Retired thoroughbreds are being up skilled so they can take part in polo matches across the country.
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Tasracing acting chief executive Alicia Fuller said they are always looking for ways to increase the re-homing of horses retiring from racing.
“Usually the horses that aren’t athletic enough for the track love playing sport, so if they can go into any other sport ... it is just so great for them to continue doing what they love,” Ms Fuller said.
“We want to find them a second career and a loving home.”
A number of ponies competing at the Barnbougle Polo wore white ribbons on their breastplates to signify that they were retired off-the-track thoroughbreds.
“Racing thoroughbreds only have a set amount of time they can race and obviously when they finish racing they have a whole life ahead of them,” Ms Fuller said.
“Polo is one of the great sports that can take them and they are really suited to what they do here, they have to be retrained but they obviously love playing polo as well.”
The polo was held at Barnbougle on Saturday and Ms Fuller said the event was a good way to recognise the retired race horses.
“We are here today because this is the only really big event in Tasmania for polo and it is a good way for us to recognising the off the track horses that they take and what great second careers and homes they give them,” she said.
About 50 per cent of polo ponies in Australia were off-the-track thoroughbreds.
Originally from the United Kingdom, Ms Fuller said it’d be great to see more people embracing the sport of kings in Australia and particularly Tasmania.
“It is so great to see so many people from all over Tasmania [at Barnbougle] and celebrating a horse sport, and it doesn’t really matter what horse sport it is, the horse is a great athlete,” she said.