IFAR Conference marks a promising step for the global industry

Delegates from 28 different countries included 200 individual registrants, which represents extremely positive growth for the IFAR Conference, and it was by far the biggest they’ve yet held.

The growing attention from countries previously not engaged has been backed up by the sophistication of the programs now in place across the world, and Australia is certainly amongst the world leaders.

The conference began with delegates and attendees being whisked off to visit the Spring Creek Equestrian facility northeast of Melbourne, run by Chris Height and Samantha Cesnik. Registered retrainers with Racing Victoria’s Off The Track program, they are also at the heart of the relatively new RESET Program.

An example of the growing sophistication of aftercare programs, RV's RESET program came about to address the problem of initially unsuccessful attempts at rehoming racehorses. Readers of TDN AusNZ will know better than anyone that thoroughbreds are highly individual, with some making simpler retraining and rehoming prospects than others.

“Some horses may struggle to find their perfect home and they just need a little TLC and a little bit more support and that’s where Victoria’s funded retraining kicks in,” said Melissa Ware, Racing Victoria’s general manager, equine welfare.

As top-level event riders, Height and Cesnik helped showcase to the delegates the exceptional athletic potential that thoroughbreds can bring to a variety of disciplines, a topic which was revisited many times when the conference moved into an afternoon of speakers and panellists.

Gallery: Attendees of the IFAR Conference visited the Spring Creek Equestrian facility northeast of Melbourne, registered retrainers with Racing Victoria’s Off The Track program

A collective drive

It became evident throughout the day that the sharing of best practices has helped to bring forward the implementation and efficacy of aftercare programs around the world. As each nation faces its own challenges and opportunities, each must address them accordingly.

One example is the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s (HKJC) stipulation that sees owners set aside HK$100,000 (AU$18,300) as a retirement fund for each horse imported to their non-breeding racing system, which is reimbursed to the owner should they rehome the horse of their own accord once it's finished racing.

As Natasha Rose from the HKJC explained, this was born out of the country’s physical space restrictions, though it has also led to a healthy proportion of their riding horses being ex-racehorses.

Poignantly, Rose told the conference: “It puts the importance of aftercare and the importance of retirement at the start of the horse’s journey so it’s in the owners' minds and aftercare doesn’t become an afterthought.”

Whilst a similar system isn’t yet in place in Australia, the states each mandate their own proportion of prizemoney to be set aside for equine welfare initiatives, and it’s a point on which the interstate competition has been of great benefit to racing.

Racing Victoria has grown its number of acknowledged retrainers to 50, who retrain between 500-600 horses per year. Their five-year Equine Welfare Strategic Plan will see a growth in both the scale and quality of the initiatives - and their efforts have not been ignored by the other states.

The conference also heard from LaToyah James who is the executive officer of Equimillion, Racing NSW’s new annual competition with a minimum of $1 million in prizemoney exclusively for retired thoroughbred racehorses. She told the conference about the work being done by Team Thoroughbred NSW from their six locations across the state, into which millions have been invested over the last few years.

Gallery: Some of the speakers and panelists at the IFAR Conference

With the state eager not to fall behind, Racing Queensland’s Kim Duffy told the conference of how the more recently established (2021) Off The Track program (QOTT) has been fast-tracked to success with a multi-faceted approach.

“For us, this included incorporating transitioning strategies, supply and demand strategies, safety net strategies, advocacy and community and engagement strategies, as well as education and traceability,” Duffy said.

Leaving none behind

In delivering the closing address, Chair of the IFAR Conference Committee Dr Eliot Forbes offered a reminder of the passion that underpins our industry.

“Racing, in every corner of the world, is here for the horses, but this is only natural because, as anyone who works with them knows, there is something special when we bring horses and humans together,” Forbes said. “The human/horse bond benefits both people and horses…

“Aftercare is the tangible expression of the importance of this bond; aftercare is a manifestation of our whole responsibility to our horses.

“With the delegates here today, it’s clear that aftercare is not an afterthought. Yet, this is only the beginning. Some racing jurisdictions are in the formative steps of their aftercare journey, and we encourage you to step forward boldly.

“You can start with a modest budget, but most importantly, what you need to do is make a start.”

Forbes’ message was one full of optimism. But, as the turmoil created in Australia by the recent history of the Melbourne Cup reminds us, anti-racing aggressors need little help in conflating issues to draw the sport into disrepute.

It is both unsurprising and significant that the work done by the IFAR Steering Committee is an all-encompassing global push. The inference is, of course, that one weak link in the global industry can undermine all the hard work of others.

With that, Forbes drew attention to the The Aftercare Toolkit, established by the IFAR Steering Committee in 2019. It provides a roadmap for jurisdictions to follow, whatever stage of their aftercare journey they’re at.

“There is always more to do,” he added. “We must continue… to deepen our understanding of traceability and the movement of horses. We must continue to enhance and grow our industry support programs, and importantly tell the stories to build community engagement around the good work we do.”