Retired Racehorse Therapy Horse: Meet Fury, Thoroughbred of the Year

Can a retired racehorse become a therapy horse?

Yes, a retired racehorse can become a therapy horse, as long as it has a calm mind, stays sound and gets slow, specialized retraining. It isn't the right job for every ex-racer, though, and good programs are very choosy about which horses they accept.

The newest proof arrived on Oct. 12, 2026. The Jockey Club's Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.) named Fury, a retired racehorse therapy horse at a Pennsylvania riding center, its Thoroughbred of the Year.

His story shows both sides of the question. Yes, it can work, and it took about two years of careful preparation to get there.

Meet Fury, Thoroughbred of the Year 2026

Here's what The Jockey Club announced, as reported by Thoroughbred Daily News:

• Who: Fury, registered with The Jockey Club as Junglist, an 8-year-old gelding.
• His path: he retired from racing in 2021 through Turning For Home, the retirement program connected to Parx Racing, which matched him with Special Equestrians, a therapeutic riding center in Warrington, Pennsylvania.
• His training: the center's team spent about two years training and desensitizing him before he became an active therapy horse.
• His job today: he works with both mounted and unmounted participants, meaning some people ride him and others groom, lead or simply spend time with him from the ground.

He isn't the center's first winner. Special Equestrians' executive director, Janice Witt, noted that another of its Thoroughbreds, Kat (registered as Kat's Hope), won the same award in 2023 and is the program's top-performing therapy horse.

What the T.I.P. awards mean

T.I.P. is The Jockey Club's program for rewarding registered Thoroughbreds in careers after racing. Most T.I.P. awards are earned through competition, but its two non-competition awards are chosen from applications instead of being won on points: Thoroughbred of the Year and Young Rider of the Year, for riders 18 or under who own or lease a Thoroughbred.

• Thoroughbred of the Year goes to a Thoroughbred that has excelled in a non-competitive career, such as equine-assisted therapy or police work.
• It carries a $5,000 grant paid to the nonprofit associated with the horse. If there's no organization, The Jockey Club picks a horse-related charity.
• For a therapy center, that money is real help. The 2026 notice set the application deadline at June 30.

The same release named Addyson Machese, who turns 16 in November, as Young Rider of the Year. Her horse is Feta (registered as Russian Ekati), an unraced 5-year-old Thoroughbred. The pair placed third in the Open Crossrails Division at the 2026 T.I.P. Championships and earned that division's Junior High Point Award. All That Jazz (Northern Jazz), an 18-year-old who still competes as a college team horse in the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association (IHSA), was named the Thoroughbred of the Year Honoree. So these awards aren't only about life outside the show ring.

What therapeutic riding and equine-assisted services are

Equine-assisted services (EAS) is the umbrella term for programs where horses help people. PATH Intl., a leading credentialing and accrediting association for these programs in North America, was founded in 1969 as the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association.

The main types you'll see:

• Therapeutic (adaptive) riding: riding lessons taught by a certified instructor and adapted to each rider's needs.
• Therapies incorporating horses: physical, occupational or speech therapy, delivered by a licensed therapist who uses the horse as part of the session. You'll often hear this called hippotherapy.
• Equine-assisted learning and mental-health services: mostly groundwork, such as grooming and leading, often with no riding at all.
• Driving and interactive vaulting: carriage driving and gymnastics on a horse led on a longe line.

PATH Intl.'s 2025 fact sheet gives a sense of scale. Its 2024 statistics counted 721 member centers, 7,639 equines and 56,101 volunteers, with 71,236 participants reported by the centers that sent in data.

One honest note: centers describe these programs in terms of skills, fun, independence and connection. A therapy horse supports the work of instructors and licensed therapists. It is not a treatment by itself, and families should ask their own health-care team what fits.

What makes a good therapeutic riding horse

The ideal therapeutic riding horse is sound, unflappable and forgiving. The Painted Turtle, a California camp with a riding program, publishes a typical checklist. Its horses must tolerate a crowd: a rider, two side-walkers, a leader and an instructor all around them at once.

