Drivers of exit and outcomes for Thoroughbred racehorses participating in the 2017-2018 Australian racing season.
Authors: Shrestha Kshitiz, Gilkerson James R, Stevenson Mark A, Flash Meredith L
Journal: PloS one
Summary
# Editorial Summary Between 2017 and 2018, Australian researchers surveyed the last registered trainers of 2,509 inactive Thoroughbreds to establish why horses exited racing and what happened to them afterwards, receiving responses for 1,750 animals and extrapolating findings across the national population of 37,750 racing or training horses. Almost half (50.3%) of horses permanently left the industry—45% through retirement and 5.3% through death—whilst 43% exited temporarily before returning to racing the following season; voluntary reasons dominated permanent exits, particularly poor performance and owner discretion, though nearly one-third of retirements involved musculoskeletal injury, with tendon and ligament damage accounting for the majority of these cases. The median retirement age was five years, with horses typically working within an interquartile range of four to seven years. Extrapolating these figures to the broader population suggests that Australian racing loses 17% of its active population to permanent retirement annually and a further 2.1% to mortality—data that now establish critical benchmarks for industry planning, welfare interventions and measuring the effectiveness of retirement and rehoming schemes. For practitioners involved in pre- and post-racing management, these findings underscore the prevalence of musculoskeletal problems as drivers of early career termination, highlighting the importance of diagnostic imaging, conditioning protocols and evidence-based rehabilitation in extending athletic careers.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Tendon and ligament injuries are a major driver of retirement decisions—early identification and appropriate recovery management could extend racing careers for some horses
- •With 17% annual retirement rate, racing operations should have robust rehoming and career transition plans in place for retired horses
- •Two percent annual mortality suggests monitoring for welfare issues and injury prevention should be a priority, as this represents significant loss of life in the active population
Key Findings
- •45% of inactive Thoroughbreds permanently retired from racing in the 2017-2018 season, with 5.3% deceased
- •43% of inactive horses temporarily exited racing but returned to racing the following season
- •Nearly one-third of retirements were due to injuries, with tendon or ligament problems being the most common conditions
- •Extrapolated population data indicates 17% annual retirement rate and 2.1% annual mortality rate across the 37,750 racing/training horses in Australia