Study Examines Off-The-Track Thoroughbred Adoption Issues

Researchers found that reasons for returning an adopted horse are highly variable and unpredictable.
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Researchers recently investigated two issues related to the adoption of off-the-track Thoroughbreds: identifying individual horse characteristics that influence the length of stay at an adoption facility, and determining any identifiable horse characteristics that make adopted animals more likely to be returned to the adoption facilities.

Results from the study, conducted by Jill Stowe, PhD, associate professor in agricultural economics at the University of Kentucky, in conjunction with Michelle Kibler, MS and PhD candidate in agricultural and resource economics at Colorado State University, potentially have real-world implications for nonprofit organizations dedicated to rescuing, retraining, and re-homing these horses. The Equine Drug Research Council funded the study.

According to the authors, organizations can use these results to identify possible ways to reduce costs and/or maximize the number of horses they can re-home. The study results can also be used to educate racehorse owners and trainers about what types of horses the aftermarket desires most, which might also help them determine the optimal time to put a horse up for adoption.

The study found that horses with fewer activity restrictions, those that were sound enough to do some jumping, and those that were young had faster adoption rates

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