24
NSW BREEDERS’ UPDATE Summer/Autumn 2020
THOROUGHBREDS ARE GO Article and photos courtesy Caroline Searcy (TBNSW Committee member)
Drought has played a big part in many thoroughbreds winding up in poor condition over the past couple of years around Australia and Racing Victoria Accredited Retrainer Caroline Price elaborated further about the specific feed requirements for these horses that have been bred for generations to be elite athletes.
Caroline Searcy - Producer and presenter
With the importance of finding the right homes for the thoroughbreds we breed and race finally gaining real traction in the industry it’s become apparent that for a long time there’s been a lack of mainstream information on how to go about it. “Thoroughbreds Are Go” is a new national thoroughbred re-homing TV program that airs on Foxtel’s Sky Thoroughbred Central with plans to broaden its broadcast onto free to air channels in the near future. The reaction to Facebook and Twitter posts about the show has proven there is a huge appetite for more information on this vital aspect of the racing world. The program aims to help racing owners find new homes for their thoroughbreds, whether they have raced or not, but importantly it highlights some of the problems you can encounter along the way and what to look out for to ensure a smooth transition to an off the track life. Stories focus on the incredible athletic ability of these elite equine athletes, promoting their adaptability and great intelligence to the equestrian world. The feedback from the equestrian side of the ledger has however Thoroughbreds Are Go
been that the racing and breeding industry cannot expect individuals to just take on our thoroughbreds without realising the costs involved and where possible assisting with their re-training. Things can fall apart very quickly when thoroughbreds find themselves in the wrong home and this is why re-training is vitally important. One of Australia’s best thoroughbred re-trainers Scott Brodie, formerly head of the Racing NSW Thoroughbred Rehabilitation Trust (now Team Thoroughbred) took part in two beautiful stories, explaining in the first that it does cost several thousands of dollars to begin the retraining of most horses, but without it generally thoroughbreds won’t be able to successfully transfer to a new life. Scott also emphasises that follow up instruction is hugely important for most riders taking on a thoroughbred. The second story at Scott’s Thoroughbred Aftercare and Re-training Centre focussed on returned soldier Isaac Adams, whose work with Scott and his thoroughbreds was so important for him as he overcame lingering posttraumatic stress from his military service, something this breed excels at around the world.
The thoroughbred, particularly those who have been in race training have an extremely high metabolism and therefore need much more food than the average pony, stock horse or other breed. Through my own re-homing ventures with thoroughbreds I have bred I witnessed firsthand how a thoroughbred can fall away very quickly when they are not getting enough food, when people who have leased them don’t understand this and also often put them in paddocks with other breeds. That story also contained information on how to lease your thoroughbred to its new home so you are always in control of its destiny and to register it so it can never be put through an abattoir. For bigger breeders these things are not possible for every horse they sell, but the program does create awareness amongst smaller owners about what their obligations should be when they are retiring their horse from the track.
