The welfare of horses after their working careers end is a significant and growing concern, with thousands of horses each year facing uncertain futures when they are no longer economically useful.
Horse retirement welfare reveals an uncomfortable truth: horses have value while they can work, and reduced value when they cannot. This economic reality drives thousands of horses annually into welfare-compromising outcomes — long-distance slaughter transport, neglect, or abandonment. The horses most at risk are those in the middle: too injured to work, too expensive to keep, but not sick enough to euthanise. Addressing this requires both upstream solutions — breed fewer horses than the industry can support — and downstream ones: better funded rehoming organisations, stronger slaughter transport regulations, and a cultural shift toward recognising lifelong responsibility for horses brought into human use.