Over the past year, industry experts from around the country have volunteered their time and expertise to projects in greyhound health assistance, horse breeding, and retraining greyhounds and horses to new environments.
The projects were driven by industry and overseen by the Racing and Breeding Industry Reference Committee. Skills standards were developed to support skills in handling and training racing animals throughout the course of their racing career and life after, reflecting current job roles and work practices.
The horse breeding sector provides the horses required for our domestic racing and also provides many of the horses that race in Hong Kong and Asia so it is fantastic the unique, highly skilled work requirements are now available in the national racing and breeding skills standards that have been endorsed by our industry. Related to this is the work our industry does in looking after horses and greyhounds through to their retirement, providing whole of life tracking, along with appropriate transition from racing to breeding, recreation and equestrian pursuits all being supported by these standards. It is also encouraging to now have the work of Greyhound Health Assistants recognised in the national skills standards. Coupled with veterinary care, the therapies they offer in massage and other non-invasive therapies can have positive physical and mental health benefits for racing greyhounds with appropriately skilled and accredited therapists.
– Ron Fleming, deputy Chair Racing and Breeding IRC
Thanks to their efforts, the skills standards have now been publishing on training.gov.au, within the RGR Racing and Breeding Training Package. This means they are available for use by registered training organisations.
Click through to the individual project pages for further details.
Greyhound Health Assistance Services
The national skills standards for the Greyhound Health Assistant job role have been identified as part of this project. Greyhound Health Assistants require knowledge and skills relating to the greyhound musculoskeletal system, conducting physical examinations and applying massage and non-invasive treatments.
Thanks to the contributions of industry, a qualification and skill set is now available to support the training of those wishing to specialise in greyhound health assistance.
Horse Breeding Skills
The horse breeding sector now has access to updated units of competency that capture the skills required by horse breeders across the board, including thoroughbred and standardbred horses.
The horse racing industry has at its foundation the largest and most complex horse breeding sector in Australia. Industry has been integral in reviewing and developing units, skill sets and qualifications to reflect the current skills, knowledge and practices required to work in a range of job roles across all types of horse breeding.
Retraining Horses & Greyhounds to New Environments
The skills to assess and retrain racing horses or greyhounds for new environments have been captured in new and revised units of competency. This includes new skill sets and specialisations within the qualifications, which have been developed in consultation with industry to address the unique needs of both horses and greyhounds when moving into domestic, equestrian, recreational or farm environments.
