[Comparison of the career profiles of racehorses over three decades].

The research article summarizes a comparison between the career profiles of thoroughbred racehorses in Germany over three different decades. Trends such as age at end of career and age at start of career, as well as duration of career, are observed.

Scope of the research

• The research was conducted on Thoroughbred racehorses in Germany.
• The career profiles of these horses are compared across three separate decades.
• The years selected for each decade are 1966/67, 1976/77, and 1986/87.

Findings centered on horse career lengths and starting ages

• Each year, around 30% of the racehorses were found to have raced for the last time, indicating the retirement of one-third of the racing population.
• Frequently, racehorses were observed to finish racing at three and four years of age.
• In the early decades (1966-1977), more than half of the horses began their racing careers when they were two years old.
• However, in the later decade (1986/1987), fewer than half began their careers at two years old.

Duration of career influenced by age and gender

• The research indicates that the duration of a horse’s career is influenced by the age of the horse when it first raced, and the gender of the horse.
• In comparison between colts (young male horses) and geldings (castrated males), the former raced for an average of 3.5 years, while the latter raced for an average of 4.3 years.
• Fillies (young female horses) had the shortest average racing career length, at 2.7 years.

Consistency and changes in average races

• The average number of races run by each horse during their career was found to be stable over the decades, remaining at 27 for colts and 35 for geldings.
• Conversely, for fillies, the average number of races decreased from 24 in the 1966/67 period to 20 by the 1986/87 period, showing a declining trend in female participation over time.