The career of the average racehorse is rather brief, with most animals usually retired from the track by age 6 or 7. In addition, some horses originally bred for the sport never end up running a race as a result of not reaching certain standards, but go on to compete in other arenas such as equestrian events.

For those horses that do make it onto the track, a number of options exist once they've retired. Some become breeders, while others become family or companion horses. There are also racehorse retirement sanctuaries, which serve as permanent homes for these animals and differ from horse rescues, which focus on rehabilitating and adopting out the horses they accept. However, horse adoption is a bit different than, say, adopting a dog. Diana Pikulski, executive director for the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, explains, "When a thoroughbred first arrives at a rescue, it is evaluated according to its ability, temperament and many other factors. Based on these evaluations, the horse may be re-trained for a second career in show, dressage or even to join a police force. Others may not be sound enough for a second career but can be placed in caring environments as a family horse, used in therapy or true retirement on a farm. Thoroughbreds are highly valued animals and you should expect to pay a significant adoption fee. Potential adopters are also carefully screened and will sometimes work with the horse at the rescue for several months before moving the horse to its new home." There are hundreds of both horse rescue and sanctuary organizations across the country that care for former racehorses.