Life After Racing: Safe Forever

LIFE AFTER RACING

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.

Last October the nation was left shocked and disturbed by an ABC 7:30 report exposing examples of horrible cruelty to retired racehorses.

Over the ensuing days, weeks and months after the controversial ‘The Final Race’ program aired, many in the horse racing industry were left scratching their heads wondering how to prevent some of the thousands of Thoroughbreds foaled each year that don’t make it on the racetrack or in the breeding barn from meeting a terrible end.

It didn’t take Ian Smith from Edinburgh Park Stud too long to find a solution though – he was one of the first people to 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;

“This brand is our guarantee for life. We will purchase guarantee $1000 @mmsnippets @inglis_sales or privately on any of our horses that carry our brand. Our children can always come home, it’s our promise to them. Stamped for success with the IKS.”

Situated in the beautiful Manning Valley, three-and-a-half hours north of Sydney, Edinburgh Park is a 250-acre farm that is well equipped to cater for any of the horses the stud has bred that might require a safe and loving home for their retirement.

“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 our bit for horses that carry our brand. We can move quicker because we are a smaller wheel.”

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 are passionate about our horses and you have to have that passion to do what we do. Our business has grown from

a small boutique stud to a medium-sized boutique farm concentrating on quality. We always want the best for the horse and people that buy them,” he explains.

In fact, buying back horses bred under their own banner is nothing new for Edinburgh Park. “We were buying back horses well before the 7.30 Report broke the story if we thought they were going to an abattoir,” says Ian. “I would always ask where the horse was going, and if I wasn’t completely happy with the response, then we would take them back and home them with people that wanted a good horse. We have always cared about our horses and where they end up.”

The genuine respect the team at Edinburgh Park has shown for their horses has endeared them to many people in the industry. “We’ve done it for the horses first but there has been positive feedback from buyers at the sales in appreciation for what we are doing and how we are putting a positive message out there for the industry as a whole,” Ian says.

Ian has plans to introduce more welfare-focused initiatives for Edinburgh Park bred horses this year and will soon be discussing with the local Wingham Show Society how they might be able to create specific classes for retired racing and breeding stock.

‘We’ll be talking to the local show society about putting in place interesting concepts in terms of retired racehorse classes and incentives and prizes if they win the class,” he says. “There are things we are looking at to promote our brand and the horses we breed, and at the same time making sure that long-term the horses are well looked after.”

With the bigger picture in mind, Ian believes it’s vital that their horses are not just ticking boxes for a future in racing but well beyond the racetrack as potential pleasure horses. “We’ve put a lot of time into our breeding program making sure the horses we breed are correct in conformation, and are healthy. They are popular as pleasure horses because they are good strong, sound animals physically, with great temperaments. Edinburgh Park is currently home to a band of 50 broodmares and at peak times of the year there can be up to 120 horses on the property. They are magnificent animals. They are strong willed, but if you are kind, they give kindness back,” he says. “It’s all about enjoying the horse and we are passionate about making sure they are well received by trainers and have a tremendous future ahead of them.”

Edinburgh Park will soon launch a new website that clearly outlines its policies around horse welfare and the various incentives the stud already has in place. Also on the horizon is the appointment of a welfare officer to ensure that any horses carrying the IKS brand on their shoulder are in the very best of health. Ian Smith with mare and foal. Image courtesy of Breednet.

Edinburgh Park’s first filly to sell under a guarantee for life.