Most Thoroughbreds on racetracks often live confined lives in stalls with limited exercise, high-energy diets, and few chances to enjoy natural behaviors like rolling or playing with other horses. Transitioning these horses from racing to a second career can be challenging, involving issues like recovering from leg injuries, improving hoof health, relieving muscle soreness, and handling new emotional challenges.
In the unique setting of a Wyoming high country ranch, Kate Anderson has developed a method that restores physical, mental, and emotional well-being to these horses. She has helped many off-track Thoroughbreds (OTTBs) find a new lease on life as sport or pleasure horses, or simply to enjoy their retirement. By mimicking the lifestyle of wild horses, she’s shown that Thoroughbreds are not fragile creatures needing constant care with blankets, shoes, and wraps.
How It Began
Anderson, a classically trained dressage rider, started buying Thoroughbreds from a farm near Arapahoe Downs in Denver in 2016 for rehabilitation and resale. Operating from her breeding and training ranch in Cheyenne, Wyoming, she treated over 30 horses annually for six years through the Racehorse Retraining Center, a nonprofit certified by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. While many horses thrived, some required an alternative approach.
“We had to find another solution for horses with serious problems,” Anderson said, which led to moving some horses to her family’s ranch near Chugwater, Wyoming. The ranch’s vast, rugged terrain and natural environment helped reshape these horses physically and mentally, especially improving their hoof health without the use of corrective shoes. This approach disproved the myth that Thoroughbreds are genetically predisposed to poor hoof quality and that they are inherently high-strung.
“Every day horses come to us calm and emotionally balanced because they have freedom,” Anderson noted. Many horses have successfully transitioned to riding or found new homes.
Shift in Focus: Research, Rehab, and Retirement
About 18 months ago, Anderson moved the operation fully to the family ranch in Chugwater, designed around horse health based on observations made. The environment offers everything horses need: food, companionship, and freedom. The ranch’s 2,500 acres of prairie with varied landscapes encourage movement, which is vital for recovery and hoof health. Painful horses could find comfortable terrain to support healing and blood flow.
GPS tracking showed horses in open pasture moved much more and even sprinted daily, while those in large pens moved less. Counterintuitively, practices like shoeing, blanketing, and stalling slowed recovery. Horses recuperating with minimal human interaction thrived, even those recovering from serious conditions like colic surgery. For acute issues, hands-on care like hoof soaking and wrapping is used, alongside regular farrier and veterinary visits.
The team has also rehabilitated horses with severe osteoarthritis, using minimal interventions like trimming, padding, and protecting the hoof wall while letting natural movement on the prairie promote healing. Anderson emphasizes transitioning horses from racing shoes to barefoot to improve long-term hoof health, including better blood flow and neurological function, supported by varied footing such as pea gravel.
Scientific Collaboration
Veterinarian and hoof researcher Robert M. Bowker, Ph.D., from Michigan State University, has been pivotal in guiding research at the ranch. He has studied the structure and biology of horse hooves for nearly 40 years and highlights how improper trimming can damage internal foot tissues and cause lameness. For example, the traditional practice of trimming Thoroughbred hooves to lengthen toes to increase stride actually hinders movement and damages hoof bones.
Bowker explains that long toe trimming pulls on the sensitive tissues covering the coffin bone, causing bone remodeling that weakens it and leads to problems resembling human plantar fasciitis and carpal tunnel syndrome. Proper trimming can heal and restore foot function, dispelling myths about Thoroughbred foot genetics.
Healthy hooves feature a short toe to reduce strain, a broad frog covering much of the sole, a straight coronet band for balance, proper hoof angles, and good ground contact with the frog and heel. Adequate blood flow through the frog is essential for hoof function.
How Owners Can Help
Anderson advises owners to:
– Prioritize skilled trimming focused on hoof anatomy and biomechanics, supported by knowledgeable veterinarians.
– Provide horses with turnout ideally 24/7 in a large, peaceful herd to encourage natural movement and behavior.
– Be patient; complete recovery takes time—often a year or more—with noticeable improvements within the first six months.
– Gradually introduce light groundwork and riding to build bond and fitness without pushing horses beyond their limits.
– Avoid restrictive tack and intense training early on to allow horses to heal and emotionally reconnect.
Future Plans
The ranch plans to expand research and share insights with the horse community. Horses receive regular hoof X-rays, photos, and behavioral monitoring to document progress. The Racehorse Retraining Center remains committed to offering a sanctuary for Thoroughbreds needing retirement or rehabilitation and welcomes inquiries from owners.
More information is available at https://www.wyomingottb.org or via email at info@wyomingottb.com.
Fan Take:
This innovative approach to retraining and rehabilitating off-track Thoroughbreds is a game-changer for the industry. By showing that proper environment, movement, and trimming can overcome common health issues, it offers hope for extending the careers and improving the lives of these athletes, which ultimately benefits the sport and horse welfare alike.
