Racing owner and trainer information

Initial steps on retiring your racehorse

NRAS

Complete the retirement process on NRAS including new owners’ details.

Change of ownership, Weatherbys

This is a legal requirement and needs to be completed within 30 days of the horse changing ownership. This can be done online or via hard copy. Best practice is for the owner or trainer to complete this step to ensure the horses’ new ownership is recorded and therefore recording that you are no longer responsible for the horse. Find out more about change of ownership

Options for rehoming

1. Gift the horse to one of the racehorse charities who will anticipate a donation to secure the horses future. This option will safeguard your horse for the duration of his retirement
2. Send the horse to a retrainer for initial retraining and subsequent sale. This would be on a sales livery basis. A list of retrainers recommended by other trainers can be found here. This option will allow the horse to complete the first stages of his retraining to establish his suitability to a second career.
3. Source a Horse website – RoR’s own for sale site
4. Word of mouth
5. Social media

Gifting your horse out of racing

• If you wish to gift a horse to a person known to you, complete the NTF “Deed of Gift” template. This template is designed for owners when gifting racehorses out of racing, to ensure safety and the ability to place restrictions upon the new owner selling or otherwise disposing of the horse, without the racing owners consent.
  
  These guidelines are provided to help ensure a positive future for former racehorses, so reducing the chances of them reverting to their former owners and trainers or relying on the industry for charitable support

Check list for owners/trainers rehoming a retired racehorse to the leisure horse market

• Only give or sell a horse to a responsible person who has the resources, experience and expertise to provide for its future. If they are not known to you, ask for a written reference from a vet, riding instructor or farrier. Genuine purchasers will be happy to provide these references.

• Do your research. Social media is an invaluable resource in researching an individual or organisation. If you are not familiar with these platforms, RoR can provide assistance

• A sales contract should be drawn up between the parties which can include a clause giving the vendor a right of first refusal on any future sale. However, it could be difficult to actually enforce such clause so we would recommend you consult with a solicitor for advice.

• Ask if veterinary insurance cover will be in place for the horse. If not suggest this is done. This should minimise the possibility of any comeback to the original owner or trainer if a problem occurs in retraining.

• Ask the new owner to register the horse with RoR to ensure they have access to our education programme and range competitions.

• Be wary of any organisation or individual contacting you to offer to take your horse. There is a wide number of individuals directly contacting trainers to take retiring horses. It is important to apply due diligence and research these individuals to ensure the horse will be in an appropriate environment. If in doubt contact RoR who will be happy to provide further information.

Remember

Finding a safe and loving home for a horse is not an easy or quick process and if someone or something seems too good to be true then chances are it probably is!

RoR is available to provide impartial advice regarding rehoming, please contact Philippa at pgilmore@ror.org.uk or on 01488 648998.

Please note that the recommendations provided here are for general information only and are not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely. Please refer to our Terms of Use for further information.