What Happens to Injured Racehorses? HISA's Recovery Foundation Takes 33

What happens to injured racehorses now?

When a Thoroughbred suffers a treatable but career-ending injury at a participating HISA-regulated U.S. track, the owner can now hand the horse to the HISA Equine Recovery Foundation (HERF), which pays for surgery, rehab and a long-term retirement plan. In the past, the cost of that care could leave owners facing much harder choices.

The news hook: on Oct. 21, 2026, HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus told the Thoroughbred Daily News that HERF had accepted 33 horses as of Oct. 16. Its goal for the whole first year was 15.

The timing matters. The Breeders' Cup comes to Keeneland on Oct. 30-31, and big race weeks always bring the same question from fans and families: what happens to the horses when racing is over?

What is the HISA Equine Recovery Foundation?

HERF is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit. HISA (the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, the national body that sets safety and anti-doping rules for Thoroughbred racing) announced it in December 2025, and its pilot launched in early 2026. HERF's own roster does list one earlier case, a horse taken in on Nov. 21, 2025.

Key facts, from HISA, TDN and HERF's own site:

• Who it helps: Thoroughbreds with career-ending injuries from racing or training that have a good chance of recovery.
• What it pays for: Veterinary treatment, including surgery, plus rehabilitation and a long-term care plan for each horse.
• How it's funded: Donations, kept separate from HISA's operating budget. A $100,000 founding gift from board chair Joe De Francis and Katherine Wilkins De Francis started the pilot.
• Who runs it: Executive director Mandy Minger and an independent board that includes Denali Stud owner Craig Bandoroff, trainer Ron Moquett and UC Davis veterinarian Dr. Sue Stover.
• Where it works: The pilot began in the Mid-Atlantic, Arkansas, Illinois and Ohio. The goal is to cover all of HISA's Thoroughbred tracks.

Participation is voluntary. HERF's site says the owner transfers ownership to the foundation and the horse retires from racing right away.

Which injuries qualify?

Not every injury does. A three-person committee of veterinarians decides case by case.

The test is simple to say and hard to meet: does the horse have a strong chance of becoming pain-free and sound enough for pasture life, without needing lots of long-term vet care? HERF says it focuses on injuries with strong recovery outcomes, such as certain leg bone fractures.

Its guiding question is whether treatment is in the horse's best interest. When it isn't, HERF doesn't take the case.

The numbers so far

All figures below come from HISA and TDN.

HERF's site says rehab averages 6 to 12 months, so most of those 33 horses are still recovering. TDN reported on Oct. 12 that HERF's budget for 2027 is $1.4 million, and that in-kind help, such as donated stalls, surgery and transport, covered about a third of its 2026 costs.

Does HERF lower racing fatality rates?

That's what HISA argues, and the claim needs some care. In its second-quarter report, HISA said HERF had saved six horses from euthanasia: two injured in races and four in training. It said that without HERF, the racing fatality rate would have been 1.06 per 1,000 starts instead of the reported 1.01, and the training rate 0.47 per 1,000 workouts instead of 0.43.

In other words, HISA suggests HERF could lower the official numbers by saving horses that would once have been counted as deaths. It doesn't prevent injuries in the first place. That job falls to track safety rules, vet exams and surfaces.

The Empty Stall Challenge: farms lend a stall

A horse in rehab needs a quiet stall, small turnout and people who know injured horses. HERF's Empty Stall Challenge asks Thoroughbred farms to donate one vacant stall, ideally within two or three hours of a HISA track, training center or vet clinic.

Farms that have hosted HERF horses, per TDN:

• Brandywine Farm (Paris, Ky.)
• Colts Neck Stables (Colts Neck, N.J.)
• Denali Stud (Paris, Ky.)
• Godolphin (Lexington, Ky.)
• Machmer Hall (Paris, Ky.)
• Margeaux Farm (Midway, Ky.)
• Ross Haven Farm (Sturbridge, Mass.)

The first Empty Stall Challenge horse, a 3-year-old gelding with the barn name Ryan, had surgery donated by Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, recovered at Denali Stud and moved to New Vocations in August. By October he was back under saddle and listed for adoption, best suited to a lower-level riding career, according to TDN.

Horses get a barn name when HERF takes them in, to protect the privacy of their former connections. TDN reports that horses go back to their Jockey Club names when they are adopted into a permanent home.

Where do HERF horses go next?

Rehab is only the middle of the story. As of mid-October, according to HISA:

1. Six horses were at New Vocations Racehorse Adoption in Lexington, Ky.
2. One was at Thoroughbred Retirement, Rehabilitation and Careers (TRRC) in Oxford, Pa.
3. Two were shipping to CANTER Michigan to be retrained and rehomed.
4. Two that aren't suited to riding retired to a sanctuary farm in Virginia.

HERF's site lists three possible futures: riding horse, therapy companion or pasture pet. Not every horse goes back to work, and that's fine. A sound, happy pasture companion is a good outcome too.

HISA itself doesn't regulate horses before or after their racing careers. HERF fills one specific gap: the moment an injury ends a career and treatment costs could decide the horse's future.

Thinking about adopting a recovered racehorse?

A HERF graduate is an OTTB (off-the-track Thoroughbred) with a known medical history, which can be a real plus. Read our guide to what an OTTB is first. Here's a practical checklist:

• Adopt through an accredited group. New Vocations, TRRC and CANTER list horses and screen adopters.
• Ask for the injury and rehab records. Find out what was repaired, how long rehab took and what work the vet has cleared.
• Get your own pre-purchase exam. Even with an adoption, your vet should check the horse's soundness against what you plan to do.
• Match the job to the horse. A horse cleared for light trail work may not be right for jumping. Be honest about your goals.
• Budget for the ongoing basics: board, hay, farrier, dental and routine vet care. See our care guide and health basics.
• Plan for retraining time. Racehorses learn a whole new job, so a trainer who knows OTTBs is worth paying for.

If you can't adopt, you can still help: donate to HERF, sponsor a horse at an aftercare group, or, if you run a farm, offer a stall.

What to watch next

• Breeders' Cup week (Oct. 30-31, Keeneland): Big race weeks put a spotlight on horse welfare, so aftercare may come up on broadcasts and social media.
• HISA's third-quarter metrics report: Watch for an updated HERF count and how HISA uses those numbers in its fatality figures.
• More tracks and farms: HERF wants to cover every HISA Thoroughbred track, and that will take more donated stalls.
• Adoption listings: Several HERF horses are finishing rehab now. Watch New Vocations, TRRC and CANTER Michigan for new listings.

For more on what happens on race day, read what happens when a horse falls in a race. For another real-world look at rehoming, see where Hawthorne's racehorses went.