Fields Nominations Results

Life After Racing

“Every Standardbred horse should be treated with respect, compassion and understanding and shall receive a standard of care which allows them to enjoy a good quality of life while in the racing industry and on retirement.”

Responsible re-homing of Standardbreds is an important issue for racing internationally.  Harness Racing New Zealand is committed to ensuring that as many of our retiring horses as possible are retrained and re-homed for second careers as sport or pleasure horses.

Standardbreds throughout New Zealand have successful careers after racing in many equestrian disciplines including showing, trekking, show jumping, endurance, competitive trail riding, cowboy challenge and eventing.

Harness Education & Rehoming Opportunities (HERO)

HERO is a rehoming and re-educating programme designed to showcase the standardbred breed to the wider equine industry.HERO is established in Canterbury and Southland and will launching in the Northern region in the 21/22 season.

HERO was initially launched in July 2015 as a joint initiative of Harness Racing Victoria and the State Government via the Victorian Racing Industry Fund and Harness Racing New Zealand are proud to be apart of this venture. HERO promotes life after racing options for retired Standardbreds, with an emphasis on developing positive pathways for horses exiting the competitive environment and encouraging industry participants to factor retirement into their day to day welfare programs.

Horses are selected for HERO based on the following criteria in line with our Australian counterpart.

  • 4-12 years of age
  • Sound
  • Good conformation
  • Good temperament
  • Recently retired from racing

These horses are then placed with a HERO educator. They will begin the process of a thorough education including ground and ridden work. HERO horses will be schooled to a high level and will be participating in a range of different disciplines to highlight their versatility.

Upon completion of their education the HERO horse will then be offered for sale with all proceeds returning to the HERO programme.

We are a part of a fantastic industry where life after racing is a priority. We have many current re-homer’s doing a brilliant job with our off the track racehorses .Our aim at HERO is to raise awareness of the unharnessed potential of the standardbred horse as both a pleasure and competitive mount. Our intention is to SHOWCASE the breed and we look forward to working alongside other industry participants.

Horses entered in the HERO programme will be deregistered from racing and registered as a hack only.

Standardbred Showing

Standardbreds are fast becoming a well-known breed in the show ring throughout New Zealand.  They are admired for their ease of training, loyal nature and beauty.

If you are interested in learning more about competing in the show ring here is a website to assist you with valuable information about showing your Standardbred - whether you are new to the show circuit or a seasoned competitor. We will be bringing you the latest information to help you and your horse on your journey.

NZ Standardbred Showing

 

Photo competitions

Harness Racing New Zealand in conjunction with Dunstan Feeds introduced the inaugural Standardbred Photo Competition at Goldfields Cavalcade - Riding Trails Event. This initiative called on participants to take imaginative photos of them and their Standardbred enjoying the Cavalcade. The Competition has now run for two years and it was fantastic to see so many Standardbreds enjoying their life after racing.
The latest winner (2020) was Jane Orr and Peanut (pictured below).

Horse of the Year

There is a strong contingent of Standardbreds that compete annually at Horse of the Year. This is the crème de le crème of New Zealand’s premier equestrian competition, featuring a range of horse and rider combinations from multiple disciplines. With over 1,600 riders and 1,800 horses competing for lucrative titles and prize money, the show is a feature on all equestrian calendars.

2024 Inhand Standardbred of the Year
Eagles Nest - Brad Hamilton

Runner up
You Can Fly Arden - Chanelle Dickie

2024 Ridden Standardbred of the Year
Nucleus VC - Mandy Hamilton

Runner up
Michaelangelo- Taylah Dolan

Assistance to rehomers

Outside of the HERO scheme, Harness Racing New Zealand works alongside other rehomers to support the retraining and rehoming of standardbreds when they retire from racing.

Stable to Stirrup Charitable Trust

Standardbred rehomers

Do you rehome standardbreds?

Did you know that Harness Racing NZ can offer you several different funding options?

Harness Racing NZ is hugely appreciative of the equestrian community for the work that you do educating and finding retired Standardbreds new homes. We do understand that this comes at a cost for most of you and we would like to offer you some support.

If you would like to find out more please contact Meagan at [email protected] or find more information here https://www.hrnz.co.nz/industry-information/health-and-animal-welfare/life-after-racing-grants/

 

Life after racing articles

New Zealand Standardbred Breeders Association


Harness Racing New Zealand will:

  1. Develop and launch the HERO programme
  2. Amend the Rules of Racing to create a duty of care on rehoming Standardbreds after they retire from racing or breeding
  3. Provide support for initiatives that showcase the versatility of Standardbreds
  4. Support objective research that identifies why horses do not start racing, or leave racing and breeding
  5. Support objective research that identifies the activities that retrained horses participate in
Industry Information