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| Staff Writer |
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For Debbie Armaly, horses haven't just been a passion; they've been a lifelong journey. From her early riding days in the UK to becoming involved in the equine community in the UAE, horses have always been part of her life, and she now ensures a fulfilling future for retired racehorses.
Driven by compassion and a deep understanding of horse welfare, Debbie started rehoming these retired athletes, offering to find them a second chance at a happy and purposeful life. This passion blossomed into Life After Racing UAE, a non-profit organisation dedicated to finding new careers and loving homes for these horses.
In this exclusive interview with Ten Furlongs, we delve into the world of retired racehorses with a passionate advocate who has dedicated many years to ensuring these majestic animals find a fulfilling life after Racing.
Approximately 12 years ago, I owned shares in racehorses within a syndicate. During this time, one of the horses had to be retired. Having had horses in the UK for many years, I was interested as to where the horses would be rehomed. The syndicate asked if I could find a new owner, and this is how I started. A few months later, another racehorse required retirement, and I was able to find another suitable home. Gradually, trainers began contacting me to help find homes for their other retired horses, which led to a growth in the number of horses I could assist with finding homes.
Finding the perfect owner for a horse is a significant challenge, as the horse must adapt well to a new lifestyle. However, with proper training and time to relax, the horse can adjust and enjoy life with its new companions.
The ideal scenario would involve a rehabilitation facility for horses to recover from injuries, relax, and be horses. After that, proper retraining programs would be conducted to ensure the horses are ready for adoption. Interested individuals could visit the facility and spend time with the horses to provide a suitable match. Furthermore, education initiatives could be undertaken to educate horse owners and trainers on caring for horses during rehabilitation. A funding program could also be established, where a percentage of the winnings or entry fees from races would go towards supporting the aftercare of horses. Finally, horse owners need to have a plan for what to do with the horses after they retire.
A common perception is that racehorses are highly strung. However, given time to relax after their racing career and transitioning to a lower-protein diet, placed back into a herd where horses are together, they can return to a relaxed state and behave like a typical horse. This relaxed mode makes it easier for the retraining program. They require an adjustment period to get out of the racing routine into a more relaxed lifestyle, before retraining can begin.
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Life After Racing is a league set up to encourage all the owners of ex-racehorses or ex-endurance horses to compete on their horses. In many disciplines, such as Showing, Dressage, Show Jumping and Eventing, competitions have been dominated by imported warmbloods, whereby I saw the opportunity to create the league to encourage our equestrian community in the UAE to take on ex-racehorses. I became inspired by a similar charity the ROR and with my colleague Sophie Dyball, Life After Racing was created.
I have been part of several successful ventures, but one story is my favourite. I was involved with a racehorse named Kilt Rock, who, over the years, won many races at Meydan and Jebel Ali Racecourse in Dubai. Eventually, he was rehomed to a woman named Cassy Dickson, who competed with him in various events such as show jumping and dressage, and winning on many occasions. Later, they all moved back to the UK, where I visit him frequently. He is now 17 years old but looks like a million dollars and enjoys life to the fullest.
Our league operates purely on sponsorship, and we have various platforms, such as our website, Instagram and Facebook, to promote it. The higher the sponsorship we receive, the greater the prize money we can offer. The more sizeable the prize money, the more inclined people are to participate in the league by bringing their horses on board.
We're looking forward to having members of the racing community who have sponsored the event attend. This will allow them to witness how the horses they've trained and raced in the past are doing in their new career. Not only racing enthusiasts but anyone interested in seeing the potential of these horses are welcome to attend. Additionally, those considering taking on a horse can observe these animals and evaluate their abilities.
We have an end-of-season awards ceremony in May, where we give out prizes to participants who have been competing all season. To keep everyone engaged during the summer, we organize an online dressage competition. The competition is judged by different judges each month to keep things fresh and exciting. We plan to expand the league next year by bringing in more sponsors and offering more prizes.
Life After Racing UAE is a beacon of hope through Debbie's tireless efforts and the support of the growing community, where these majestic animals find fulfilling second careers, proving their versatility and resilience. The challenges remain, but with each success story like Kiltrock's and every individual who gets involved, the future for retired racehorses in the UAE brightens.