For most racing fans, the racehorse is something we see for a few minutes at the racecourse. We watch them in the paddock, follow them during a race and perhaps catch them returning to the winner’s enclosure.
National Racehorse Week turns that around.
Running from 22 to 31 August 2026, the annual event gives members of the public the chance to visit training yards, studs and centres caring for former racehorses across Britain.
It is partly a celebration of the thoroughbred, but there is also a serious aim behind it. Racing wants people to see for themselves how horses are cared for, what their normal day looks like and what happens to them once their racing careers come to an end.
For anyone interested in racehorse ownership, it is also a rare chance to see the part of racing that normally takes place well away from the grandstands.
Why Was National Racehorse Week Created?
The idea can be traced back to trainer Richard Phillips, who first suggested it in 2019.
His thinking was simple. Rather than asking the public to take racing’s word for how its horses are treated, why not open the stable doors and let people see for themselves?
National Racehorse Week began in 2021 and has since grown into a nationwide event.
The aim is to introduce people to racehorses and the staff who care for them while giving visitors a much better idea of what life inside a racing yard is really like.
That matters at a time when horse welfare is rightly discussed both inside and outside racing. The sport faces plenty of questions about safety, retirement and the treatment of horses, and National Racehorse Week gives trainers and stable staff the chance to answer those questions directly.
The Horserace Betting Levy Board reported earlier this year that National Racehorse Week has created more than 65,000 free opportunities for people to meet racehorses since 2021. Its assessment also found that direct contact with the horses helped reduce welfare concerns and improved understanding of the sport.
More Than 15,500 Free Places in 2026
This year’s National Racehorse Week is bigger than a simple collection of stable open days.
There are 111 public open days across 96 racing venues, including:
- 76 training yards
- 11 studs
- 9 aftercare centres
More than 15,500 free places have been made available, up from around 14,800 last year.
There are also more than 50 community events.
For people who cannot get to a racing yard, special city-centre events are being held in Liverpool on 22 August, London on 26 August and Portsmouth on 29 August.
The Liverpool event, for example, allows visitors to meet racehorses, watch farrier and physiotherapy demonstrations and try riding on a mechanical horse.
The idea is to take racing to people who may never have been to a racecourse, let alone stood inside a working training yard.
What Happens During a Yard Visit?
Every stable does things slightly differently, but this is far more than simply walking past a row of boxes and looking at horses.
Visitors can often watch horses exercising and learn how trainers build their fitness.
Depending on the yard, that could mean watching horses on the gallops, using horse walkers, exercising on treadmills or even swimming. Swimming is commonly used as a low-impact way of exercising horses without placing the same pressure on their legs.
There may also be demonstrations involving farriers, vets, physiotherapists, dentists and other people who play a part in keeping racehorses healthy.
Some yards show visitors their tack and feed rooms, while others explain schooling, race preparation and what happens on a normal working morning.
Most importantly, there is usually plenty of time to meet the horses themselves.
It gives visitors a very different view of horses they may previously have known only as a name on a racecard.
For prospective owners, that can be particularly useful. Some syndicates and racing clubs use these open days to introduce horses with shares available and explain how shared ownership works.
Meeting a horse in its stable and hearing about its character, training and future plans can make the idea of owning a small share feel far more real.
But What Happens When a Racehorse Retires?
This is one of the most important parts of National Racehorse Week, and in 2026 there is an even greater focus on life after racing.
Retraining of Racehorses, better known as RoR, is British racing’s official charity for retired racehorses.
Not every racehorse retires to spend the rest of its life standing in a field. Thoroughbreds can be remarkably adaptable and many move into completely different equestrian activities.
Former racehorses can go into dressage, showjumping, eventing, polo, hunting or general riding. Some become companion horses, while successful mares and stallions may move into breeding.
The retraining process varies from horse to horse. A racehorse has been trained to perform a very specific job, so moving into another discipline takes time and patience.
National Racehorse Week allows the public to see some of that work taking place.
RoR’s National Championships at Aintree were included in this year’s programme, giving visitors the chance to meet former racehorses and learn how they are prepared for their second careers.
And the best racehorses after retirement are not always the ones that were stars on the track.
Pink Champers, who raced just four times and suffered a serious pelvic injury, has gone on to become a dressage champion.
Go Guarantor failed to win in 32 attempts while racing but has since become a showjumping champion.
Those stories are a useful reminder that racing ability does not decide whether a horse can have a happy and active life afterwards.
Racehorse Care Does Not Stop at Retirement
The wider message behind National Racehorse Week is that responsibility for a racehorse should cover its whole life, not simply the years when it is earning prize money.
British racing has systems in place to identify and trace thoroughbreds, while RoR works with owners, trainers and retrainers to support horses moving into new homes and new roles.
For people considering joining a racing syndicate, retirement is also something worth asking about before buying a share.
Who decides when the horse retires? Who pays any costs? Will the horse be sold, rehomed or retrained? Does the syndicate keep members informed about where the horse goes?
Good ownership should include answers to those questions.
And perhaps that is why National Racehorse Week matters.
Racing is built around the horse, but most fans normally see only the racing part of its life. For ten days this August, the doors are open so people can see everything else that goes into caring for them before, during and after their time on the track.
