International racehorse aftercare advocates emphasized owner responsibility and humane treatment, in addition to sharing insights on retirement programs for horses whose racing or breeding careers have ended during the two-day International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses (IFAR), which held its first conference in Washington, D.C., on May 17 and 18.

The IFAR event coincided with the Pan American Conference, an international conference on Thoroughbred racing hosted by The Jockey Club and the Latin American Racing Channel.

“The IFAR conference featured presentations from a unique international gathering of aftercare participants from some of the sport’s top organizations in Thoroughbred aftercare,” said Di Arbuthnot, chairman of IFAR and chief executive of Retraining of Racehorses. “Having our conference coincide with the Pan American Conference enabled us to share our views on aftercare best practices with a truly global audience, which is part of our mission.”

Conference topics covered all aspects of Thoroughbred aftercare, including post-racing options, connecting aftercare and horseplayers, harmonization of the rules of racing for owners, and standards for aftercare providers