racehorse aftercare

The racehorse aftercare charity LoneStar Outreach to Place Ex-Racers (LOPE) has served 300 students and educators in 2024--a year ahead of its goal to hit that mark in 2025. By combining racehorse aftercare with STEM education, LOPE's ex-racers (mostly retired racehorses with over 50 races) are providing hands-on ways to help kids learn math, science, and veterinary skills. "Warhorses like Jet Set Cat, who raced 106 times with one eye, offer more than science lessons--they teach kids about grit and perseverance," says LOPE founder Lynn Reardon. "Every child leaves here...

The 57th International Conference of Horseracing Authorities will take place on Oct. 2 at Saint-Cloud Racecourse. This year's conference, organized by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), will focus on safeguarding equine welfare and explore shifts in societal expectations and the racing industry's response around the world. The Conference will examine both immediate concerns and forward-looking initiatives to protect and promote equine welfare. "The well-being of the equine athlete must always be at the forefront of the decisions we make," IFHA Chair Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges said. "I look forward to...

The 2021 lineup of topics and speakers for the fifth International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses (IFAR) was announced on Wednesday. The series will be held through four virtual sessions on Apr. 6, Apr. 13, Apr. 20 and Apr. 27 with each webinar beginning at 12 p.m. GMT. Registration is required, but each session is free. The 2021 IFAR lineup is as follows: Apr. 6: Aftercare in 2021 Moderator: Nick Luck (U.K.) Panelists: IFAR Chair Di Arbuthnot trainer Jessica Harrington (Ire) eventer Tik Maynard (U.S.) Herringswell Stable's Graham and...

Former jockey and horse aftercare advocate Rosie Napravnik will join Fair Grounds host Joe Kristufek on the live feed for "New Vocations Day at the Races" at the New Orleans venue, the track announced on Tuesday. Napravnik, who won four titles at the Fair Grounds, will help build awareness, promote success stories, and inspire donations for Thoroughbred aftercare throughout the racing card. "Rosie is one of our favorites and it's great to have her back at the Fair Grounds to help shed light on such an important cause and to...

A bill relating to the aftercare of retired racehorses passed the New York State Senate with bi-partisan support and is expected to pass the N.Y. State Assembly in this legislative session. The bill, Senate Bill 1442, sponsored by State Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr., prohibits the slaughter of race horses and breeding stock or transfer of horses intended for slaughtered or the transfer of horses where one knows or who should have known that the horse would be slaughtered. Violators will be denied Gaming Commission licenses and be barred from...

The International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses (IFAR) will host its fifth forum as a virtual series on each Tuesday during the month of April. The sessions, which will include a combination of prerecorded content and live discussions, will be held Apr. 6, 13, 20, and 27 at 12 p.m. GMT and will each last approximately one hour. Recordings of the events will also be made available on the IFAR website. Expected topics to be covered during these sessions include owner and trainer responsibility, traceability, the use of racehorses...

While most organizations, racing or otherwise, experienced a stagnation in business during the midst of the Coronavirus shut-down, Thoroughbred aftercare programs confronted quite the opposite. When racing in most states was a giant question mark for months on end, for many horses that would have otherwise stayed in training throughout the spring season, the decision was made to enter them into retirement. Since the first of the year, New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program has brought in 240 horses to their rehabilitation and rehoming program, a 23% increase from last year's...

The newly created Lexington-based We Are Here Initiative (WAHI) has been launched to assist Thoroughbreds that have been retired from horse racing due to financial and economic strain brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The non-profit organization will serve as a layover point for Thoroughbreds before being placed in an approved aftercare facility, in an effort to ease the influx of horses on aftercare and adoption organizations. With limited racing opportunities as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many owners and smaller training operations were forced to retire some of...

In the coming months, Godolphin Flying Start trainees will provide insight into practices experienced and observations taken on their worldwide travels. Today, first-year trainee Lowri Allen shares her impressions of America's aftercare initiatives. The Godolphin Flying Start Programme offers a unique opportunity to spend time working in and learning about the Thoroughbred industry in five major racing jurisdictions: Ireland, Britain, America, Australia and Dubai. The 2019-2021 class of trainees are now in the third phase of the programme in Kentucky, having previously spent time in Kildare and Newmarket. Across all...

British racing's Horse Welfare Board-an independently chaired organization comprising the British Horseracing Authority, racing's stakeholders and the Racecourse Association-has released a five-year welfare plan for horses bred for racing. The strategy focuses on the ambition that every horse bred to race should lead a life well lived, and the overarching themes of the plan are traceability, safety and well being, communication and the use of data. The whip is a prominent topic in the strategy, which calls for racing to make changes to the way the whip is used but...

The fourth International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses will be held in conjunction with the Asian Racing Conference in Cape Town from Feb. 18 to 23, and will feature case studies from South Africa, Japan, Korea and Australia. "Given increased public awareness of animal welfare around the world, it is especially important to prioritize aftercare, and IFAR is thankful to the Asian Racing Conference for enabling us to spread this message," said Di Arbuthnot, chair of IFAR and chief executive of Retraining of Racehorses. "We look forward to hearing...

The fourth International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses (IFAR) will be held in conjunction with the Asian Racing Conference (ARC), which is scheduled for Feb. 18-23, 2020, in Cape Town, South Africa. Both events are being hosted by the Asian Racing Federation (ARF) and the ARC local organizing committee, consisting of Phumelela Gaming and Leisure, the Racing Association, Gold Circle Racing and Gaming Group, Kenilworth Racing, and The National Horseracing Authority of Southern Africa. IFAR will host sessions that span a range of topics related to aftercare, including case...