How many ex SA Racehorses end up at an Abattoir

I did not know how else to header this question.

when i look at sale results and horses retiring from racing being shipped to Mauritius/Zimbabwe the 1st thing that i wonder is where do the ex race horses end.

Options would be Horse Meat, Glue other by products. are these humanly done and if so who manages this process.

Mauritius cant surely have that many riding farms and i doubt the expense to send back to SA after racing is considered.

its something that always bothers me.

About 3500 horses enter the game each year. So it follows that about that many exit per year.

So in the last 3 years, 10,000 and the last 6 years 20,000. Give or take.

From your heading, is it that horses end that bothers you, or to an abattoir?

Not a great subject , but one that I have thought of often enough.

Being that I have sold to Maurituis many times ,because of the attachment I try follow them until retirement , however there after they disappear , we cant imagine that all horses sent to Maurituis are catered for after their careers are over.

Very sad but true.

In the case of Zimbabwe, I can assure you that racehorses are looked after properly. Not just racehorses to that end. While the economy underwent its vertiginous tailspin, there still was enough monitoring of the welfare of animals. I personally got involved in one of the cases involving the leading academic institution, University of Zimbabwe, in which a couple of its vets had been accused of impropriety when euthanising horses. VAWS and SPCA, both voluntary organisations have been fierce watchdogs.

With upstanding gentleman like Markus Roy and the SAP boys soon joining their hero Jacob in orange overalls. A horse abattoir sounds like a good investment. People that are happy to make obscene money in dodgy deals will gladly take a few Rand from the glue factory


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I used to think the comments about the lion park were flippant

In Mauritius many are Euthanised following their racing career. There are only so many private homes and trail riding centers that can take in these horses.

In South Africa, humane euthanasia is a very real reality. If horses do not fetch a minimum of say R3000 on a sale, the seller really ought to vet the person the horse is given/sold to, and if not 100% certain of the person, rather do the right thing and Euthanise. Too many horses land up in the wrong hands. Facebook is FULL of trolls inquiring on cheap TBs for sale, some quite blatantly admitting they are looking for stock for bush racing.

I feel there is nothing wrong with humane euthanasia (As sad as it sounds, but it is a reality), than passing on a problem horse, or one that is not wanted in the market out there.
I don't know how legal horse meat is in South Africa, which is one issue standing in the way of the abattoirs.

Wonder what the horse would say

mydada wrote: Wonder what the horse would say

Neighhh....NEIGHHHHH!!! :lol:

johnnycomelately wrote:

mydada wrote: Wonder what the horse would say

Neighhh....NEIGHHHHH!!! :lol:

:lol: :lol: :lol: made my morning....

This is something most of us cant bear to think about. Fortunately in Zimbabwe there is a thriving show jumping community, which helps. As for Mauritius, wondering what happens to those horses puts me off watching their races. This is a worldwide problem and I believe it is time to introduce a worldwide levy on all horse sales, for aftercare.

We talk a lot about bringing new people into racing ...the horrific tales about horses slaughtered puts many of them off.

Hi ShelC. Who should pay for this levy?


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