Hyderabad: A racehorse retires at the age of seven and goes on to live up to 22 to 25 years at most, while the animal’s lifespan is between 25 to 30 years.
Health complications encountered during the race-span end up claiming a horse’s life, experts said. After they retire, horse-riding schools pick up non-athletic horses or they are used for polo or show-jumping.
“After retirement, mares (female horses) are sent to the farm for breeding and those males that are not picked by schools turn into stallions,” said horse trainer Mr Leo de Silva. “The mares and stallions mate and the cycle continues. A racehorse lives up to 20 to 22 years depending on how it was looked after. Non-performing young horses who develop chronic complications are pulled out from the race and either sent to homes (people who love to breed animals) or to the farm. Many a time, the Indian Army purchases retired horses.”
After leaving the races, horses are more relaxed. Their muscles loosen up. A few colts who develop lameness at the Hyderabad Race Course are sent to a farm in Chevella, on the city’s outskirts.
Mr Micheal, owner of Michael Horse Riding School, said, “We pick up retired horses aged 6 to 7 for the school. In Hyderabad, the race course does not allow horses beyond seven years to be in the races unless they are exceptional performers. Few are also sent to Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata clubs, where they race for another year or two.”
