NZTR launches Beyond the Track to support retired thoroughbreds

New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) has launched Beyond the Track, a website bringing together aftercare guidance and support for retired thoroughbreds.

The platform offers retirement-planning and rehoming information, welfare resources, NZTR Acknowledged Providers and supported equestrian events.

Current owners can claim their off-the-track horses on the platform, linking themselves with the horses after racing. NZTR said this would help it understand where horses go and what support they and their owners need.

“Planning for life after racing should start well before a horse has its final start,” NZTR’s head of thoroughbred welfare Catlyn Calder said.

Calder said owners should discuss retirement options with their racing connections and “make sure there is a plan, including financial provision, for what that individual horse may need next”.

The website also has guidance for new owners on preventative care, covering hooves, teeth, vaccinations, parasites and records. It provides information on nationwide clinics designed to help riders build confidence with their off-the-track horses.

NZTR said the initiative is supported through its wider thoroughbred welfare investment, including the industry’s 1 per cent welfare levy.