Letter to the Editor: Aftercare Not Meeting the Need

[Wandering Eyes]

After months of research and stakeholder engagement for Mike Repole's National Thoroughbred Alliance initiative, I read the Aug. 26 open letter, “When Does a Thoroughbred Earn a Safe Retirement” with interest and, assuredly, shared frustration.

The authors have been at the forefront of fighting the slaughter pipeline for years.

The most basic finding of my research has been, to little surprise, that the space often referred to as “aftercare,”–which I will call “beyond racing”–is grossly underfunded and underdeveloped.

If anyone suggests to you that our industry is doing enough at present, consider that a sign they do not understand the needs that exist today and the worsening status quo.

You would be correct if you think there has been a tremendous amount of progress and funding for retired racehorse facilities and programs. Unfortunately, the funding of the past doesn't come anywhere close to the need that exists at present.

Make no mistake, this is not a lack of gratitude for the many who are routine funders of initiatives beyond racing. It's a reality check that serious upgrades are needed. When I've shared these sentiments with other industry leaders, there is nowhere close to a universal acceptance of this reality.

A New, Centralized Hub

Much of the greater industry's focus has been on the wonderful work of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA)–whose mission is to accredit, inspect and award grants to approved organizations. These standards are crucial, but accreditation is just one of the many needed functions across the space.

There is no central entity serving as a modern hub to tackle everything that is beyond racing. We need one.

It should have customer service, marketing, education, government affairs and program development arms. It needs a Thoroughbred sport horse registry to specifically serve this community and vastly improve traceability. It needs an organized network of resellers, listing agents, track-based and in-house programs linked and working together with common standards. It must develop a centralized incentive program that substantially increases demand for Thoroughbreds beyond racing.

The value of our Thoroughbreds in retirement should grow such that the slaughter pipeline is never an option.

It could be a wholly renovated and “up-missioned” TAA. It could be a new or existing group which merges with the TAA to create such a hub. Whatever it is, it needs significantly more funding to build what is required.

Industry support for the TAA is great, it just doesn't come close to being sufficient.

Funding Needs

To date, optional contributions and extreme generosity have not met the financial needs of all these facilities and programs beyond racing. Everyone is struggling.

Funding a modern space for life beyond racing cannot be a choice.

Foal registration and registry transaction fees must be raised. Mandatory fees as a condition of sales participation are needed (we suggest 0.25% on buyers and sellers, with the sales company topping it with a smaller portion). A whole or half fee from a stallion–based on the price and the number of covers– should be standard. A per-start fee based on prize money should be assessed to every horse racing for more than $10,000 in total prize money. The bigger the purse, the higher the fee, with proceeds split between local and national programs. The minimum fee per start should be $50.

This new funding shouldn't just go exclusively into the same network as it exists today. We must build a new, improved future with it.

The financials of this space should not be consigned purely to that of the nonprofit world, either. We have grossly undervalued our own stock and its ability to compete beyond racing. Your near-retirement gelding could be far more valuable than you realize if we supply the space with the right incentives to retrain and acquire retired racehorses.

Simple Steps Can Go a Long Way

Modernizing our funding model and options beyond racing comes with needs for basic improvements from existing participants too.

Commerce cannot be the sole consideration when operating a Thoroughbred sales company. Cruel, unscrupulous buyers still prey on the vulnerable, buying horses at, or just above, a far-too-low minimum bid, then flip them quickly to kill pens, holding horses for ransom or hoping to make a quick profit selling them for slaughter.

The most recent example from Texas is not an isolated one. This happens in Kentucky too.

Increasing the minimum bid to prevent this practice is a more sustainable, humane path.

Policies which limit the sales of senior broodmares, the most vulnerable of our stock to landing in the slaughter pipeline, must also be enacted. Farms must dedicate more space for retired broodmares–a few have done this more recently.

Serious improvements to the entire ecosystem will put a monumental dent in the number of Thoroughbreds in the pipeline.

Encourage Feedback, Don't Stifle It

Those working beyond racing are tireless, incredible advocates for the Thoroughbred.

Many have shared with me the fear they have of speaking out about the scope of need and the realities facing the space. On more than one occasion, I've been told that those working beyond racing cannot be heard or seen to “rock the boat,” or even to share their own hard truths for fear of losing funding.

These sentiments are as clear a sign as any that what exists today does not meet the needs and requirements of our industry in 2025.

Great strides have been made over the last 15 years to improve life for our horses beyond racing. What exists today is a great foundation on which to build an even more improved space.

Patrick Cummings is the Executive Director of the National Thoroughbred Alliance and serves on various non-profit boards as a director

The post Letter to the Editor: Aftercare Not Meeting the Need appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

View the full article