Thank you.

If you are interested in Standardbreds off the track, try
adoptahorse.org. This is the Standardbred retirement foundation. Our stb came from our local humane society. There are a lot of these horses available.

Yes!! It is!! I had one for about 2 years until recently when I sold him because I no longer had the time to devote to him or the money to keep him, but he was the sweetest smartest horse, not highstrung or hyper, he was very mellow and laid back and LOVED trail riding and jumping, and was already trailer trained . I went to the Jockey Club web site and ordered his racing history and it turned out he only ran 2 races and didn’t do very well so I suppose that’s why he stopped racing, but it is very possible and everyone that met him absolutely fell in love with him.

Yes! There is such a surplus of them! They’re like, everywhere. And they are DIRT cheap. You have to be willing to put in a lot of work, though, if you want to do something else with them. Just make sure that you do an EXTENSIVE vet check to make sure that he’s sound. This is REALLY important.

Go to a horse sale, such as Keeneland.

Consider a bloodstock agent to help you find the type of horse you are looking for and which horses are going to go cheap. Have a vet look over your top choice (about $150 to look at x-rays and scope upper airway). Hint: cheaper horse usually sell near the end of the sale. Many very nice geldings go for just $1000.

“Claiming races!
a race in which any horse entered can be purchased at a fixed price by anyone who has made a bid or claim before the start of the race.”

Exactly..a lot of people have TBs straight off the track because they were not winners..

Yes, I’ve seen a lot of them go for really cheap, often times 1000$ or less, especially if the owner is really trying to get rid of them. You can also find a cheap claiming race, and claim one of the horses running.

You can buy racehorses but they arent gonna be like pets. The steroids need to be worked outta their system and the running habit needs to be broken.

It is actually quite easy to get a horse off the track from free to reasonably priced. Ultimately it’s an owners’ decision to try to sell or just give them away, most trainers I know encourage give a ways as it’s expensive to have them hang around eating if there is not a chance they’re going to make a paycheck from a race. Check the sites posted above by KendallH. I can tell you that all the Canter reps I’ve dealt with were great. Even if you don’t go through them please read their instructions on what to do when visiting the racetrack if you’re never been on the backside of one. There are usually quite a few local rescues around racetracks that would be more likely to have started retraining prospects. The biggest mistake I see people make with getting a recently retired or right out of training racehorse is not giving them the time off they need. They are typically exposed to quite a range of hormones & drugs that need a couple of months to work out of their system, not to mention a couple of months of good turnout & just being a horse makes a huge difference in attitude and disposition. Do not ever turn one out into electric fencing or the hot tape, not until you’re sure they can see it and figure out what it is…sometime people don’t think about the fact a horse could have spent the better part if its’ life stalled since it began training. It’s best to have any prospects thoroughly vetted, there can be alot going on that isn’t obvious and especially if you have jumping in mind it is worth the money. There are many common injuries that racehorses sustain that just need time to heal that will leave the horse perfectly useful for another job (possibly other than jumping). Unfortunately many don’t get the time they need. Also keep in mind that you have a long retraining process ahead of you, professional help or advice is best. The best advice I can give you is to stay off their mouths! That means go faster to a horse fresh off the track. Anyway good luck, I think it’s great you’re considering adopting one. Be choosey & talk to the groom if possible, they will know your prospect inside & out.

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I would avoid claiming races. You will in most cases be paying much more than you can buy it for and you most likely won’t be allowed to vet it before it runs. The general public may not claim horses, you will have to pay a trainer to do it, put the money up before it runs and you’ve bought it once it leaves the gate whether it breaks down & is crippled or euthanized or finishes in the winners’ circle.

They do all the time. Unless you have a lot of experience with horses I wouldn’t get one though.

Look for the CANTER websites. There are a lot of ex race horse rescues. You can get them for free or cheap. Most of them aren’t top of the line TB’s though because trainers go through the barns before hand and decide which ones they would be willing to resell.