Discover your horse's story

Understanding Your Thoroughbred’s Racing History

Discover your horse's story

Bringing an off-the-track Thoroughbred home often comes with plenty of questions. Where did they race? Who trained them? How many races did they have? What were they like in their racing stable? And what can their previous career tell you about their life now?

Understanding your horse's history can help you build a clearer picture of who they are and what they may need as they transition into their new home.

Every Thoroughbred's history is different. Some will have had long racing careers, while others may have only raced once or twice. Some may have spent time in more than one training stable, while others may have retired from racing without ever starting.

Your horse's racing record is a useful starting point, but it is only part of their story.

Start with your horse's race name

The best place to start is with your horse's registered racing name or microchip number.

A Thoroughbred's registered name can be used to search their racing history and may provide information about their:

• Date of birth
• Breeding
• Trainer or trainers
• Owners
• Race starts
• Race results
• Race distances
• Last race
• Racing career

If you know your horses registered racing name you can find more in the NZ Studbook. Using the 'Search by' function, you can choose 'Horse' if you know your horses racing name, or choose 'Dam' if your horse was not named but you know their Sire and birth year.

If you are unable to identify your horse, please complete the Identification of a Thoroughbred form and return to info@beyondthetrack.co.nz for assistance.

Look beyond the race results

A race record can tell you what happened on the track. It cannot tell you everything about the horse standing in your paddock.

A horse's racing record does not necessarily tell you:

• What they were like to handle
• How they behaved in the stable
• Whether they travelled well
• How they behaved around other horses
• Whether they were easy to shoe
• What type of work they enjoyed
• What they found difficult
• Their usual feeding routine
• Their veterinary history
• Previous injuries or periods of rehabilitation
• How they respond to new environments

This information may be just as valuable as their race results when you are getting to know them.

Talk to the people who know your horse

If possible, contact your horse's previous trainer, owner, NZTR acknowledged provider or other people involved in their care.

They may be able to tell you things that will never appear in a racing record.

Useful questions to ask include:

• What was their usual daily routine?
• What were they like to handle?
• How did they behave around other horses?
• Were they easy to catch, float and shoe?
• What type of work did they enjoy?
• Were there any situations they found difficult?
• What were they eating?
• How much turnout were they used to?
• When were they last vaccinated, wormed or seen by the dentist?
• Have they had any previous injuries or significant veterinary treatment?
• Why did they leave racing?
• What were they doing after racing, if anything?

You may not be able to find answers to every question, but anything you learn can help you understand your horse and make their transition easier.

What does their racing history mean for their new career?

It is tempting to look at a horse's racing record and assume it tells you what they will be capable of doing after racing. It doesn't.

A horse that was successful on the track may or may not enjoy a particular discipline, while a horse with very few race starts may go on to have a successful second career.

Race results, distance, prize money and number of starts should not be used on their own to determine whether a Thoroughbred is suitable for a particular activity.

Their current health, soundness, temperament, behaviour, previous experiences and individual characteristics all need to be considered.

Your horse is also likely to change as they adjust to a new environment and develop new skills.

Understanding why your horse left racing

There can be many reasons why a Thoroughbred leaves racing.

A horse may retire because they have reached the end of their racing career, because their connections have decided racing is no longer appropriate for them, because they were not suited to racing, or because of health, soundness, performance or other circumstances.

If you can find out why your horse left racing, this information may be useful when planning their next steps.

However, the reason a horse left racing should not automatically determine what happens next.

For example, a horse that did not perform well on the track may thrive in a completely different environment. Equally, a horse with a successful racing career may need time, rehabilitation or a different pathway after racing.

Your horse's history may not be complete

Don't be concerned if you cannot find every detail of your horse's past.

Thoroughbreds can change owners, trainers and homes throughout their lives, and records of what happened between racing and arriving with you may not always be available.

You may know their registered name but have very little information about their life after racing. In other cases, you may know a great deal about their recent history but not have much information about their racing career.

Work with the information you do have and focus on getting to know the horse in front of you.

As you build a relationship with your horse, you will learn more about their personality, behaviour, strengths and areas where they may need additional support.

Keep a record of what you learn

Once you have gathered information about your horse, keep it somewhere you can easily access it.

Consider recording:

• Registered name
• Microchip number
• Date of birth
• Breeding
• Racing history
• Previous trainers and owners
• Previous injuries or health information
• Vaccination and dental history
• Farrier history
• Feeding information
• Behavioural or handling notes
• Previous work and experience
• Important veterinary or rehabilitation information

This information can become particularly useful if your horse moves to another home in the future.

Keeping good records also means you can give the next person a clearer picture of your horse's history and care.

Your horse's history is only the beginning

Learning about your horse's past can help you understand where they have come from, but it shouldn't define where they are going.

Their racing career is one chapter of their life.

As they transition into a new environment, take the time to get to know their individual needs, personality and capabilities. Give them time to adjust, establish a consistent routine and seek advice from your veterinarian, farrier, trainer or other appropriate professionals when needed.

The aim is not to recreate the horse they were in racing, but to understand the horse you have now and support them in their next chapter.

A simple racing history checklist

• Confirm your horse's registered identity and microchip number.
• Search their racing record using their registered name where available.
• Record their breeding, racing history and previous trainers.
• Speak with previous owners, trainers or retrainers where possible.
• Ask about their routine, temperament, handling and previous experiences.
• Find out about previous injuries, veterinary treatment and rehabilitation.
• Find out what they were eating and how they were managed.
• Record the information you collect so it is easy to refer back to.
• Don't assume their racing record determines what they can do after racing.
• Focus on getting to know the individual horse in front of you.

This guide provides general information only and is not a substitute for individual veterinary, training or professional advice.