Registration for the seventh International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses (IFAR) is now open. The conference will take place in conjunction with the 39th Asian Racing Conference (ARC), organized by the Asian Racing Federation (ARF). The ARC is scheduled for 14-19 February 2023, in Melbourne, Australia, and will be hosted by Racing Victoria (RV). The IFAR conference will be held on Tuesday, 14 February, and offers a full day program incorporating an aftercare facility visit as well as the forum, which will be moderated by renowned media personality Caroline Searcy.
“After several years of online webinars, we are excited to be holding our face-to-face IFAR event in conjunction with the 39th Asian Racing Conference,” said Dr. Eliot Forbes, Chair of the Conference Organising Committee. “Aftercare remains a key topic of interest both within racing and the wider community, and IFAR is the premier international forum for thought leaders to gather, share best practice, and work to shape the future of global aftercare.”
All ARC delegates are invited to attend the IFAR conference. For those wishing only to take part in the IFAR forum, they may do so by paying fee of AUD$50 and registering here.
Following an on-site visit to Spring Creek Equine, Searcy will moderate the formal IFAR program, which will commence in the afternoon at the Crown Conference Centre in Melbourne. Searcy, a presenter for Sky Racing as well as the host and producer of Bred To Win and Thoroughbreds Are Go, was elected to the Australian Turf Club’s Board of Directors in November.
The forum’s keynote address will be delivered by Tim Gilbert, the host of Racing Dreams, and the sessions will include such topics as new models for industry cooperation; training for success on and off the track; practical tools to screen for temperament and the importance of transition training; and realising athletic potential. The entire conference program is available here.
The IFAR conference will be receiving assistance from the Japan Racing Association (JRA), which has entered into a multi-year sponsorship agreement to support the activities of the organization.
Prior to the virtual conference series in 2022 and 2021, IFAR had previously been held in conjunction with the 38th ARC in Cape Town, South Africa, in February 2020; the European & Mediterranean Horseracing Federation’s General Assembly in Oslo, Norway, in May 2019; the ARC in Seoul, South Korea, in May 2018; and the Pan American Conference in Washington, D.C., in May 2017.
For more information about the 39th ARC and how to register for it, please visit https://arcmelbourne2023.com.
IFAR is an independent forum that recognizes geographical and industry differences among racing countries and is designed to enhance Thoroughbred aftercare worldwide. Working with the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities, IFAR will raise awareness of the importance of welfare for Thoroughbreds, improve education on lifetime care, and help increase demand for former racehorses in other equestrian sports. For more information on IFAR, visit https://www.internationalracehorseaftercare.com.
International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses