Off The Track To Represent Australia
23 October, 2015
Off The Track
Racing and Wagering Western Australia (RWWA) has been recognized by the Retired Racehorse Project as one of Australia’s leading equine welfare organisations through its Off the Track program.
As part of this recognition, RWWA’s Equine Welfare Officer and key driver of the Off the Track program, Sharon Joyce, has been invited to join an international contingent of delegates hosted by Godolphin, to attend the TCA Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium at the Kentucky Horse Park this weekend, 23-25 October.
Ms Joyce will be joined by delegates from Australia, Ireland, France, England, Japan and the United States as key representatives from each country’s most recognized equine welfare organizations.
In addition to attending the TCA Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, the group is also scheduled to meet with key representatives from various American-based equine welfare organizations, including the Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA), the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) and New Vocations Racehorse Adoption.
“Darley USA signed on early to support the Thoroughbred Makeover and it seems that the enthusiasm spread quickly among their international partners at Godolphin,” said Retired Racehorse Project President Steuart Pittman.
“Their decision to host this international delegation of observers is a huge honor for Retired Racehorse Project and an endorsement of our market-based strategy of securing the futures for Thoroughbred racehorses.”
The Godolphin delegation will take part in the weekend’s various seminars, demonstrations and, of course, be spectators for The TCA Thoroughbred Makeover. They will also take part in discussions with Pittman and representatives of various equine aftercare organizations in an effort to learn from and collaborate with one another.
“The conversation that will begin among this group will have long-term consequences for Thoroughbreds world-wide. Each country has a different cultural relationship with the horse, and no two will approach aftercare in the same way. All of them, however, revere these horses and are looking for ways to show their talent and trainability to the public. The Thoroughbred Makeover should leave this group with some new ideas,” said Steuart Pittman.
The names and affiliations of the Godolphin contingent are as follows:
Sharon Joyce, Equine Welfare Officer, Off The Track (Australia)
Eliot Forbes, Chairman, Racing Australia’s Retirement of Racehorses Committee (Australia)
Graeme Hinton, Manager – Special Projects, Racing New South Wales (Australia)
Cara Kavanagh, Equine Welfare Marketing Officer, Off The Track (Australia)
Caroline Searcy, Director, Thoroughbred Breeders New South Wales (Australia)
Nemone Routh, Racing Office Manager, The Aga Khan Studs (France)
Elizabeth Doumen, Founder, Network Galop (France)
Jennifer Twomey, Founder, Network Galop (France)
Di Arbuuthnot, Chief Executive, Retraining of Racehorses (England)
Lady Emma Balding, Co-Founder, Retraining of Racehorses (England)
Jane Myerscough, Chairman, Irish Horse Welfare Trust (Ireland)
Sharon Power, Co-Founder, Irish Horse Welfare Trust (Ireland)
Sumio Fujisawa, Chairman, Retired Horse Committee (Japan)
Takayuki Yamamoto, Director, General Incorporation Foundation Horse Community (Japan)
These delegates will be available for media requests throughout the weekend. Such requests can be submitted to Jen Roytz, publicity liaison for the Retired Racehorse Project.
A celebration of the talent and trainability of the off-track Thoroughbred, the Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium will feature ten seminars, seventy vendors, a marketplace of retried racehorses for sale or adoption, and the showcase event, the $100,000 Thoroughbred Makeover, in which more than 200 recently retired and retrained racehorses will compete in ten disciplines for cash, prizes and the title of America’s Most Wanted Thoroughbred. The event runs from October 23-25 at the Kentucky Horse Park.
Retired Racehorse Project
The Retired Racehorse Project (RRP), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, is an effort to increase demand for retired Thoroughbred racehorses as pleasure and sport horses through public events, clinics, training publications, videos and internet tools. Our mission is to facilitate the placement of retired Thoroughbred racehorses in second careers by educating the public about the history, distinctive characteristics, versatility of use, and appropriate care and training of the iconic American Thoroughbred.