, sleep falls apart, nervous systems buzz like they’ve had six espressos. ☕⚡ What humans call “bad behaviour” is often just stress made visible - separation anxiety, spooking, reactivity, aggression, or that unnerving sense your horse has suddenly swapped personalities.
And here’s the kicker: every new environment brings new routines, diets, and handling styles. The horse that looked chilled with the re-trainer suddenly feels unpredictable to its new owner.
This is what I call New Home Syndrome - the compounded physical, mental, and emotional stress of transition that can have serious long-term consequences.
Why Good People Struggle 🙋♀️🙋♂️
Re-trainers are professionals. They’re used to Thoroughbred quirks and the buzz of a horse trained to go. They ride through spooks without blinking, laugh off leaps, and handle drama like it’s Tuesday.
But the everyday equestrian? Lovely, well-intentioned, passionate - but often blindsided. To them, that sideways leap isn’t “quirky.” It’s terrifying. Trust wobbles. Confidence cracks. Soon the horse is branded “unsafe” or “misrepresented,” when really it’s just… unsettled and trying to make sense of change after being very well trained at its previous job.
Yes, sometimes rehoming succeeds beautifully. But let’s be honest - that’s usually luck: the right horse, the right human, the right resources, all colliding at the right moment. And luck is a strategy best reserved for lotto tickets, not horses. 🎲🐴
The System Is the Problem 🛑
This is where systems thinking matters. It sounds academic (and it is), but it’s simple: we need to look at the whole picture and where it falls down.
Because the truth is, the current system is flawed.
Right now, everything leans on re-trainers. They prep the horse, present the horse, pass the horse along. But once that handover happens, the scaffolding vanishes. Stress spikes, issues pile up, and the horse - once labelled “quiet” - suddenly looks like a liability.😬
But it isn’t the horse failing. It isn’t the re-trainer failing. It’s the system failing to understand the problem.
Why Retired Racehorses Can Thrive
Believe it or not: retired racehorses can actually flourish - once their new owners are supported.
Yes, they sometimes come with physical issues. But so do Warmbloods (dodgy stifles), Stock Horses (back pain), Quarter Horses (navicular, anyone?). In my experience, retired racehorses aren’t necessarily more broken - they’re just more predictable in where they may be vulnerable. And predictability is a gift.
As Isabelle Chandler puts it: “They may be cheap to buy, but they’re not cheap to take on. You need to check, invest, and support their transition off the track - and that’s where their true cost needs to be considered.”
Most of their real challenges boil down to five key areas:
✅ Gut health & nutrition
✅ Hoof care & support
✅ Joint/tendon & back potential issues
✅ Posture remodelling
✅ Fitness
Neglect those, and things unravel fast - weakness, secondary pain, behaviour blow-ups. But get them right, and Thoroughbreds can rebuild quickly. Their posture strengthens, their behaviour softens, and their athleticism shines.
This is why the saying “you don’t ride the x-ray” matters. What counts isn’t the diagnosis on paper - it’s whether what is seen on the x-ray is supported by the integrity and functionality of the horse's body. But owners need the skills, knowledge, and resources to make that happen.
One brutal truth: ex-racehorses do not do well as sedentary paddock ornaments (and yes, that applies to all horses - but that’s another post). Their bodies that have to remodel after racing and that needs work for this to happen. When we provide the right approach - they can thrive. 💪🐎
A Smarter Approach 💡
This is why Isabelle Chandler and I built our program: to flip the script. Instead of placing the burden solely on re-trainers, we focus on equipping the new owners - the people who will actually live with these horses day in and day out.
We provide:
➡️Knowledge – where racehorses come from and what to expect physically, mentally, and emotionally.
➡️Skills – how to un-train racing habits, re-train for new roles, and create a consistent handling “signature” unique to the owner (yes, you do need to “update the program”).
➡️Insight – self-awareness, so owners understand their own impact on these horses - and can build trust more effectively.
This isn’t fluffy philosophy. It’s practical. Teachable. Achievable. And it works. ✅
The Real Solution 🎯
Instead of criticising the racing industry, we prefer to open dialogue and show what we’ve worked out in practice. You don’t despair that there are too few capable homes - you create and support them!
The fairytale has to be thrown out and replaced with reality, understanding, and skill.
What protects these horses after racing is their education and experience. While re-trainers can assess potential and suitability, then kickstart their transition - it’s the new owners who nurture that potential and carry it forward. That’s what keeps them from becoming paddock ornaments, labelled unsuitable simply because no one taught the human how to consolidate the horse’s foundations.
The solution is a smarter system - one that creates skilled, capable, confident homes. Homes where these animals aren’t seen as liabilities but as what they truly are: brave, adaptable, fast-learning partners. And in this system, the role of re-trainers, vets, and other professionals is re-envisioned as vital: assessing soundness, behaviour, and potential for rehoming.
Because when we stop relying on luck and start designing systems, something extraordinary happens. Retired racehorses don’t just survive. They can flourish. ❤
And let’s be honest - that also massively improves safety and risk management for everyone involved.
📣 Want to learn more?
Join us for our webinar on Monday 25 August 2025 at 7pm AEST (link to register in comments). Together, we are focused on creating a system that works - for horses and the people who love them. ❤️🐴
IMAGE📸: Meet the mighty Bondi Beach aka "Bondi", born in Ireland and completed in the 2015, 2016 & 2017 Melbourne Cups. He is an extra special OTTB as he even has his own page on Wikipedia! Here he is in his new role as very friendly, well loved horse that enjoys his new jobs and home ❤
👉 Please SHARE if you believe the path forward isn’t more blame—it’s solutions. This isn’t just racing; the whole horse world faces the same issues. By fixing systems and showing what works, we create good trouble—the kind horses deserve. 🌟🐴
