Racehorse Retraining – Giving Thoroughbreds a Second Career

Racehorse retraining – the process of bringing an ex-racehorse out of the racing routine and into a useful second career – is one of the most rewarding (and demanding) jobs in British and Irish horse welfare. Around 7,000 Thoroughbreds leave racing in the UK each year, and Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) – the British Horseracing Authority’s official charity – estimates that more than 13,000 former racehorses are now competing successfully in disciplines from dressage and eventing to polo, showing, hunting and Riding for the Disabled. This guide explains how to assess a horse off the track, the first six months of groundwork, how to manage common ex-racehorse health quirks, and the realistic second careers available – with specific reference to RoR rules, RoR series classes, and the South African equivalent (the Cape Hunt & Polo Club’s Thoroughbred Rehoming).

Who Is an Ex-Racehorse?

An ex-racehorse, in UK parlance, is a Thoroughbred that has run at least one official race under the Rules of Racing – whether on the Flat with the BHA, over jumps under National Hunt rules, or in point-to-points. The vast majority of horses leaving racing each year are 4-8 years old. Most have been in full-time training since around 18 months, are super-fit, used to a strict daily routine, hardwired to associate the saddle and rider with high-octane work, and have probably never been turned out for more than an hour at a stretch.

That conditioning is the entire challenge of retraining: not undoing it, but rechannelling it. A good ex-racehorse owner does not start from scratch – they start from a horse with a vast amount of training already installed, and patiently teach it to apply that training to a slower, gentler set of expectations.

RoR and the UK Rehoming Routes

Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) is the BHA’s official charity for the welfare of horses on retirement from racing. Founded in 2000, it does three things you need to know about:

• Sets welfare and rehoming standards for accredited retraining centres – including HEROS in Lambourn, the Thoroughbred Rehabilitation Centre (TRC), Greatwood, New Beginnings, and around 25 other licensed centres across the UK.
• Registers every former racehorse on its database. To compete in any RoR-affiliated class, your horse must be registered (free for the horse’s lifetime). The horse’s racing record stays attached.
• Runs the RoR Series – a national showing, dressage and eventing competition circuit exclusively for former racehorses, culminating in the RoR Championships at Aintree each August.

If you are buying or rehoming an ex-racehorse, going through an RoR-accredited centre is the safest route. The horse will arrive vetted, dewormed, with up-to-date passport and microchip details, and with at least a few weeks of letdown already done.

Sourcing a Horse: What to Look For

If you intend to skip the rehoming centre and buy direct from a trainer (which is legal and common), do not buy on the day of the gallops. A horse straight off a hard piece of work will look magnificent and act like a fizzing pressure cooker. Insist on seeing the horse in its box, lead it out in hand on a hard surface, and visit again 48-72 hours after its last gallop. Things to check:

• Conformation – particularly hocks, fetlocks, knees and back. Thoroughbreds bred to run six furlongs are not always built to jump 1.20m.
• Existing limb blemishes – splints, sesamoiditis, old check ligament strains. Some are insignificant; some are deal-breakers. Get the vet’s opinion.
• Racing record – check the horse on the BHA website or Racing Post. A horse pulled up in its last three races may be telling you something about its soundness.
• Temperament in the stable – box-walking, weaving, cribbing and aggression around feed are all common in racing yards but not insurmountable.
• Honesty of the trainer – reputable trainers will tell you exactly what they know about the horse’s quirks. If something feels hidden, walk away.

The Pre-Retraining Vet Check

A two-stage or five-stage vetting is strongly recommended even for free or low-cost ex-racehorses. Expect the vet to focus on:

• Limbs – flexion tests, palpation of tendons and ligaments, ultrasound if any concern.
• Back – many racehorses have kissing-spine changes, which may or may not be clinically significant.
• Teeth – check for wolf teeth, sharp enamel points and bit damage; sedated dental within the first month is sensible.
• Feet – long toes and low heels are common; allow a transition period out of racing plates and into a more sympathetic shoeing or barefoot setup.
• Respiratory – many racehorses have been treated for equine asthma or had wind ops; check the horse’s declarations.

