On average, the racing career of a horse will end when they are between 2-3 years old. However, a horse's natural life span is 25-30 years.

Racing of 2 year old horses

Horses often begin their racing career at 2 years old, and begin training as young as 15 months old. At such a young age, horses' skeletal systems are not fully matured, which puts them at a high risk of serious injury when they race. Horses don't physically mature until they are around six-years old. Outside of the racing industry, mainstream advice is that horses should not carry a rider until they are 3-4 years old. Research has revealed shin soreness is often the cause of lameness in 2 year old racehorses.

Racing horses at such an early age means stakeholders may see a return on their investment sooner; thus, the justification for racing horses at such a young age is purely a financial one.

Deaths on track

A report conducted by the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses found that between August 2024 and July 2025, 175 racehorses died on Australian race tracks. The report found that the most common cause of death was catastrophic front limb injury, with 85 occurrences.

Horses falling during a race. Source: Animal Liberation

These deaths were tracked through stewards reports in each Australian state and territory, and only includes deaths that occured on the track immediately after an incident. This means that horses euthanised days after their injury, following further examination, were not included in this figure; thus the death toll from on track injuries is likely much higher.

Key findings of this report include

• 54 of the horses that died had been raced as 2-year olds
• 10 horses died at 2 years old

• Bleeds (EIPH) were the cause of death for 5 horses

• There were 7 horses that collapsed and died on track

Racing during pregnancy

Outlined in the Australian rules of Racing, a pregnant horse may still be raced up until their 4th month of pregnancy. It is believed by some in the racing industry that a fillie's performance improves when she races in foal.

Source: Racing Australia; Australian Rules of Racing.

Jumps racing

Victoria is now the only state in Australia that is yet to ban jumps racing. Statistically, jumps racing is 20 times more dangerous for horses than flat racing. The number of deaths on track for jumps racing is unclear. This is largely due to a lack of transparency within the industry; the death toll for horses in trailing and trials is not publicly available.