Short-term assistance to stabilise urgent Thoroughbred welfare risks
Programme Overview
The NZTR Relief Programme provides short-term assistance where the welfare of an NZTR-recognised Thoroughbred is at immediate or imminent risk due to unforeseen, acute or emergency circumstances.
The Programme is intended to stabilise the horse’s welfare while an appropriate longer-term outcome is established. Assistance is temporary, targeted and subject to funding limits. It may include feed, essential veterinary treatment, transport, temporary agistment, or humane euthanasia and disposal where appropriate.
The Programme recognises that natural events, compassionate circumstances, economic hardship, acute veterinary needs or other unexpected events may temporarily prevent an owner or carer from meeting a horse’s immediate welfare needs. Where ongoing intervention is required, the horse may be referred to another NZTR welfare or aftercare pathway.
Programme Objectives
- Provide a timely response to immediate or emerging welfare risks.
- Prevent deterioration in a horse’s health, condition or living environment.
- Support participants experiencing genuine and temporary hardship.
- Provide a clear bridge to an appropriate longer-term outcome.
- Ensure assistance is proportionate, controlled and financially accountable.
- Support confidence in the Thoroughbred industry’s commitment to lifetime care.
Eligible Horses
To be eligible for the Programme, a horse must:
- Be a registered or NZTR-recognised Thoroughbred and be individually identifiable by registered name, microchip, brand or another NZTR-approved identifier.
- Be located in New Zealand.
- Be experiencing an immediate or imminent welfare risk.
- Be in circumstances where the owner or current carer is temporarily unable to provide adequate care.
- Have a clear and achievable short-term stabilisation or outcome pathway.
Meeting the eligibility criteria does not guarantee assistance. All applications are considered on their individual merits and remain subject to NZTR approval and available funding.
Circumstances that may be supported
| Circumstance | Programme response |
|---|---|
| Neglect or welfare concern | Urgent intervention where care is compromised and the horse requires stabilisation, assessment or relocation. |
| Natural event | Flooding, storms, fire or infrastructure damage that creates a sudden risk to shelter, feed, water or safe containment. |
| Economic hardship | A genuine, temporary inability to meet immediate care costs where welfare may otherwise deteriorate. |
| Compassionate grounds | Death, serious illness or injury affecting the person primarily responsible for the horse. |
| Horse received in poor condition | A horse received in a materially poorer condition than reasonably expected, where the recipient did not knowingly accept that condition. |
| Veterinary emergency | Immediate assessment or essential treatment required to prevent pain, suffering or deterioration. |
These circumstances are indicative rather than exhaustive. NZTR may consider other situations where urgent, proportionate intervention is necessary to protect horse welfare.
Circumstances Not Normally Supported
- There is no genuine or immediate welfare risk.
- The horse has been recently acquired in distress primarily for the purpose of seeking financial support.
- Insurance, another grant or an alternative funding source is readily available and there is no urgent welfare issue.
- The request relates to routine or ongoing ownership costs rather than short-term stabilisation.
- There is no viable outcome pathway or the requested support would create an open-ended arrangement.
Types of Assistance
| Assistance | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Feed and forage | Short-term provision required to maintain immediate welfare. |
| Veterinary care | Assessment and essential treatment required to address an urgent welfare concern. |
| Transport | Relocation to a safe or appropriate location where this is necessary for welfare. |
| Temporary agistment | Short-term care while a sustainable arrangement is established. |
| Humane euthanasia and disposal | A veterinarian-directed humane outcome where recovery is unlikely or continued treatment is not in the horse’s best interests. |
| Other emergency assistance | Minor or temporary measures required to maintain shelter, water, safe containment or immediate welfare, where approved by NZTR. |
| How support is provided Assistance will generally be arranged as goods or services and paid directly to an approved provider. Cash payments are not made to applicants. Retrospective reimbursement will only be considered in a genuine emergency where prior approval was not practicable. | |
Programme Requirements
- Requests must provide sufficient information to confirm the horse’s identity, location, welfare risk, owner or carer circumstances, assistance required and proposed outcome pathway.
- NZTR may obtain veterinary advice, photographs, provider updates, ownership information or other supporting material.
- Approved support must be used only for the agreed purpose and within the approved period and funding limit.
- Applicants must cooperate with reasonable monitoring, follow-up and reporting requirements.
- Potential breaches of welfare standards or participant obligations may be referred to the Racing Integrity Board.
Exit and Referral Pathways
Relief is intended to stabilise a short-term issue. At the end of support, the horse should transition to one of the following outcomes:
- Return to sustainable care by the owner or carer.
- Transfer to an appropriate responsible carer.
- Rehoming, retraining, retirement or rehabilitation through an appropriate pathway.
- Referral to another NZTR welfare or aftercare programme.
- Humane euthanasia where this is the most appropriate welfare outcome.
Circumstances Where Assistance May Cease
- The immediate welfare risk has been stabilised or resolved.
- The approved period or funding limit has been reached.
- The horse no longer meets Programme eligibility requirements.
- The applicant does not comply with Programme conditions or monitoring requirements.
- False, misleading or incomplete information has been provided.
- The horse is sold, transferred, rehomed, euthanised or otherwise exits the approved arrangement.
- An alternative programme or longer-term pathway is more appropriate.
Programme Administration
The NZTR Relief Programme is administered by New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing. NZTR may approve, decline, suspend, vary or withdraw assistance at its discretion and may amend Programme criteria, funding levels or operational requirements from time to time.