Casey’s Racing Blog

Again this week, we have been given proof that off the track Thoroughbreds (OTTBs) are valuable horses after their done their traditional racing careers. The flat racehorse-turned-steeplechaser Good Night Shirt has just capped off a perfect 5 for 5 season on Sunday by winning the $150,000 Colonial Cup for a second time. He also won the Breeders’ Cup Steeplechase the last two years.

Steeplechase horses are often OTTBs since certain types of horses thrive better under different conditions. Steeplechase (or National Hunt) races are longer, with jumps or hurdles, and the pack is often more spread out. There also aren’t starting gates in steeplechasing, a plus for some of the more fearful Thoroughbreds out there. Steeplechasing is just one of the many disciples that ex-racehorses can have successful second careers in.

Racehorses are not pets to owners, and when their track careers are over, not every horse can retire to a comfortable pasture to produce foals for the rest of their life. It just would not be economically feasible for owners. For unsuccessful stallions and geldings especially, times would be tough if you didn’t have someone looking out for you. Luckily, trainers, owners, and breeders love horses and wouldn’t be doing their jobs if they didn’t. Everyone wants to see the best outcome, even if the horse was not a superstar on the track. So most owners actively find suitable second homes for their racehorses. Common second careers that usually are a perfect fit for these high strung athletes are as three-day event horses, field hunters, polo ponies, show jumpers and hunters, amateur dressage horses, and steeplechasers. And of course, a number of the unsound horse end up as wonderful backyard pets and trail horses.

There are a number of advantages to buying an OTTB. First and foremost, they are already broken to ride and are easy to handle since they have been worked with so frequently at a young age, a plus for the average amateur owner who probably doesn’t have the time or knowledge to break a horse to saddle, or retrain basic ground manners. These horses are fast when compared to Warmbloods or other pleasure horse breeds, even if they didn’t win on the track. This makes them very suitable for disciplines like eventing where speed and endurance is everything, and for polo where horses with agility and quick bursts of energy make the best mounts.

There are plenty of options for a retired Thoroughbred, and making them available to every horse should be an important part of every trainer and owner’s job description.