The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has announced changes to the way retired racehorses are registered in a drive to further improve the traceability of horses leaving the sport.
The new system which is integrated into the existing racing admin site involves opening up the ability to register the new homes of newly retired racehorses to trainers as well as owners.
It is designed to ensure that there is as much traceability as possible for horses who are permanently retired from racing.
Under the previous system only owners had been able to register where their horse was going once it had retired, but recent surveys on aftercare indicated that trainers are often involved in this first retirement decision for horses in training to assist owners.
As such, now both owners and trainers will be able to take part in a simplified online system for permanently retiring a horse which will be in effect from 13 February 2020.
A digital non-racing agreement can also be completed as part of the process, and the details of the new keeper will now be required.
Completion of the process will trigger a notification to any new keeper advising them that they are responsible for completing a transfer of ownership within 30 days. If the new keeper fails to do this, they may incur a fine of up to £5,000 from Trading Standards.
A dedicated page on the BHA’s website will allow participants to check the retirement status of any horse.
