The International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses (IFAR), building off of the success of its virtual conference series held in April, has made changes to its leadership structure as part of a strategy to increase global engagement and share aftercare best practices with a larger audience.
In addition to the current membership of the IFAR Committee, which is composed of representatives from the European & Mediterranean Horseracing Federation, Godolphin, Racing Australia, Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) (UK), and The Jockey Club (US), the committee has now added representatives from Au–Delà des Pistes (FR), the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Japan Racing Association, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (US), and Treo Eile (IRE).
The IFAR Committee has also established multiple subcommittees to focus energies across areas, including organization of the annual IFAR conference, an aftercare working group, communications, and liaising internationally. Administrative support will continue to be provided by Godolphin, RoR, and The Jockey Club.
“Our virtual conference series was a resounding success, with more than 700 attendees from 28 countries joining us for at least one of the four sessions,” said Di Arbuthnot, chair of IFAR. “IFAR’s expanded structure will enable us to take advantage of this recent momentum to maximize our impact on global aftercare practices and attitudes.
“We welcome all interested organizations or individuals to be a part of the IFAR network, whether that is by reaching out to us for aftercare guidance directly, using the aftercare resources on our website, or by subscribing to our biannual newsletter, which offers insight into current activities around the world and will be of interest to racing authorities, industry participants, aftercare providers and charities, and anyone with an interest in equine well-being.”
The revised IFAR structure can be found here. Those who are interested in subscribing to the IFAR newsletter should contact Alexa Ravit at aravit@jockeyclub.com.
In-person IFAR conferences have previously been held in conjunction with the Asian Racing Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, in February 2020; the European & Mediterranean Horseracing Federation’s General Assembly in Oslo, Norway, in May 2019; the Asian Racing Conference in Seoul, South Korea, in May 2018; and the Pan American Conference in Washington, D.C., in May 2017.
IFAR is an independent forum that works to promote Thoroughbred aftercare, respecting the geographical and industry diversity among racing countries. Working with the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities, IFAR raises awareness of the importance of welfare for Thoroughbreds, improves education on lifetime care, and helps increase demand for former racehorses in other equestrian sports. For more information on IFAR, including presentations from prior IFAR conferences, visit internationalracehorseaftercare.com.