Retraining of Racehorses launches review

The “Kauto Star factor” has boosted interest in ex-racehorses — according to a leading charity.

Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) chief executive, Di Arbuthnot, told H&H that Kauto Star’s new career, doing dressage with event rider Laura Collett, has “focused a lot of people’s minds that there is a life after racing”.

She added: “High profile horses — with big owners — are out there competing and winning, such as Barbers Shop, Neptune Collonges and Purple Moon.”

As a result, said Ms Arbuthnot, RoR was seeing more applications for funding from those involved in retraining racehorses — prompting an independent review of how the charity spends its money.

The review will be chaired by Jonny McIrvine, former chief executive of World Horse Welfare, and will make recommendations for the charity’s future strategy and policy as well as proposing clear guidelines for funding.

Its main concern will be to establish where racehorses go when they leave training, to help decide where funding should be focussed in future.

“It is eleven years since the last review an in that time the demand for former racehorses has increased significantly, with over 8,000 horses now registered on our database,” said new RoR chairman Paul Roy.

“The growing demand for former racehorses has led to many more applications to the charity for funding from independent centres and re-trainers, many of which are making a valuable contribution to re-homing. The review will consider how RoR should utilise its funding to best effect.”

Recommendations from the review are expected to be completed next June.