[GenuineRisk]

I think legacies are for the owners, not the horses. If the horse still wants to run, they should keep running him, even if it means going to lower levels where he can compete. They owe him the best possible life they can offer, and if for him, it still includes running, then let him do it. If he makes it clear he doesn't want to run anymore, then they should retire him. And then, I would hope, look for something else for him to do. I thought Barclay Tagg was right on the money when he said he made Funny Cide a track pony because he said didn't want him spending his day standing in a field, bored out of his noggin. These horses are not elderly- they're still in the prime of their lives and need something to do. Retiring because he can't compete at Grade 1s anymore is for a human's ego, not a horse's emotional health.

I work at a zoo and see how much time and money and effort goes into trying to keep the animals there mentally active, because boredom is incredibly stressful. Retirement to a nice quiet place to live sounds great, but for animals it can mean a whole lot of long days with nothing to fill them.