All my pensioners are Thoroughbred racehorses that have retired and are not sound enough for another career but are much loved by their owners or trainers and therefor sent into retirement situations rather than to auction. Some of my current boarders are real heroes. One gelding, now 21, didn't retire from the track until he was 14. He ran 158 times (average is fewer than 20 races) and won his last race! Another held the track record for 5 furlongs at two Texas tracks for several years. He retired due to a fractured sesamoid . He also had serious breathing issues, but they didn't slow him down. He has had surgery on his ankle to make him "pasture sound" and has a permanent tracheostomy for his breathing and is herd boss in his paddock. My personal mounts have always been off the track Thoroughbreds; they are wonderful horses.
