But many horses, after their racing days are over, face an uncertain future.

That’s where New Beginnings, a charity based a few miles outside of Pocklington, can make such a difference.

Run by husband and wife team Pam and Kevin Atkinson, the charity cares for dozens of horses each year who have been identified as at risk at the end of their racing careers.

Pam and Keith Atkinson at New Beginnings Horses near Pocklington with Nearly Caught and Chill the Kite. They take in ex race horses and work with them to eventually rehome them.

Under the care of Mr and Mrs Atkinson, horses at risk of struggling to adjust to a post racing life who come through the sanctuary can find new homes.

The biggest obstacle at the beginning of a racehorse’s retirement is that they are still “race-ready,” and need help relaxing, according to Mrs Atkinson.

“We have to let them down from racing, and the best way to do that is put them in a field with a small herd so they can chill and relax.

“They drop the muscle and we change the feed so they’re not on high energy and can slowly wind down.

“Each horse is treated individually. Some of them take longer than others and some might things like an injury. We don’t refuse a horse with injuries.

“They become like couch potatoes - they drop their muscles and chill, and then we bring them back to work under a different rhythm.

“It takes months - sometimes a year or longer. Even when they’re ready, it takes a long time to find the right person to take them on. We’re very fussy.”

Mr Atkinson added: “We don’t tend to get many straightforward horses - we get a lot of quirky ones!”

The commitment to finding the right home for a New Beginnings horse is intense, especially as the charity continues to act as legal owners for all its horses for the rest of their lives.

Mrs Atkinson said: “We look for forever homes but because we’re realistic that life changes and things happen, so if that horse is ever in a position where it cannot be kept, it comes back to us. A horse will never be in a position to be sold.

“It always has a safety net with New Beginnings.”

And the couple are now broadening the charity’s horizons by introducing equine therapy as part of their offering.

Mrs Atkinson said: “Horses in particular respond to children and disabled people. They’re very responsive and intuitive.

"We’ve been into hospitals with the horses so patients can have the benefit of equine therapy.

"We’ve also been into care homes. Some people have loved horses all their lives, and we give them the opportunity to stroke a horse again. They're so gentle – they will lay their heads down on someone’s wheelchair.

"It’s a privelige to share those moments with people.”

New beginnings for glorious racehorses as kind-hearted couple come to rescue