Racing Victoria’s (RV) ‘Wall of Claim’ activation at EQUITANA has led to a significant spike in new members signing up to join the Off The Track Community (OTTC).
At the start of November, the OTTC reached a milestone with more than 5,000 retired racehorses having been claimed by its network of members since 2021, and one month on that figure has risen to over 5,600 thanks in no small part to the Wall of Claim initiative at EQUITANA.
Visitors to the OTT stand at Australia’s largest equine exhibition and multi-discipline event were encouraged to locate their horse’s race name on the Wall of Claim.
The activation was part of RV’s partnership with EQUITANA, which was held at the Melbourne Showgrounds from 14-17 November, with the third day of events named Off The Track Saturday.
Across the seven days from 11-17 November, OTTC picked up a grand total of 479 new members – compared to 31 over the same period in 2023.
From those 479 members, a total of 419 new claim forms have been successfully submitted (with more than 100 claims still pending), giving RV oversight of the status and location of a significant number of retired racehorses which were not previously in the system.
“Our presence at EQUITANA was a huge success and we would like to thank our new members, as well as the existing ones, for assisting in our efforts to improve the visibility of thoroughbreds post-racing,” said Melissa Ware, RV’s General Manager – Equine Welfare.
“The Wall of Claim is definitely here to stay, and it was heartening to see so many people visit the activation and take great joy in finding their beloved thoroughbreds.
“We would ask any OTTC members with a pending claim to complete their submissions, and would also encourage our OTTC network to spread the word amongst their communities to give us even greater oversight of the retired racehorse population.”
EQUITANA also presented an important opportunity for RV’s equine welfare team to connect with the broader equine community about the significant traceability role that the OTTC plays, as well as providing information of the wide range of post-racing programs available and educating them on the versatility of the thoroughbred for a variety of equine disciplines.
To sign up for the OTTC or for more information, please visit www.ottcommunity.com.au