Racehorse rehabilitation scheme helps prisoners and soldiers get back on track
A LOCAL racehorse rehabilitation program that has proved life-changing for prisoners and soldiers alike will soon be rolled out across NSW. The program, which started in 2011, boasts incredible results.
The Express
Don't miss out on the headlines from The Express. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A LOCAL racehorse rehabilitation program that has proved life-changing for prisoners and soldiers alike will soon be rolled out across NSW.
The Thoroughbred Rehabilitation Program has been operating from Canterbury racecourse since 2011, but will now be used as a model across the state.
Racing NSW announced last week that one per cent from all racing prizemoney in NSW will support a new Horse Welfare Fund that will enable the Canterbury model to be expanded.
Racing NSW said the success of Canterbury’s program had provided the industry with a pragmatic approach to retraining.
“When we get the horses, they’ve come straight from the racetrack so they’re in racing condition,” head trainer Scott Brodie said.
“So we send them to the prison for six months to let them be horses for a while.”
Prisoners at St Heliers in Musswellbrook work to get the horses to respond to human contact outside of their normal racing routines.
The horses are then trained at Canterbury for about 12 weeks, learning how to be ridden again and even how to jump.
Mr Brodie, a former mounted policeman, has been with the program since its inception and said it has had a dramatic impact on prisoners’ reoffending rates.
“From the time I start working with the prisoners to the time I finish working with them, you notice huge changes,” he said.
“It’s an amazing process to see how positive they can be when they connect with horses.
“Also recidivism rates for inmates that have gone right through the program is zero.”
The rehabilitation program has also been beneficial to soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress.
“The soldiers see a real parallel between themselves and horses that have been institutionalised and raised for a certain purpose,” Mr Brodie said.
“At the end of that purpose, they’re really superfluous, and the soldiers feel the same way.”
More than 300 racehorses now have a life off the track, thanks to the program.
They go on to be first horses for pony club riders, to compete in low-level competitions and as recreational horses for trail riding.
Mr Brodie said the funding from Racing NSW will “dramatically increase” the program’s reach.
“We’ll be able to increase our throughput of horses tenfold,” he said.
“It’s good that the racing industry takes responsibility and believes that horses should have an opportunity to do something different when they finish racing.”
More than 30 volunteers offer their time at the stables, but Mr Brodie said they are always looking for more helpers.
“We can accommodate anyone who wants to come down and help out,” he said.
To find out more, email scott.brodie@optusnet.com.au
Sydney rail line reopens after nine-week closure
Commuters in Sydney’s southwest can finally ditch replacement buses and hop back on the train following a marathon nine-week closure.
Drug dealer murderer ‘stomped on’ inmate’s head three times
An inmate was left wounded and concussed after a violent prison bashing meted out by a convicted murderer, a man who stabbed someone to fulfil a drug debt, and another prisoner on remand.