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This week the public contemplated the fate of the thousands of greyhounds which reach retirement in the UK each year but are not found homes by the greyhound charities. An investigation has opened following the revelation that one man in Seaham, County Durham, had slaughtered 10,000 of them over 15 years and buried them in his field.
But what about the nation's racehorses? What happens to thoroughbreds when they don't make the grade, or when owners and trainers judge them unfit for the track? This is about six years old for flat race horses, and about 12 for steeplechasers. "So few racehorses are heard of again after their careers are over," says John Francome, racing commentator and champion jockey.
Five thousand racehorses end their careers each year. This excludes the
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Thousands of race horses are slaughtered every year - and they’re the lucky ones. john hind reports |
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375 in an average year which are raced to death and the 4,000 foals which are considered not worth the expense of training.
The owners of the 5,000 horses, which are increasingly often syndicates, usually sell up after the glory days end. Retirees meet several fates: leisure, neglect, or slaughter for pet food.
A racehorse is said to cost £5,000 during its first year of retirement - for rehabilitation, vet fees, food and all. Yet the industry provides only £200,000 a year for the care of retired horses, enough to cover about 50.
A few charities try to take up the slack. "I know of one man who has had 16 ex-racehorses in 10 years and beaten every one of them to death," says Carrie Humble, the founder of The Thoroughbred Rehabilitation Centre in Nateby. After years spent galloping at 30mph, 
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