Instructions
Assess your racehorse's health. The biggest concern as you try to retire your racehorse is the health and physical condition of the animal. You should get a vet to do a full checkup on the animal to see if it is disease free, physically fit and able to breed. Once you know the animal's health condition you can move on with the retiring process.
Start to ramp down the horse's race frequency. As a racehorse adapts to the rigors and strains of racing life the horse frequently gets high strung and difficult to deal with. When trying to retire a racehorse, it will be much easier to find the horse a home and deal with the animal if it's had a chance to get used to a more sedentary life.
Decide what you want to do with the horse. There are a few options in dealing with a retired racehorse. If the horse had a successful racing career, it might be appropriate to get it into a breeding facility. If you'd rather let the horse retire peacefully, there are a number of programs and charities that provide money and grants towards racehorse rehabilitation and re-housing.
Find the horse a home. Regardless of what kind of retirement you give the horse you need to find the animal a home. Organizations such as Friends of Ferdinand connect racehorse owners who are trying to retire an animal with people who are willing and able to accept and care for a former racehorse. Keep in mind that a racehorse holds lots of value to others, including use as a training horse, and that finding it a new home is just a matter of effort.
How to Retire a Racehorse
Many racehorses suffer a needlessly sad fate after their racing career. The plight of racehorses is receiving more attention from the media and public, shedding some negative light on racing and causing authorities to act. Fortunately, it's possible to retire a racehorse in a humane, legal and ethical way. So follow these steps to retire a racehorse.