Journey Second Careers

When a racehorse is imported into Hong Kong a fee is collected from the owners as a contribution towards their horse's retirement.
When the horse retires from racing, the owner can choose to export the horse to a country of their preference and their fee is returned towards the overseas export costs. In this instance a replacement permit can be obtained allowing the owner to bring a new horse into Hong Kong for racing. Alternatively, if an owner would prefer not to retain ownership and export their horse, they can transfer the horse to the care of the Club. The horse will then undergo assessment for entry into the RESTART Retraining Programme. The retirement fee is retained for these horses as a contribution to the funding of the RESTART Retraining Programme along with additional funding provided by the Club.

The Club has provided a structured retraining programme for retired racehorses since 1964 when Beas River, the Club's national equestrian centre was established as a home for retired racehorses. The programme has expanded and now includes the Retired Horse Unit at Conghua Racecourse, which opened in 2020, alongside the original Retraining Unit based at Beas River Equestrian Centre.

Conghua, Guangzhou, China

Retired Horse Unit

Maximum Number of Retired Horses:

102

Facilities:

Spelling (turn out) yards, lunge pen, horse walkers, swimming pools, sea walker, veterinary hospital and equine therapy centre.

New Territories, Hong Kong SAR

Retraining Unit

Maximum Number of Retired Horses:

80

Facilities:

5 paddocks (arenas), 2 lunge pens, horse walkers, outdoor riding track, cross-country course, hacking trail, spelling (turn out) yards, rolling boxes, veterinary station, farrier workshop.

The facilities at both retired horse locations aid a varied and diverse training programme with the goal of producing well-rounded, relaxed horses that can continue their training and education in a new career once the initial retraining phase is completed.