Information evenings on post-racing aftercare of horses under way AIRO, the Association of Irish Racehorse Owners, in conjunction with HRI Ownership are hosting a series of educational information evenings for owners. The series of four events, one in each province, will run between now and the end of the year. The first of the series was held at Down Royal before racing on Friday evening, with the south, east and west venues to be confirmed. The main objective of these information evenings is to highlight the responsibilities of owners to the post-racing aftercare of horses, and options and facilities available for owners in respect of retraining and rehoming. The contributors on Friday at Down Royal held a stand in the owners marquee and included representatives from: TREO Eile (Anne O'Connor) Down Royal Corporation of Horse Breeders in association with June Burgess and Horses for People British & Irish Thoroughbred Agency (Suzy Barkley). Suzy Barkley paraded four horses - including former Cheltenham National Hunt Chase winner Ravenhill - who are in the process of transitioning from racehorse to riding horse in the hope of finding a new forever home. John Osborne, HRI Director of Welfare, informed owners about the new welfare booklet that is currently being completed and they will be available to download in the coming weeks. AIRO have produced an information pamphlet entitled 'Simple guide to Responsible Racehorse Ownership' that was circulated to all attendees. Regina Byrne, AIRO General Manager, said: These information evenings are designed to assist and inform owners about all the options available for them in respect of retraining and rehoming their horses post-racing. "We are delighted to be able to facilitate members with all the information they need to make considered choices for their horses once their racing career is finished. "We are very grateful to Emma Meehan and her team at Down Royal Racecourse for hosting us for this event."