A good therapy horse:

• Stands like a statue at the mounting ramp. Riders who can't mount from the ground use a ramp, so the horse must fit snugly between the ramp and a mounting block while an unsteady rider gets on with 2-3 helpers close by.
• Accepts side-walkers. These are volunteers who walk beside the horse with a hand on the rider's leg or belt.
• Forgives mistakes. Riders may lose their balance or pull on the reins by accident.
• Ignores noise and action. Toys, balls, wheelchairs, clapping and busy arenas are part of the job.
• Loves being handled. Some horses are groomed several times a day by many hands.
• Is serviceably sound. The horse's movement is part of the lesson, so it can't limp or take short steps.
• Has full vision, a strong back and current vaccines. Many centers won't take horses with chronic health problems.

Centers also look at build. A narrow horse can suit a rider who has trouble separating their legs, while a wide horse gives a bigger base for balance. Age matters too: the Painted Turtle generally looks for horses 8 to 20 years old, with exceptions.

Retired racehorse therapy horse: why some OTTBs fit and others don't

An OTTB (off-track Thoroughbred) arrives with useful habits. Racehorses are used to daily handling, bathing, the farrier, the vet, trailers and the noise of a busy barn. Many adapt well to a new routine.

But therapy work asks for almost the opposite of racing. A racehorse is rewarded for going forward fast; a therapy horse is rewarded for standing still and waiting.

The key point is that each horse is an individual. Breed doesn't decide who becomes a therapy horse; temperament and soundness do. The Painted Turtle, for example, says its herd has included former show horses, school horses, family pets and horses with backgrounds in police work.

If an ex-racer isn't suited to therapy, that's fine. It may shine in a sport, on the trail or as a companion. Our guide to what an OTTB is covers those second careers.

How long retraining takes

There is no shortcut. Fury retired in 2021 and spent about two years in preparation before he worked with participants. Here's how the process usually unfolds:

1. Let-down and vet check. Time off the track, a feed change toward forage and a health exam.
2. Basic restart. Ground manners, standing tied, steady work at the walk and trot under a capable rider. See our groundwork guide.
3. Desensitization. Gradual exposure to ramps, wheelchairs, balls, flags, toys and people walking alongside. Our desensitization guide explains the calm, step-by-step approach.
4. Trial period at a center. Programs almost always ask for one; the Painted Turtle's trial is 90 days, set out in a written agreement.
5. Gradual start. Short, easy sessions with experienced volunteers before the horse carries more participants.

Count in years, not weeks. And a horse that passes the trial still gets ongoing checks on its comfort and workload.

How families can find an accredited center

If you're looking for therapeutic riding for a child or adult, start with credentials.

1. Search PATH Intl.'s directory. The pathintl.org site has a "Find a PATH Intl. Member Center" tool. Its 2024 statistics counted 231 Premier Accredited Centers, which have gone through PATH Intl.'s center accreditation process.
2. Outside the U.S. and Canada, PATH Intl. has almost no member centers, so ask directly who teaches, what training they have, and whether a licensed physical or occupational therapist leads any hippotherapy sessions.
3. Ask who teaches. Look for a PATH Intl. Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor (CTRI) for riding, and a licensed therapist for therapy sessions.
4. Visit and watch a lesson. Check helmets, side-walkers, the mounting area and how calm the horses are. Our safety section has the basics.
5. Ask about fees and waiting lists. Most PATH Intl. member centers are nonprofits, and many offer reduced fees or scholarships. In 2024, 407 PATH Intl. centers reported waiting lists, so apply early.
6. Expect an evaluation. Most centers assess each new participant before matching them with a horse.

Curious but not ready to sign up? Most centers rely on volunteers, so leading or side-walking is a great way to learn. Parents can find more in our parents and teachers hub.

What to watch next and what to do

• Owners with a quiet ex-racer: if you think your horse might suit therapy work, contact local centers and ask for their criteria. Expect an evaluation and a trial, and have a plan for where your horse goes when it retires.
• Racehorse owners: aftercare programs like Turning For Home screen horses and match them with the right partner. That's how Fury reached Special Equestrians.
• Next year's awards: in 2026, T.I.P. non-competition applications closed June 30. Check tjctip.com for the 2027 application dates.
• Want to adopt instead? Read how to adopt a horse and see how retrained racehorses did at the 2026 Thoroughbred Makeover.