Equine welfare: For the love of the horse
26 July 2024
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Written by VRC
Equine welfare always has and always will be paramount to the VRC. The safety of the horses, along with all racing participants and racegoers, is our absolute number one priority.
A golden era for horses
This is a great time for horses in racing
- Risk of injury is reducing.
- Victorian industry-funded ground-breaking research is setting the global standard.
- The findings are leading to improved practices, reducing the risk of injury.
- Rehoming has an increased focus and the industry is developing more avenues than ever before.
- Much more research and funding for infrastructure designed to reduce the risk of injury
- We are moving to a future state where injuries will only happen as a matter of accident.
More avenues for life after racing
A horse’s career continues off the track
- Elite equestrian sport in the Olympic disciplines.
- Pony clubs
- Hobby riders
- Trail riding
- Liberty horses
- Life companions
- Polo horses
- Therapy horses including the work done by VRC partners Racing Hearts and Riding for the Disabled.
- Off-the-track programs designed to incentivize equestrian riders to choose thoroughbreds over other breeds.
Industry funding on the rise
Continued growth in industry funding
- The VRC Equine Wellbeing Fund was established in 2019.
- More than $350 million dollars is spent annually on the care of horses in Victoria.
- $11.5 million dollars invested in equine limb injury prevention research.
- 4,400 licensed people in the Victorian racing industry who deliver daily care for horses.
- $1.3 million dollar standing CT scanner installed at Werribee to aid early detection and injury prevention, with $1.9 million invested in a second standing CTand Australia’s first Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner for horses set to be launched in 2024.
- Subsidised Medicare system for horses to make screening cheaper and more accessible.
Horses love to race.
Racing is a natural passion for horses
- Running is a natural instinct for horses, and we see them doing this for fun in the wild and at liberty in large paddocks.
- It is also common to find one horse try to speed to the front of the herd when they are running together, in the same way that they do in a race.
- It’s also interesting to note that when a horse unseats their rider during a race, they will continue to run with the other horses, regularly passing the post ahead of the rest of the field.
Strengthening bonds
Industry support and involvement.
- Racing Victoria’s Equine Welfare Advisory Council was established in July 2020 to keep the industry honest and accountable.
- We have the backing from industry leaders:-RSPCA Victoria CEO: Dr Liz Walker-Murdoch University Animal Welfare Officer: Dr Margot Seneque-Laboratory Animal Care and Management Consultant: Dr Malcolm France-Equitation Science International Co-Director: Dr Andrew McLean-University of Melbourne Head of the Equine Centre, Professor of Equine Medicine and Surgery, Specialist in Equine Surgery: Dr Chris Whitton BVSc, PhD,FACVSc
More conscious breeding
Responsible standards in breeding
- Thoroughbred breeding has become more regulated and controlled.
- Over the past 15 years, the number of thoroughbred foals bred has significantly declined, while field sizes in races have remained consistent.
- This year, it is estimated that 13,000 foals will be bred.
