Factors in Adopting an Off-the-Track Thoroughbred Horse

Most Thoroughbreds are destined for race training as they reach long yearling or two-year-old status, but unfortunately, not all of these horses are cut out for racing. Some don’t have the speed necessary to win; others have conformational weaknesses that won’t let them stand up to daily gallops; and still others suffer injuries that, though they may not cause lasting lameness, are serious enough that the owner can’t afford to keep the horse until it recovers and re-enters training. Horses in another group may race for several years with some success, but they don’t earn enough prize money to merit further seasons at the track. These horses can often be bought and retrained by an adoption agency or individual for pleasure or sport horse careers.

Known as off-the-track Thoroughbreds, many of these ex-racehorses do find success in other disciplines. However, the best plans don’t always work out for some reason, and new owners make the decision to return their new horses to the adoption agency as a bad fit. Other horses stay at the adoption facility for extensive periods before they catch the eye of someone looking for a new horse.

In a recent study funded by the Equine Drug Research Council, Jill Stowe, an associate professor in agricultural economics at the University of Kentucky, and Michelle Kibler, a doctoral candidate in agricultural and resource economics at Colorado State University, looked at reasons an off-the-track Thoroughbred might be slow to be adopted and also factors that might make an adopted horse more likely to be returned to the adoption facility.

Results of the study showed that younger horses and horses that were judged sound enough to do some jumping were adopted sooner than older horses and those that had activity restrictions, were only pasture-sound, or were sound enough for riding on the flat but not for jumping. There was also a coat color preference factor: gray horses were adopted in the shortest time, and bays took the longest to be adopted. Chestnut horses waited longer than grays but not as long as bays.

Though gray horses and those with fewer activity restrictions were adopted most quickly, these were also the horses that were most likely to be returned by their adoptive owners. The researchers theorized that prospective owners who made their choices based on coat color or range of use might not have spent enough time evaluating a horse’s temperament and other characteristics. It could also be that sound, healthy horses proved to have too much energy for inexperienced handlers, while horses with some activity limitations were easier to handle and manage.

The researchers found that adopted horses were brought back for a number of reasons that were possibly related more to the owner’s particular circumstances than to the attributes of an individual horse. Nevertheless, the results show that potential adopters should be encouraged to make a careful evaluation of their desires, expectations, and abilities before adopting any horse but especially an off-the-track Thoroughbred.