Foals given more pasture time and later weaning earn more money

Foals that spent more time turned out at pasture in the first six months of life, and foals that were weaned at an older age were more likely to race at least once by the end of their fourth year of life

Veterinary researchers in the UK have given a new insight into the demanding husbandry needed to transform thoroughbred foals into racehorses. Picture: Healy Racing

Stud farms with their fine houses, post-and-rail paddocks, beech hedges, and state-of-the-art equestrian facilities and stables may seem far removed from the ups and downs of farming. However, veterinary researchers in the UK have given a new insight into the demanding husbandry needed to transform thoroughbred foals into racehorses.

The reality, according to industry-level analyses, suggests that one third of the UK and Ireland thoroughbred foal crop fails to enter racehorse training, raising concerns around wastage of these valuable blue-blooded animals.