THE horse racing industry, and its entire worth, is built on the back of the journey made by each thoroughbred born, from foal through to racing or the breeding sheds.

A responsibility that all other industries have is how to manage their waste. Our industry has a waste product – the horses that exit at all life stages. Many of these horses are successfully found new homes or are given a happy retirement, but we cannot hide from the fact that many are not.

Each time a thoroughbred is found in distressing circumstances, it damages our reputation amongst the public and amongst the equestrian industry, as it is other horse people who are left to deal with our waste. Where is our pride in these horses that are the envy of the world? Where is our determination and commitment to protecting them?

Thoroughbred aftercare is something we can no longer shy away from. We have an administrator and regulator, who are very quick to pass on the hot potato. Horse Racing Ireland [HRI] say the welfare of the horse is the responsibility of the owner, and the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board [IHRB] argue that ‘when the horse leaves the industry, he is no longer under our regulatory powers’. How utterly shameful.

How shameful that whilst we can collect statistics on the finances of the industry, we don’t collect statistics on wastage, on why and where it is happening. How shameful that we don’t recognise how valuable these statistics would be in identifying best practice, in identifying whether our breeding, management and training models are as successful, sustainable and ethical as they can be.

Disreputable

We could be looking at approximately 3,000-4,000 horses a year leaving the industry, with an estimated 70% of these being suitable for retraining. Currently, the fate of these horses is a lottery, with too many finding themselves on the back of a disreputable dealer’s lorry heading to an unknown future. Even those that are not sound enough for another career are often sold on, instead of a responsible decision being made to euthanise the horse.

Last week, one man walked into the offices of HRI, the IHRB and the Department of Agriculture and handed them a submission calling for an industry-funded assessment and aftercare centre for thoroughbreds (The Irish Field, October 19th, p4, ‘Industry petition calls for action on retired racehorses’), supported by a petition from racing staff, trainers, industry professionals and owners.

Ger Hussey’s proposal would see all exiting horses ‘logged’ through the centre. Owners with a verifiable plan for their horse would log those details, but all others would be assessed at the centre. Those suitable for retraining would begin this process there and through a network of approved retrainers. Euthanasia would be used as a last resort.

Horses in the centre could be used for industry training, as well as for community projects, showcasing the therapeutic benefits of horse-human interaction. The centre would be open to the public and would be a global example of how the bloodstock industry can manage its waste ethically and responsibly.

Funding streams

Funding would come from mandatory owner contributions, along with as small a levy as possible on as many streams as possible: stallion fees, foal and passport registrations, sales revenues, racecourses, betting and TV revenue, et cetera.

And a larger portion of HRI’s funding would be committed to this. A small bit of pain for everyone who rides on the back of the thoroughbred’s journey, for a massive gain in terms of welfare.

What objections could there possibly be to such a solution? The first is usually fear of being overwhelmed by the cost and the numbers, with HRI quick to point to international examples of this.

But the cost of not dealing with this issue will be much higher. Having an industry-funded scheme does not increase the number of horses exiting the industry, it just makes the number more visable, because we are having to be responsible for them.

Currently, we are leaving this cost to charities, to existing retrainers, to kind individuals and to the owners who do take responsibility. And beyond them, we are leaving it to disreputable dealers and slaughterhouses. Taking responsibility for these horses would concentrate minds on how to reduce that waste.

HRI’s Strategic Plan aims to increase investment across standards, traceability and safety nets. It aims to ‘demonstrate the measurable high quality in equine care at all life stages’. It hopes Treo Eile (who promote the thoroughbred as a sports horse and support new owners) will ‘connect’ with 800 horses a year by 2028.

But HRI is only talking about horses in licensed premises. The horses leaving studs, pre-trainers and point-to-point yards are not under this radar. And ‘connecting’ with 800 horses a year is not the same as rehoming them.

The proposed aftercare centre will, rightly, take them all into account. It will provide a safety net and greater traceability. It is the very thing this industry so badly needs.

Its aims could be as follows:

Pre-racing:

  • To reduce the number of horses that fail to start training/racing.
  • To have clear data on what happens to those that don’t start training/racing.

    • Racing:

  • Improve the longevity of racing career.
  • Decrease injury rates in training and on the racecourse.
  • Train racehorses with their future careers in mind, helping them to be gymnastic and versatile, which can also improve racing performance.

    • Post-racing:

  • A sustainable breeding industry for commercial bloodstock.
  • Skilled and successful transition for geldings and non-commercial mares.
  • Strong demand for ex-racehorses as sports and leisure horses.
  • Traceability of first non-racing owner and ideally subsequent owners.
  • Owner education in the management of ex-racehorses.
  • Safety nets for vulnerable horses.
  • Humane end-of-life pathways.

    • We can achieve all of the above, some of it is already actioned. We can act now to make our industry the envy of the world at all levels. It won’t take that many steps. An overall auditor of thoroughbreds. The assessment and aftercare centre that utilises existing reputable retrainers in Ireland and Britain.

    A determination to make best use of our existing knowledge and facilities. Treo Eile and Irish Thoroughbred Marketing to combine to promote the thoroughbred as a serious sports horse, as well as a racehorse, whilst each continuing their own specialisms.

    The proposed People’s Campus to collaborate with organisations, such as Festina Lente and EquiEd, to provide evidence-based and humane training on all aspects of thoroughbred management. And to use the data gathered to ensure we have a sustainable and ethically managed thoroughbred population.

    There has been a complete lack of leadership on the subject of thoroughbred aftercare and sustainability. HRI and IHRB need to listen to their stakeholders and step up to the mark.

    Search Facebook for Horse Welfare Within Racing Ireland to read more about Ger Hussey’s submission to the racing authorities.