A new €1-million Equine Care Racecourse Capital Development Scheme to further enhance racecourse safety measures was launched by Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) on Thursday.
Two initial areas are being targeted by the new scheme. The first improvement is to have identification markers on all hurdles and fences at the 23 racecourses staging jump racing will be converted from orange to white in line with best international practice, and there will be a linked move away from the traditional birch hurdles to non-birch hurdles by the end of 2025. The second improvement area will be to introduce appropriately sized trot-up areas to facilitate veterinary inspections, including a rubberised surface for consistency, at all racecourses by the start of their 2025 racing seasons. In each case, grants of 50% and 40% will be offered towards replacing hurdles and improving trot-up areas, respectively. The former was agreed upon following discussions with the Association of Irish Racecourses (AIR), and that procurement will be managed through HRI. The next phase of the scheme will be to target the supply of water, both in terms of adding or expanding reservoirs at racecourses. For more information on the scheme, please visit the HRI website.
John Osborne, HRI Equine Welfare and Bloodstock Director, said, “HRI's new Strategic Plan 2024-2028 has set human and equine care and safety as our highest priority. This investment targets race safety in the most specific way, producing an immediate improvement for our horses.”
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