IFAR: Traceability The Next Big Task For Welfare And Aftercare Advocates

Horse traceability will be key to improving Thoroughbred aftercare and welfare in the coming years, according to global experts on the subject who gathered for a recent panel of the 2021 International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses.

Aidan Butler, chief operating officer for 1/ST Racing and owner of four off-track Thoroughbreds (OTTBs) himself, said that inventory control will be a critical part of The Stronach Group's aftercare strategy going forward. Now that horses are microchipped, Butler said it will be easier for track ownership to verify identities when they enter and exit track premises. Previously, not only was it difficult to verify horses' identities, but whatever gate records existed were on paper, and Butler said there was often a delay in that information being transmitted to officials. The Stronach Group is working on a software program called Racehorse 360, now in beta testing, which will give the racing office direct access to data taken at the gate, as well as allow the office to see which stall a particular horse is kept in and provide alerts when a horse leaves the property.

Butler also said that funding mechanisms are critical to the success of aftercare, pointing out that Stronach Group tracks host fundraiser days, work with horsemen to match per-start contributions to aftercare funds, provide mutuel machines that give horseplayers the option of a donation to aftercare, and also keep on-track aftercare liaisons to help trainers place horses that are ready for retirement.

The Stronach Group has also struck partnerships with nearby equine hospitals to help provide surgery or other salvage medical procedures in cases where an owner or trainer can't afford it. The goal in those cases is to help a horse suffering a major injury in racing or training become sound and able to do some kind of second career, even when returning to the track isn't going to be an option.

“There is no need and no point anymore in people not taking all of the offers we have and all of the abilities for aftercare,” said Butler.

Of course, improved traceability for horses would make all of these efforts easier, and the need for better traceability is something racing officials in other countries have also struggled with. Through the years, many American equestrians have pointed to the European equine passport system as a potential solution to better identify horses and inform subsequent owners about the horse's health and history. The passport is meant to contain information about a horse's registration status, identifying markings, vaccination history, catalogue for public sale, and race history. Simon Cooper, director of the Weatherbys General Stud Book, says however that the passport system has not done much to improve Thoroughbred traceability.

“The biggest problem I have is paper,” said Cooper. “Paper disappears. Paper is not on a database. For 250 years, we've been tracing our horses using paper.”

Cooper is often asked about the whereabouts of a particular Thoroughbred; while he can sometimes pull up their information in a few minutes, there are other times when he finds a horse has fallen off the regulatory map. He pointed out one case of a horse whose papers were turned in to his office by a slaughterhouse in another country. Three different sections of the passport were clearly faked, missing embossing, holograms, watermarks, and more. Additionally, the marking information didn't match the horse who'd arrived with the passport, making Cooper question which horse had actually been sent to slaughter, and where the horse was whose identity matched the paper passport.

There is now a push to digitize paper passports to provide regulatory and sport authorities with real time data on horse movement and health information. Cooper points out however that there will still be certain types of information that isn't necessarily recorded digitally under current guidelines. A horse's private sale, transition to a new career, a spell or rest, or time with a pinhooker/breaking farm are all likely to happen without a check-in from a regulatory authority that would appear on a digital passport. Filling in those gaps is crucial to keep a horse from falling off the radar.

Cooper said that the new digital passport will also include GPS location for a smart card to be kept with a horse's identification papers, but the stud book can only require that for Thoroughbreds in active careers as breeding horses.

To harness the power of digital passports for Thoroughbred aftercare, Cooper said racing authorities will need to issue new requirements for owners, mandating notification through the digital passport smartphone app of a horse's retirement, vaccination, movement, ownership changes, and death.

Catch the full replay of the IFAR session below.

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R.A.C.E. Fundraiser Begins May 7

The TAA-accredited R.A.C.E. Fund begins its 2021 fund drive with an online auction hosted on eBay beginning May 7 at 8 p.m. ET and ending May 14 to help raise funds for racehorse retirement and rescue.

Among the items available are halters of California Chrome, Funny Cide, Mohaymen, Serena's Song, Havre de Grace, Union Rags, Frosted and Littleprincessemma, the dam of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah.

Other items up for auction is a farm tour donated by Three Chimneys and horseshoes from Afleet Alex and First Samurai.

“We have some very exciting auction items again this year,” said Marlene Murray, president of the R.A.C.E. Fund. “We would like to especially thank volunteer Roxanne Campbell for her tireless efforts as well as Claiborne, Darley-Godolphin, Denali Stud, Gainesway, Kentucky Horse Park, Lane's End, Shadwell, Summer Wind Farm, Three Chimneys and Timber Town Stables for their generous support by donating such valuable items of racing champions to help us raise funds.”

All proceeds raised will be used to help Thoroughbred racehorses in need of retirement and rescue from slaughter. For more information on the R.A.C.E. Fund, click here.

