Expected topics to be covered during these sessions include owner and trainer responsibility, traceability, the use of racehorses in equine-assisted therapy, case studies for aftercare progress in different racing jurisdictions, and the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on racehorse aftercare. The full list of topics and speakers, which will include representatives from around the world, will be announced at a later date.

“Although the continuing effects of COVID-19 have prevented us from being able to host a traditional live IFAR conference, we are looking forward to being able to reach an even wider global audience to discuss aftercare and its importance to the racing industry,” said Di Arbuthnot, chair of IFAR. “We wanted to advise the racing and breeding industries of our plans as soon as possible so that interested parties could save these dates in April for what promises to be an enlightening series of presentations and discussions.”

IFAR has previously been held in conjunction with the Asian Racing Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, in February 2020; the European & Mediterranean Horseracing Federation’s General Assembly in Oslo, Norway, in May 2019; the Asian Racing Conference in Seoul, South Korea, in May 2018; and the Pan American Conference in Washington, D.C., in May 2017.