Category: Welfare

By Dr Claire Moore

What is heat stress?

Heat stress is a life-threatening emergency affecting horses training in hot conditions and can be extremely dangerous for handlers. Therefore, it is important that we can recognise this condition as early as possible, and treat affected horses promptly.

Signs of heat stress include:

• Rapid or heavy breathing
• Sweat dripping from skin (indicates ineffective cooling)
• Distant, ‘glassy’ look in eyes
• Slow recovery from exercise (high heart and respiratory rates)
• Depression, disorientation, and incoordination
• Agitation, irritability
• Kicking out with hindlimbs
• Pawing
• Unwilling to move then lunging forwards
• Falling over
• Colliding with objects

How can heat stress be managed?

It is crucially important that all horses displaying any, even mild, signs of heat stress, be quickly cooled to reduce body temperature as fast as possible. Call for immediate veterinary assistance if you have any concerns that your horse may be affected by heat stress.

• If cold hosing is possible, begin this immediately (the colder, the better – iced water is ideal)
• If a hose is not available, repeatedly apply buckets of iced water
• Concentrate on cooling the large muscle groups and major blood vessels of the head and neck
• Scrape water off between rounds of cold water application
• Offer small amounts of cool water to the horse to drink
• Apply a cooling collar to the horse’s neck if available
• Closely monitor the horse for 45-60 minutes after training for signs of ‘rebound hyperthermia’
• Ask a veterinarian to check your heat-stressed horse prior to transportation
• Do not apply wet towels to any part of the horse (this has insulating effects and limits cooling)

By Dr Claire Moore

The ongoing high levels of rainfall can cause an increase in the occurrence of cellulitis as skin moistens and softens, therefore becoming more susceptible to infection.

What is cellulitis?

Cellulitis refers to a painful bacterial infection occurring beneath the skin, in soft tissues. The hindlimbs of the horse are most commonly affected, however any limb may be susceptible. Additionally, when cellulitis has already occurred in a limb, this limb may be prone to recurrence.

How does cellulitis occur?

Cellulitis most commonly occurs secondarily to an injury (wound) or other trauma which results in breakage of the skin barrier. Swelling usually progresses quickly from a localised area to a large proportion of the affected leg, as infection spreads.

Factors such as environmental conditions (such as the current weather pattern of extensive rainfall!), hoof trauma or abscessation, external parasites, the presence of a wound, and impaired lymphatic drainage of the affected leg may predispose a horse to developing cellulitis.

How do I recognise cellulitis in my horse?

• Marked swelling of part or the entire limb (often warm and painful to touch)
• Skin stretching and fluid seeping from skin
• Elevated temperature (>38.5C)
• Reduced appetite
• Lameness
• Dull demeanour, lethargy
• Swelling under the abdomen (oedema)

How is cellulitis treated?

The most important aspect of managing cellulitis is to start treatment as promptly as possible. The larger the affected area, the more difficult cellulitis is to treat, and the greater the likelihood of long-term consequences such as scar tissue development and reduced lymphatic function. If you suspect cellulitis, contact your veterinarian for advice.

Cold hosing the affected area, hand-walking, and pressure bandaging may be useful as adjunctive therapies, however may not be appropriate in all cases.

How can I prevent my horse from developing cellulitis?

In wet conditions, it is helpful to keep your horse’s legs clean, dry, and to treat any wounds promptly. If possible, avoid turning your horse out in muddy conditions. Finally, maintaining a regular exercise program may help to promote lymphatic drainage.

By Samara Smith

When Dianne decided to purchase a retired Thoroughbred in 2022, she had a simple goal: to provide a home for a horse in need.

Fields of Oxley, a former racehorse and Team Thoroughbred graduate, has since become a beloved member of her family.

“I purchased him because I wanted to help out a horse that needed a home,” Dianne said.

“I also wanted to have honest information and feedback from who I was purchasing from.”

Although Dianne grew up around horses, she had never owned an ex-racehorse.

Since rehoming Fields of Oxley, she has quickly become a retired Thoroughbred racehorse convert.                                            

“They’ve got a really good base to work from,” Dianne said.

“He goes on the float fine, picks up his feet fine, you can put the saddle on him, do the girth up, put the bridle on, all those basic things that a new horse wouldn’t have are really well instilled in him.” she said.

Fields of Oxley has made great progress in his retraining, adjusting from life as a racehorse to life as a pleasure horse.

“He’s been so interesting, being an ex-racehorse,” Dianne said.

