Is horse racing compatible with animal welfare? Yes answers the National Federation of Horse Racing, it even launched a hashtag, #RaceandCare to raise public awareness of good practices in force in the field.
Because if animal welfare is becoming more and more important in the concerns of the general public, the racing world has not waited to look into the question. In 2016, stakeholders formalized this interest with a Charter for Equine Welfare.
But on the racecourse of Mauquenchy, we are now interested in the retirement of racehorses.
Retirement of racehorses, a sensitive subject
Retirement can happen very young for these horses since the horses are sent around a year and a half for training. If they are too slow or if the mind is not there, they can leave the circuit and the question of the “after” already arises… At less than two years!
Retirement is therefore a sensitive subject since there is always the possibility for some unscrupulous trainers to send their horses to the slaughterhouse. A peripheral practice in the opinion of professionals in the sector.
Gilles Curens is a trainer and for him: “The butcher’s shop, never! never! I give my horses… a horse that has been retired from racing is worth between 700 and 1000 euros so I prefer to give them in exchange for good care“.
For him, it is above all the love of horses that pushes people to work in this sector and butchery remains a very marginal way out.
The actions carried out at the racetracks this summer are a good way to show the general public the best practices in the sector, whether in terms of doping or in terms of retirement as today. “But we didn’t wait to take an interest in it, the horses have been well treated for many years. Like many of my colleagues, I invite the public to come to my stables to see how things are going.“.
– Milena Aellig
Passerelle, a retraining association for French Trotters
As part of the day in Mauquenchy, the Federation invited Aurélie Mallet, president of the Passerelle association to come and present her activity. His association collects horses of the French Trotter breed, used in trotting races, from trainers or owners. She then proposes to work on them, to strengthen them so that they can become “leisure horses”, that is to say horses of private owners wishing to practice riding, show jumping, endurance racing or even the dressage.
She tries to guarantee as much as possible the “match” between the horse and the owner so that he becomes a real life companion. In any case, the horse is protected by contract and will no longer be able to resume its racing activity or end up at the butcher’s.
For her association Passerelle, she was particularly inspired by other associations such as Beyond the Tracks, an association that reforms Thoroughbreds, used in gallop races.
For this day, she came with a 3-year-old horse from her association: Jamaican. He is there with another friend, also reformed but for several years, Atome des Gachères.
– Milena Aellig
Julie is the owner of Atome and together they are going to give a demonstration of work on foot (small tricks, like bowing) and show jumping. The objective is to prove to the public that trotters are not only racehorses but also excellent saddle horses, which make great life companions for “classic” riders. She hopes to convince riders to turn to trotters, for her, too many trotters still end up in the slaughterhouse sometimes at a very young age.
Are horses training too young?
Jean Claude is a former PMU bar manager and former breeder. He has been “in the races” for over 50 years. But for him, there is still progress to be made. He notes in particular a regression on one point: the age of entry of horses into the environment. ” At 14 or 16 months… The skeleton is not yet formed and neither is the heart!” This can lead to bone or joint damage. He adds: “At the time, we only qualified horses at three years old!“Today we qualify horses at two years old.
For two trainers a little further on, this very young selection makes it possible to toughen up the horses. And don’t stop preserving them! First of all out of love for these life and work companions, but also for economic reasons “if you pull too much on the rope, too early and too young… a horse that could have won 150,000 euros will only win 50,000 because it will be injured and tired. So we have every interest in taking care of them and protecting them.”.