Retired racehorses benefit from QOTT Grants Program
The Queensland Off-The-Track Program has allocated more than $100,000 to not-for-profit organisations and charities that provide a lifelong safety net for retired racehorses. Having launched the QOTT Grants Program last month, seven organisations were successful...
Cross-sector collaboration for equine welfare improvements
Leaders from a wide range of equestrian and racing disciplines came together to discuss challenges and opportunities around the social licence to operate. They took on the challenge of working together to "do more, faster” to demonstrably prioritise equine welfare. An...
Researchers Recommend Helmets On and Off the Saddle
Head injuries and broken ribs are common injuries in equestrian sports, but they don’t have to be par for the course. According to a new study looking at horse-related accidents in a primary (non-trauma) care centre, falls cause the most injuries, but ground-level...
Roadmap for the Ethical Use of Horses in Sport
A British researcher has mapped out an ethical framework to help horse sports assess issues affecting their social licence to operate. It is hoped that different organisations will use it as a starting point, to critically assess existing and proposed practices, as...
It’s More than the Early Starts. Horseracing’s Staff Recruitment and Retention Challenges
The problems surrounding the recruitment, training and retention of stable staff in horseracing extend beyond the early starts. For at least half a century, the multi-billion-pound horseracing industry in the UK has had a hard time keeping staff on board. And that’s...
Horse Riders’ Attitudes to Managing Risk “Disturbing” Says Safety Researcher
So, horses are dangerous. Is that just the way things are? And does taking risks with horses make you look braver, more confident, or more of a leader? According to one equestrian safety scientist, there are better ways to deal with horse-related risks. And there are...
French Parliament Calls for Horse Welfare Overhaul at Paris 2024
Nine months after several incidents and accidents marred the equestrian disciplines of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, a study group from the French National Assembly (the lower house of the French Parliament), makes 46 recommendations for making Paris 2024 the Olympic...
Standardbred Freeze Branding System Discontinued
The 2021 foaling season will see changes to the current practice of freeze branding Standardbred horses. Microchips, which have been mandated for the past three years, will now become the main form of identification for all standardbred horses, replacing freeze...
Racing Victoria’s ‘Medicare for Thoroughbreds’ Aims to Minimise Injury Risk
Racing Victoria (RV) has announced a new subsidy scheme for owners and trainers to offset the cost of advanced diagnostic imaging on Victorian thoroughbreds. The Diagnostic Imaging Subsidy Program is a proactive approach to injury prevention for thoroughbred...
Citizen Science: Your Contribution to E-BARQ Already Giving Back
E-BARQ, the citizen science project on horse behaviour and management is already giving back, thanks to the contributions of thousands of horse owners. While 2020 offered fewer opportunities for us to be out and about with our horses, behind the scenes, equine...
Next Step in the Evolution of Pony Club Coaching
Pony Club Australia has developed a new education and training course for Preliminary coaches. The new PCANCAS Preliminary Coach course is aligned with the PCA rider syllabus and brings together a range of material produced since the launch of the new PCA rider...
British Racing on climate change and sustainability
The summary findings and recommendations from an independent assessment of environmental sustainability across British racing and breeding have been published today. Project objectives: To review British racing’s current progress on environmental sustainability,...
QOTT Acknowledged Retrainers Program off to a flying start
Thirteen may be unlucky for some but not for retired racehorses. That’s the number of retrainers that have signed on to the Queensland Off-The-Track (QOTT) Acknowledged Retrainers Program, to retrain and rehome thoroughbred and standardbred horses. The QOTT Program...