Victorian breeders looking to the future

COVID-19 might have defeated plans for two innovative new Victorian trade fairs for harness racing breeders, but it isn’t dampening the optimism of the key players about the future of their plans, or for breeding in the State.

Llowalong Stud proprietor Dr Kath McIntosh and the Harness Breeders’ Victoria Committee have been working for 12 months on plans for Victoria’s first harness racing breeder trade fair and forum, to be run as two events scheduled for Shepparton and Ballarat this month.

Ongoing COVID challenges finally forced the organisers to call time on the events – but with a clear mandate to ensure they go ahead in 2022.

“We had been pushing them back, pushing them back, but in the end, it was just too difficult with so many of our breeders and potential breeders locked down in Melbourne,” McIntosh said.

“Added to that, it is starting to get too close now to the stud season, when all of us, and our speakers are just too busy with other things. We had no choice to cancel in the end, but so much has gone into it and there was such energy around the concept, it was a difficult decision,” she said.

“We will push on though, and the seminars and the trade fairs will be going ahead next year because we really believe that this is what the industry needs for its future.”

Kath McIntosh’s Llowalong Farms (formerly Northern Rivers Equine) is a recent entrant to the breeding industry. A book of eight stallions, a mix of shuttle and locally-bred, represents one of the biggest injections of new blood into the Victorian and Australian industry in years.

McIntosh, a respected equine vet and secretary of HBV, is convinced that education holds the key to managing critical external challenges for the industry, as well as building a platform for its sustainability.

“I’ve been involved in education programs for other industries, and I know it’s a model that works. We need to lift the bar in our industry and we have to educate to keep improving,” she said.

“Breeders making sound, informed decisions is a key factor in making the breeding industry sustainable by helping to minimise wastage and ensuring we can keep our social licence to operate as an industry.

“Events like the ones we are planning not only provide education for mare owners and breeders, but they also help build relationships and strengthen the industry from within as well.”

McIntosh said the idea came after feedback from breeders about a series of information videos delivered online last year through the Campbells Comments platform.

“It was really clear from the response that there was an appetite for more information to help breeders in making some of the complex decisions they face each season. Breeding is for stayers, not sprinters and you’ve got to be in for the long game!

“There is a lot that goes into the decision-making process as to what stallion a mare should go to. It’s not just the pedigree suitability, but the price of the stallion, the location of the stallion, frozen AI vs chilled AI suitability and also eligibility for futurity schemes.

“Once you get the mare in foal it’s over 11 months until that magical moment when the foal arrives. That’s when your heart’s captured, and the breeder gets to watch that gorgeous bundle of fur transform from a leggy foal into an athletic horse purpose-built for racing.

“It’s a long drawn-out task and there are so many elements that it’s a bit of a mystery to a lot of people. But it’s also fun, rewarding and an incredible journey from start to finish. So if we provide more information then more will be willing to give it a try.

“And the incredible thing about breeding is that there is always something new to learn and there are no set rules. If there was, everyone would breed a champion, and so that’s the challenge – that’s the addiction!”

Harness Breeders Victoria is a group of dynamic individuals committed to growing the breeding industry and McIntosh said the it was optimistic about the industry’s future.

“The enhanced Vicbred bonus schemes makes it a better-than-ever time to be in Victoria breeding and the influx of exciting new stallions into Victoria means there’s never been more choice for pedigrees and value for money than there is now.

“The Vicbred pure bonus scheme developed for stallions standing in Victoria that are born and bred in Australia/NZ heralds unprecedented support for our locally bred stallions of which we have some exceptional quality. This elevated first win bonus of $12,000 enhances the return for breeders/owners.
“It’s a great time to be involved in harness racing in Victoria and hopefully our seminar and trade fair events in 2022 will help to drive our industry’s success.”

By Terry Gange for Harnesslink