“He’s learnt to go out for a ride on his own because obviously he’s always been around other horses and I have also transitioned him to barefoot.”

Feilds of Oxley is certainly enjoying retirement.

The black gelding enjoys regular trail rides with Dianne and is also ridden by her granddaughter when she visits.

“He’s just a great, easy horse to have around,” Dianne said.

“He’s perfect for my teenage granddaughter. She loves him.”

Dianne said Fields of Oxley has been the perfect addition to her family.

“I’d definitely go back again to get another Thoroughbred when I have the time and a spare spot.”

Ava, a lover of Thoroughbreds, is thrilled to welcome Ricochet Bullet, her third Team Thoroughbred Graduate, to her competitive team. Ricochet Bullet joins former Belltrees residents, ‘Bobs Cooltoo’ (AKA Harvey) and ‘Shepley’, adding to the mix in Ava’s stable.

Bobs Cooltoo, Ava’s first Team Thoroughbred NSW graduate, had a very successful 2023 as her main competition horse.  After a brief racing career, Harvey underwent retraining at Belltrees before finding a home with Ava on her family’s Northern NSW Farm. Described by Ava as the “Coolest, quietest guy out there”, Harvey can transition seamlessly from the perfect competition mount to the ideal Pony Club partner. Their notable achievement came at the Inaugural Equimillion competition, where they took out the Junior 80cm Showjumping class and $15,000 in prizemoney. Motivated by this success, Ava and Harvey are focusing on eventing and showjumping, aiming for continued success in 2024.

Having fallen in love with Harvey, Ava returned to Belltrees to find another valuable addition, this time for her mother, Rebecca. Shepley, formerly trained by Tracey Bartley, joined Belltrees and embarked on his retraining journey. Described by Ava as possessing “the most gentle and kind nature”, Shepley has proven to be safe and easy to handle, making him the ideal horse for her Rebecca to develop her skills. Shepley has already participated in some low-level events, showcasing his potential as a dressage champion. Exciting plans are in store for Rebecca and Shepley in 2024!

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The newest addition to Ava’s team is ‘Ricochet Bullet’ (AKA ‘Frankie’), who has seamlessly settled into the family. With promising potential as a future eventing champion, 2024 will be used to understand Frankie’s skills and ability off the track.

We wish Ava and her team of talented Thoroughbreds good luck in 2024.

By Abby Delucyk

When envisioning a typical 16-year-old girl, you might not imagine her going to bed at 8pm with the aspiration of waking up early at 4am to ride trackwork. However, for Poppie Gorton, this is her dream life.

Poppie was inspired by her mother’s love of horses from an early age and had a dream to pursue her love of riding. “My grandma made me a rocking horse when I was born and apparently, I just refused to get off and would stay there all day,” Poppie said.

Poppie began riding at the tender age of three, and her competitive spirit led her to enter her first competition at just six years old in Scone. While she only attended Pony Club twice, Poppie consistently took riding lessons and gradually progressed to participating in clinics. She has been fortunate to have the same coach, Sandy Lucas, for 13 years.

Poppie’s passion for Thoroughbreds is evident through her proud ownership of five off-the-track Thoroughbreds. “I love that with horses, you have a built-in best friend. They aren’t just built for going fast, they actually love their next job and are so versatile. I was drawn into eventing because of the adrenaline rush you get doing three disciplines in one,” she said.

With multiple competitions under her belt, Poppie shifted her focus to the Inaugural Equimillion competition, featuring $1,000,000 in prizemoney. “I didn’t have high hopes leading into the event as I had an injury 2 months before so only really had a few weeks to prepare.” Despite this, Poppie exceeded expectations and was crowned Grand Champion of her class, taking home an incredible $15,000 in prize money.

As Poppie invested her time into riding, school started to become a second option. Eventually, she made the decision to leave school at the end of Year 10.  

With her riding skills advancing, a friend named Rosie introduced her to the world of race riding. This new career path hadn’t crossed her mind until she saw a video of Rosie galloping down the straight where her interest was immediately provoked. Through Rosie, she was introduced to well-known Hawkesbury trainer, Brad Widdup who saw talent in this rising star.

With Brad’s support, Poppie’s parents agreed to her joining the local Hawkesbury stable as a trackwork rider. As her journey progressed, Brad suggested that Poppie explore the role of an apprentice jockey, considering her lightweight frame.

“Working with Brad is everything I’ve wanted and more. The whole Widdup family has supported me, and it feels more like I am working with a family. They understand I am still young and learning”, Poppie said.

