Harness Racing Victoria (HRV) is pleased to welcome Tara van der Minne to the role of HRV HERO Operations Manager.

Van der Minne has moved into the position from her previous role as Animal Welfare Investigative Steward.

HRV General Manager of Integrity Brent Fisher said van der Minne’s “experience and knowledge in the important space of animal welfare would be invaluable in her new role”.

The HRV HERO program has recently undergone an expansion, welcoming several new recognised re-trainers and ambassadors to its team, allowing more horses to enter the program and be retrained in a timely manner by professional trainers who are passionate about standardbred life after racing.

As a result, horses entering the program is up 73 per cent, horses being rehomed is up almost 200 per cent and waiting list timeframes for horses to enter the program are down 82 per cent.

“The statistics show that the new model is working, delivering quality outcomes focused on reducing the lag between horses retiring from the racetrack and being able to find a recognised re-trainer,” Fisher said.

“The recognised HRV HERO re-trainers are dedicated to achieving the best life-after-racing outcome for every horse under their care. Increasing the pool of re-trainers does not increase the speed in which a horse is expertly re-trained, rather having more recognised re-trainers provides more opportunity for the program as a whole to deliver increased quality outcomes.”

Fisher said the program, which now reports into the HRV Integrity Department, was a “critical element of the industry’s commitment to horse welfare best practice”.

“Ensuring the best practices are being observed at all times in the horse welfare space is a non-negotiable for harness racing,” he said.

“In line with that we have a stringent framework in place through our licensing requirements, which aims to ensure we have the right people working with horses in our industry. We also mandate training to ensure all working with horses have a deep understanding of best practice and their requirements.

“Improving the exposure and operation of HRV HERO are key objectives in line with our recently announced TROTS24 strategic vision. We’re committed to continuing to develop the program to ensure more horses are being re-homed at the completion of their racing careers.”

Fisher said there would be many more announcements in coming months in the HRV HERO space, which will only assist re-trainers finding suitable homes for standardbreds and also support HRV commitment to life after racing.

Want to learn more about the HRV HERO program? Phone 0411 499 051 or email hero@hrv.org.au