Weld to represent trainers on new Irish Thoroughbred Welfare Council

Renowned trainer Dermot Weld is part of an eight-member body that will advise Horse Racing Ireland on equine welfare.

The new Irish Thoroughbred Welfare Council is set to meet for the first time next month and will perform an advisory role for the board of Irish racing’s ruling body. The move comes after last week’s announcement of an ambitious five-year plan by British racing relating to the improvement of welfare standards in the racehorse population there.

HRI’s director of equine welfare and bloodstock John Osborne said on Sunday the new Irish initiative had been planned before the cross-channel statement.

Osborne, a former CEO of the Irish National Stud, was appointed to HRI’s new welfare role in December in a management restructure.

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The HRI boss Brian Kavanagh has described horse welfare as the single biggest issue facing racing worldwide.

The new council will have representatives from various sectors of the bloodstock industry including Weld who will represent trainers. The HRI board member Caren Walsh will represent owners. Des Leadon will represent breeders.

“Lynn Hillyer [chief veterinary officer and head of anti-doping] will represent the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board. Alison Hanlon [associate professor at the UCD school of veterinary medicine] who specialises in welfare, and is an independent pair of eyes, has agreed to do it.

“So has Caoimhe Doherty who works for Godophin and is involved in the federation for the aftercare of racehorses. Michael Sheahan is from the Department of Agriculture,” Osborne said on Sunday. He himself will also serve on the council.

Britain’s Horse Welfare Board is separate from the British Horseracing Authority but this new Irish council has an advisory role only.

“In the English report they categorically say their body is ruthlessly and aggressively independent of the BHA whereas we have a feeling we didn’t need to resource a whole new body,” Osborne said.

Streamlined approach

“Rather than trying to weaponise a whole new entity which would mean resourcing it and empowering it, the Irish version is saying it is advisory.

“We feel the board of HRI should be capable of taking the advice and ought to be able to wield enough clout that people will do what it asks the entities to do.

“That would be a more streamlined approach rather than create an all new bureaucracy and an all new body,” he added.

Osborne admitted Irish racing is playing “a little bit of catch-up” globally when it comes to welfare but stressed the issue of traceability of thoroughbreds throughout their lives is complicated in every jurisdiction.

“There are gaps in the way the thoroughbred is dealt with and even the HWB in Britain has identified that, to begin with, achieving knowing where the horse is at one remove from the racing programme, that’s as much as they can do just yet.

“We introduced 30 day foal notification in Ireland last year and that will stay in the system. Our compliance numbers could be with improving this year. It’s all about piecing together what happens afterwards,” he said.

Osborne pointed to the planned piloting in April of certain aspects of a new equine e-passport system by the registration company, Weatherbys, as the way many aspects of traceability can be addressed.

“But each element of that will have to be brought through, tested, accepted and embedded. That all takes time and buy-in,” he said.