Thoroughbred Retirement Program

The Thoroughbred Retirement program (as outlined in Section 325:75-1-21) is the use of monies from the Oklahoma Breeding and Development Fund Special Account for the purpose of caring for retired and unwanted Oklahoma-Bred Racing Stock.  

The following procedures will be used by the Commission in awarding monies from the Oklahoma Breeding Development Fund Special Account for the purpose of caring for retired and unwanted Oklahoma-Bred racing stock:

(A)   No non-profit entity will be eligible to receive monies from the Oklahoma Breeding Development Fund Special Account for the purpose of caring for retired and unwanted Oklahoma-Bred racing stock during any calendar year unless the official horsemen's representative organization for a participating breed requests that the entity receive such from the Special Account during the calendar year. Requests by the official horsemen's representative organization must be made on an annual basis and no matter when made will only make the non-profit entity eligible during the calendar year in question, assuming all other requirements are met by the non-profit entity.

(B)   The Commission's Executive Director shall determine whether a non-profit entity and its program are eligible to receive funding for the purpose of caring for retired and unwanted horses. Further, the Executive Director shall determine the amount of funds that each eligible and participating entity shall receive, based upon the number of eligible Oklahoma-Bred horses being cared for or to be cared for by the non-profit entity and how much funding is available, using the following funding parameters:

(i)   No more than fifty percent (50%) of funds made available in the Oklahoma Breeding Development Fund Special Account for the purpose of caring for retired or unwanted Oklahoma-Bred racing stock can be used to care for pensioned horses, horses that because of their health or condition are not being rehabilitated and/or retrained for adoption;

(ii)   Funding for horses in an Adoption Program, between $200-$250 per month, per horse, or an amount within a range established annually by the Commission's Executive Director;

(iii)   Funding for horses in a Pension Program, between $150-$200 per month, per horse, or an amount within a range established annually by the Commission's Executive Director.

(C)   Of the funding made available to a non-profit entity for the purpose of providing care to retired and unwanted horses, the non-profit entity may use up to fifteen percent (15%) of those funds for administrative expenses, which are any expenses not related to directly providing of care to horses in the program.

(D)   Before a non-profit entity can receive funding for the care of a horse, whether in an Adoption Program or Pension Program, the horse's eligibility to participate in the program must be established in the following manner: The non-profit entity shall file with the Commission's Oklahoma-Bred Registry Department: (1) an ownership transfer application which transfers ownership of the horse to the non-profit entity or a subcontractor designated by the non-profit entity, together with (2) the horse's original registration papers to be held by the OHRC until the horse is adopted or purchased, (3) documentation showing the horse's last race and/or last workout, and (4) a request that the horse be qualified as retired or unwanted racing stock within its care for the purpose of receiving Oklahoma Breeding Development Fund Special Account monies.

(E)   In addition to transferring the ownership based upon the application filed, the Registering Department will also notify both the Commission's Executive Director and the non-profit entity making the application whether the horse is an Oklahoma-Bred racing stock horse and whether the horse is eligible under this Rule.

(F)   A non-profit entity must notify the Commission's Executive Director within forty eight (48) hours of a participating horse leaving their care for reason, including death, sale or adoption.