The National Thoroughbred Demand and Pathways Survey

We would like to invite you to participate in The National Thoroughbred Demand and Pathways survey, the most extensive study of retired Thoroughbreds ever attempted. This survey is one part of a wider analysis being undertaken by Racing Australia and the State based Thoroughbred racing authorities, in collaboration with Hartpury University, Sydney University, and Jennifer Krawczyk (Consultant). The project is funded by AgriFutures Australia.

The survey aims to understand the transition of retired Thoroughbreds into new homes, careers, and the perceptions of Thoroughbreds from those both within the Thoroughbred industry and the wider horse community.

We are also interested in hearing from those of you who are involved in rehoming and/or retraining Thoroughbreds. Your responses will help us understand the opportunities available and support the development of positive pathways for Thoroughbreds after they have retired from racing or breeding.

The survey will take between 10 and 15 minutes to complete, depending on the number of ways you are involved with the horse industry.

To be eligible to be included, you must be over 18 years of age, live in Australia, and fall into any of the following categories:

· You retrain and/or rehome Thoroughbreds

· You own, or are interested in the future to own horses of any breed

· You own or lease a Thoroughbred for any purpose (including shares in racehorses or breeding Thoroughbreds)

· You work in any aspect of the Thoroughbred industry, from breeding, before, during and after racing

· You are a fan of Thoroughbred racing and/or Thoroughbred horses

· You are a participant in any activity involving horses all breeds

Please also share the survey with any friends, family or colleagues who would be interested.

As a thank you to those that complete the survey, we are offering a small incentive. These include a voucher for a reduced-price service at the Equine Genetics Research Centre, a retired racehorse card, or a commemorative certificate featuring your favourite racehorse. If you wish to choose one of the latter two options, it would be helpful if you have your retired racehorses official racing name, Australian ID number or microchip number to enter in the survey. If you do not know these, there is the opportunity for you to email us details including clear photos of both sides of the horse so we can identify it from its brands and markings.

How we use your information: All information which is collected about you and your horse during the course of the research will be kept securely. Any identifiable personal data collected will only be used to validate the information you provide regarding your horse against Racing Australia records.

The personal data will then be anonymised, so that you cannot be recognised from it, and this anonymised data will be used for analysis including for the final form of the academic publication.

For further information regarding how Racing Australia processes personal data please read our Privacy Notice.

By filling out this questionnaire you are indicating your voluntary informed consent for your results to be included in data analysis. You are free to withdraw without giving a reason up to submission of the completed survey.

This survey is part of a project collaboration between Racing Australia, Racing NSW, Racing Vic, Racing QLD, Racing WA, Racing SA, TRNT, Tasracing, Hartpury University, the University of Sydney and private consultant Ms Jennifer Krawczyk. The research team is being led by Dr Natasha Hamilton, Ms. Karen Day and Prof Jane Williams (Hartpury University).

If you have any questions regarding this survey, please email the team at tbsurvey@racingaustralia.horse

Your views and experiences are key to make this project a success. We really value your input and thank you for taking the time to complete the survey.