After a successful opening on April 5, the 2022 International Forum for Racehorse Tracking (IFAR) Lecture Series will host its second and final live virtual session on April 19 at 11 a.m. GMT (7 a.m. ET). IFAR has partnered with the Japan Racing Association (Japanese Racehorse Tracking Advisory Committee) to organize this year’s event.
“Our first webinar attracted viewers from nearly 20 countries and led to interesting discussions with our speakers on global tracking issues,” said Di Arbuthnot, President of IFAR. “With the diversity of speakers and panelists we have assembled for next week, I look forward to continuing the dialogue around effective thoroughbred tracking programs, which, as mentioned in our first session, are critical to the sustainability of our industry.”
Tuesday’s session will be moderated by Australia-based racing host Caroline Searcy, and scheduled speakers include owner and breeder Michael Drapac; Dr. Adrian Farrington, Executive Director of Veterinary Clinical Services at the Hong Kong Jockey Club; Kirsten Green, executive director of the Retired Racehorse Project; and Jennifer Hughes, Managing Director of Equine Welfare for Racing Victoria.
The session will also feature a panel of young professionals moderated by Searcy and comprised of Godolphin Flying Start interns George Broughton and Elinor Wolf; Caoimhe Doherty, co-founder of Treo Eile and stud manager at Forenaghts Stud; Natasha Rose, Equestrian Affairs Project Manager and Retired Racehorse Unit Manager for the Hong Kong Jockey Club; and Tom Ward, coach.
The webinar held on April 5 was moderated by international broadcaster Rishi Persad, and the speakers were Di Arbuthnot; Annamarie Phelps, chair of the British Horseracing Authority; Dr Meredith Flash, Principal Investigator for the Australian Thoroughbred Welfare Project; Jock Hutchison, chairman and co-founder of Horseback UK; Dr. Jeff Berk, veterinarian for Equine Medical Associates PSC and past president of the American Association of Equine Practitioners; and Angela Schuster, Managing Director of Schuster Consulting Group. Topics covered included equine-assisted therapy, euthanasia considerations, and traceability practices.
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A recording of the first session can be viewed at internationalracehorseaftercare.com/help-resources/conference-resources/ifar-conference-2022/.
Additional conference information including speakers, moderators, presentation topics, biographies and link to register is available at internationalracehorseaftercare.com/virtual-ifar/. All sessions are free, but registration is required. Those attending the live sessions will be able to ask questions of the presenters.
Prior to the virtual conference series in 2021, IFAR had already been held in conjunction with the Asian Racing Conference in Cape Town, South Africa in February 2020; the General Assembly of the European and Mediterranean Horseracing Federation in Oslo, Norway, in May 2019; the Asian Racing Conference in Seoul, South Korea, in May 2018; and the Pan American Conference in Washington, DC, in May 2017.
IFAR is an independent forum that recognizes the geographic and industrial differences between racing countries and is designed to improve the tracking of Thoroughbreds worldwide. Working with the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities, IFAR will raise awareness of the importance of Thoroughbred welfare, improve education on lifetime care and help increase demand for ex-racehorses in d other equestrian sports.
For more information on IFAR, visit internationalracehorseaftercare.com.
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