Over four hundred thoroughbred horses owned by drivers in the World Professional Chuckwagon Association (WPCA) and thousands more throughout North America turn one year older today.
For people outside the thoroughbred industry one may question the validity behind the above statement, however, unlike humans whose change in age is legally recognized by the date they were born, registered thoroughbred race horses are recognized as one year older on January 1st.
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Regulating the birthdays of Thoroughbreds was set up by the Jockey Club, which is the North American organization that controls rules for registration. This alleviates any confusion because a horse is eligible for a race according to age.
No matter what day of the year a Thoroughbred horse is born, the newborn foal will be considered another year older on January 1st.
Example:
1) If a thoroughbred was born on March 22, 2016 he will be four-years-old on January 1, 2020.
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An estimated 21,000 thoroughbreds were foaled (born) in North America in 2018, down 4.4% from 2017. In the upcoming months, thousands of newborn foals will appear on farms across North America as most mares are bred to produce a foal sometime between January 1 and April 30.
In 365 days New Year celebrations and resolutions will continue while in the equine industry, thousands of thoroughbreds will once again be recognized as one year older.
