Becoming another working horse: animal careers and the conversion of racehorses – RE-HORSE

RE-HORSE project: “Becoming another horse: animal careers and the retraining of race horses”

How can we improve the retraining of racehorses into other working animals? How can we rebuild the careers and work of animals beyond their sporting dimension? The RE-HORSE research project - "Becoming another working horse: animal careers and the retraining of racehorses" - looks at the retraining of racehorses and, more broadly, the working relationship between humans and animals. It is part of a participatory research approach involving players in the professional world of horse racing and riding. Its aim is not only to assess the current state of racehorse retraining in France, but also to explore new practices and opportunities for integration into the equine world.
The RE-HORSE consortium is made up of scientific and professional partners working together to improve the way in which animals, in this case racehorses, are put to work: the UMR Innovation (INRAe) and the Centre Nobert Elias (CNRS); the National Federation of Horse Races (FNCH), the Ecole Blondeau and the French Horse and Riding Institute (IFCE). Their wide-ranging skills will help to mobilise and support retraining associations and, more broadly, all those involved in the world of horseracing, in a collective effort to redefine the careers of racehorses.
RE-HORSE meets the social and professional challenges of improving working conditions for animals. A growing number of citizens, as well as racehorse owners, are showing increasing concern for the lives of animals. For the FNCH, it is important to continue to expand conversion, which has already reduced the burden of culling horses through slaughter, and to ensure good placement and working conditions for them in their subsequent careers. From a scientific point of view, we know very little about the retraining of sport horses - and more generally of working animals - in the fields of animal studies. Knowledge needs to be developed here to support those involved in the racing world. Another of RE-HORSE's challenges is to shift the weight of abolitionism in the way we rebuilding our societies' relationship with domestic animals. The aim is to rethink the way in which humans and animals live together - and therefore live well and die well - through work.
Lasting 18 months, the RE-HORSE project is organized around a number of tasks designed to get the horseracing profession to work on itself. In order to mobilise and support those involved in the retraining process, two tasks are aimed respectively at: i/ carrying out an ethnographic study of current retraining practices and stables; ii/ experimenting with a new method of re-educating competition horses from an ethno-ethological perspective. A third task is devoted to discussing the results at the level of the FNCH and the IFCE.
In addition to the publication of scientific articles, one of the deliverables of the RE-HORSE project is to draw up an inventory of horse retraining in order to provide professionals with the initial keys to thinking about its current organisation - its limitations, difficulties and levers - and to provide new cognitive and practical resources applicable to retraining. These two contributions are essential for the profession to work on itself, which we propose to set up in the form of a Committee for the Retraining of Racehorses. Setting this up is another deliverable of the RE-HORSE project.