Poppie is now on the path to becoming an apprentice under Brad, aspiring to follow in the footsteps of legendary jockeys like Kathy O’Hara and Rachel King. She sets her short-term focus on obtaining her apprentice license and working towards her first jump out.

“I wouldn’t trade my job for the world. It is hard at times to see your friends go out while you’re in bed early, but I know in the long run, everything will be worth it,” Poppie concludes.

By Abby Delucyk

Para-Dressage rider, Simone Salter made the unthinkable happen with Team Thoroughbred graduate Vegas Vic after competing in the Riding For The Disabled competition just two weeks after purchasing him.

Haven ridden since she was 8 years old, Tamworth-based Simone became a para-rider after she was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease. Despite this, Simone has continued to pursue her love of riding and is now a qualified Dressage coach and judge.

In need of a new competition horse, Simone reached out to Alec at Belltrees Retraining Farm after previously purchasing an OTTB through the Team Thoroughbred rehoming program at Belltrees.

The handsome Vegas Vic caught the eye of Simone when she first visited the farm.

“I needed to find a horse that had the right temperament and trainability. Alec knew exactly what I was looking for and suggested Vic,” Simone explained.

“Vegas Vic has a very cool, calm and collected demeanor which I love. He doesn’t like leaving his friends very much but other than that he is an easy horse to ride.”

This duo wasted no time and got straight into their training.

Simone rode Vic every day for a week before she floated him down to Sydney where they participated in an Equine Pathway Clinic. Their trip to Sydney was extended where they competed in the Riding For The Disabled NSW Championships.

“I was supposed to compete with another horse, but we had an accident and missed out on the qualifiers with him. I needed a horse to fill in the gaps and Vegas Vic was the answer.”

And the duo soared, taking home lots of ribbons.

“Everyone thought I was crazy. We made such a good connection to be able to do what we have done in the past two weeks,” Simone recalled.

With their success fast-tracked, Simone and Vegas Vic set their sights on the upcoming Equimillion competition.

“We are also attempting to qualify for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics which is a long process but that is where we are heading,” Simone concluded.

By Abby Delucyk

On Saturday April 17, Cristal Breeze galloped down the straight at Royal Randwick to take out the 2021 Provincial Mid-Way Championships. All while his strapper, Ellie Rogers, cheered him home with tears in her eyes!

This duo’s bond dates back to 2019 when Cristal Breeze first arrived on Australian soil, with Ellie tasked to ride him every morning for Kris Lees. “No one actually really liked him because he had a very spooky, shy personality. I found that he was slow to trust people which I quite liked about him, and our friendship really just grew from there,” Ellie said.

“I worked with him at the stables, brushed him and strapped him in his first start which he won at Canterbury in the June of 2020,” she said. 9 months after his first start, Cristal Breeze qualified for the Provincial Championship Final after coming in second at Newcastle.

“No one was really backing him too much for the championships and were picking different horses as Kris had 6 horses in the race. I was quietly confident he would run a good race but didn’t think he would have it in him to win,” Ellie claimed.

However, Cristal Breeze made the unthinkable happen, winning the 2021 Provincial Championships Final at Royal Randwick, with Ellie marking this moment a highlight in her strapping career.

After achieving this success, Cristal Breeze made the trip up north to QLD where he went on to race while Ellie was forced to stay in NSW. Despite this, Ellie kept a close eye on this champion and was in constant contact with his owners and Australian Bloodstock who previously helped import him.

“I think everyone knew that once he was ready to retire, I was the first in line,” Ellie said.

“It was after a race in Queensland that one of the owners actually dm’ed me on Instagram and mentioned that they think that might have been his last race. I was so excited but just didn’t want to get my hopes up too early,” she said.

It was a message that came from Australian Bloodstock owner, Luke Murrell, that allowed Cristal Breeze to be officially retired to Ellie.

This duo wasted no time and quickly got into retraining after he was transported back down to NSW. “Cristal is so quiet and relaxed. Everyone says he looks so happy now and has really come out of his shell.”

His home track, Newcastle Jockey Club chose Cristal Breeze as one of four picked to be a sponsored rider in the upcoming Equimillion competition. Ellie has entered Cristal into the classes of eventing and show jumping after he has shown lots of talent in jumping.  

“Our main goal is just to have fun and get some prizemoney as there is a lot on offer. We are going to take it step by step,” Ellie said.

We wish this pair good luck in Equimillion!