If you are concerned about long-term soundness, ask the vet about radiographs of the front feet and hocks. They are a worthwhile investment before signing off on the horse.

Step 1 – Decompression and Letdown

The most important thing you can do in the first 6-12 weeks is nothing dramatic. Letdown is the gradual transition from racing fitness to ordinary horse fitness, and from a stabled-most-of-the-day life to one with consistent turnout.

• Turn out gradually – start with one hour in a small, safe paddock, alone or with a quiet companion the horse knows. Build up over 2-4 weeks to all-day or 24-hour turnout. Sudden full turnout often results in fence-walking, kicked-out shoes or paddock injuries.
• Reduce hard feed – racehorses are typically on 6-9 kg of cubes a day. Drop to a maintenance diet of ad-lib hay or haylage plus a balancer over 7-10 days. Continue feeding twice or thrice daily even when amounts are small.
• Allow the horse to lose “race fit” – you want the lean, almost ribby look of fitness to soften. Most horses will gain 30-60 kg in the first three months.
• No ridden work for the first 4-6 weeks – let the horse simply be a horse.

Step 2 – Groundwork and Re-establishing Manners

Once the horse has decompressed, start with in-hand work. The aim is to teach the horse that “handler-led” and “quiet” can coexist. Useful exercises:

• In-hand walking on a loose lead rope around the yard, stopping and standing for 30 seconds at irregular intervals.
• Backing up in hand using voice and gentle pressure on the headcollar – most racehorses have never learned to rein-back properly.
• Yielding the hindquarters and shoulders on the ground (basic lateral work).
• Lungeing in walk and trot only, on a 15-metre circle, ideally in a Pessoa or similar light schooling system once the horse is established.
• Long-reining in straight lines and around poles to begin re-introducing the idea of contact through the bit at a calm pace.

If you have access to clicker training or in-hand horsemanship coaching, this is the time to use it. Internal links: see our equine groundwork guide, long reining, and clicker training horses.

Step 3 – Bringing the Horse Back Under Saddle

Plan on 6-12 months from arrival to first competition. The under-saddle phase has three predictable hurdles:

The Contact Hurdle

Racehorses learn to lean on the bit and pull. Convincing them to soften the jaw, accept a steady contact, and move forwards into a giving hand is the single biggest challenge of retraining. Work in long, low frames; ride in a soft snaffle (an eggbutt or french-link tends to work well); use plenty of transitions and lateral exercises to break up tension. Avoid running martingales or stronger bits – they treat the symptom, not the cause.

The Pace Hurdle

Many ex-racers find walk and trot mentally harder than canter. They have learned to associate forward energy with going fast. Use ground poles, raised cavaletti, and frequent transitions to teach the horse that “forward” can mean “through the back”, not “at speed”.

The Canter Hurdle

The first few canters are usually electric. Ride in a wide, open arena or up a long, gentle hill. Stick to short bursts initially. Within 2-3 months most horses settle. A horse that still bolts in canter at six months is usually telling you something needs to change – pain, fit, feed, or the rider’s nerve.

Second Careers After Racing

• Dressage – most ex-racers can be schooled to Elementary and many to Medium. RoR runs dedicated dressage league classes.
• Eventing – Thoroughbreds are the original eventer; their athleticism and gallop give them a real edge cross-country. RoR Eventing offers introductory levels from 80cm up.
• Showing – RoR has show-horse classes that emphasise rideability and turnout. The annual RoR Championship at Aintree is a flagship event, and the discipline’s best-known recent recruit is Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Native River, who qualified for Horse of the Year Show twice in 2024.
• Polo – Thoroughbreds and Thoroughbred crosses are the backbone of UK and Argentinian polo. Many polo strings recruit from racing.
• Hunting – the traditional retraining destination. A bold, careful jumper with stamina is gold dust to a UK hunt.
• Riding for the Disabled (RDA) – some quieter ex-racers settle into RDA work after thorough assessment.
• Companion horse – not every horse will compete again, and that is fine. RoR funds non-ridden welfare placements.

