“And they all lived happily ever after.”
The good news is that the famous ending doesn’t only happen in fairytales. It’s true of thoroughbred racehorses too.
Just ask Hollywoodbets, which is leading the charge for equine welfare in South Africa. Once its horses have run their final race, they continue to enjoy a productive life off the track and in the care of new owners.
Nicole Wille, manager and founder of Hollywoodbets Life After Racing, says the programme provides retraining and responsible rehoming for retired Hollywood Racing horses. Fast approaching a major milestone in horses rehomed, the programme began modestly in 2023 from a small, rented yard with eight stables in Drummond, near Durban.
Later, Life After Racing moved to the former Gold Circle Ashburton Training Centre, which had fallen into disuse. And today, thanks to Hollywoodbets support, the programme has its own top-class facilities at the centre, which it shares with Hollywood Racing’s training and pre-training operations.
Wille said the programme can cater for 50 horses, with its own dedicated staff of 21 grooms and work riders. It is also backed by independent vets, farriers, nutritionists, dentists and other equine professionals. And because racehorses, like human athletes, sometimes need help getting over niggles or injuries, physios and other therapists are on hand to provide comprehensive care.
Wille says Hollywood racehorses, after a career of three to seven years, are taken through a comprehensive programme. It begins with a good rest, for an average of three to four months. Next, they are assessed to see what discipline fits them best for the future, with many going on to become “happy hacks”, or beginning second careers in polo, polocrosse, dressage, showing and jumping. Training follows, with a focus on ensuring the horses are calm, balanced and confident, ready for their new lives.
The perception by some in the public that racehorses are inevitably skittish, hard to manage or somehow unsuitable for rehoming, is wide off the mark, says Wille. An equine management professional who has wide experience in South Africa, Great Britain and USA, she says that after a few months break from the track and on lower-energy feed, racehorses soon become more relaxed.
“It resets their brains. I find they are not as high-strung. The beautiful thing about thoroughbreds is that they are extremely athletic. They are wanting to please; they want to do a job,” she says.
But getting a horse ready for his or her new life is only part of the story. You need the right owner too.
Wille will advertise, call on her extensive network, or ring up names on the programme waiting list. Then it’s time to meet the would-be owners and make certain they have the knowledge, resources and affection to take on a retired racehorse. They are quizzed at length, asked for references and to produce photographs of their stables.
Wille likens this part of her work to matchmaking.
It’s about finding the right horse for the right person: The horse needs to be suitable for the equine discipline the new owner has in mind and with a temperament, be it lively or more relaxed. Ensuring a good match gives the best chance of a happy ending, says Wille. But you can’t control everything and because owners’ circumstances sometimes change, the rehoming contract includes a right-to-return.
So far, only a handful of horses have been brought back (and soon found new homes). But Wille says right-to-return helps owners feel more comfortable taking on what to them is still a bit of an unknown, and to ensuring the horse’s welfare into the future.
During their racing careers, she says, racehorses are “cared for at the highest level” and the programme is about making sure the new owners keep up the good work. Wille does regular checks but says that thanks to social media she’s often already up to speed and enjoys reading owners posts, showing off their horses and how well they were settling down in their new homes or excelling in equestrian sport.
Hollywoodbets Life After Racing horses are in great demand and have been resettled across the country. There are even several in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Kenya, says Wille. She speaks of the strong relationships the programme has forged and the close friendships made, all helping to ensure Hollywood’s retirees thrive.
They are doing well in a host of disciplines, says Wille, mentioning the Western Mounted Games, in Parys, where three Life After Racing graduates competed, in early October 2026. It truly is a second life for the retired racehorses; living happily ever after.
