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badcompany
08-17-2010, 01:20 AM
When you buy a young horse at auction but it doesn't make to the races for one reason or another, what do you do with the horse?

Thanks in advance.

slewis
08-17-2010, 01:31 AM
Try and find it a home....quickly....and it ain't easy.

Several years ago we had a colt that had tons of problems and was never going to make it to the starting gate. I was at a cocktail party in Connectitcut and some wealthy woman told me she was looking to buy a pleasure horse.

I told her I'd give her this one..... the next week she goes out and has her husband buy a REALLY expensive trailer for the horse and she drives it down to Belmont to pick up her new "pet".

Six months later, she emails me pictures of the her riding the colt galloping on her private beach in the Bahamas! I'm like, Holy Sh-t, this SOB never had to race, never had any stress that racehorses deal with and is living the life of luxury!!

I emailed her back and asked "maybe you'd like to adopt me too"?

tbwinner
08-17-2010, 01:39 AM
If it's a filly, try to breed it if there is a respectable pedigree.

If it's a colt/gelding, try to find it a good home (hopefully one like slewis did!).

DeanT
08-17-2010, 01:43 AM
Classic story Slewis!

Bad Co, a friend of mine had one if his no-makers donated as a police horse.

Newark NJ has something like 20 horses in the police mounted unit and I think 18 are racehorses.

Sargeant York, who was the riderless horse at Ronald Reagan's funeral was a retired horse who only had a couple starts. He was a harness horse from New Jersey. There are several others in the military like that.

The average time for me to find a home has been about five months. Lotsa bills if you live in the city!

bigmack
08-17-2010, 01:46 AM
I emailed her back and asked "maybe you'd like to adopt me too"?
You know the rules; you have be housebroken first.

Chilled wine is held by the stem.

slewis
08-17-2010, 01:51 AM
You know the rules; you have be housebroken first.

Chilled wine is held by the stem.

:lol: True..... When I saw the pic of this colt galloping on the beach, I think I pee'd my pants a little.

bigmack
08-17-2010, 01:59 AM
:lol: True..... When I saw the pic of this colt galloping on the beach, I think I pee'd my pants a little.
:D

No great loss. The Bahamas are muggy & buggy.

Actor
08-17-2010, 07:43 AM
Correct me if I'm wrong (and I hope I am) but I think that at the end of their careers most race horses become dog food.

tucker6
08-17-2010, 08:17 AM
Correct me if I'm wrong (and I hope I am) but I think that at the end of their careers most race horses become dog food.
A quote from one site:

Most horsemeat produced by slaughterhouses is exported to European and Asian countries for human consumption. Due to consumer concerns about bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or 'mad cow disease'), the consumption of horsemeat in Europe is increasing. However, an often overlooked demand for horsemeat comes from zoos. Large carnivores, such as lions and tigers, require a lot of high-quality protein in their diets. Although their nutritional requirements can be met with other types of meat, horsemeat has more protein, less fat, less cholesterol, less sodium, and more iron than the same amount of high-quality beef. A number of zoos have stopped feeding horsemeat to their large carnivores due to consumer pressure, but there are still zoos in the United States that purchase horsemeat to provide nutrition for their animals.

JBmadera
08-17-2010, 09:10 AM
when we got out of the business we donated all our horses to the local university - they have a very well know equine program. best of all my wife can continue to go down and see our mares, and their babies....it's kinda like we went from being parents of being grandparents - it's still fun but no cost!

onefast99
08-17-2010, 09:55 AM
When you buy a young horse at auction but it doesn't make to the races for one reason or another, what do you do with the horse?

Thanks in advance.
Several of ours that never made it as race horses are now jumpers or show horses. We keep in touch with two of the new owners and every once in a while I get an email containing a picture from an equestrian event that they were part of.

Driver8
08-17-2010, 12:03 PM
We've given a couple of ours to the local FFA and 4-H club. You might look there.

LRL Racing
08-17-2010, 01:02 PM
I have been very fortunate in that we have never had trouble with moving a horse who has finished their racing career. My trainer is very good at finding homes for many plus I only buy fillies so there has always been an opportunity to sell them as a broodmare or give them away for a potential broodmare. The main concept is make it quick if their value isn't there!
Now colts, geldings are a different story.....which is why I don't buy em!
Residual value in the fillies/mares is the way to go.

bane
08-17-2010, 01:04 PM
Fox Hunting..

sonnyp
08-17-2010, 02:07 PM
amish...working the fields and pulling buggies.

Ocala Mike
08-17-2010, 02:38 PM
It is hoped that most of them wind up at "good homes" like our farm. Back around 7 or 8 years ago, a certain trainer had a filly called I Bien Ready (Bien Bien X Ready Word) in his stable at Gulfstream. Unfortunately, the filly broke down with a slab fracture in her first and only turf race for MdClm $45,000. The owner didn't want to pay for an expensive operation, so he told the trainer to "get rid of her" which he did by giving her to a friend of mine here in Ocala.

That friend layed the filly up at our place where she was essentially stallbound for 4 months and receiving TLC while the fracture healed. He then had to leave the country and left the filly with her papers signed over to me and a few months of unpaid board to boot.

The next spring we bred her to a free season to Wild Escapade that my son-in-law had won at a stallion show. She had a filly which we named Bien Wild (oddly enough) and later sold to a couple from Shreveport, LA. Incidentally, Bien Wild happens to be running this Thurs., 8/19 at Louisiana Downs.

I bred I Bien Ready a couple more times, and sold the offspring each time, but they never got to the track. Had to sell the mare a while back, so lost track of her, but I believe she is being taken care of nearby and is in good hands.


Ocala Mike

CryingForTheHorses
08-17-2010, 07:49 PM
When you buy a young horse at auction but it doesn't make to the races for one reason or another, what do you do with the horse?

Thanks in advance.


IMHO..It shocks me for you to be asking this question,All the posts about retired horses,Horses getting new homes after they cant race or never make it,Im not trying to insult you but I think you need to study "What it takes" and the commitment of owning one of these fine beasts.You need to know your plan before you invest and dont invest more then you can afford to lose,Look at it as a hobby that way you stay alive longer

menifee
08-18-2010, 12:49 AM
This may be a dumb question, but if you have a young colt that does not make it to the track for one reason or another, but has some nice breeding lines, don't you try to breed these horses? It sounds like most don't breed them, but find another use for them. What if you are giving up on a potential great breeding stallion?

slewis
08-18-2010, 01:39 AM
This may be a dumb question, but if you have a young colt that does not make it to the track for one reason or another, but has some nice breeding lines, don't you try to breed these horses? It sounds like most don't breed them, but find another use for them. What if you are giving up on a potential great breeding stallion?


NO !

He would have to be a FULL brother to a very successful and proven sire ...and even that would be risky in this market.

onefast99
08-18-2010, 10:32 AM
NO !

He would have to be a FULL brother to a very successful and proven sire ...and even that would be risky in this market.
And if he was a full brother to a very successful and proven sire there would be many looking to take him off your hands.

skate
08-18-2010, 12:51 PM
You know the rules; you have be housebroken first.

Chilled wine is held by the stem.

:lol: good one Mack