Thoroughbred Breeders Australia (TBA) has launched a programme aimed at promoting thoroughbred welfare.
The TBA has listed fundamental principles for the care of thoroughbred breeding stock and will appoint welfare officers in each state.
Directives included among the guidelines are that horses should be provided with appropriate amounts of food and have access to quality drinking water; horses should not be forced into positions or situations that cause unnecessary pain, harm or injury and no horse should be abused and horses should not be subjected to submissive techniques that injure or harm.
“We already have a very high standard of care for our horses in the breeding industry, but I believe it is important for the TBA to highlight the message that welfare needs to be at the heart of what we do,” TBA president Basil Nolan said in a statement.
“We are fortunate that Australia has the second largest breeding industry in the world, but we always need to look to ways to protect our future and I believe this initiative assists in that aim.”
People should contact 1300 TBA WELFARE (1300 822 935 3273) if they have concerns about a thoroughbred breeding stock.