These are just some examples of existing programs offering sanctuary for retired horses, but additional solutions continue to be explored. In fact, according to the Thoroughbred Times, the New York State Task Force on Retired Race Horses was established in 2008, the first of its kind intended to explore ways to protect retired horses. One program offered through the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation gives incarcerated men and women the opportunity to learn how to care for animals and gain vocational skills, while also providing the inmates with emotional therapy.

Unfortunately, whether or not a horse has been successful at the track does not limit its risk of being auctioned off and sent to a slaughterhouse. Currently, there is pending legislation (the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2009, H.R. 503) that would protect all horses, including racehorses, from slaughter by prohibiting horse slaughter for human consumption from taking place in the United States and also make it illegal to export American horses across U.S. borders for the same purposes.