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Outline- informative I. Career of the Racehorse a. Chosen-how trainers decide what horses race and for how long i. Breeding 1. Inbreeding and insemination 2. 35,000 thoroughbreds foaled each year 3. 68% end up destined to race out of that 35,000 ii. Training 1. Starting at age 2, success depending on trainer 2. Can stay in training until about 10 years if sound iii. Treatment of horses iv. Length of Career 1. 4-6 years on average 2. 3,000 racehorses retired each year 3. 70% of racehorses will win one race 4. 5% will go on to win Grade I stakes race II. Repurposed after Career is over a. Auctions i. Sold for only hundreds ii. Put in kill-pen (slaughter) if not sold, injured or sick b. Farms i. Riding programs 1. Therapeutic riding programs adopt OTTB ii. Pasture Mates 1. Put out to pasture at rescue farms and facilities until adopted iii. Re-trained to: 1. Trailriding- given to farms that will use them for financial gain 2. Eventing- combined discipline mostly consisting of retrained thoroughbreds due to availability and success during retraining 3. Polo- due to availability and success during retraining III. Discarded- percent discarded vs. repurposed a. Slaughter i. Approx. 2 out of 3 racehorses euthanized, abandoned, or slaughtered ii. Shot 1. On track when injured 2. When sent to slaughter, usually missing target in the neck, making horses suffer through transportation alive iii. 150,000 horses shipped to slaughter in 2006 1. For foreign countries only iv. Advocates 1. Animal Welfare Institute 2. PETA 3. Humane Society of US b. Shelters i. Shelters become full and have to deny incoming ex racehorses ii. Try to foster them to homes, horses are expensive and costly to take care of