Feeding the Ex-Racehorse

Ex-racers are notoriously hard to feed. They tend to be poor-doers initially, hot on starch, and prone to gastric ulcers. A typical first-year feed plan:

• Ad-lib hay or haylage – minimum 2% of bodyweight daily.
• A low-starch balancer (e.g. Baileys Lo-Cal, Saracen Re-Leve, Spillers Lite + Lean) for vitamins and minerals.
• Soaked sugar beet and oil (a tablespoon of linseed or rapeseed) as a non-heating energy source if condition needs adding.
• A digestive supplement containing live yeast, prebiotics and gastric-support buffers for the first 6 months.

If the horse shows ulcer symptoms (poor appetite, weight loss, girthiness, teeth grinding), discuss gastroscopy and omeprazole with your vet. Up to 90% of horses in training have ulcers; many bring them into retirement.

Common Health and Behaviour Issues

• Stereotypies – box-walking, weaving and cribbing rarely go away completely, but turnout and a quieter routine substantially reduce them.
• Gastric ulcers – see feeding above.
• Old tendon and check ligament injuries – have the vet ultrasound any thickened tendon at intake, and avoid any work that loads the limb hard until rehabilitated.
• Foot quality – long toes, low heels and thin soles are common. Work with your farrier and consider a 4-6 month barefoot transition for some horses.
• Anxiety in unfamiliar settings – see our guide on anxiety in horses.
• Kissing spines – common in older Thoroughbreds; investigate any reluctance to bend or canter.

Retraining Thoroughbreds in South Africa

South Africa retires around 1,500 Thoroughbreds a year. The Cape Hunt & Polo Club, the Highveld Horse Care Unit (HHCU) and the National Horseracing Authority (NHA) Welfare Programme run formal rehoming routes. South African ex-racers commonly go into polo, polocrosse, eventing (which is strong at Shongweni, Inanda and the Free State), endurance and showing. Watch for tick-borne disease history (biliary/African horse sickness vaccination status) on every imported or transferred horse.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to retrain a racehorse?

Allow 6-12 months from arrival to first competition. The first 2-3 months are letdown and groundwork; months 4-9 are ridden work in walk, trot and canter; months 10-12 are early competition exposure. Some horses take 18-24 months; a small minority are happily competing within four. Patience pays dividends.

What is an RoR horse?

An RoR horse is a former racehorse registered on the Retraining of Racehorses database. Registration is free and lifelong, and is required to enter any RoR-affiliated class – showing, dressage, eventing or jumping – in the UK. The horse retains its racing name and record, which becomes part of its competitive identity.

How much does an ex-racehorse cost?

Ex-racehorses in the UK range from free (through an accredited rehoming centre, on a non-resale contract) to £15,000+ for a well-bred horse with proven ridden work post-retirement. The average price for a sound, sensible 5-year-old fresh out of racing is £1,500-£4,000. South African ex-racers typically go from R8,000 to R60,000 depending on age, soundness and bloodlines.

Can a Thoroughbred jump?

Thoroughbreds are some of the most athletic jumping horses on earth. Many top eventers (Lenamore, La Biosthetique-Sam FBW, Galway Bay) have Thoroughbred blood. Showjumping is harder for them than eventing because the courses are tight and technical rather than open and galloping, but plenty of TBs are jumping at 1.30m and above. Allow them time to develop the strength behind the saddle.

Should I buy an ex-racehorse as a first horse?

Honest answer: probably not. Ex-racehorses are sensitive, forward-thinking and quick to react. They make wonderful second or third horses for a competent rider who has time to school them carefully. A novice owner is better served by a more experienced schoolmaster, or by an ex-racehorse that has already had 12-18 months of retraining done by someone else.