How retired racehorses in Ontario find new purpose after the track

HILLSBURGH — Vicki Pappas and Lauren Millet are giving retired thoroughbred racehorses a second lease on life.

Pappas is chairperson and founding member of LongRun Thoroughbred Retirement Society, a 100-acre facility that specializes in matching retired thoroughbreds with new owners for a second career and finding them adoptive homes. Millet is LongRun’s farm and adoption manager.

LongRun was established as a charity in 2000 and then as a farm in 2017, and has rehomed over 1,000 thoroughbreds. It currently has roughly 60 horses, including champions Pink Lloyd, Riker, Rahy’s Attorney, Fifty Proof and Something Extra.

“People don’t understand how good thoroughbreds are in post-career jobs,” said Pappas, who was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame as a builder in 2021. “They’re extremely versatile; they can do almost anything.

“Show jumping, dressage, even a family horse. We even had photos of a graduate herding cattle, which is something they’d never be exposed to at the track.”

Millet said not every horse is suited for a competitive second career, and that LongRun focuses on listening to what each animal needs — whether that means retraining or simply a quieter life with regular care and attention.

“Some want to be pulled out of the field, loved on, ridden three or four days a week and that’s it,” she said. “It’s up to us to listen to them, telling us what they might want to do for the rest of their lives.”

Pappas said LongRun relies on support from the racing industry and private donors to care for retired horses.

Several former champions are sponsored by their racing connections, including Pink Lloyd — Canada’s 2017 Horse of the Year and a seven-time Sovereign Award winner — along with Rahy’s Attorney and Fifty Proof. Riker, Canada’s 2015 champion two-year-old colt, was retired to LongRun with help from individuals at Fort Erie Racetrack.

Despite Pink Lloyd’s decorated career, Pappas said Riker has assumed the role of barn leader.

“Riker is pretty full of himself,” she said. “He’s definitely the boss.”

LongRun has 16 paddocks, indoor walking pens and outdoor fields, with automatic walking machines used to help horses coming off therapy, Pappas said.

“It’s not a weight-bearing exercise, but it starts getting them fit,” she said.

Pappas said LongRun typically takes in between 30 and 40 retired racehorses each year, primarily from Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto and Fort Erie Race Track.

“Especially in today’s racing, there really is a need for aftercare,” Millet said. “Many come off the track at two, three, four or five years old and still have another 20-plus years of life ahead of them.”

Millet said each horse determines both its second career and the pace of the transition.

“Some horses come here, and within a week they are, ‘OK, I’m retired, this is my new job,’” she said. “With other horses, it can take two, three or six months for them to relieve themselves of the stress, rigours and routines of the racetrack.”

The adoption process at LongRun begins with an application, followed by meetings with suitable horses and a site visit to ensure the animal’s long-term well-being.

“We’re not looking for fancy,” Pappas said. “We’re looking for happy, content horses.”

LongRun maintains oversight during the first year after adoption and requires veterinary confirmation of a horse’s health.

While many retirees move on to riding or show homes, Pappas said horses unable to be adopted are provided a lifetime sanctuary.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 23, 2025.

Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press