Focus on Solutions: Aftercare (pt. 1)
In many corners of the racing world, aftercare and plans for the horse’s retirement are often not considered until the last possible moment or there is a fundraising campaign for one of the non-profit organizations serving the rest of the Thoroughbred industry. When assessing the big picture and long-term health of the industry, aftercare must be at the forefront. It is intrinsically connected to equine welfare and public support, two areas the industry needs to continue to invest in improving.
Many looking for solutions don’t look past the need for increased funding. While this is an extremely necessary step for the industry to take, it’s a band aid on a bullet wound. Sure, a bigger bandage would help, but addressing the underlying issues is crucial for the ultimate success of the industry.
Since the need for more funding to support non-profit aftercare is well established, I won’t spend much time discussing it. There are a plethora of ways the industry can add mandatory funding to regular operations, like making direct donations, which is an easy way for individuals and organizations to act on this need prior to it being mandated. The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) accredits non-profit aftercare organizations which take possession of Thoroughbreds, and provides grants to help support them. Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) provides grants to many of the same organizations, as well as those which provide different solutions (such as RRP), emergency assistance, and help for backstretch workers, etc. Contributions to either of these organizations will go towards a variety of excellent programs. One can also contribute directly to an organization, such as those specific to your area (CARMA, Second Stride, New Vocations, etc.) or working on missions they wish to more directly support (like Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare (CTA) or the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP)).
Beyond the dollars you can donate, everyone involved in racing needs to ask themselves: how are they contributing to the problems in aftercare, and what can they do to reduce that negative impact. Dollars donated are wonderful, but eliminating the need for those dollars goes even farther.
Big Solutions: Investing in Long Term Solutions
Within a larger funding structure, or as part of a HISA requirement, there needs to be a mandatory baseline veterinary assessment for horses retiring from the racetrack. HISA currently requires reporting horses as “retired,” which is a start to gathering key information about the full scope of the aftercare insufficiency. However, that is only one piece. Far too often, horses are reported as “retiring sound” and are found to have issues requiring rehabilitation, surgery, or ultimately limiting their future athleticism. Not only does this create an additional burden on non-profit aftercare, it sours individuals on purchasing horses directly from the racetrack and contributes to negative public perceptions of racing. This baseline assessment would also help build more comprehensive injury statistics, beyond just fatalities. This is another step owners can take without it being required. Having a basic soundness exam and medical history to share with the purchaser or rehoming organization when the horse retires would benefit all parties.
Though there are many excellent for-profit resellers and trainers who buy and sell Thoroughbreds directly from the track, there is currently no accreditation structure to identify the good ones. Owners rely on past experience and word of mouth for secure placements, and if they trust the wrong person the horse could quickly end up at risk, leaving the owner perhaps wrongly blamed for the situation. There are a few organizations peripherally in a position to provide this service to the industry, given sufficient funding. The TAA has specific criteria for the type of organizations they accredit, and for-profit individuals are not part of that model. Individual TAA organizations approve adopters, which would represent a large base of potentially accredited individuals. The RRP is another organization that approves individuals (as trainers), many of whom may be interested in individual accreditation. The TCA is another widely involved organization that could potentially fill this need for the industry. At present, none of these organizations have the funding or staffing to take on an initiative of this size. This is an effort that must be taken on by a larger organization on behalf of the industry, as word of mouth from individuals has been shown to be insufficient.
With more funding available, currently accredited organizations could be encouraged to expand and create more available space for incoming horses. For-profit resellers and direct placement off the track are a key piece to alleviating the burden, but non-profit industry funded aftercare will always represent an integral part of the safety net. Donations directly to these organizations will help with these goals, but they need reliable and sustainable avenues of contribution to be able to responsibly grow.
Big Solutions: Automatic Safety Net
Currently, there is not sufficient space or funding for every retiring Thoroughbred to go to a TAA accredited aftercare facility, which is (currently) the easiest option for an owner to be assured the horse will be appropriately cared for and placed. There are other options, but they require owners to have more direct knowledge of the aftercare landscape and that is not an area many are experienced in.
Within a larger mandatory funding structure, horses could have a specifically assigned safety net of contributions they have generated. Upon retirement, these horse specific funds can be used to offset costs for the accredited aftercare organization they go to, for shipping to a re-trainer, surgery costs, etc. Funds not needed are donated back to the general fund, while horses who need additional funds can benefit from contributions from the general fund. This would allow breeders, pinhookers, bettors who cashed a big ticket, etc. to contribute directly to that horse’s safety upon retirement, at any point in its career. Funds could also be used to help bring horses back from countries without sufficient aftercare structures in place. While most industry participants want all horses to end up in a safe retirement, there is an added level of concern for horse they have interacted with, and direct contributions to that horse feel like a more tangible difference maker.
By utilizing the mandatory “retired from racing” reporting, connecting funds to the horse specifically, expanding tracking mechanisms and contact to previous connections, we can ensure there is a safe landing available to all retiring racehorses.
While implementing a program like that which is suggested above will take time, owners can take it upon themselves to create a fund for their existing horses. Previous connections can also set aside funds and track their horses using resources like the Jockey Club’s Thoroughbred Connect, Equibase, Equineline, and any combination of social media outlets, in order to step in and assist if made aware of a need. Collaborative efforts to connect previously invested persons to a horse’s current owner, trainer, etc., as well as current connections being receptive to that contact, is a key piece of building a safety net for each horse.
Solutions to the problems that face horse racing are not simple. If they were, solutions would have been executed decades ago. But with collaborative effort and a willingness to change our actions first, progress can be made. Stay tuned for more “Focus on Solutions” where we’ll address big picture issues and the actionable steps you can take today to improve the Thoroughbred industry.
