Approximately 2,500 horses retire from British racing every year. Some go into breeding. Some are sold abroad. And a significant proportion need to find a new life entirely, which means retraining, rehoming and the involvement of a network of specialist professionals who have built careers around this transition.
In 2025, over 15,000 former racehorses were registered with Retraining of Racehorses, British racing’s official aftercare charity. That is around 46% of the estimated 33,600 former racehorses in Britain. The scale of the aftercare challenge is substantial, and the careers it generates are varied and often deeply rewarding.
Why racehorses need specialist aftercare
A thoroughbred bred and trained to race is not the same animal as a leisure horse. The physical conditioning is different, the handling methods are different and the psychological profile of a horse accustomed to an intensive training environment is different from what most amateur riders encounter.
Retired racehorses can be highly strung, reactive and difficult to manage without experience. They may have physical issues resulting from their racing career. They have been handled in particular ways for their entire working life. Retraining them for a second career requires a specific skill set that goes beyond general equine competence.
The careers involved
Retraining of Racehorses coordinates the welfare and rehoming of former racehorses across Great Britain, working with a network of approved retrainers who assess horses, develop their training and place them with suitable new owners.
Approved retrainers are typically experienced equine professionals, many of them self-employed, who charge fees for their services. The work involves assessing a horse’s temperament and physical condition, designing and implementing a retraining programme, and matching the horse to an appropriate new home and discipline.
Beyond retraining, there are careers in sanctuary work for horses that cannot be rehomed, in veterinary care for horses managing racing injuries into retirement, in welfare monitoring and in education. The British Horseracing Authority funds aftercare through a levy on the industry, which sustains the infrastructure around these roles.
Second careers for thoroughbreds
Former racehorses have gone on to successful careers in dressage, eventing, show jumping, polo, showing and general leisure riding. The most popular second careers, according to British racing data, are general leisure riding and dressage. Many thoroughbreds adapt well to a new discipline and go on to compete at a high level.
If you are an equine professional with the skills and temperament to work with thoroughbreds in transition, this is a genuinely specialist and valued area of work. The horses are extraordinary animals and the people who work with them well tend to find it among the most satisfying work of their careers.