Harness Racing Victoria (HRV) has developed an Equine Welfare Framework online training program for industry participants, which covers key animal welfare matters including:

  • What is Animal Welfare?
  • Welfare Assessment Guidelines and Expectations
  • Nutrition
  • Environmental Considerations
  • Horse Health and Behavior
  • Breeding, Rearing and Pre-training
  • Deregistration, Retirement and Traceability
  • Breaches and Reporting Tools

All licensed participants are required to complete the Equine Welfare Framework online training program, which will achieve the following:

  • Collaboration within the harness racing industry that clearly identifies the regulations that all participants are expected to follow in accordance with the Australian Harness Racing Rules (AHRR) and Equine Welfare Framework.
  • Greater education that improves knowledge, skills and compliance.
  • An understanding of the Standardbred Welfare assessment guide and self-assessment tools.

The online training program will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. Licensed participants will need to work through the lessons and complete a knowledge check on each topic. There will be further links within the online program which will provide further information for licensed participants, should they seek further material.

The online training program will be implemented in June 2021 and must be completed by all licensed participants as part of licensing requirements for the 2021/2022 season. 

The training program will be released later this month. Stay tuned to Integrity Matters at thetrots.com.au and the @HRVIntegrity Twitter account for notification.

If you have difficulty accessing or completing the online training program, please contact Harness Racing Victoria on phone (03) 8378 0200 or email info@hrv.org.au