Whistle jacket
Day 1 in Riyadh
Most of the day was an interesting program from IFAR, the International Forum for the Aftercare of Race Horses.
We visited the facilities at the racecourse including the newly built yards for the horse and rider to work towards a dressage program. The horses seemed in great health and their young riders obviously bonding well with them. There's also an indoors airconditioned arena in the pipe line as it gets too hot to work the horses in the Saudi summer except for very early in the morning or very late in the afternoon.
In the afternoon there was a busy program opened by HRH Prince Bandar bin Khalid al Faisal and addressed by HRH Princess Nada of Cambodia who told us about how her country was working to facilitate the entry of former racehorses into their riding schools.
Other speakers told us of the work they were doing in their countries which involved things such as working with disadvantaged teenagers in an effort to keep them in school by teaching them responsibility for looking after the horses as well as training future Vets at Heros in the UK and the Racing Victoria's program for tracing "off the track" horses electronically in order to avoid them falling into areas where they could suffer harm or neglect.
Many speakers emphasised the importance of thoroughbreds in these programs where their intelligence and good development helps them continue on into the next phase of their lives, which should be regarded as just as important as their early years and their racing lives.
And in the evening the Opening Ceremony for the Asia Racing Conference's 41st forum was opened in great style, attended by HRH Prince Bandar and delegates representing 45 different racing jurisdictions
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