Join me on the new site for all things off the track

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Since I was 12, I have handled, ridden and competed retired thoroughbreds. Being on the taller side, I graduated onto hacks at an early age and have fond memories of wandering through racing stables with my mum in search of a suitable horse to transform into a show mount.

Back then it was a pretty common process for equestrians to source their horses directly off the track, but it had nowhere near the promotion and recognition that it does today.

With welfare now such a major focus for the industry off the track, horses are celebrated and promoted heavily. Organisations and business are ticking the welfare box and ensuring that the off the track narrative is now being carried through much of their thinking and strategy.

It’s fair to say that Racing Victoria has led the way with some wonderful initiatives and programs and other states have followed suit.  

And with all that momentum, mainly driven by industry authorities, there’s now a plethora of competitions for retired racehorses being held all over Australia.

Personally, these events have inspired me to revisit the show ring with several lovely off-the-track prospects that I have been fortunate to find in Andaz (Dash for Cash) and Sebourg (Sebring). With these two geldings, I have enjoyed some of my most rewarding moments as a horsewoman. Admittedly, at times, the journey has been challenging, but made worthwhile with both horses bringing home broad sashes and garlands.

Another great retired racehorse to come into my life in recent years was a big bay gelding by the (paddock) name of Ted who was bred and owned by my cousin Lisa Morton and raced as Forsyth (Nom Du Jeu). He was no oil painting and Royal Show champion in the making, but had an incredible temperament and work ethic. He was a big, bold, loving gelding and relished life on the large-scale cattle farm where I live. He spent many days out droving with huge mobs of cattle. There was no more enjoyable horse to go out for a nice long ride on.

After his time with me, he went on to find a loving home with a lady rider who was returning to the saddle after a long hiatus to have children. He’s ended up being the perfect horse for her to make the transition safely with. In fact, she’s so confident on Ted these days that she’s even trying bitless riding with him.

In many ways it was Ted who initially planted the seed in my head to one day develop an independent, online platform to share the many and varied positive stories about off the track horses.

After months of planning www.offthetrackhorses.com.au was purposefully launched last week in the midst of the Asian Racing Conference, where welfare was a huge priority on the agenda.

The aim of www.offthetrackhorses.com.au is to become a go-to hub for all things off the track, which the equestrian community and horse racing industry needed for a long time. Everything is centralized and, importantly, with a national focus.

It will feature news and stories plus a dedicated off-the-track event schedule and coverage of the increasing number of shows and competitions across various disciplines that now take place around Australia for retired thoroughbreds.

Another innovative feature of the site will be a dedicated marketplace for people wanting to buy or sell an off-the-track thoroughbred.

The site will also serve to promote and enhance all the great work that is being done by the state racing authorities in relation to welfare and off-the-track activities.

Expert trainers, veterinarians, and respected and accredited people working with thoroughbreds at the coal face will also feature on the site with tips, stories, and videos and there will also be a podcast series.

There are so many wonderful stories to be told about what retired racehorses are doing whether it be as companion horses, trail mounts, elite performers in the show ring, show jumpers, or therapy horses. And there are some incredibly passionate people working and living with these horses that are only too happy to share their experience and insights to help more thoroughbreds successfully make the transition to a happy and meaningful life after racing.

So far, I could not be happier with the level of interest and support in the www.offthetrackhorses.com.au concept and am very thankful for the talented young people, including Annabel Zeisler and Jodi Bussell, who are getting behind it with their outstanding photographic and written content.

Now that it’s off and racing, please jump on and check it out. I’d love to hear your feedback or any ideas or stories you have to share.