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R.A.C.E. Fund Launching 2021 Fund Drive May 7 With Online Auction

The R.A.C.E. Fund, a 501 C 3 non-profit organization established in 2004 and TAA accredited, launches its 2021 fund drive with an online auction on eBay starting May 7  at 8:00 p.m. (ET) and ending on May 14 to help raise funds for racehorse retirement and rescue.

Featured items include: halters of the following multiple graded stakes winning champions, 2016 Eclipse Award Horse of the Year California Chrome, 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Funny Cide, 2016 Fountain of Youth Stakes winner, Mohaymen, Hall of Famer, Serena's Song. multiple graded stakes winners Havre de Grace, 2012 Belmont Stakes winner Union Rags, 2016 Whitney Stakes winner, Frosted and Littleprincessemma, dam of Triple Crown winner, American Pharoah.  

Other items to be auctioned is a farm tour donated by Three Chimneys and horseshoes worn by multiple graded stakes winner Afleet Alex from Gainesway and First Samurai from Claiborne Farm.

“We have some very exciting auction items again this year. We would like to especially thank volunteer Roxanne Campbell for her tireless efforts as well as Claiborne, Darley-Godolphin, Denali Stud, Gainesway, Kentucky Horse Park, Lane's End, Shadwell, Summer Wind Farm, Three Chimneys and Timber Town Stables for their generous support by donating such valuable items of racing champions to help us raise funds,” stated Marlene Murray, President of the R.A.C.E. Fund.

All proceeds raised will be used to help Thoroughbred racehorses in need of retirement and rescue from slaughter.

More information about the R.A.C.E. Fund can be obtained at www.racefund.org. Any questions about the auction or items can be sent to info@racefund.org or go to the R.A.C.E. Fund Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/race.fund/ to view the auction items album soon. Auction items will be live May 7 starting at 8 p.m. (ET) at eBay under seller name racefund.

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IFAR: Why The Term ‘Retraining’ May Not Be Best For OTTBs

The International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses (IFAR) kicked off its 2021 virtual conference on Tuesday with a panel of international racing leaders discussing the importance of Thoroughbred aftercare to the health of the sport.

Irish trainer Jessica Harrington, American trainers Graham and Anita Motion, Aga Khan Stud racing manager Nemone Routh and former British eventing team coach Yogi Breisner gathered to offer their thoughts on the state of aftercare and its interaction with other equestrian sports.

A few key takeaways:

  • Breisner, who has worked with many former racehorses, believes a language shift is in order when discussing off-track Thoroughbreds (OTTBs). Often, the process of transitioning a horse from the track to another discipline is framed as “retraining,” but Breisner points out that conveys an implication that the horse's earlier training was somehow wrong.”Actually most racehorses I've taken don't need much true retraining,” he said. “They've already learned a lot.”
  • Routh said that aftercare in France, where the Aga Khan Stud is based, now receives financial support from France Galop, racing's regulatory body there. Previously it had been dependent on charitable donations, but Routh said after a certain point that was no longer sustainable. France Galop now encourages people to share their stories of their OTTBs as part of its tactic to market racing.
  • Also in France, racing connections are expected to pay for a horse's castration and transport to an accredited rehoming center. That can be a tough pill to swallow, especially for owners who are also discovering the horse that once had value as a racing animal may be retiring with very little market value. Routh suggests owners who set aside as modest a sum as two weeks' training fees could be enough to make sure the owner doesn't feel surprised by those retirement costs later.
  • Harrington believes education is key for new owners, especially those who join in as part of a large syndicate where they are able to approach racehorse ownership with no equine background or racing experience. Many don't even know a horse can live another 20 to 25 years after its racing retirement, let alone that they will need to find a new vocation for that time. “I think people don't think about it,” she said. “I think it's ignorance rather than willfully saying, 'I'm not going to look after my horse.”
  • Motion believes part of the key to making aftercare sustainable — particularly in the United States, where it's still so reliant on charitable giving — is to think twice about whether a horse needs to go to a retirement organization, where they will be on the organization's books for many years. Motion believes that many horses are suitable for some kind of active job where they might be useful as privately-owned animals, and that retirement sanctuaries are often asked to shoulder the burden of horses who could find vocations elsewhere.
  • Breisner said there could be more exchange between the racing and sport horse world as far as the education of riders. As stable help has become more difficult to find in Britain, Breisner said he sometimes has racing staff who ask to spend time training with him to improve their overall horsemanship, which benefits the racehorses they'll work with on and off the track. Likewise, he suggested that the many international racing schools that train jockeys and exercise riders could also include education on the basics of transitioning OTTBs off track. Riders who have the skills to be versatile will benefit the horses they work with.

The next IFAR virtual session will focus on aftercare for racing administrators and regulators and will take place April 13 at 8 a.m. Eastern. Registration is free and is available here.

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