People are always telling us that we have really nice off-the-track Thoroughbreds for sale and they want to know where we find them. Our secret is finding people who really care about what happens to their Thoroughbreds when their racing careers are over. Read the story from one of our breeders, ”A Breeder’s Perspective on Finding Homes for Ex-Race Horses” on our OTTB Success Stories Web site.
Too many Thoroughbreds are sold down in class to finish racing at the lowest level race tracks. Those horses might get lucky and make it to a rescue but all too often they end up breaking down or dying on the track. The reality of the race track is that you cannot afford to feed a horse that will not be able to win races. It is difficult to find buyers for these horses because only licensed racing professionals have access to the backside of the track. You have to make a contact at the track who will escort you and keep you safe to see the horses. Most trainers do not have the time to do this and do not want to deal with “retail” buyers. They will sell their horse to another trainer who may take the horse to a lower level track or they may just give it away. Even if you can get onto a track, you are not allowed to ride the Thoroughbreds. So what is an owner or trainer to do if they have a horse that is not competitive in racing?
We have been visiting race tracks since 2001 and we have developed a network of people who care about these horses and want to see them get a good home when their racing days are over. We get the horses from top to mid level tracks where it is easier to find a sound horse. Many of the people we place horses for are the actual breeders of these horses and they want to know that their babies will be loved and appreciated long after they leave the track. The owners and trainers appreciate the services we offer – to photograph and market their horses on our Bits & Bytes Farm Web site and to publish updates on their new lives on our Success Stories pages. They are open and honest with us about what the horse has been doing and if there are any past injuries that might effect a future career. Horses that are not suitable for listing on our site are often sent to rescues or placed on the CANTER Web site with the help of our race track contacts.
It takes a whole network of people to do what we do. None of these people make a living doing this. We have trainers, breeders, exercise riders, veterinarians and owners all working together with our help and Web site to find home for these horses. It has taken years of work to pull it all together and now we have hundreds of success stories that show that there IS life after racing for Thoroughbred race horses. The success stories demonstrate how these ex-race horses have changed peoples’ lives and given them great pleasure. Take some time to visit and read our Success Stories on this site and the newer OTTB Success Stories at our sister Web site: www.OTTBSuccessStories.com. Our breeders, trainers and owners read the success stories and take great pleasure knowing their horses are loved and well cared for and that is why we have such nice horses on our Web site! Thank you to all our buyers for providing the proof necessary to make our mission successful.
– Elizabeth & Barry