L I F E A F T E R R AC I N G
Putting horse welfare first for a life after racing At Edinburgh Park, a Thoroughbred stud in the beautiful Manning Valley of New South Wales, the commitment to their horses is absolute, writes JO McKINNON.
L
ast October the nation was left shocked and disturbed
on any of our horses that carry our brand. Our children can
by an ABC 7:30 report exposing examples of horrible
always come home, it’s our promise to them. Stamped for
cruelty to retired racehorses.
success with the IKS.”
Over the ensuing days, weeks and months after the
Situated in the beautiful Manning Valley, three-and-a-half hours
controversial ‘The Final Race’ program aired, many in the horse
north of Sydney, Edinburgh Park is a 250-acre farm that is well
racing industry were left scratching their heads wondering
equipped to cater for any of the horses the stud has bred that
how to prevent some of the thousands of Thoroughbreds
might require a safe and loving home for their retirement.
foaled each year that don’t make it on the racetrack or in the breeding barn from meeting a terrible end.
“We can look after our horses,” says Ian. “It might not suit everyone else but in the way our farm is structured we can do
It didn’t take Ian Smith from Edinburgh Park Stud too long
our bit for horses that carry our brand. We can move quicker
to find a solution though – he was one of the first people to
because we are a smaller wheel.”
take swift and immediate action, making a public commitment guaranteeing that no horse bred by the stud would ever end up at a knackery or abattoir. “We were all affected by what we saw on the ABC and thought long and hard about what we could do,” Ian tells me. “We took the decision that if a horse was in trouble and going to a knackery or abattoir we would bid $1,000 on something that carries our brand.” Within a short time of the program being aired, Ian messaged on Twitter;
A smaller wheel that has paid careful attention to the gradual growth of their property, which, as Ian explains, has resulted in a sustainable business: “We have rich alluvial soil with full irrigation. There’s never a time our horses or paddocks are in distress. We aerate the paddocks and make sure everything is in good order.” Edinburgh Park has been breeding racehorses for a decade and during that time has established itself as a well-respected brand within the Thoroughbred industry. Ian puts the stud’s success down to the care they take of their horses: “We
“This brand is our guarantee for life. We will purchase
are passionate about our horses and you have to have that
guarantee $1000 @mmsnippets @inglis_sales or privately
passion to do what we do. Our business has grown from
