Dear Owner,
As we approach the end of the 2023-24 season, I wanted to provide you with an update on Racing Victoria’s (RV) commitment to equine care and welfare.
As we know the thoroughbred is at the centre of our existence.
It is without debate that everyone of us engaged in Victorian racing has a role to play in the best interests of our thoroughbreds. For your part, we say thank you.
What is RV’s role in respect of equine welfare?
RV’s role is to enhance welfare outcomes for thoroughbreds by supporting the work of industry stakeholders with programs that consider their welfare before, during and after racing.
For this reason, RV’s contribution to equine welfare is split across the different phases of a racehorse’s life to enhance their outcomes on and off the racetrack.
In 2019, we released a three-year Equine Welfare Strategic Plan, and in December 2022, we built on our whole-of-life approach with a five-year Equine Welfare Strategic Plan.
A contribution of 1% of prizemoney was introduced in Victoria in August 2017. This was increased to 2% in January 2020 to help accelerate and expand our 2019 plan.
How has the equine welfare fund been spent?
It is a common misconception that RV’s welfare focus is solely on life after racing, and that the contribution from prizemoney is sufficient to fully fund the retirement care of every thoroughbred.
Our welfare focus and spend is much broader than that.
Since the introduction of a prizemoney contribution to equine welfare in 2017, more than $38 million has been directed to equine welfare efforts across the industry, supporting thousands of thoroughbreds during racing and beyond. This total investment is over 34% more than the prizemoney contributions for this seven-year period.
The following shows a breakdown of our strategic welfare priorities and a snapshot of how we have directed our funding so far to deliver on them.
Strategic Priorities & Actions (Aug 2017 - June 2024)
Risk Reduced Racing (Injury Prevention) - 45.3% of spend
- Acquisition of world leading standing CT scanners and PET scanner
- Equine Limb Injury Prevention Program with the University of Melbourne
- Diagnostic Imaging Subsidy Program (“Medicare for Horses”)
- Melbourne Cup and International veterinary protocols
- Annual Veterinary Seminars for participants and veterinarians
- Horse Management Portal to monitor horses and injuries
- Post-Mortem Program to improve understanding of injury causes
- Research into track surfaces and training facilities
- Cardiac Arrythmia and Sudden Death Research Program
- Medication and anti-doping research into correlation with injuries
- Foal Crop Studies on barriers to training entry and reasons for retirement
Post-Racing, Safety Net & Visibility - 27.1% of spend
- Acknowledged Retrainer Program
- Retrainer Capacity Expansion Grants Program
- RESET Program for sound horses that require extra support
- Off The Track Program event sponsorships
- Off The Track Clinics to support new owners
- Off The Track Community to improve visibility and linking key resources
- Equine Business Grants Program
- Retired Thoroughbred Companion Program
- Acknowledged Retirement Farm Program
- Partnerships to increase demand for thoroughbreds
- Emergency Aid Program
- Full Circle Emergency Contact Program
- STAR (Short Term Assisted Recovery) Program
- COVID-19 Acknowledged Retrainer financial support
- Welfare inspections on current and retired thoroughbreds
- Onsite Humane Euthanasia Program
- Traceability audits of stables and livestock sales
- Partnerships with online livestock sales company
Equine Welfare & Veterinary Operations - 23.1% of spend
- Expansion of RV Equine Welfare team
- New independent Equine Welfare Advisory Council
- Development of a Post-Racing Framework
- New Thoroughbred Racehorse Welfare Policy
- Enhanced statewide raceday veterinary services with 30 vets
- Emergency hospital on-call service during races
Industry Reputation & Education - 4.5% of spend
- Online Learning Platform with compulsory equine welfare module
- Industry communications and activations at racedays and yearling sales
- Promotion of equine welfare programs to industry and community
- Here for the Horses documentary and podcast series
- Off The Track ambassador program
- Content production for Off The Track Community platform
It is of note that over the past year there has been a significant shift in the investment directed towards post-racing to further support vulnerable and at-risk horses and those involved in their care and re-homing. This now equates to over 33% of our investment and will likely continue to command a greater percentage over the next 12 months with the expansion and enhancement of our transition programs to support more horses and increases to the retrainer support subsidies we’ve recently advised.
What are we tracking and what are the outcomes?
Since 2021, we have greatly improved our visibility of retired racehorses through the Off The Track Community, and better collection of post-racing data, audits, and inspections. This helps guide our efforts.
A snapshot of key outcomes over the past three years alone thanks to improved capabilities:
What about the rehoming of retired thoroughbreds?
The prizemoney contribution administered by RV does not seek to fully fund every retired thoroughbred through their transition out of racing for the rest of their life.
That would require vastly more than an equivalent of a 2% contribution from prizemoney (which is approximately $5.6 million per annum) to accommodate the 1,800 thoroughbreds retiring, on average, from racing in Victoria each year.
Responsible rehoming requires a whole of industry approach to ensure the best outcomes for our thoroughbreds and our sport.
Breeders, owners, trainers, RV and post-racing carers all have a valuable role to play. Ultimately, the financial responsibility sits with racehorse owners to transition their thoroughbred to a suitable home upon its retirement from racing.
There are many within the industry who are working tirelessly to transition their thoroughbreds to life after racing and we commend them for their efforts.
Official retirement notifications to Racing Australia show that owners, directly and with the support of trainers, are already successfully rehoming the vast majority of retired racehorses to second homes as equestrian, pleasure, working, companion and breeding horses.
To support the great work of owners and trainers, RV’s primary role is to create demand for thoroughbreds in their life beyond racing and to support the vulnerable and at risk.
The Off The Track Program promotes them as a breed of choice in the equestrian community and non-competitive pursuits.
We are supported by a network of privately owned Acknowledged Retrainers who determine and administer their own operating models. They can access support from RV to assist in the retraining, rehabilitation and rehoming of horses that are less desirable to post-racing owners.
Support for Acknowledged Retrainers includes subsidies for rehabilitation support, veterinary rebates to confirm rehabilitation duration, funding advertisements, and traceability reporting subsidies.
With the current cost of living pressures, the demand for retired thoroughbreds is slowing and this means that retired thoroughbreds are taking longer to rehome. Many Acknowledged Retrainers are adapting their own business models to face this challenge and we thank them for the work they continue to do.
When those with registered thoroughbreds in Victoria are struggling to fund the upkeep of their horses, or where a thoroughbred finds itself in a vulnerable situation, RV’s safety net programs may be able to assist. We encourage breeders, owners or trainers who need support to contact our equine welfare team via equinewelfare@racingvictoria.net.au in such circumstances.
Where to from here?
Our equine welfare and veterinary teams will continue to focus on the 2023-2027 Equine Welfare Strategic Plan, ensuring the welfare of thoroughbreds before, during and after racing is a focus.
Our teams will continue to engage with our stakeholders and adjust priorities to best support the industry.
If you wish to learn more about our equine welfare programs and the options available, please visit racingvictoria.com.au/equine-welfare
I am committed to keeping you updated on our investment in equine welfare on an annual basis and I thank you for taking the time to read this industry update.
Equine welfare is and will remain a priority each and every day.
Kind regards,
Aaron Morrison
Interim CEO
Racing Victoria